The match was intense.

Possession of the ball was changing rapidly.

At this point, whoever scored first would take control of the game.

Ye Chen knew this well, which was why he was eager to activate his guaranteed long-shot card.

However, after his first long-range shot, he was completely locked down.

Khedira was closely marking him, cutting off his passing lanes.

His teammates could only pass the ball to him if he dropped deep into his own half to collect it.

But today, Ye Chen wasn't playing as a second striker—he was a winger.

Kagawa also attempted to loft a pass to Ye Chen, but under the tight marking of Khedira and Arbeloa, he couldn't even touch the ball.

Even though Ye Chen had been working on his physical strength and had skill enhancements, he still hadn't reached an 80 rating in strength.

Of course, for a defensive midfielder like Khedira, his strength was at least 85 or above.

More importantly, Ye Chen wasn't just up against Khedira—Arbeloa was lurking behind, ready to pounce.

Arbeloa hadn't said anything to him, but ever since Ye Chen dribbled past him to score a goal, the way he looked at Ye Chen had been... different.

If someone didn't know better, they might have thought Ye Chen had stolen his wife...

But while Ye Chen was struggling, on the other side, Ronaldo was facing the same treatment.

Within the first three minutes, Ronaldo had already been taken down twice—once by Piszczek and once by Kehl.

What Mourinho had done to Ye Chen in the previous match, Klopp was now returning in full!

Except this time, the target wasn't Ye Chen—it was Ronaldo.

The match had barely started, yet Ronaldo was repeatedly fouled. Meanwhile, Pepe, Real Madrid's main center-back, could do nothing but watch from the stands.

If he were on the field, he would have retaliated immediately!

But now, all he could do was witness everything unfold before him.

7 minutes 47 seconds.

Casillas securely caught Lewandowski's shot and immediately threw the ball to Arbeloa on the right.

Arbeloa quickly passed to Di María ahead.

Di María, closely marked by Schmelzer, carried the ball to midfield before passing it sideways to Khedira.

As soon as Khedira received the ball, Kagawa rushed in to press.

Seeing Kagawa charging at him aggressively, Khedira launched a long ball toward Ronaldo.

After years of playing together, Khedira had complete trust in Ronaldo. But in his haste, the pass was slightly weak, allowing Piszczek—who was closer—to head it toward Real Madrid's half.

Lewandowski immediately dropped back to receive the ball.

The moment Lewandowski gained possession, Dortmund instantly transitioned from defense to attack.

Ye Chen burst forward, and Arbeloa quickly followed.

But Lewandowski's pass landed perfectly at Ye Chen's feet.

Ye Chen took control of the ball first, but the angle was too tight. He was already inside the box, making a long shot meaningless.

His first instinct was to cut inside and shoot, but this time, Arbeloa had positioned himself well.

With no other choice, Ye Chen passed it back to the advancing Schmelzer.

Schmelzer took a powerful touch, shaking off the chasing Di María before crossing the ball into the box.

The ball flew toward the penalty spot. Lewandowski leaped high for a header—

But Varane jumped as well!

Although Varane didn't make contact with the ball, his mid-air collision with Lewandowski was enough to disrupt the attempt.

Casillas read the play perfectly and caught the ball with ease.

Wasting no time, he quickly got up and launched a long kick toward Ronaldo.

With Hummels pressing him from behind, Ronaldo found it difficult to control the ball, but he managed to win the first header, nodding it back to Marcelo.

Marcelo and Ronaldo had a near-telepathic connection—Marcelo controlled the ball instantly.

Dortmund's attack had just ended, and Real Madrid's counterattack had already begun!

Marcelo surged forward, spotted Ronaldo dropping deep, and immediately passed it back to him.

Piszczek moved to mark Marcelo, while Hummels stepped up to challenge Ronaldo.

But Ronaldo didn't even turn around. As Hummels pressed him, he flicked the ball backward with his heel—

A brilliant backheel pass straight to Kaka!

This was another one of Ronaldo's signature moves!

With that pass, he pulled Hummels away, leaving Kaka completely unmarked.

Up front, Kaka and Benzema found themselves in a 2-on-1 situation!

Kaka drove into the box, forcing Subotić to abandon Benzema and close him down.

But the moment Subotić lunged at him, Kaka unselfishly played a pass—

A white blur raced in—

It was Benzema, wearing the No. 9 jersey!

With an open goal in front of him, Benzema didn't miss. A simple push, and the ball rolled into the net.

Weidenfeller could do nothing but raise his hands in surrender as he watched the ball go in...

From defense to attack, Real Madrid had only needed nine seconds!

Casillas to Ronaldo, Ronaldo to Marcelo, Marcelo back to Ronaldo, Ronaldo's backheel to Kaka, and Kaka to Benzema...

This was Mourinho's Real Madrid.

Simple, efficient, and deadly.

The moment Benzema scored, the Santiago Bernabéu erupted!

Real Madrid 1-0 Dortmund!

The aggregate score was now 4-2, with three away goals for Real Madrid...

Back then, the away-goals rule was still in effect.

What did this mean?

Even if Dortmund won 2-1, making the aggregate score 4-4, Real Madrid would still advance because of their three away goals.

Dortmund needed at least a 3-1 or 3-2 victory...

At 3-1, they would win 5-4 overall.

At 3-2, the aggregate would be 5-5, and with away goals tied, the match would go into extra time.

If extra time ended in a draw, a penalty shootout would decide the winner.

(The away-goals rule was abolished in the 2021-2022 season.)

At the Bernabéu, Real Madrid fans were celebrating wildly.

Meanwhile, the traveling Dortmund fans felt like they had been plunged into an icy abyss.

In the middle of this fervent stadium, they felt the bitter cold...

The ground was shaking.

Countless fans were chanting Benzema's name!

"Goooooooooooooooooooal!!"

The commentators were screaming—

"Ben~~~ze~~~ma~~~~!!!"

"Real Madrid struck with lightning-fast precision!"

"They used their most lethal weapon—counterattacking—to dismantle the visitors!"

"If Dortmund was hanging off a cliff before the match, then after Benzema's goal, they have fallen into the abyss!"

"We can already congratulate Real Madrid on reaching the Champions League semifinals!"

The commentators were clearly biased.

But that didn't matter anymore.

In the away fans' section, some Dortmund supporters were in tears.

The camera focused on a young boy, no older than ten, sobbing uncontrollably...

But human emotions do not connect.

The Real Madrid fans had only one thing on their minds—

"Semi-finales!"

"Semi-finales!"

"Semi-finales!"

Near the corner flag, Benzema, Ronaldo, and Kaka embraced.

Mourinho clenched his fists and roared.

The Champions League semifinals!

Jose Mourinho was back!

But on the pitch, Ye Chen clenched his fists and returned to midfield.

Words meant nothing now.

He knew this goal was a massive blow, but it was inevitable.

This was Real Madrid—one of the strongest clubs in the world.

Conceding was part of the game.

But now, he had only one mission—equalize.

As long as the final whistle hadn't blown, he would keep running.

Until he could run no more!