Real Madrid kicked off.

Benzema and his teammates became noticeably more focused.

They had no choice—after conceding a goal, Mourinho on the sidelines looked like he wanted to devour his players alive.

Naturally, the players had to be on high alert.

After conceding, Real Madrid played more steadily.

They didn't rush to attack since they had the advantage in securing qualification.

However, Dortmund wasn't about to let that happen, so they intensified their pressing.

Pressing, of course, meant that maintaining their formation became difficult—especially with Ronaldo being incredibly active up front.

As a result, just a little over halfway through the first half, Subotić and Piszczek from the Dortmund backline both received yellow card warnings!

Of course, while Ronaldo was stirring up trouble on one side, Ye Chen wasn't idle on the other.

34:45

Ye Chen received a long pass from Hummels, immediately flicking the ball forward with his right foot, essentially setting up a pass to himself a few seconds later.

Arbeloa saw Ye Chen accelerating and had no choice but to bring him down.

Dortmund was awarded a free kick from the left side.

41:02

Lewandowski sent a direct pass to Ye Chen.

Ye Chen ran into the middle and, upon seeing the pass, accelerated, attempting to slip through the gap between Khedira and Alonso.

The ball made it through, but Ye Chen was pulled down by Alonso.

The referee promptly awarded Alonso a yellow card!

Both sides missed golden opportunities in the first half. Ronaldo's volley should have found the net, but Weidenfeller made a brilliant save.

Ye Chen, after breaking down the flank, delivered a pinpoint pass to Lewandowski in the box.

However, Lewandowski, in a moment of recklessness, skied the shot.

Of course, the slow-motion replay revealed that Ramos had interfered with him...

When the referee blew the whistle for halftime, the score was 1-1.

With both sides engaging in an all-out attacking battle, the match had been exhilarating from start to finish.

This match was thrilling, but at the same time, Barcelona's clash with AC Milan was equally exciting.

In the 11th minute, Messi won a penalty and converted it effortlessly.

In the 32nd minute, Milan equalized—Zlatan Ibrahimović assisted Nocerino to bring the score level.

But in the 41st minute, Barcelona won another penalty, and Messi scored again, bagging a brace.

With this goal, Messi set a new record for the most goals in a single Champions League season with 14 goals, tying the records of Altafini and Van Nistelrooy in the competition's history!

He also moved to 14 goals in the Champions League top scorer list!

If we're only counting goals, Barcelona vs. Milan had more.

But in terms of sheer intensity, Real Madrid vs. Dortmund was a true clash of titans.

Barcelona's possession-based playstyle was still somewhat monotonous—once Milan fell into their rhythm, they could do nothing but struggle, much like a trapped opponent unable to break free.

During halftime, Klopp praised his players and urged Kagawa to be bolder with his passing.

Out of fear of losing possession, Kagawa had been playing cautiously in this match.

However, he still managed to register an assist!

With Ye Chen joining the squad, Kagawa's assist tally had already surpassed 20 this season!

That's exactly why Manchester United wanted to sign him.

A player who can provide 20+ assists per season is undoubtedly a top-class playmaker.

Manchester United was in dire need of someone capable of delivering killer passes!

Just like Sancho in the future—before moving to United, his stats were 16 goals and 20 assists in a season...

Of course, those numbers can be misleading.

With Haaland up front, sometimes even a casual pass could turn into an assist.

Take the earlier one-two play—Kagawa simply laid off a pass, and Ye Chen smashed it into the net without even needing to adjust. Another assist bonus for Kagawa—effortless!

Dortmund really needed the transfer funds, as they had bank debts to repay every year and were also looking to bring Marco Reus back to Signal Iduna Park.

Although Kagawa was performing well, deep down, European clubs still inherently trusted European players more.

This was a deeply ingrained mindset, not something that could change overnight.

The second half kicked off quickly!

Both teams continued to fight for every inch, and the first dangerous attack came from Real Madrid!

58:21

Real Madrid won a corner on the left.

Xabi Alonso took the set piece!

Players jostled for position in the box.

"Boom!"

The ball curled beautifully towards the center.

Ramos made a clever run to the perfect spot.

Although he wasn't the tallest, his ability to judge the ball's trajectory was outstanding.

He powered a header toward the goal.

"Duang!"

But the crossbar at the Santiago Bernabéu denied him!

The ball bounced out of play.

Dortmund fans in the stadium and in front of their TVs all breathed a sigh of relief.

Ramos, on the other hand, stomped in frustration—what a wasted chance!

60:26

Real Madrid attacked again!

Di María received the ball on the right and attempted a knock-and-run move.

But Kehl wasn't having any of it—he took Di María down directly.

Real Madrid earned a free kick from at least 40 meters out on the right.

Di María delivered a cross to the back post!

Ronaldo was completely unmarked, leaping high for a powerful header.

The sheer force of the header was terrifying, almost like a shot with his foot—the ball rocketed into the net.

But just as the stadium erupted in cheers, the assistant referee raised his flag.

Ronaldo was offside!

In the instant Di María made the pass, Dortmund had executed a perfect offside trap.

Replays confirmed the call was spot on—the score remained 1-1!

62:41

Di María attempted a through ball to Benzema, but Hummels reacted quickly to intercept it.

However, the clearance wasn't far, and Kaka followed up with a long-range strike...

The ball whistled past the post!

As Dortmund's goal came under siege, Ye Chen found himself tracking back frequently.

There was no choice—the pressure was immense.

With modern football's evolution, even wingers and strikers had to take on defensive duties—that's the essence of total football!

In a past match between Manchester United and Chelsea, Ronaldo—playing as a striker—had to drop back to defend so much that he practically turned into a left-back. He still managed to score and made two clearances. Fans joked afterward, saying, "Manchester United's left-back scored a goal!"

Ye Chen found himself in a similar role, constantly tracking back due to Di María's relentless movement and Kehl's yellow card limiting his aggression.

Of course, there's an old saying in football:

If you don't seize your chances, be ready for retribution!

Real Madrid had squandered golden opportunities, and as fatigue set in, they started retreating.

Dortmund pressed forward aggressively!

68:17

Piszczek passed to Perišić on the right, who then played it back to Gündoğan.

Gündoğan sent a direct pass to Lewandowski.

Lewandowski held up the ball, shielding it from Ramos, and laid it off to Kehl.

Kehl, tightly marked by Khedira, returned the ball to Hummels.

Hummels sent a long pass towards Ye Chen!

Ye Chen held off Arbeloa and controlled the ball!

He feigned a move towards the center, luring Arbeloa to follow.

But just as Arbeloa moved in for physical contact, Ye Chen suddenly cut the ball the other way, spinning past him effortlessly!

A sharp turn and dribble!

Arbeloa was Real Madrid's last line of defense on the right flank.

Ye Chen drove into the box, with Varane and Khedira closing in!

Ye Chen knew—this was his moment.

He had to make it count.