As Man City fought back from 0–1 down to beat Stoke City 2–1 away from home, Real Madrid had just finished a La Liga match at the distant Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, hosting Real Sociedad.
The stadium scoreboard displayed the final result of the match: 5–1!
Under Pellegrini, Real Madrid had once again put on a thrilling, overwhelming performance, crushing Real Sociedad at home.
When the referee, Javier Álvarez, blew the final whistle, thunderous cheers swept through the entire Bernabéu Stadium, singing praises for the victorious team.
Although the Real Madrid players on the pitch all looked exhausted, every one of them was incredibly excited.
Five to one. It had unquestionably been a huge victory.
Especially with Manchester City awaiting them in the Champions League quarterfinals, securing such a resounding win was undoubtedly a massive boost to their morale.
What excited the fans even more was that the best performers in the match had been the team's star players.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema had both scored twice, Higuaín had contributed a goal and an assist, and Kaka had also picked up an assist. He had put in a solid performance throughout the match, as the attacking combination up front had produced a spectacular display of attacking football.
This left every Real Madrid fan eagerly anticipating what was to come. They hoped that this second-generation Galácticos side, packed with superstars, would once again unleash a storm of blood and fire in Manchester—preferably by crushing Man City as completely as they had slaughtered Real Sociedad.
Cristiano Ronaldo stood proudly in the center of the Bernabéu Stadium, looking elated, his hands on his hips. He appeared full of energy, without the slightest trace of post-match fatigue on his face.
In truth, he was still very tired, but his emotions were simply