After Man City scored, it was as if both sides had been doused with a bucket of cold water. The players on both teams gradually calmed down, and the match slowly eased out of its fierce, end-to-end opening.
If both teams had seemed somewhat impulsive at the start, then now they were gradually becoming more rational.
Man City began patiently controlling possession, using it to slow the pace of the match.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, patiently organized their defense, refusing to let Man City's passing easily penetrate into their territory and threaten their goal. They also committed fewer players to attacks than they had at the start. After all, Real Madrid was now very worried about Man City breaking through their defensive line, especially Su Dong.
With both sides adopting this attitude, the two teams tacitly chose to remain calm.
As a result, the match began to settle into a stalemate, with neither side able to breach the other's goal again.
The first half ended temporarily with the score at 2–1, and both teams returned to their dressing rooms.
After the teams switched ends, Man City made no tactical adjustments. Instead, they continued strengthening their possession-based play and applying even more pressure to Real Madrid's defense, while Real Madrid patiently consolidated their defensive shape and waited for chances to launch counterattacks.
Time gradually passed, but neither side managed to create a clear-cut chance.
Man City delayed making substitutions, while Real Madrid merely replaced the mediocre Higuaín with Callejón.
After the substitution, Benzema was pushed up front, with Callejón taking over on the right wing.
Clearly, Pellegrini still had not abandoned the counterattack. He still wanted to fight for another goal.
Both teams attached great importance to each other's star players. Su Dong and Cristiano Ronaldo alike received special attention from the