The evening of March 27, Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid.
In the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal, Real Madrid hosted APOEL.
Having played three La Liga matches in the past week, Ancelotti opted for rotation. For this match, however, he fielded an all-out attacking lineup against APOEL.
Casillas was in goal. The back four were Marcelo, Pepe, Ramos, and Maicon. Xabi Alonso played as the holding midfielder, with David Silva and Modrić ahead of him. The front three were Yang Yang, Ibrahimovic, and Di Maria.
From the very start, Real Madrid completely controlled the match. APOEL had clearly recognized their awkward position upon arriving at Bernabéu Stadium. They immediately adopted a deep defensive formation, setting up an iron wall and allowing Real Madrid to control possession and the flow of the game. They calmly focused on defending, showing little desire even to counterattack.
Real Madrid had expected this. If APOEL had pushed forward to play, Real Madrid would actually have had fewer headaches. But now that APOEL had chosen to sit deep, especially with their defense having developed confidence and momentum this season, breaking through would not be easy.
Yet as long as they created a crack, this seemingly impenetrable defense would collapse.
In the opening ten-odd minutes, Real Madrid fired off shot after shot, repeatedly threatening the opposing goal, but none found the net.
The advantage of a strong team was that it had options. After the fifteenth minute, Real Madrid decisively chose to build patiently.
The combination of David Silva, Xabi Alonso, and Modrić gave Real Madrid tremendous control in midfield, while attacks down both wings made them more dangerous at breaking through, especially after the twenty-fifth minute.
Seeing that the team had stabilized the situation, Marcelo and Maicon each increased their involvement in the attack.
In the