The evening of December 22, at La Rosaleda Stadium in Málaga.
The seventeenth round of La Liga saw Real Madrid challenge Málaga away.
After making the long journey back from Japan following the FIFA Club World Cup, the team had rushed straight to an away match against Málaga. Ancelotti had no choice but to rotate the lineup, and Yang Yang, having spent two consecutive days traveling back and forth, was placed on the bench.
The two sides were locked at 0–0 in the first half, with neither able to score.
But right at the start of the second half, Pellegrini's team launched the first attack. Isco, the Spanish youngster who had just won the European Golden Boy Award, beat Casillas with a powerful shot to open the scoring for Málaga.
He was the first Spanish player in nearly twelve years to score against Real Madrid at La Rosaleda Stadium.
Isco had grown increasingly impressive over the past two or three seasons. This season, in particular, he had been thriving in both La Liga and the Champions League, leading Málaga past strong teams such as Chelsea and through to the knockout stage as group winners.
There were rumors that Barcelona was drooling over him and had always wanted to sign him.
A goal down, Real Madrid had no choice but to make adjustments, and Yang Yang came on as a substitute in the sixtieth minute.
Six minutes later, Xabi Alonso sent a diagonal pass. Yang Yang moved to the right side of the penalty area, controlled the ball, turned, and crossed. Javi Martínez surged forward from behind and headed it into the net, leveling the score for Real Madrid.
Then, in the eighty-second minute, Camacho's backward pass to Demichelis went awry. David Silva intercepted it in the middle and immediately sent