The evening of January 28, at Madrid's Bernabéu Stadium.
Just two minutes after kickoff, the Bernabéu erupted in thunderous cheers—not because of a goal, but because Real Madrid had officially reached 660 consecutive minutes without conceding in competitive matches, setting the best defensive record in the club's 112-year history.
It was an astonishing achievement!
Especially for Real Madrid, a team that championed attacking football. Defense had always been the team's weak point, and even the goalkeeping position had long troubled them. Yet under such unfavorable circumstances, Real Madrid had still managed to create the best defensive record in its history.
Casillas's performances this season had not been satisfactory, but his form had stabilized recently. On top of that, Ancelotti had begun dropping Javi Martínez deeper into central defense more often, frequently switching to a back three. That had made Real Madrid's defense even more solid.
That was how they had created the best record in the club's hundred-year history.
But it was still only a record. Neither the players nor the fans had taken it too seriously. Then, just two minutes later, the stadium erupted in another round of frenzied cheers.
This time, it was for a goal.
In the fourth minute, Yang Yang won a free-kick opportunity on the left side outside the penalty area, twenty-eight meters from goal. He struck a powerful direct free kick that pierced Espanyol's goal and gave Real Madrid the lead.
Espanyol then began to fight back, because they needed to score three goals to turn the tie around.
In the seventh minute, Real Madrid won the ball in midfield. Xabi Alonso carried it just past the halfway line before sending a perfectly weighted lofted pass over Espanyol's defense. Young Jesé surged forward, controlled it with his chest, burst into the penalty area, and