The Greatest Real Madrid in History Is Here!
That was the headline published on the front page of Spain's AS after Real Madrid thrashed Schalke 04 by seven goals to nil away from home.
Throughout Real Madrid's history of more than a century, German teams had always been Galácticos' most troublesome opponents. Last season, Real Madrid had fallen to Bayern Munich in the semifinals, ending their run there. It had left all their supporters deeply disappointed while further intensifying everyone's concern over Real Madrid's "fear of German teams."
But in Gelsenkirchen, Real Madrid overwhelmed Schalke 04 with a sensational seven-goal victory. Not only was it the most emphatic win in this season's Champions League so far, it also made it clear to everyone that Real Madrid had completely emerged from the shadow of last season and was entering its peak.
AS believed that this season's Real Madrid was exceptionally cohesive. The entire team revolved tightly around Yang Yang, and whether in attack or defense, everything had been built with remarkable success. On top of that, their deep bench allowed Ancelotti's side to handle every front with ease. They had already reached the Copa del Rey final, while the La Liga title was practically within reach.
"Now, this seven-goal thrashing of Schalke 04 has shown us a Real Madrid that is unstoppable."
"After the match, Ancelotti expressed his satisfaction with the team's emphatic victory at the press conference, but believed it was still too early to discuss whether they could recreate the treble."
"Ancelotti said, 'I'm fully aware that the team is currently in a rapid period of growth. We went through an entire season of adjustment, and even performed less than ideally during the first half of this season. But we quickly stabilized again and found a mature style of