At halftime, the Real Madrid dressing room was so quiet that only the players' heavy breathing could be heard.
The final score of the first half was 0–1, with Real Madrid trailing Atletico Madrid by one goal.
A 1–0 scoreline was the most common halftime score in a Champions League Final, but the last team to trail at halftime and come back to win the title was Barcelona in 2006, when they overturned a 2–1 deficit against Arsenal. In Real Madrid's history, there had never been a precedent for falling behind by one goal in a Champions League Final and then completing a comeback, which undoubtedly increased the pressure on the players.
The dressing room was utterly silent, with everyone sitting in his own place.
Casillas felt guilty and did not know what to say. Even Ramos, normally the most outspoken of them all, had tried several times to speak but stopped himself. Clearly, he did not know what to say either.
In a situation like this, saying the wrong thing could easily make matters worse.
It was not until Ancelotti entered from outside with Zidane that everyone in the dressing room gradually shifted their attention.
"We played well in the first half." Ancelotti's first words were praise and affirmation for the team.
"The goal we conceded was an accident. No one wanted it to happen, but now that it has, there's no point dwelling on it or regretting it. The most important thing now is to think about how to score one goal, or even turn the score around. That is our top priority at this moment."
After hearing Ancelotti's words, everyone in the dressing room nodded in unison.
No one truly blamed Casillas. Anyone could make a mistake. It could be you today, him tomorrow, and someone else