February 11, Madrid's Bernabéu Stadium.
In the first leg of the Copa del Rey, Real Madrid hosted Villarreal.
Before the match, everyone had been worried about Real Madrid's poor form in recent times. However, Ancelotti had shown intense confidence before kickoff, firmly believing that the team could defeat their opponents at home.
As soon as the match began, Real Madrid, playing at home, pressed forward aggressively and immediately suppressed their opponents, creating chances time and again.
Yang Yang and Suarez partnered as a two-man strike force, and Real Madrid returned to the 4-4-2 Formation. However, their finishing was not quite up to scratch. The players repeatedly missed chances, and at one point Yang Yang assisted Marcelo for a goal, but the referee signaled that Marcelo was offside and disallowed it.
It was not until the thirty-first minute that Suarez won the ball in the attacking third and sent a through pass forward. Yang Yang quickly surged up from behind, took the ball past the goalkeeper, and slotted it into the empty net with his left foot to open the scoring for Real Madrid, 1–0.
Yang Yang and Suarez then combined repeatedly, creating several excellent scoring chances for each other, but neither could find the net.
After the halftime change of ends, Yang Yang suddenly moved to the left side of the penalty area to receive Isco's pass. He then exchanged passes twice with David Silva, quickly cutting into Villarreal's box. Finally, as Yang Yang fell in front of goal, he poked the ball forward, assisting David Silva, who smashed it into the net, making it 2–0.
Real Madrid then won another corner. Vermaelen headed it home, changing the score to 3–0.
However, in the sixty-first minute, Villarreal scored from a long-range shot outside the box.
In the seventieth minute, Yang