February 18, Gelsenkirchen, Germany—Veltins-Arena.
In the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16, Real Madrid traveled to face Schalke 04.
After nearly three months away, the Champions League was back in action.
Real Madrid had been struggling recently, and as they traveled to face Schalke 04 in Germany, they had to be especially cautious from the start. Real Madrid had always been wary of German teams, while the home side, Schalke 04, was even more careful.
Real Madrid did not manage their first shot until the eighteenth minute, when young Illarramendi tried his luck from long range.
In the league match against Deportivo La Coruña, Illarramendi had performed brilliantly. Once again handed a starting spot, he looked eager to prove himself. He shot immediately, but failed to create any danger.
The home fans responded with deafening jeers, while the Real Madrid players offered him understanding and encouragement.
That was what it was like playing for Real Madrid. Other than at the Bernabéu, they faced waves of jeers wherever they went.
But in the twenty-sixth minute, Illarramendi split the defense with a pass from midfield. On the right, Carvajal faced a defender alone just outside the box, feinted, cut toward the middle, and chipped a pass into the area with his left foot.
Yang Yang nimbly shook off the defenders closing in from both sides. Near the edge of the six-yard box, he calmly nodded the ball into Schalke 04's goal, opening the scoring for Real Madrid.
Carvajal's performances had been getting better and better. Together with Marcelo on the left, he now formed the strongest full-back pairing in world football, making Real Madrid's wing attacks unstoppable. Yang Yang himself had benefited immensely from it.
In the thirty-fifth minute, a passing move between David Silva and Hazard just outside