"Everyone, stay focused!"
"Pay closer attention. Keep an eye on your mark!"
When De Bruyne stood in the right-side corner area and had just placed the ball down before slowly backing away, Barcelona center-back Pique shouted a reminder to his teammates from inside the penalty area.
So far in the match, Real Madrid had won only two corners. This was their third. The previous two had failed to create any danger, and Barcelona had clearly practiced defending corners and dealing with Real Madrid's set-piece attacks.
Barcelona were not the only ones. Real Madrid were the same.
Defending corners had always been one of Real Madrid's biggest weaknesses. Yet in this match, Barcelona had been awarded four corners and failed to create any danger with them. In a game where Real Madrid had enjoyed only around thirty-five percent possession, that was no easy feat.
Javi Martínez, Casemiro, Vermaelen, and several others had all appeared inside Barcelona's penalty area. Toni Kroos stood outside the box, waiting for an opportunity, while Vázquez on the right flank stood to the right of the penalty area, ready to receive a short corner.
Barcelona treated it as a grave threat. Even their front three had retreated to defend, while they paid special attention to Real Madrid's excellent aerial threats. Pique personally marked Yang Yang, showing just how seriously he took him.
After hearing Pique's two shouts, Yang Yang smiled faintly. Pique had been blocking him from behind the entire time.
Pique stood 1.92 meters tall, a full nine centimeters taller than Yang Yang. Combined with his physical advantage, whenever he stood in front of Yang Yang, it was as if he had completely suppressed him. If De Bruyne sent the corner directly toward Yang Yang, there was a ninety-nine percent chance Pique would clear it away.