On the afternoon of May 8, in the thirty-seventh round of La Liga, Real Madrid hosted Valencia at the Bernabéu Stadium.
After the match began, both sides played with caution. Real Madrid had already won the La Liga title and was preparing for the two upcoming finals, but still fielded its key players for this match.
Sometimes, using a match as stimulation was also a way to adjust the players' physical and mental states.
Yang Yang started, but his mindset was extremely relaxed.
It was not just him—the entire Real Madrid squad was relaxed, yet their commitment during the match did not waver.
Everyone knew that Yang Yang and Zidane were assessing the players. Whoever was in good form would be able to take part in the next two finals. And as professional footballers, who would not want to start in the Champions League Final?
Real Madrid controlled the advantage on the pitch, patiently organizing attacks and probing their opponents.
In the twenty-fifth minute, Toni Kroos suddenly sent a long pass from midfield, placing it precisely at Yang Yang's feet.
By then, Yang Yang had already found space. Inside the arc at the top of the penalty area, he received Toni Kroos's long pass and brought it under control. He turned and shook off Valencia center-back Mustafi. Facing the advancing goalkeeper Alves, he chipped the ball with his right foot and pierced Valencia's goal. One-nil!
Just two minutes later, Real Madrid's attack reached the front. Marcelo surged forward from behind and sent a diagonal pass to Yang Yang at the edge of the penalty area. After Suarez dragged away a defender, Yang Yang controlled the ball and turned, escaping Abdennour. From the right side of the arc, he fired with his right foot toward the bottom-left corner.
Goalkeeper Alves adjusted