On the evening of November 22, in the fifth round of the Champions League Group Stage, Real Madrid traveled to face Sporting Lisbon.
Before the match, Zidane joked at the press conference that he hoped to see Yang Yang score another Hat-trick.
"I know he's in excellent form right now. I think it's very possible."
As it turned out, Zidane truly understood Yang Yang.
Less than two minutes after kickoff, Di Maria dribbled down the right but failed to break through. He cut the ball back and sent it across from the right side of the penalty area. Yang Yang, who had moved to the edge of the box to receive it, controlled the ball and turned, shaking off a Sporting Lisbon defender. After carrying it two steps toward the middle along the penalty-area line, he suddenly unleashed a shot, striking the ball with his left foot and sending it into the net.
One-nil!
Real Madrid continued to maintain its attacking pressure on Sporting Lisbon. Real Madrid were currently level with Dortmund in the Champions League Group Stage, but Dortmund were playing Legia Warsaw at home that evening, and there was virtually no suspense about them taking the win.
In other words, if Real Madrid wanted to seize first place in the group, they had to beat Sporting Lisbon that night.
In the twenty-ninth minute, Modrić crossed a free kick from the right side of the penalty area into the box. Yang Yang found a pocket of space amid the crowd and immediately lunged in to shoot. The ball tore through the defense and flew straight into the bottom-right corner of Sporting Lisbon's goal.
The goalkeeper's view had been blocked by the crowd, leaving him helpless against the shot.
Two-nil!
After completing his Brace, Yang Yang was extremely excited. He