The day after Real Madrid crushed Napoli 5–1 away from home, media outlets around the world scrambled to report on the Champions League knockout stage.
This season's Champions League Round of 16 had produced one upset after another and delivered spectacular action.
A week earlier, Paris Saint-Germain had thrashed Barcelona 4–0 at home, creating the biggest upset of this season's Champions League and stunning media and fans worldwide. Benfica had also edged Dortmund 1–0 at home, which likewise counted as a major upset.
Die Borussen, who had performed poorly in the Bundesliga this season, had failed to produce good results after entering the Champions League knockout stage.
By comparison, Man City's 5–3 home victory over Monaco seemed fairly normal.
Incidentally, the young French star Mbappé, whom Real Madrid had been closely monitoring, had started that match and played eighty minutes. He had scored a crucial goal for Monaco, helping the French side overturn a 2–1 deficit against Man City in the first half. Unfortunately, Man City adjusted in the second half, scored repeatedly, and eventually defeated their opponents 5–3.
Still, Mbappé's performance had won unanimous recognition from the outside world. Compared with the lackluster showing of Dortmund's young Dembele, Mbappé had received much more praise and affirmation. After all, the Champions League knockout stage carried considerable weight.
Now, a week later, Real Madrid had crushed Napoli 5–1 away from home. They could basically be considered through to the Champions League quarterfinals. Media outlets around the world were stunned by Real Madrid's dominance, especially in the second half, when Real Madrid had almost completely suppressed Napoli.
The adjustments made by Yang Yang and Zidane during halftime were regarded as the key to turning the match around. Even Napoli head coach Sarri had admitted at the post-match press conference that his team