On the evening of January 24, in the second leg of the Copa del Rey quarterfinals, Real Madrid hosted Leganés at the Bernabéu.
When the match reached the seventy-seventh minute, Real Madrid made its final substitution of the game.
Yang Yang replaced Isco.
When Real Madrid's fans saw Yang Yang standing by the sideline, they all rose to their feet as if by tacit agreement, giving him a thunderous, sustained ovation.
The score was 1–2 at that point. After the home side had equalized, a defensive mistake on a corner allowed the visitors to score again. Real Madrid had then gone twenty full minutes without finding another goal.
More than eighty thousand Real Madrid fans were shouting Yang Yang's name beneath the skies above the Bernabéu.
The overwhelming roar seemed to make even the stadium tremble.
Yang Yang stood by the sideline. After embracing Isco as he came off, he lifted a foot and stepped onto the pitch.
With a single burst, Yang Yang quickly sprinted forward as if loosening up his legs. He then raised both hands and applauded his teammates on the field and the fans in the stands.
"Yang Yang has finally come on as a substitute."
"Real Madrid's first two substitutions were both intended to strengthen the attack. Carvajal replaced the underperforming youngster Achraf, then Modrić replaced Kanté. Both changes were meant to break the deadlock, but neither worked."
"Zidane has finally unleashed his trump card: Yang Yang."
"Real Madrid's fans are also filled with anticipation for Yang Yang. It's just that we don't know whether he can save the team from danger once again tonight."
"Real Madrid are attacking again."
"The ball is played to the edge of the penalty area. Yang Yang lays it off and sends it into the box, giving it