Real Madrid ultimately defeated Bayern Munich 3–0 away from home in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals.
Throughout the match, Real Madrid firmly dominated the Bundesliga champions in possession. They also created more scoring chances and played a possession-based style that was completely different from their performances in the previous two rounds of the Champions League knockout stage, leaving everyone astonished.
After the match, Yang Yang, who had provided one assist and scored one goal, was named Man of the Match and once again received a flood of praise. The media also lavished praise on the depth of Real Madrid's midfield, believing that the club could field two configurations of Europe's top midfielders, play two completely different tactical styles, and still be competitive. It was almost unbelievable.
"Modrić, Toni Kroos, David Silva, De Bruyne, Isco... Any one of them, if they weren't at Real Madrid but played for any other club in Europe, could easily be a starter, or even a key player."
"But at Real Madrid, they have to compete for those two positions. What incredible luxury!"
Heynckes also expressed his envy of Real Madrid's squad at the post-match press conference. He openly admitted that he had misjudged Real Madrid's tactics. "Any team with a squad like Real Madrid's would make its head coach very happy, because he can adopt different tactical approaches against different opponents and in different situations."
The Bundesliga veteran also mentioned Yang Yang and Zidane, believing that the two had coached Real Madrid with great success.
"Before this, I couldn't imagine any team winning five consecutive Champions League titles. What happened half a century ago seems like a legend to us today, but this Real Madrid led by Yang Yang and Zidane has turned that legend into reality. For other teams, that is