Crazy!

On the night of September 30, at Madrid's Bernabéu Stadium.

In the second round of Group C of the Champions League Group Stage, Real Madrid hosted Ligue 1 side Marseille.

Less than a minute into the match, Marseille center-back Diawara fouled Ibrahimovic from behind while defending him. The referee issued him a stern warning, but Diawara looked extremely dissatisfied.

He clearly believed that the referee was deliberately favoring the home side, Real Madrid—especially Ibrahimovic.

The reason was simple: the referee for this match was Swedish international referee Martin Hansen.

Against Real Madrid, and playing away from home, Marseille lined up with three defensive midfielders. Deschamps's strategy was clear: focus on solid defense away from home. Though it looked like a 4-4-2 Formation, it was actually a 4-5-1, with only Morientes left up front.

Breaking down a packed defense was a problem every top team had to face.

In the opening stages, Diawara's foul on Ibrahimovic seemed more like a test from an experienced player.

Marseille wanted to find out exactly where the referee's standard of enforcement lay.

Sure enough, Deschamps's team soon began making full use of their physical advantage. They covered ground aggressively and pressed hard to suppress Real Madrid's attacks. They were especially fierce in midfield, heavily restricting Sneijder and Xabi Alonso and making it difficult for Real Madrid's players to keep possession.

Real Madrid had chosen three midfielders. Against Marseille's five-man midfield, they were outnumbered and could only devote a great deal of energy to close physical battles with their opponents. It was difficult to organize any effective attacks or send ammunition up front.

Deschamps's strategy was crystal clear. With the individual ability of Yang Yang, Ibrahimovic, and Robben—the three attacking giants up front—as long as the ball reached their feet, they could easily create danger.