A Stroke of Genius

After taking the lead, Real Madrid launched another furious offensive.

In terms of fitness, the younger Real Madrid side was clearly superior to the aging AC Milan. In terms of team spirit, the Galácticos had home advantage and had just been reassembled with stars everywhere, so their morale was also clearly higher than that of the Rossoneri.

Although AC Milan looked for opportunities to counterattack, Pepe and Vermaelen were both quick in recovery, making it difficult for AC Milan to create any real danger.

In the thirty-first minute, AC Milan launched a counterattack. Ronaldinho cut in from the left with the ball but was blocked by Xabi Alonso. He suddenly unleashed a long-range shot, but the ball struck Pepe and rebounded.

Mascherano passed the ball to Vermaelen, and the Belgian center-back sent it straight to the left side of the pitch without taking a touch.

Yang Yang controlled the ball with his back to goal. Facing Oddo behind him, he used a nimble feint to shake him off, then suddenly accelerated, dribbling furiously from the center toward the right. His two pacey teammates, Kaka and Robben, followed at the same time.

Real Madrid's counterattack was lightning-fast, quickly creating a three-on-three situation in the attacking third.

After dribbling into the area thirty meters from AC Milan's goal, Yang Yang did not slow down. Instead, he drew Tiago Silva toward him before suddenly passing to Robben at the edge of the penalty area.

Robben controlled the ball, cut past Zambrotta, and curled a left-footed shot straight toward the left side of the goal.

Goalkeeper Dida blocked the ball with both hands, but the Brazilian goalkeeper made a mistake at the crucial moment. He failed to hold on, fumbling it under pressure.

Kaka shook off Nesta like a ghost, won the ball before