A Goal Festival

Bernabéu Stadium, the night of February 21.

In La Liga's twenty-third round, Real Madrid hosted Villarreal.

In the eighteenth minute, Real Madrid won their first free-kick opportunity of the match.

Yang Yang had been fouled by Villarreal center-back Musacchio on the left side near the edge of the penalty area. The referee awarded a free kick in a dangerous position, and Yang Yang took it himself, standing ramrod straight at the spot.

It was about twenty-five meters from goal and slightly to the left. Yang Yang was confident.

This was Real Madrid's first shot of the match.

Interestingly, neither side had managed a single shot during the previous eighteen minutes.

Real Madrid had been in complete control since kickoff. The team kept creating chances, but the Yellow Submarine had dropped deep as a unit and defended cautiously, giving Real Madrid no openings whatsoever.

Real Madrid repeatedly tried to enter Villarreal's penalty area, but their efforts were all blocked.

Villarreal had lined up in a 4-5-1 formation, with three defensive midfielders. It was clear that Pellegrini's team had resolved to defend stubbornly away from home.

After kickoff, Real Madrid controlled possession, but whenever they entered the thirty-meter zone, they were immediately swarmed by the three defensive midfielders led by Senna and Bru. It was difficult to play the ball effectively into the penalty area, let alone create chances.

No shots in the first eighteen minutes was enough to show Villarreal's defensive resolve.

The only decent chance came in the twelfth minute. Yang Yang received Xabi Alonso's chipped pass on the left and, without breaking stride, chipped the ball into the penalty area. But goalkeeper Diego López decisively rushed off his line and collected it before Ibrahimovic could reach it.

That cross had also caused Yang Yang to come under even