Casillas's red card was unfair. After he was sent off, the Real Madrid players were furious. On top of that, Yang Yang had openly backed Marcelo, strongly supporting the Brazilian left back's appointment as captain on the field. The two worked together to inspire the team's morale.
This chain of events completely awakened Real Madrid's fighting spirit, and every player became fired up.
In terms of possession, Real Madrid was definitely at an absolute disadvantage, perhaps holding only around forty percent. However, they created more chances, especially on the counterattack.
Espanyol had always been a well-balanced team in both attack and defense. After twenty-two rounds this season, they currently ranked sixth in La Liga, with thirty goals scored and thirty conceded for a goal difference of zero. They had scored only two more goals than bottom-ranked Málaga, and they had conceded plenty as well.
But one thing was obvious: Espanyol clearly was not good at dealing with opponents' defensive counterattacks.
Especially not defensive counterattacks from a powerhouse like Real Madrid.
Six minutes into the match, Real Madrid launched a quick counterattack. Yang Yang charged alone with the ball into the left side of Espanyol's penalty area, using his individual ability to win a corner, but the ensuing corner failed to create any threat.
Just three minutes later, Yang Yang received the ball up front again and played it across. Xabi Alonso followed up with a long-range shot, but goalkeeper Kameneni parried it away.
In the twelfth minute, Xabi Alonso switched play to the left. Yang Yang dribbled down the left at high speed before cutting inside and suddenly unleashing a powerful long-range shot. It was forceful, but it did not go straight in. Instead, it struck the post and bounced out over the byline.
In the nineteenth minute, Xabi