April 5, 8:45 p.m., Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain.
The first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal knockout tie: Real Madrid versus Tottenham Hotspur.
Since the two sides had faced each other in the group stage and knew each other inside out, and since players such as Yang Yang, Xabi Alonso, and Mascherano, as well as Head Coach Benitez, were all very familiar with the Premier League, neither side bothered with any pleasantries. They went straight into the match from the opening whistle.
Before a minute had passed, Yang Yang threatened Tottenham Hotspur's goal with a long-range shot and nearly scored.
Yang Yang soon tried another long-range effort, but Gomes saved it, preventing it from becoming a threat.
Yet in the fourth minute, Kaka chipped a pass through the middle, Ibrahimovic laid it off, and Robben's low left-footed shot from the right side of the penalty area found the net, giving Real Madrid the lead.
After taking the lead, Real Madrid did not ease off. Instead, they intensified their attacks on Tottenham Hotspur, putting enormous pressure on the Premier League side. Even Crouch, stationed furthest forward, was forced to retreat into his own half.
In the eighth minute, Crouch brought down Ramos while pressing near the halfway line and was shown a yellow card by the referee. But only seven minutes later, Yang Yang's former teammate launched into another sliding tackle on Marcelo in the attacking half. German referee Brych showed him a second yellow, sending him off.
The English striker had once again come up against Benitez and Yang Yang. Clearly, he had wanted to put on an outstanding performance in front of his former Head Coach and teammate, but perhaps he had been too eager. He lost his composure and was sent off.
Even so, Real Madrid had