The evening of April 30, Bernabéu Stadium.
La Liga's 34th round. Real Madrid hosted Zaragoza.
This was Real Madrid's first home match after winning the Copa del Rey. Before kickoff, captain and vice-captain Casillas and Ramos respectively carried the Copa del Rey trophy onto the pitch, displaying another championship trophy Real Madrid had won this season to more than eighty thousand fans in attendance.
The fans erupted into thunderous applause, expressing their satisfaction with the team's current situation.
Although they were still behind Barcelona in the league, Real Madrid had already shown tremendous strength. In particular, they had beaten Barcelona three times this season so far, which had thrilled everyone at the club. Now they had the Copa del Rey in hand, and they had also beaten Manchester United 3–1 in the Champions League semifinal first leg, showing excellent momentum.
Everyone firmly believed the team would gain something during the final stage of the season.
Benitez did not field his strongest lineup for this match. Players including Yang Yang, Ibrahimovic, Kaka, and Robben either sat on the bench or appeared in the stands, with none of them included in the starting lineup.
Xabi Alonso and Mascherano were the same.
When the captain and vice-captain entered the pitch carrying the Copa del Rey, the live broadcast cameras repeatedly focused on Yang Yang in the stands. He was sitting with Su Ye, whose lower abdomen was already visibly swollen, his mother, and his agent Raiola. He looked to be in an excellent mood. When he saw himself appear on the stadium's giant screen, he even waved specially to the fans, drawing a burst of cheers.
Raiola had come to Madrid specifically to negotiate Yang Yang's contract extension with Real Madrid. Florentino hoped to reach an agreement before the end of the