May 21, Bernabéu Stadium.
The thirty-eighth round of La Liga saw Real Madrid host Almería.
For Almería, this was nothing more than a formality. They had already been relegated, and morale had completely collapsed. But for the hosts, Real Madrid, this was a crucial showdown.
Only by winning this match could they remain in contention for the La Liga title.
The tactics Real Madrid deployed from the opening whistle also showed everyone Benitez's determination: attack!
Attack from the very first minute!
Casillas was in goal. The back line consisted of Marcelo, Vermaelen, Ramos, and Maicon. Xabi Alonso played as the lone defensive midfielder, with David Silva and Kaka both starting. Up front was the trio of Yang Yang, Ibrahimovic, and Robben.
The lone-defensive-midfielder setup had appeared only twice before, both in Copa del Rey matches. Starting David Silva and Kaka together was undoubtedly an abandonment of midfield defense in favor of an all-out attacking strategy.
The match began with an attack down Almería's flank. The visitors created a shot in front of Real Madrid's goal after just thirteen seconds, but it posed no threat and went somewhat wide.
Before long, Real Madrid began pushing forward in force and applying pressure on Almería.
Although the three technically gifted midfielders—David Silva, Kaka, and Xabi Alonso—were relatively weak defensively and had rarely partnered with one another, they did not need much time to gel.
Just four minutes into the match, Real Madrid opened the scoring.
They won a free kick on the left side of the attacking third. Xabi Alonso quickly sent it into the penalty area. Ramos headed it back toward the near post, and with a defender holding him back, Yang Yang had a flash of inspiration and poked the ball forward, kicking it into Almería's goal from point-blank range.
One-nil!