When Robben used his speed to force his way past Adriano and catch up with Ibrahimovic's pass, Puyol was also quick to track back, cutting straight to the inside and sticking tightly to Robben.
The Dutchman was left-footed, and cutting inside from the right was his specialty. Whether he shot himself or passed to a teammate, he could always create danger. But Puyol was extremely experienced. He kept blocking the inside route, refusing to give Robben any chance to cut into the penalty area.
Robben had no choice but to slow down slightly. He controlled the ball with his right foot and glanced up at the penalty area.
He saw Yang Yang raising his right hand high.
Almost in that instant, Robben suddenly accelerated again, charging toward the byline at full speed.
The sudden deceleration followed by another burst caught Puyol off guard. He still barely managed to keep up, but now he could only stop Robben from cutting inside. He could block Robben's left foot, but he could no longer stop the Dutchman's right.
Robben accelerated, bursting through a gap toward the penalty area before sending a low cross with his right foot.
After joining Real Madrid from Chelsea, Robben had constantly trained his right foot. He hoped to become as proficient with both feet as Yang Yang. This was especially true after Di Maria joined the team this season. Although the Argentine winger was also left-footed, his right foot was actually quite capable.
After a long period of hard training, Robben's right foot was still nowhere near as polished as his left, but he could nonetheless deliver accurate crosses.
The ball quickly flew past Puyol. After bouncing once in front of the goal, it retained its speed and dropped directly toward the far post, leaving Valdes in a