54 balls, widening the gap to three again! "What I don't give, you can't take!"
The result of the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund was like a sudden and heavy blow, striking the hearts of all Real Madrid fans!
Before the match, everyone thought that Galacticos Real Madrid, with their ambition to win the championship, would definitely unleash a devastating storm at the Westfalenstadion.
They hoped that Real Madrid could, like in the earlier match between Manchester City and Juventus, establish a decisive advantage in the first leg of the two-legged tie, thus eliminating any suspense early on.
However, the wonderful sport of football truly lives up to the saying – the ball is round.
On this green field, anything is possible, and the results can often be jaw-dropping!
The final score of the match was 2-0!
This is Real Madrid's first defeat since entering the UEFA Champions League this season.
Instead of displaying overwhelming momentum, Real Madrid played extremely poorly on the field.
Playing at home, Borussia Dortmund's players were full of fighting spirit and grew stronger with each game.
In the first half, Borussia Dortmund's key Reus seized an opportunity and scored the first goal against Real Madrid's goalkeeper Courtois with a powerful long-range shot.
In the second half, Reus once again shone, successfully beating Courtois through a set-piece tactic, completing a brilliant brace!
When the final whistle blew, the entire Westfalenstadion was instantly ignited, descending into a near-frenzied state.
Some of the Borussia Dortmund players looked up and roared to the sky, releasing their excitement and joy.
Some raised their arms high and shouted, celebrating this hard-won victory;
Others simply spread their hands and lay down on the ground, panting heavily, reminiscing about every struggle they had made in the competition;
Even more extreme, some ran straight to the stands of die-hard fans, eagerly took off their jerseys, and threw them into the air to share the glory with the enthusiastic fans!
In stark contrast, the Real Madrid players looked dejected.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid's star player, is standing with his hands on his hips, looking up at the starry sky above the Westfalenstadion.
Countless camera lenses quickly focused on him, as reporters eagerly sought to capture even a glimpse of his true inner state from his body language and eyes.
People are probably secretly speculating that the 0-2 away defeat seems to have foreshadowed Real Madrid's elimination, and their UEFA Champions League journey may have come to an end.
But in Cristiano Ronaldo's deep eyes, a determined light still shone, as if declaring to everyone: Don't rush, let's go back to the Santiago Bernabeu and see what happens!
After the match, Cristiano Ronaldo decisively refused all interview requests from reporters and quietly walked back to the players' tunnel alone.
This is a habit Cristiano Ronaldo has developed over the years: once the team loses, he doesn't like to give interviews at that time, and he's even less willing to waste his breath on those reporters.
Throughout his long and illustrious career, Cristiano Ronaldo has come to understand one crucial truth: on the football field, the only thing that truly makes one's words resonate and carry weight is one's actual performance on the pitch!
The next day.
The atmosphere at Real Madrid's training ground was somewhat subdued.
Seeing Cristiano Ronaldo still looking sullen, his friend Marcelo was filled with worry. He took the initiative to go over and gently comfort him:
"You've done very well, Cristiano. Our whole team played poorly in this match; it wasn't just your fault."
Cristiano Ronaldo did not immediately respond to Marcelo's words.
He frowned slightly, his eyes revealing a determined look, and kept emphasizing, "Are you scared? No, I'm not scared at all. On the contrary, I'm excited because we've been pushed to the brink. In this desperate situation, I absolutely believe we can pull off a comeback at the Santiago Bernabeu. I've experienced too many matches like this that seem hopeless. I have this confidence, strong confidence!"
As he spoke, Cristiano Ronaldo suddenly raised his head, his gaze sharp and fixed on Marcelo, and pressed for an answer:
Are you confident?
Seeing Cristiano Ronaldo's aggressive gaze, Marcelo felt a sudden chill run down his spine.
He played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid for many years and witnessed the Portuguese display unwavering determination on the field countless times, but never like today.
Cristiano Ronaldo's gaze was like an incredibly sharp sword, piercing straight at him, seemingly trying to corner him and leave him nowhere to hide.
Under Cristiano Ronaldo's scrutinizing gaze, Marcelo even had the illusion that he was completely naked, with nowhere to hide.
Marcelo composed himself and then said sincerely, "Yes, as long as you have confidence, we have confidence."
"If you're confident, then you'd better defend against me well!"
As soon as Cristiano Ronaldo finished speaking, he quickly dribbled the ball and charged towards Marcelo.
At this moment, Real Madrid is conducting 1v1 dribbling drills.
On the pitch, Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo are on the same side, and off the pitch, they are close friends.
However, once they get to the training field, they always tacitly become opponents in offensive and defensive confrontations.
Seeing this, Marcelo immediately lowered his center of gravity, widened his eyes, and stared intently at Cristiano Ronaldo's steps, not daring to relax for a moment.
As a teammate for many years, he knows Cristiano Ronaldo's every feint and every body movement like the back of his hand.
On the other hand, Cristiano Ronaldo is also very familiar with Marcelo's defensive habits.
But this time, Cristiano Ronaldo's actions surprised everyone.
When he was two meters away from Marcelo, he neither used his signature Step Over move, nor did he sway his body in any way, nor did he perform the usual feint shot followed by a dunk.
He suddenly used the outside of his right foot to forcefully push the ball to the right, and then, following the ball, he made a powerful breakthrough!
Marcelo was taken aback when he saw Cristiano Ronaldo about to force his way past him in such a straightforward and brutal manner.
In the past two years, through his one-on-one duels with Cristiano Ronaldo on the field, Marcelo has clearly realized that as Cristiano Ronaldo gets older and has undergone major knee surgery, he rarely uses such simple, direct dribbling techniques that require a high degree of physical explosiveness to get past opponents.
In his mind, such a move seemed more suitable for young players who were at their physical peak, such as Bale.
Under normal circumstances, given Marcelo's incredibly fast pace, he might have been able to make a timely sliding tackle to clear the ball out of bounds.
But this time, he realized he was terribly wrong!
Just as he aimed at the ball and was about to make a sliding tackle, he suddenly saw a flash of white light before his eyes, followed by the whooshing sound of wind in his ears.
Marcelo had a bad feeling. He had only made half of his tackle when Cristiano Ronaldo, with the ball and the player, easily hopped past him.
Before Marcelo could even get up from the ground and look back, Cristiano Ronaldo had already strode into the penalty area, then unleashed a powerful shot with his right foot!
Real Madrid goalkeeper Courtois had no chance to make a save and could only watch helplessly as the ball went into the near corner of the net.
Seeing this, Real Madrid manager Zidane's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but nod slightly.
Cristiano Ronaldo's other Real Madrid teammates were also impressed by his series of brilliant moves and cheered in unison.
"Great shot! That dribble was absolutely beautiful, and the subsequent shot was perfect!" Modric exclaimed, clapping.
"My goodness, Cristiano, you're like you've gone back to 2009!" Benzema joked.
"Too fast! That dribble was incredibly fast! Haha, Marcelo's tackle was a complete waste." Even Bale, the fastest player on the team, was impressed by Cristiano Ronaldo's move.
"Sure, if he can maintain this form when we return to the Santiago Bernabeu for the second leg, we're sure we can turn the game around. I'm very confident about that!" Marcelo laughed, sitting on the ground.
Cristiano Ronaldo was in exceptional form during today's training session.
Whether it's the accuracy of their passing and receiving, the speed and stamina of their sprints, the power and angle of their shots, or their toughness in physical confrontations, they all demonstrated an unprecedented level of top-level competition.
This puzzled even Zidane.
Logically speaking, at this stage of the season's end, a 32-year-old veteran like Cristiano Ronaldo should have already reached his physical limits in terms of fatigue.
But why does his physical condition seem to be much better now than it was at the beginning of the season?
In truth, only Cristiano Ronaldo himself knows the answer.
After the first leg, Real Madrid was pushed to the brink by Borussia Dortmund, and Cristiano Ronaldo himself was also pushed to the brink by one person – Tang Long.
In the first leg of the UEFA Champions League match, Cristiano Ronaldo failed to score, and his UEFA Champions League goal tally remains at 18, stagnating.
Meanwhile, Tang Long has already surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo by one goal in the UEFA Champions League, reaching 19 goals, just one step away from breaking the 20-goal mark!
Tang Long's incredible performance left Cristiano Ronaldo with no room for complacency.
He thought to himself, "To break 20 goals in a single UEFA Champions League season is an incredibly enviable number. I absolutely cannot let this China player get there first; I must become the first person in football history to break this goal-scoring record in a single season!"
Recalling Manchester City's 3-0 victory over Juventus in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo felt a lingering sense of dread.
He couldn't help but imagine. "Suppose Real Madrid is eliminated from the UEFA Champions League, while Manchester City advances to the final. Given Manchester City's current dominance in the league, coupled with their outstanding performance in the FA Cup, they are very likely to win all three major competitions: the league title, the UEFA Champions League title, and the FA Cup title."
"With the immense prestige of being a treble winner, Tang Long's chances of winning the Ballon d'Or this year will become extremely high."
"No, I absolutely will not allow this to happen," The Portuguese gritted his teeth and said to himself, "The Ballon d'Or, I won't give it up, and no one else can take it from me!"
"Siu!"
"Siu!!"
"Siu!!!"
During the league match between Real Madrid and Sevilla, Cristiano Ronaldo leaped high into the air, making his signature celebration three times in a row before spreading his arms and landing heavily on the grass.
At this point, he had already completed a hat trick in the match.
After losing the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final to Borussia Dortmund, Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the league like an enraged beast, quickly responding to the doubts about him with a brilliant performance of scoring three goals in quick succession.
Poor Sevilla, they were completely caught off guard by Real Madrid in this match and had no chance to fight back.
Shortly after the start of the match, Sevilla's Argentina striker Correa was in superb form, opening the scoring for his team.
This goal briefly gave the Sevilla players hope for victory and sent the Sevilla fans into a frenzy of cheers.
However, their joy did not last long.
Subsequently, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid launched a furious counterattack at their home Santiago Bernabéu Stadium!
Cristiano Ronaldo seems to have transformed into a god of war on the field, constantly running and weaving, searching for every possible attacking opportunity.
Under his leadership, the other Real Madrid players also regained their form, launching wave after wave of attacks, like a surging tide, towards Sevilla's goal.
Knock knock knock!
Real Madrid's players displayed excellent teamwork on the field, scoring 5 goals in a row!
Cristiano Ronaldo was in superb form, scoring the team's first three goals with his outstanding individual ability and keen goal-scoring instinct, laying a solid foundation for this remarkable comeback.
Every shot he took was full of power and skill, leaving the Sevilla goalkeeper exhausted and helpless.
This victory is of great significance to Real Madrid.
This not only proved to the world once again the strength of Real Madrid as a powerhouse team, but also created an excellent momentum and provided ample warm-up for their UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg match against Borussia Dortmund.
This victory also allows Real Madrid to maintain a one-point lead over Barca with only one round remaining in the league!
At this crucial moment, this one-point advantage is particularly important, giving Real Madrid the initiative in the title race.
"We still firmly hold the initiative in winning the championship. We are full of confidence and believe that we will have the last laugh."
After the victory, Cristiano Ronaldo gave an interview to the media.
He stood in front of the camera, his eyes resolute, his tone full of confidence and dominance, demonstrating to the outside world Real Madrid's determination to win the La Liga title.
Like Manchester City, Real Madrid has performed well in all three competitions this season.
In the Copa del Rey, they fought their way through the competition and successfully reached the final;
In the league, the title race with Barca has entered a fierce stage;
Despite their defeat in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League, they still retain hope of winning the title and have a chance to compete for the treble.
With this victory, Cristiano Ronaldo's goal tally in La Liga has reached 54.
This number has once again broken the upper limit of the number of goals in a single season in La Liga, and at the same time, it has created and broken a new human record for the number of goals in a single season in the Top Five Leagues!
This achievement made Cristiano Ronaldo extremely excited.
What pleased him even more was that Tang Long did not score a goal in the same period of the competition!
This is similar to Cristiano Ronaldo failing to score in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League.
As a result, in the European Golden Shoe rankings, Cristiano Ronaldo has 54 goals and Tang Long has 51 goals. In just one game, Cristiano Ronaldo has once again widened the gap between him and Tang Long by a full three goals.
One week later, both the Premier League and La Liga will begin their 38th round of matches.
At this moment, Cristiano Ronaldo was filled with absolute confidence.
He firmly believes that he will still be ranked first in the European Golden Shoe standings after the entire league season is over.
"I want all the honors, and I certainly can't let anyone take the European Golden Shoe from me!"