Whech reached the 26th minute, Real Madrid mao intercept the ball just outside their penalty area.

  After Woodgate secured the ball, he dodged Eto'o and passed it to Ramos, who was moving forward.

  The Spanish ter-back trolled the ball and advanced without waiting for the Bara pyers to press him.

  Ramos didn't pass the ball immediately but tio push forward.

  However, Deco quickly closed in, w with Ronaldinho to press Ramos from both sides. The pressure caused Ramos to stumble, almost losing his bance.

  He lost possession!

  Everyone was instantly shocked.

  Deco quickly passed the ball to Ronaldinho in front, and the Brazilian star immediately unched a terattack, heading straight for the left side of Real Madrid's penalty area.

  De Red and Arbeloa rushed back to defend, but Ronaldinho suddenly stopped, his feet perf a dazzling array of tricks, faking out both defenders. Arbeloa and De Red were pletely fused.

  Then, just as Ronaldinho appeared ready to shoot, Dered slid in to block, but Ronaldinho didn't actually shoot. Instead, he passed the ball horizontally.

  Eto'o was statio the near post, but Ronaldinho's pass wasn't aimed at the Cameroonian striker. Instead, it went to the right side of the penalty area.

  At that moment, Messi cut in quickly from the top of the box, received the ball with his left foot, and fired it directly into the bottom left er of Real Madrid's goal.

  The entire sequence, from the turnover and terattack to Ronaldinho's brilliant pass and Messi's finish, was seamless. The ball moved from pyer to pyer with such speed that Real Madrid's defenders had no time to react.

  Bara's stars had dismantled Real Madrid's defeh perfect teamwork!

  …

  Gao Shen stood stunned on the sidelines.

  It wasn't the skilled cooperatioween Bara's stars that surprised him.

  He was well aware of Bara's strength, knowing Ronaldinho and Messi often pyed futsal together. Such exquisite teamwork was sed nature to them.

  What shocked him was Ramos' mistake!

  He even wao rush onto the pitch, grab Ramos, and shout: "Are you a spy for Bara? How could you gift the oppo su opportunity at such a critical moment?"

  Ramos, too, realized his error, his face full of guilt as he looked back at his stueammates.

  Who would have thought that a moment of recklessness from him would lead to Real Madrid g a goal?

  Bara's pyers rushed to celebrate, with Messi leading the charge.

  The young star had opehe sg for Bara with Ronaldinho's brilliant assist!

  Rijkaard was ecstatic, shouting from the teical area, visibly thrilled aed.

  And no wonder!

  This was the Champions League final!

  In such a crucial match, taking a one-goal lead was a signifit advantage.

  The Real Madrid pyers lowered their heads, clearly frustrated by the goal.

  The team's defense had been well-anized, so why did they suddenly cede?

  All eyes turo Ramos, full of bme and reproach.

  Why didn't you just py your role as a ter-back? Why did you decide to dribble forward? Did you really think you were a striker?

  "He's still too impulsive." Lucas sighed.

  Such impulsiveness easily lead to poor decisions.

  Ramos had a tendency to get overexcited when pying, often taking risks. Driving the ball forward was something he did frequently without sequence, but tonight, Bara capitalized on it.

  Gao Shen eechless as well.

  He uood Ramos' decision. If Ramos had successfully broken through and delivered a key pass to his teammates, he would have been the hero. But, unfortunately, he made a mistake, lost the ball, and allowed a terattack that led to a goal. Now, he was the scapegoat.

  "I told him many times before the game to be cautious, to be careful. Why didn't he listen?" Gao Shen was bitter.

  This is the Champions League final, man!

  't you stop being so reckless?

  You're making me so nervous!

  Lucas and Bueura exged gnces and smiled wryly.

  Ramos is indeed a love-hate pyer, sometimes driving everyone crazy with his as.

  More importantly, he's only twenty years old and still needs ahree to five years before he truly stabilize.

  That's the nature of being a defender!

  Wasn't avaro also a wild pyer in his younger days?

  And now? He's as steady as an old dog!

  "Alright, it's okay, keep your spirits up!" Gao Shen shouted loudly.

  "Sergio, be careful! If I see you make another mistake, I'll sub you out!"

  Ramos heard Gao Shen's shout, raised his hand in aowledgment, and then ran his hand through his long Argentine hair like a rebellious teenager from a middle school drama.

  "'t he look a little bit guilty?" Gao Shen chuckled in frustration.

  Lucas and Bueura smiled bitterly.

  The guilt is there, but it likely won't st more than a minute.

  If this kid knew how to feel shame uilt, he wouldn't be so reckless and impulsive.

  He was born with a big heart, always imagining himself as the cool guy with his own background music pying as he made dramatic pys on the field, making tless mistakes.

  To some extent, this is also his strength.

  Why?

  Defenders are bound to make mistakes. If they dwell on every mistake, how could they tio py?

  ...

  The game resumed.

  Bara tio press Real Madrid, fog their attacks on Ramos.

  It was clear they wao exploit Ramos' mistake and push for anoal.

  But Ramos quickly adjusted. Without a word, he began direg the team's defense, his teammates. You wouldn't believe that just a minute or two ago, he had made a mistake that put the team behind.

  Truly a natural leader!

  The positive takeaway, however, is that the ceded goal was more of an act.

  Despite trailing in the score, Real Madrid's defense remained solid, not giving Bara any more clear opportunities.

  Gao Shen sigo the team to remain calm and not rush. With Bara's formation tonight, there would be plenty of opportunities for Real Madrid to terattack.

  …

  ...

  "Damn it! Damn it!! Damn it!!!"

  "If we lose this final, I'll fire him tonight!"

  In the chairman's box at the Stade de France, Real Madrid chairman Martin was fuming with rage.

  Everyone knows how signifit it is to cede a goal in a football match, especially in such a crucial Champions League final.

  If there was any ce of winning the title, Real Madrid's hopes were now greatly diminished.

  But to the professionals, the situation wasn't as dire as it seemed.

  Butrague?o had a different perspective.

  First of all, this ceded goal wasn't due to a defensive breakdown but a personal error.

  There's a big difference.

  If it were a defensive issue, the team could be repeatedly exploited by the oppo. But if it's a personal mistake, it be effectively avoided, especially with a youer-back like Ramos.

  Being twenty years old and a starting defender in a Champions League final is indeed quite young.

  Under Gao Shen's guidance, Ramos has made signifit progress, but he still has his moments of recklessness.

  It's normal for young pyers.

  Moreover, Real Madrid's terattack strategy was very well thought out.

  The first terattack almost resulted in a goal, which is the best proof.

  Gao Shen's tactics, which focused on exploiting the spaces behind Bara's fullbacks, using Negredo as a pivot in the front, and then having other pyers quickly join in to form a sed wave of attack, were well-ceived.

  Therefore, Real Madrid still had a ce to equalize or even turn the game around.

  "I've always said that he's too young. The more crucial the moment, the less reliable he is. I will never give the coag position of Real Madrid to such a greenhorn." Martin stated firmly.

  Butrague?o turned his head to look at the chairman, disagreeing in his heart but saying nothing.

  Although he was the vice-chairman, in a membership-based club like Real Madrid, the chairman held absolute power.

  "Gao Shen is unreliable!" Martin muttered.

  ...

  Rijkaard was very pleased with the situation on the field, especially with Messi's goal.

  It justified his gamble tonight.

  The e between Ronaldinho and Messi had opehe sg for Bara.

  Rijkaard was a disciple of Cruyff. He had bee Bara's head coach thanks to Cruyff's reendation. In the early days of his tenure, Cruyff gave him siderable support, especially during the first half of the season when he faced a crisis of fidence.

  It could be said that without Cruyff, Rijkaard would have been dismissed long ago.

  His football philosophy shares many simirities with Cruyff's, including a strong belief in the power of genius.

  In this Champions League final, Rijkaard had pced all his bets on Ronaldinho and Messi.

  This goal had undoubtedly strengthened Rijkaard's fidence.

  But it wasn't enough.

  Real Madrid under Gao Shen's coag was tenacious, very tenacious. A one-goal lead wasn't enough to guarantee Bara's victory. Rijkaard wanted a more ving win.

  He wao prove that losing the league title was just a fluke, a trivial mistake!

  He o prove that he, Rijkaard, would still be a winner, no matter what!

  Therefore, on one hand, he tio instruct the team to maintain their attag pressure and possession against Real Madrid. Oher hand, he also sigo the team to be cautious of Real Madrid's terattacks on the fnks.

  "Don't give your oppo a ce to terattack quickly!"

  Gao Shen began instrug his pyers tthen their ter-pressing immediately after losing the ball, aiming tain possession as quickly as possible. Although this tactic demanded signifit physical exertion, Bara had the advantage in terms of fitness.

  Regaining the ball quickly would allow Bara to maintain their passing game and ahe wave of attacks more effectively.

  As a result, Real Madrid found themselves increasingly on the defensive. Bara, now in the lead, pyed with mgression, ae Real Madrid's well-anized defehe pressure on them intensified, making the situation appear precarious.

  Gao Shen was frustrated. Each time Real Madrid mao steal the ball, Bara's intense pressing quickly nullified their terattacks. Real Madrid struggled to escape their own half and create offensive opportunities.

  Reizing this, Gao Shen made a slight adjustment. He instructed his pyers to quickly move the ball into open spaces, particurly targeting the gaps on the fnks, after regaining possession. This adjustment aimed to exploit Bara's vulnerabilities and relieve some of the relentless pressure they were fag.