"Pepe's long pass went to the right side of the front line and found Di Maria."
"But Bayern's defensive recovery was very quick, and we see Alaba is already there."
"Di Maria could not turn, so he took it down, cut inside, and passed to Modric."
"The Croatian midfielder continued to carry it across and played it to Toni Kroos."
"Toni Kroos drives forward."
"Real Madrid's front three are all pushing up."
"Toni Kroos plays a diagonal to the left, again targeting Rafinha's side."
"The Brazilian right-back's forward runs have been dangerous, but he has not been active enough on the recovery, forcing Lahm to cover that flank. Even so, Real Madrid keep exploiting the gaps on the right and attacking there."
"This is an old problem for Bayern."
"Watch this Real Madrid attack."
"When did Benzema and Ronaldo swap positions?"
"We can see Benzema is now on the left. Without taking a touch, he back-heels and plays a diagonal toward the penalty spot."
"Neither Ronaldo nor Dante can cut it out…"
"A direct finish!"
"The ball is in!"
"Real Madrid score again!"
"3-0!"
"Oh my God, a goal in the 40th minute of the first half."
"It was a quick Real Madrid counter. They moved at pace. When the attack down the right did not open up, they immediately switched to the left."
"Toni Kroos's diagonal behind the line was beautiful. Benzema then squared it diagonally into the middle, letting Ronaldo arrive and hit it first time. So crisp and clean."
"This is Real Madrid."
"Continuous passing and movement, very fast and very sharp."
"Dante and Vidal were clearly caught off guard and did not track Ronaldo in time."
"The Portuguese forward's burst was too quick. With that sudden surge, Bayern's two center-backs were left behind."
"Real Madrid's front three keep rotating positions, it is really hard to pick up."
"From the slow-motion replay, even if Ronaldo had not reached it, Di Maria was still arriving at the far post."
"This is a hallmark of Real Madrid's attack, commonly known as double insurance."
…
The entire Bernabéu was in a frenzy.
Countless Real Madrid fans were cheering and shouting at the top of their lungs.
Everyone was chanting Ronaldo's name and celebrating Real Madrid's brilliant display.
3-0.
There was basically no suspense left in the match.
No one expected Real Madrid to put three past Bayern in the first half. This was beyond all expectations. Even the most die-hard Real Madrid fans would not have imagined it.
But that is football.
It always keeps you guessing.
In truth, the game was effectively over at this point.
For the rest of the time, the only questions were whether Bayern could score one back, or whether Real Madrid would add more.
As for who would win or lose, there was nothing left to say.
Given Guardiola's meticulous coaching style and personality, a miraculous comeback was essentially impossible.
So the fans at the Bernabéu were ecstatic.
It felt as if the final was beckoning and they already held tickets to Lisbon.
…
"Did you see that? We let Xavi slip away from Bayern!"
Guardiola turned, staring darkly toward the Bernabéu's live broadcast camera.
Perhaps because they lacked belief in getting a result tonight, Bayern's top brass did not travel with the team. Even so, Guardiola was sure they were watching the broadcast.
That was what he wanted to tell them.
Although Toni Kroos was not sold while he was in charge, he still felt deep regret.
Many people saw the goals from Di Maria, Benzema, and Ronaldo in this first half, and the quality from Marcelo and Carvajal. Guardiola saw Toni Kroos breaking out.
All three goals essentially stemmed from Toni Kroos's orchestration.
That was no coincidence.
Over the past two years he had kept improving under Gao Shen, but most of that had been incremental.
When enough incremental gains add up, they become a qualitative change.
Like tonight. Toni Kroos looked completely different, more aggressive and more varied.
The first goal showed it, and the long pass after that was deadly. The most recent diagonal came at the exact moment Rafinha could not recover.
If it had been slower, Rafinha would have gotten back. If it had been earlier, Benzema might not have been able to make that diagonal ball across.
The timing was perfect, and it made Benzema's touch and pass so easy.
That is the quality of a top-class passer and organizer in midfield.
This is also the midfielder Guardiola had dreamed of since taking over Bayern.
But before that could happen, Bayern had let him go.
"Do you think they will regret it?" Guardiola asked, almost poetically.
Torrent and Planchat looked awkward.
How do you answer that?
Maybe they would, maybe they would not. Who could say?
For club executives, players are like goods on a shelf, constantly moving in and out.
Even if you occasionally feel you overpaid for one, or sold another too cheaply, does that count as regret?
If it does, it is fleeting, perhaps just a moment.
"In the next few years, no team in Europe will be able to stop Real Madrid," Guardiola said with certainty.
His assistants were stunned.
"Toni Kroos is transforming and will only get stronger. Add Modric, and Xabi Alonso still has at least two glorious years in him. Gao Shen has already brought in Casemiro and Illarramendi at the right time."
"Casemiro defends well, very strong, and passes well. He adds steel to Real Madrid. Illarramendi is very similar to Xabi Alonso. If he plays two or three more years, he can take over from Xabi Alonso."
"There are also Pogba and Verratti. They are the two strongest of the new generation of midfielders."
Guardiola shook his head and sighed. "Five years. At least five years. No one will stop Real Madrid."
After a pause, he added helplessly,
"This might be the most powerful team in football history. The only thing that can defeat them is time."
Torrent and Planchat were both shocked.
Guardiola's evaluation of this Real Madrid side was extraordinarily high.
…
No one knew what Guardiola said to his assistants.
Real Madrid went into halftime 3-0 up.
After the break, Guardiola still made no changes, continuing to rely on passing and possession to attack. Gao Shen's team, after scoring three, still played steadily.
Bayern learned from the first half and strengthened the right side of their defense, particularly with Lahm frequently tucking in to support the flank.
By the 60th minute, seeing that the right side was still under threat time and again, Guardiola finally replaced Rafinha with Khedira and moved Lahm back to right-back.
That stabilized Bayern's overall shape.
However, while the midfield trio of Khedira, Schweinsteiger, and Götze defended well, their passing and control dropped significantly, and errors began to creep in. As a result, Bayern's share of possession in the second half, especially after the changes on 60 minutes, fell rapidly.
From the previous 75 percent, it dropped to just over 60 percent after the hour.
Gao Shen quickly made a change too, replacing Ronaldo with Isco.
The Portuguese forward had been very active and was buzzing after his goal, but Gao Shen needed to save some of his energy. There was a league match at the weekend, and the trip to the Allianz Arena next Wednesday.
As the team's top scorer and most important attacker at the moment, Ronaldo's threat level remained immense.
More importantly, after bringing on Isco, Real Madrid's approach shifted.
Isco and Di Maria tucked closer to midfield, increasing Real Madrid's control in the center.
Soon after, Gao Shen made his second substitution, taking off the outstanding Toni Kroos for Pogba.
As he walked off, the Bernabéu rose to applaud the German midfielder.
Clearly, everyone recognized Toni Kroos's performance and the role he played, especially his organization in midfield.
On the touchline, Gao Shen opened his arms and hugged him warmly.
"Well done. This might be your best match since joining," Gao Shen praised.
Toni Kroos kept his calm expression, neither elated by praise nor bothered by criticism. He nodded to Gao Shen, then stepped in to hug him. "Thank you, Boss."
That was his best way to show emotion.
Of course, if he were extremely excited, he might be a little more unrestrained.
Gao Shen made a third change in the 81st minute, replacing Benzema with Jesé.
From there, Real Madrid leaned into a false-nine setup, relying on midfield control to probe Bayern.
Interestingly, from Isco to Pogba to Jesé, Real Madrid's possession steadily increased. In the final 15 minutes, they had as much as 64 percent to Bayern's 36.
Real Madrid had six attempts, Bayern had four.
This also confirmed Gao Shen's earlier conviction.
If Real Madrid really chose to contest possession, they might not lose to Bayern. But that style brings little benefit to Real Madrid.
If you clearly have a pistol, why fight your opponent with a bayonet?
Sophisticated, but not foolish.
When the final whistle blew, this world-renowned clash came to an end.
Real Madrid beat Bayern Munich 3-0 at home, thanks to goals from their front three.
This win all but announced that Real Madrid had one foot in the Champions League final.
More importantly, the whole world once again saw that Real Madrid are the strongest and most dominant team in football today.
No doubt about it.
This match was destined to cause a huge reaction around the world.
(To be continued.)