At the start of the sed half, Real Madrid unched an aggressive assault on Napoli.
What surprised Gao Shen, however, was that Schuster made no ges to the starting lineup. He stuck with the same setup and tactics from the first half but increased the iy of Real Madrid's pressing in midfield and the attag third.
Ramos and Marcelo, on the fnks, pushed forward with urgency, giving the impression that Real Madrid wao overwhelm Napoli in one big wave of attacks. It seemed they were chasing the early success they had in the opening minutes of the first half.
Napoli, unwilling to back down, increased their own pressure and tighteheir grip in midfield. The two sides cshed fiercely he halfway line, with possession ging hands frequently. Even i dropped deep to help in midfield battles.
Every time Napoli gained possession, they tried to slow things down and take trol. But Real Madrid, pressing frantically, immediately disrupted their rhythm, f the game to speed up.
When Real Madrid regaihe ball, their attag strategy remairaightforward.
Van der Vaart struggled to break through Lichtsteiner's defense, so Real Madrid focused their atta the right side, stantly seeking Robben.
However, every time Robben got the ball, he was surrounded by Napoli defenders, making it almost impossible for him to create a dangerous opportunity.
By the tenth minute of the sed half, Real Madrid began to lose steam and had to slow their tempo. Sensing the shift, Napoli pushed forward and took trol.
Yet, just as Napoli advanced, Real Madrid intercepted the ball he edge of their penalty area.
avaro intercepted a pass intended for Di Maria and quickly passed it to Diarra. Diarra found Raul, who had dropped back to help in defense. Real Madrid's captain wasted no time, sending a well-pced ball over Napoli's bae and into their penalty area.
Van der Vaart broke free, beating Bonucci to the ball and charging into the penalty box. Robben, sprinting down the right, was ready to support him.
At the critical moment, Handanovic rushed out of his goal, diving at the edge of the penalty area and seg the ball just before Van der Vaart could reach it.
Van der Vaart couldn't stop in time and tumbled over Handanovic.
The Napoli goalkeeper quickly shrugged off the collision, got back to his feet, and unched a terattack.
"terattack!" Handanovic shouted as he threw the ball to Bonucci.
Bonucci turned and passed to Thiago Motta, who trolled the ball and the forward to Rakitic.
The Croatian midfielder took oouch, gnced ahead, a a perfectly timed ball over the top of Real Madrid's defense.
Napoli's terattack mirrored Real Madrid's just moments earlier, but there was one crucial difference: Di Maria's speed. Rakitic's pass gave him the space to accelerate, and the Argentine winger surged forward like a bolt of lightning.
Casils quickly rushed out of his penalty area to intercept, but Di Maria was faster. He reached the ball first, just outside the penalty area, and struck a volley before Casils could close the gap.
The ball soared past Casils and into Real Madrid's empty .
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!"
"Ih minute, Di Maria scores!"
"4-0!!!!!!"
"My goodness, Real Madrid's defense has been utterly disaonight."
"Napoli's terattack was lightning-fast and ruthless. From Handanovic to Bonucci, Thiago Motta, Rakitid finally Di Maria, it was all oouch, precise passing."
"Real Madrid's defense simply couldn't keep up."
The entators tinued disseg the goal.
"At halftime, we said Real Madrid o tighten their defense and avoid going toe-to-toe with Napoli. Otherwise, they risked g even moals. But Schuster didn't listen, and this is the result, just ten minutes into the sed half, Real Madrid cedes again."
"Four to zero!"
"Another issue Real Madrid has to face is fitness."
"While having so many iional pyers is an asset, it's also a liability. Except for Raul and Marcelo, the rest of Real Madrid's lineup sists of iional pyers, many of whom retly pyed in South America's World Cup qualifiers. The travel and inteches have clearly taken a toll on their stamina."
"Real Madrid's pyers are visibly fatigued, and now they're in a high-paced, physically demanding battle with Napoli. It's wearing them down."
"Fitness is a major advantage for Napoli and a signifit weakness for Real Madrid."
"Schuster o address this before it gets even worse."
---
By the time the first half had ended with Napoli leading 3-0, it was clear that the game was already over.
Napoli had won.
The only question remaining was how many moals they would score and whether Real Madrid could salvage even a single goal.
Schuster was desperate for his team to score. He wanted more than just a goal; he wanted redemption.
But the reality was that her Schuster nor Real Madrid were as strong as they believed.
The sile the Bernabeu reflected this harsh truth. The fans, once so optimistic, were nned.
For the remainder of the sed half, the stadium was eerily quiet, save for the occasional gasp roan from the crowd. The excitement was gone.
Even the reporters in the press box looked dejected.
They had e expeg a thrilling, evenly matched test. Instead, they were witnessing a one-sided demolition.
"Real Madrid is worse than I thought," muttered Pocellino, a journalist from Italy's Turin Sports Daily.
A staunch Juventus supporter, Pocellino had been hoping to see Napoli struggle. But instead, he was watg Napoli dismantle Real Madrid with ease.
It frustrated him. He couldn't help but imagine how satisfying it would be if it were Juventus delivering this beating instead.
His remark sparked versation among the other journalists.
For over two years, there had been whispers that Real Madrid's domestiinance owed more to Bara's dee than their own strength. In La Liga, apart from Bara, no other team seemed capable of challenging them.
But this match was exposing Real Madrid's fws for the world to see.
"Let's be ho," said Tony, a well-knower from Reuters. "This Real Madrid isn't even close to the peak Gacticos era. Heck, they're not even as good as the team Gao Shen coached."
"When Gao Shen won the double, Real Madrid didn't rely on this disjointed, individualistic pystyle."
Tony's words resonated with many in the press box.
Everyone remembered that under Gao Shen, Real Madrid pyed as a cohesive unit. The team pressed high, moved as one, and had clear tactical discipline.
"But look at them now," Tony tinued. "With this performance, I wouldn't be surprised if they ceded even more. Winning La Liga this season? Dream on!"
His blunt assessment drew nods of agreement.
Before the match, few would have believed Real Madrid would perform this poorly.
---
Real Madrid tried once again to mount an attack.
This time, Raul dropped deep to receive the ball, only for Thiago Motta to intercept him with a perfectly timed tackle.
Motta quickly passed to Biglia, who initiated yet another terattack.
Biglia advanced and passed to i, who had retreated into a pocket of space.
i trolled the ball, turned, and carried it down the left el, drawing Diarra's attention. Then, with a quick pass, he sent the ball wide to Di Maria.
Di Maria sprinted forward, cutting into the penalty area. Ramos, well-positioned, blocked his inside ne, preventing a cross.
The Argentine wiopped abruptly, feinted, and passed back to i.
i, finding no immediate opening, shifted the ball to Biglia, who passed to Rakitic.
Rakitic advanced, feigned a shot tago in, and then rolled the ball to Sanchez on the right fnk.
Sanchez was unmarked.
Marcelo, caught off guard, scrambled to close him down, but Sanchez had already surged into the box.
From the right side of the penalty area, Sanchez sent a low, precise cross toward the front of the six-yard box, the most dangerous area for any goalkeeper.
Casils hesitated. If he came out, he risked missing the ball. If he stayed, he risked a tap-in.
avaro and Heinze scrambled to mark i, but the Uruguayan forward was unstoppable.
Charging into the box like a battering ram, i shrugged off both defenders and stabbed the ball into the bottom-left er of the .
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!"
"5-0!!!!!!"
The Bernabeu fell silent. Not a sound could be heard.
