Starting as a Defensive Midfielder at Real Madrid

“Ah! What a shame! Courtois actually saved that rocket shot from Li Ang! Chelsea’s counterattack has been ferocious right from the start. Looks like Mourinho has no intention of parking the bus at the Calderón tonight — they’ve come to Madrid full of aggression!”

“This is the right approach. We discussed it repeatedly before the match: sure, prioritizing defense would have been safer, but in a two-legged tie, away teams that attack aggressively in the second leg are the ones who really pressure their opponents. It’s simple math: every away goal you score forces the opponent to score two more just to stay alive. Otherwise, they risk being eliminated on away goals!”

“Chelsea have chosen the bravest path tonight. They want to keep destiny firmly in their own hands — and that’s exactly the dominant style that has defined Chelsea these past few seasons!”

The Sky Sports commentators praised Chelsea’s boldness without restraint.

And honestly, they were right.

Chelsea fans certainly agreed with the idea of attacking aggressively at Atlético’s home.

In today’s Champions League knockout football, the away goals rule often determines who advances,

not just the aggregate score.

There had been countless painful examples where teams lost 0–1 away, then won 2–1 at home — only to be eliminated 2–2 on away goals.

From a neutral standpoint, extra time might seem fairer.

But the rules were the rules — and they applied to everyone equally.

Sometimes you suffer because of away goals; sometimes you benefit.

Atlético had failed to score an away goal in the first leg — a critical mistake.

Even though Simeone made tactical adjustments afterward, his offensive changes were too limited, too rigid.

If Mourinho were in Simeone’s place,

there was no doubt:

Chelsea would have pushed to score away goals in the first leg, at any cost.

Scoring one away goal is worth 1.5 goals in value!

Why not go for it aggressively?

Even if you lose 1–2, it’s still a favorable situation for the second leg.

But Atlético didn’t seize their chance —

they hesitated in the first half, lacked attacking depth in the second, and left Stamford Bridge with nothing.

Now they were paying the price.

Simeone had set a bad example.

Mourinho would never repeat that mistake —

he wasn’t about to hand over a ticket to the Champions League final.

So Chelsea, from the opening whistle,

launched a full-on offensive battle against Atlético!

Chelsea, fresher and mentally stronger, had no reason to sit deep and absorb pressure.

For Chelsea’s players, today’s match was simple:

Whoever seized their attacking chances better would win.

Bravery would triumph at the crossroads.

Clear this hurdle, and the dream of returning to the Champions League final would be within reach!

There was no reason to hold back.

No reason to hesitate!

Even if they conceded first,

they still had a valuable aggregate advantage.

Every Chelsea player remembered Li Ang’s fiery speech in the locker room before the match:

“From the first second to the last whistle, we fight with everything we have! Believe in each other, believe in the coaching staff — but above all, believe in ourselves! Forget the damn result — there’s only one outcome today: we beat Atlético, we double-kill them, and we go to the Champions League final!”

That speech still echoed in their ears.

Their fighting spirit burned bright.

Right from the start, they nearly tore Atlético apart with rapid attacks.

In the first ten minutes alone, Li Ang fired a dangerous shot on target,

while Suárez and De Bruyne also forced Courtois into action.

Atlético, caught off guard by Chelsea’s ferocity,

could only retreat awkwardly into a low block.

It should have been them pressing Chelsea.

Instead, they were pinned back on their own turf.

Neutral Spanish fans were left speechless.

The tough, fearless Atlético of La Liga looked completely overwhelmed.

By the 13th minute, after Li Ang launched Chelsea’s fourth shot on target,

Simeone couldn’t take it anymore!

The Argentine coach stormed to the sideline,

waving his arms and roaring at his players to push their defensive line higher!

He didn’t even care about attacking —

just stop Chelsea from firing shots every two minutes!

Atlético’s players, previously rattled by Chelsea’s relentless assault, finally woke up.

Their coach’s fury and the scattered boos from home fans reignited their pride.

This was the Calderón.

Their fortress.

They had never been humiliated like this before.

It was unacceptable.

Driven by anger and shame, Atlético exploded into life.

They pushed higher,

pressed harder,

fought for every inch.

The tempo skyrocketed,

and the match turned into a brutal, chaotic war of attrition.

Chelsea, to their credit, fought fire with fire.

They lost their fluidity up front —

but so did Atlético.

And the longer the deadlock dragged on,

the more pressure Atlético felt.

In this new balance of chaos,

Chelsea still held the upper hand.

And their fans — knowing the stakes — were more than willing to accept it.

Simeone knew that time was not on Atlético’s side, so he could only keep pressuring his players, hoping they would unleash a stronger and more resilient fighting spirit.

Motivational “pep talks” were often very effective,

but late in the season — especially when most of the main players’ fitness was already affected —

this kind of psychological push could just as easily deepen their exhaustion.

Li Ang quickly picked up on the subtle changes in Atlético’s players’ running pace.

He wasn’t the only one —

every small drop in running speed across Atlético’s squad translated into a visible difference in their overall performance.

Their defensive coverage shrank.

Their interception rate dropped.

Their offensive runs became less frequent…

How could such a weary Atlético hope to engage Chelsea in a physical, full-court battle?

Li Ang already saw the outcome,

but he didn’t immediately urge his teammates to pile on and tear Atlético apart.

The reason was simple:

although Atlético’s form had dipped,

they still had enough fighting spirit left to temporarily compensate.

If Chelsea attacked too hard now,

they might accidentally reignite Atlético’s unity and fire.

Instead, Li Ang gestured to his teammates to maintain the current tempo —

no need to push harder.

A frog boiled slowly in warm water rarely fights back.

Li Ang’s strategy was clear:

gradually tighten the noose around Atlético until they collapsed completely.

Once Atlético’s energy truly ran dry,

Chelsea would strike hard and finish them off in one clean blow.

Assistant coach Holland was initially puzzled by Chelsea’s slowed attack,

but Mourinho, after observing carefully, immediately understood Li Ang’s intent.

Smiling without a word, Mourinho stayed calm on the bench.

Meanwhile, despite Simeone’s endless motivational shouting,

Atlético slowly regained some control after the 25th minute.

However, Chelsea had not abandoned their counterattack opportunities.

Even when pressing forward heavily,

Chelsea kept sufficient defensive strength behind the ball.

Now, even though it seemed like Atlético had control,

Chelsea had laid a double defensive line across midfield,

waiting to spring a trap at the right moment.

Chelsea’s entire strategy was to grind down Atlético’s stamina bit by bit.

Thus, the latter part of the first half became a brutal midfield battle.

Neither side was particularly composed:

Koke was booked for kicking Kroos in a tackle.

Li Ang was verbally warned for shoving Koke in retaliation.

Later, Matić and De Bruyne both picked up yellow cards for overly aggressive challenges.

The atmosphere at the Calderón became more and more intense.

Near the end of the half,

Diego Costa, fouled by Li Ang, got into a heated face-to-face clash with him.

The two exchanged fierce insults in Spanish,

but — veterans that they were — they kept their hands behind their backs to avoid physical escalation.

Eventually, both were separated by teammates and sternly warned by the referee.

Neutral fans hoping for a full brawl were slightly disappointed.

Thus ended a fiery, physical, highly entertaining first half —

despite the 0-0 scoreline.

Television audiences around the world were thoroughly entertained.

Unfortunately for neutral fans,

the second half lost much of its chaotic edge.

Not because Chelsea backed off —

but because Atlético visibly tired even more.

They wanted to fight,

but their legs betrayed them.

As the second half wore on,

Chelsea gradually tilted the game completely in their favor.

Li Ang stayed patient,

only launching Chelsea’s all-out assault after the 70th minute.

At that point,

Atlético had little left to give.

Chelsea, ruthless as ever, crushed them.

In the 76th minute,

Suárez latched onto De Bruyne’s perfectly weighted through-ball,

breaking into the box and slotting a low shot past Courtois!

The goal shattered Atlético’s last hope.

Five minutes later,

Chelsea stormed down the left again.

Azpilicueta whipped in a pinpoint cross.

At the near post, Suárez and Savic collided trying to reach the ball,

which deflected out toward the top of the box.

Kroos calmly collected the loose ball,

surveyed the field,

and lobbed a cross toward the far post.

This time, Li Ang was ready.

He leaped above Filipe Luís and smashed a header into the top right corner!

Courtois punched the post in frustration.

Gabi collapsed onto the turf with cramps for the second time.

Godín opened his mouth to speak but said nothing,

only patting a tearful Juanfran on the shoulder.

Chelsea players celebrated wildly.

Atlético’s players were left slumped, hollow-eyed.

They had given everything —

only to be eliminated by Chelsea two years in a row.

When the final whistle blew,

many Atlético players simply lay flat on the turf.

Meanwhile, Li Ang quickly comforted a few nearby Atlético players,

then sprinted toward his teammates, roaring with joy.

They were going to San Siro!