In the first 45 minutes of the match, neither team scored a goal.
Real Madrid's inability to break through on the flanks left them unable to penetrate Athletic Bilbao's defense, while the presence of Chen Zhong also brought Athletic Bilbao's offense to a standstill.
The halftime break was short, and both teams quickly returned to the field.
Schuster did not make any substitutions, instead he adjusted the direction of the attack, opting to focus more on the center when the flanks couldn't be leveraged.
Sneijder dropped back into the center, Baptista moved forward and positioned more like an attacking midfielder, while Chen Zhong became more involved in organizing the offense.
This tactical adjustment quickly produced results.
In the 54th minute of the match, Athletic Bilbao opted for a cross again, with Chen Zhong leaping high to contest ball possession with Llorente. Llorente lost out this time, and Chen Zhong passed the ball sideways to Torres.
