After the restart, Real Madrid's players immediately launched an attack toward Manchester City's goal, but by this point, City had already set up a compact defensive block.
On top of that, Guardiola also ordered his midfielders to apply a high press, which made Madrid's passing extremely difficult.
They could not move the ball with their usual fluency, and the distance between midfield and Benzema remained too large.
During the final few minutes of the first half, Madrid failed to create a miracle.
When the referee blew the whistle for halftime, the score on the pitch remained Manchester City 2, Real Madrid 0.
Then came halftime.
All the pressure fell on Zidane.
The Real Madrid head coach returned to the dressing room with a serious expression.
The first thing he did was walk toward the tactical board and begin emphasizing the strategy for the second half.
For Real Madrid, only forty-five minutes remained.
Zidane had to help his players find their rhythm again before the final completely slipped away.
Online, major media outlets also began reporting on the first half of Manchester City vs Real Madrid.
📰 AS: Madrid's Attack Collapses in Porto! Zidane Pays the Price for a Conservative First Half!
📰 MARCA: Two Goals Down at Halftime! Theodore, Benzema, and Madrid's Stars Struggle Against Guardiola's City!
📰 The Guardian: Manchester City Move Within Forty-Five Minutes of Champions League Glory!
📰 Sky Sports: De Bruyne and Foden Strike! City Threaten to Sink the Galactic Battleship in Porto!
📰 Daily Mail: Guardiola's Plan Works Perfectly as City Surround Theodore and Control the First Half!
Large numbers of fans were also discussing the match on X.
📱 @TheodoreEra ✔
Real Madrid had almost no real chances in the first half. They were completely suppressed by Manchester City.
| ↳ 📱 @MadridCN_Insider
| Reply: Madrid's players are in awful form today. Not a single one of them looks at their best.
📱 @FootballCNLive ✔
If Zidane doesn't change the formation, Madrid could concede at least two more in the second half.
| ↳ 📱 @TacticalMadrid
| Reply: City's tactical system looks mature, while Madrid look like everyone is fighting alone.
📱 @WhiteShirtFaithful ✔
I really didn't expect Theodore to be limited like this. Guardiola clearly understands him too well.
Inside Estádio do Dragão, impatience could be seen in the eyes of every Madrid fan.
They did not want to be beaten by Manchester City again.
More than ten minutes later, the starting players of both teams finally stepped onto the pitch once more.
With the referee's whistle, the second half of the Champions League final officially began.
For the first five minutes, both teams mainly battled in midfield.
Possession kept changing hands, and the tempo was extremely intense.
This time, the moment Theodore received the ball, Rodri and Gündoğan went straight into sliding tackles.
Real Madrid's leading star was given almost no room to react.
Just as Theodore was about to use a roll-and-turn move to escape the pressure, Rodri and Gündoğan reached him first and brought him down with a foul.
"Beep!"
The referee blew his whistle.
"City are still treating Theodore as the main danger," Rob Palmer said. "The moment the ball reaches him in midfield, they are closing him down immediately, and if they cannot win it cleanly, they are prepared to foul."
"That challenge could easily have been a yellow card," Terry Gibson said. "The referee has allowed a lot of contact tonight, and from Madrid's point of view, that is frustrating because City are using those small fouls to break Theodore's rhythm."
On the pitch, Theodore slowly stood up.
He did not pay much attention to the foul City's players had just committed against him. Right now, his entire focus was on the match.
When Theodore saw Benzema beginning to accelerate up front, he immediately used his right foot to send out a through ball.
A quick free kick.
That caught Manchester City's players somewhat off guard.
The ball skimmed along the grass and quickly rolled in front of Benzema. Just as the French striker was about to lift his foot and shoot, City center-back Rúben Dias immediately slammed his shoulder into him.
Because of that contact, Benzema could not generate enough power on the shot.
The ball went out over the byline.
Madrid's attack once again came to nothing.
On the bench, Zidane kept scratching his head, clearly disappointed by the team's current performance.
Finally, in the 55th minute, Zidane decided to make the adjustment.
"Play with three forwards!"
"Theodore, go to the left wing! Ødegaard, move to the right!"
Zidane was ready to go all in.
"Real Madrid have changed shape," Rob Palmer noticed immediately. "Theodore has moved to the left wing, Ødegaard has gone to the right, and Madrid are no longer staying in that cautious 4-5-1."
"It had to happen," Terry Gibson said. "Madrid were too passive in the first half, and Benzema was too isolated. By pushing Theodore and Ødegaard wider and higher, Zidane is trying to stretch City's defensive block and give Madrid more direct attacking routes."
In the following minutes, Manchester City, having already established a two-goal lead, continued using defensive counterattacking tactics.
Guardiola's team were now playing with far more caution than they had in the first half.
For years, the media and fans had often said that Guardiola was more suited to league football than cup competitions.
Guardiola himself naturally hoped to use this final to slap those doubts away, so the moment he saw Madrid change shape, he immediately chose to make City sit deeper and defend with more discipline.
In the 60th minute, Modrić's long pass found Theodore on the left flank.
In an instant, several Manchester City players rushed toward him.
Among them were full-back Kyle Walker and midfield free man Gündoğan.
In the Premier League, Kyle Walker was one of the best full-backs of the season, and his explosiveness was extremely frightening.
He was Manchester City's flying machine on the flank, and a major reason Guardiola used him to deal with Theodore was precisely because he valued Walker's speed.
After Theodore stopped the ball with his right foot, he immediately pushed it forward in the next second.
The first player to interfere with Theodore was Gündoğan.
Unfortunately for the German midfielder, he was no match for Theodore in either physical duels or speed.
Theodore did not use any flashy movement.
With just one sudden touch forward, he easily flashed past Gündoğan.
But right after that, Theodore ran into Kyle Walker's marking.
A true speed duel had begun on the flank.
"Theodore against Walker now," Rob Palmer called. "This is one of the matchups everyone wanted to see."
"Walker has the pace to stay with almost anyone," Terry Gibson said. "But Theodore's first step is frightening, and if Walker gets his timing wrong, he will be gone."
Walker lowered his center of gravity and kept retreating quickly, trying to block Theodore's path down the outside while also preventing him from cutting inside onto his stronger right foot.
Theodore carried the ball forward with controlled touches.
He did not rush.
Walker kept his eyes fixed on the ball, waiting for Theodore's next move.
The distance between the two players became shorter and shorter.
At that moment, Theodore suddenly pushed the ball toward the outside with his right foot, making it look as if he wanted to sprint down the line.
Walker reacted immediately and shifted across.
But in the next moment, Theodore used the outside of his foot to drag the ball back inside, changing direction with terrifying speed.
Walker's reaction was already fast, but Theodore's rhythm change was even sharper.
The City full-back was forced to turn his body again, and that brief delay was enough for Theodore to create a passing lane.
Theodore did not continue dribbling blindly.
He lifted his head and sent a low cross toward the edge of the penalty area.
Benzema moved between Rúben Dias and Stones, trying to attack the ball, but Rúben Dias read the danger and stretched out his leg to intercept.
The ball deflected away, and Rodri immediately collected it outside the box.
Manchester City had survived the attack.
But this time, Madrid had finally forced City's defense to retreat in panic.
The Madrid fans in the stands immediately raised their voices.
They could see hope.
📱 @MadridistaHQ ✔
That is already better. Theodore wide on the left gives Madrid a real outlet.
| ↳ 📱 @BlancoPulse
| Reply: Walker is fast, but Theodore can still create space. Madrid need to keep feeding him there.
📱 @TacticalMadrid ✔
The shape change is working. City can't collapse on Theodore with three midfielders as easily when he starts from the wing.
| ↳ 📱 @UCLMadridista
| Reply: Zidane should have made this change earlier.
Manchester City quickly tried to counter, with Rodri sending the ball toward Bernardo Silva in midfield.
But this time, Madrid's pressing was much more aggressive.
Casemiro stepped forward to block Bernardo's passing route, Modrić closed down Gündoğan, and Ødegaard pressed Zinchenko on the far side. Under that pressure, Bernardo had no choice but to pass backward to Rúben Dias.
Madrid's shape had changed, and their mentality had changed with it.
They were no longer waiting passively for City to make mistakes.
They were beginning to force them.
On the touchline, Guardiola frowned slightly.
He could clearly feel that Madrid's attacking threat had increased after Theodore moved to the wing.
City still led by two goals, but the match was no longer as comfortable as it had been in the first half.
Zidane stood near the technical area and shouted instructions toward the pitch.
"Press higher!"
"Move the ball faster!"
"Give Theodore space to run!"
The Madrid players responded immediately.
In the 63rd minute, Kroos received the ball from Ramos and quickly switched play toward the left again.
Theodore controlled the pass, turned to face Walker, and prepared for another duel.
This time, Walker did not charge forward rashly.
He knew very well that if he stepped in too aggressively, Theodore would use his speed to leave him behind.
Gündoğan moved closer from the inside, trying to form a double team again.
Theodore noticed it.
Before Gündoğan could close the space completely, Theodore suddenly played the ball back to Marcelo, then immediately sprinted behind Walker.
Marcelo understood the intention and sent a first-time pass down the line.
Theodore chased the ball at full speed.
Walker also turned and sprinted.
The two of them raced side by side along the left flank, and the noise inside Estádio do Dragão rose instantly.