A hug from Cristiano Ronaldo

At Camp Nou, Barcelona, with their slick passing and ball control, kept the ball glued to their feet.

Whenever a Real Madrid player tried to press, the ball was already being passed to another teammate.

With a comfortable lead, Barcelona players pushed forward aggressively, forcing Real Madrid to retreat and defend.

This led to a shortage of Real Madrid players near midfield, often facing situations where one player was up against two or three from Barcelona.

Real Madrid barely touched the ball, just getting toyed with by Barcelona, who used the opportunity to wear them down.

As time went on, the Real Madrid players grew impatient, making rash challenges and losing their positions, which Barcelona exploited to score.

The third and fourth goals were clear proof of that.

After conceding four goals, Real Madrid players calmed down, stopped taking risks, and just focused on defending deep in their half.

They seemed to have given up on scoring, thinking as long as they didn't concede more, it would be fine.

For a while, both teams were at a stalemate.

Then, in the 70th minute, taking advantage of a break in play, Zidane signaled to the assistant referee for a substitution.

The crowd noticed Zidane's move and turned their attention to him, curious if this legendary midfielder could turn things around for Real Madrid as a coach.

There was hope in their eyes, but also a lot of skepticism.

After all, history has shown that great players don't always make great coaches.

When the substitution board showed a red 19 and a green 67, the noisy stadium fell silent.

Modric, number 19, was being substituted? He was one of Real Madrid's most reliable midfielders.

Was this a sign of giving up?

And who was this number 67, a skinny Asian player? Could he even handle the ball?

As the camera zoomed in on Rohan Singh, number 67, boos erupted from the stands.

Was Real Madrid really putting in an unknown player at such a crucial moment?

And an Indian player, no less, not known for his talent.

The crowd couldn't help but laugh.

"Ha, good one Zidane, Real Madrid really needs talents like you," someone jeered.

"Is this Real Madrid's secret weapon? More like a joke."

The Barcelona fans mocked, while the Real Madrid fans felt miserable.

They saw themselves as noble and proud, and couldn't stand having a weak player in their team, even if he was signed by Real Madrid's president, Pérez.

They furiously threw water bottles and paper at Rohan and Zidane, cursing without any of the usual decorum.

"Indian, you don't belong here, go back to India and stop disgracing the great Real Madrid."

"Just sit back down on the bench, you shouldn't be in this match! In fact, you shouldn't be in any Real Madrid match."

"Zidane, your coaching is nowhere near your playing level, resign now!"

In the stands, Florentino Pérez's face was dark with anger.

...

Back on the field, Modric was stunned when he saw the substitution sign.

He had been playing well, intercepting and disrupting Barcelona's attacks.

He had even made a brilliant pass in the opening minutes that Benzema almost turned into a goal, but ter Stegen saved it.

Now being substituted seemed odd.

Ultimately, Modric blamed Benzema and jogged off the field, giving Rohan a high-five without saying a word and sat down on the bench.

Rohan entered the field feeling nervous and overwhelmed.

Just as he was wondering what to do next, Cristiano Ronaldo came over and gave him a big hug.

"Hey buddy, don't be nervous. Just focus on getting that damn ball into their net, don't worry about anything else."

"Thanks."

Rohan nodded with a smile and quickly ran to the area previously covered by Modric.

He took deep breaths to calm his nerves.

The referee blew the whistle, and the game continued.

Barcelona still had the ball.

Dani Alves restarted play near the center circle, passing the ball to Rakitic, who controlled it well and passed it back to Busquets.

The tiki-taka style unfolded once again.

Fresh on the pitch and buzzing with excitement, Rohan was all fired up.

He teamed up with Cristiano Ronaldo near the center circle, launching into a frenzied press.

But Barcelona's players, masters of possession, kept dodging them with quick, short passes and wide shifts from side to side. With the rest of the Real Madrid team hanging back, Rohan and Ronaldo were left chasing shadows.

Ronaldo was visibly frustrated, gesturing wildly for his teammates to move up and apply pressure.

But after losing the ball several times, the Real Madrid players were clearly hesitant to push forward.

Seeing this, Ronaldo could only shake his head in resignation.

"If you won't press, I'll do it myself."

That Indian player isn't half bad, though. He might lack a bit in skill, but his determination is commendable.

Maybe it was because of their comfortable lead, or maybe Barcelona just didn't take Rohan seriously.

As they faced the press, Barcelona's passes became riskier.

Several times, they only passed the ball just as Rohan was about to make contact, sometimes even choosing to dribble past him instead.

Eventually, even center-back Piqué decided to show off a bit.

"Hey, Indian, since you're on the pitch, let me give you a free lesson in football."

That was a bit much from Piqué.

Rohan was annoyed, thinking, "Are you kidding me? A center-back pulling tricks and trying to school me in football? You're getting too cocky."

In a flash, as Piqué attempted a fancy dribble, Rohan quickly stuck out his foot and intercepted the ball.

At the same moment, Ronaldo on the left burst forward like a cheetah, sprinting towards the edge of the box.

Seeing his chance, Rohan nudged the ball to his right and, in the blink of an eye, delivered a precise pass to Ronaldo's feet.

"Thank goodness my passing isn't too terrible," Rohan breathed a sigh of relief internally. Losing the ball now would have been disastrous.

Ronaldo received the pass and turned in one fluid motion, ready to drive the ball into the box. But Barcelona's defender Mascherano was already there, blocking his path.

"Masche's not bad," Rohan muttered under his breath as he sprinted towards the box to support.

Normally, this wasn't his job, but everything had happened so quickly that only he and Ronaldo were near the Barcelona box.

Real Madrid's other forwards hadn't even crossed midfield yet.

Facing Mascherano's defense, Ronaldo first feinted to the left, shifting Mascherano's weight, then quickly dragged the ball back to the right, stepping forward to shield Mascherano off.

Mascherano panicked, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Rohan was charging into the box. With Barcelona's full-backs too far upfield to return in time, a successful pass from Ronaldo could leave Rohan with a clear shot at goal.

Even though Rohan wasn't known for his finishing, Mascherano wasn't taking any chances.

To be safe, Mascherano chose to knock Ronaldo down and kick the ball out of play.

The referee's whistle blew sharply, and he quickly approached Mascherano, showing him a yellow card.

Mascherano had no complaints,considering he was the last man in defense, not receiving a red card was already lenient.

The Real Madrid side was furious, crowding around the referee, demanding a red card for Mascherano.

Ramos was particularly vehement.

Piqué also protested, claiming Mascherano hadn't even touched Ronaldo and that he had a clear view of the play.

"Ronaldo's diving, he should get a yellow card!"

The referee blew his whistle again.

Two more yellow cards were handed out, one to Ramos and one to Piqué, calming things down.

The game resumed with Real Madrid awarded a free kick just outside the box—a prime spot for a player with good technique.

The ball could easily clear the heads of the defenders and still dip under the crossbar.

This was exactly why Piqué, despite knowing the call was in their favor, still argued vehemently. He knew Ronaldo too well, and this position was dangerous.