When the referee blew for full time, Gao Shen raised his hands high above his head.

The Bernabéu was filled with deafening cheers from the fans.

On the pitch, Real Madrid's players gathered in small groups, celebrating the victory.

4-1.

But that was not the main point.

In the final twenty minutes, even after Real Madrid made a series of substitutions, they still kept the intensity high and applied relentless attacking pressure on Barcelona, especially the young substitutes, who worked extremely hard.

For example, Illarramendi.

Gao Shen brought him on to replace Modric, partnering Xabi Alonso and Toni Kroos in midfield, allowing him to learn the styles of these two predecessors up close.

At the same time, Gao Shen gave Illarramendi more freedom to step up and press.

It was valuable experience, and there was not much pressure.

In the closing stages, Real Madrid used their numerical advantage to pin Barcelona back severely.

Valdés, Piqué, and Puyol became Barcelona's busiest players, especially Valdés, who was making saves almost constantly.

Fortunately for Barcelona, Valdés did not commit any fatal errors and performed bravely, otherwise the score would not have stopped at 4-1.

Even so, 4-1 was enough for Real Madrid to have one hand on the Super Cup.

…

At the whistle, Gao Shen immediately walked toward the away dugout.

Martino had seen him coming and stood waiting.

"Congratulations, Gao," Martino said graciously.

"Thank you." Gao Shen shook hands with Martino, then with Roura, Rubi, and the others who came over.

Having coached Real Madrid twice, Gao Shen has exceptional prestige in Spanish football.

Even as opponents, Barcelona's coaches had to acknowledge his status.

He is the first in Champions League history.

More importantly, he keeps breaking new ground.

"Honestly, you did great. Keep going. This road is not easy." After shaking hands, Gao Shen chatted briefly with Martino on the touchline and offered encouragement.

Martino certainly knew what Gao Shen meant.

Gao Shen understood exactly what he was trying to do.

"Someone has to do it, right?" Martino managed a wry smile.

He did not come to Barcelona to hide. He wanted to make his name in Europe, at least to the level of Pellegrini, to gain a foothold.

Coaching in the top European leagues is the real money job. The salary in South America is much lower than in Europe's top leagues, and the fame here is greater.

Who does not want both fame and fortune?

"This is the right path," Gao Shen encouraged.

They were opponents, but once the match ended, talking off the pitch was another matter.

Besides, Gao Shen did not think Martino would change anything based on his words.

"Thanks."

"Do not thank me yet." Gao Shen changed tone. "We are rivals. I will not be polite later."

With that, he waved and left.

Martino expected as much.

Seeing Barcelona in this state, it would be surprising if Real Madrid's coach did not throw a few stones.

What is more, there is still the second leg at Camp Nou, and La Liga is about to begin.

…

Back in the dressing room, Gao Shen gave the players high praise before heading to the Bernabéu press room.

By then, all the reporters were already waiting.

Three days earlier, in the same stadium, they had welcomed Gao Shen with warm applause.

Tonight was the same.

Beating Barcelona 4-1 at home was an astonishing victory.

As usual, Gao Shen was generous in praising his outstanding players and confident about the team's chances of winning the Spanish Super Cup. But when it came to Barcelona, his tone sharpened.

"Barcelona's football philosophy is becoming increasingly conservative. They are turning football into a game for cowards."

Gao Shen's undisguised broadside shocked the room, then quickly thrilled the press.

Was this not exactly what they wanted?

Gao Shen said, "Possession is only a means, a means to attack, not an end."

"But from my personal experience over the past two years, Barcelona have treated possession as the ultimate goal."

"I can understand their logic. If they keep the ball and stop the opponent from touching it, then the game is safe."

This was indeed Barcelona's philosophy, once praised worldwide.

"But they forget one thing. Everything has limits. Once you exceed a threshold, returns drop sharply, or you become hostage to it, just like Barcelona now, keeping the ball for the sake of keeping it. That is not normal."

Gao Shen criticized Barcelona's football, believing their players had become risk-averse, recycling safe passes endlessly.

"I know what Barcelona want. With the ball, they try to lure the opponent up to create space. But how is that possible? The ball is at your feet, you are the ones initiating the attack, and you want the defense to create space for you?"

"Why not remove the goalkeeper and let you shoot as you please? Would that not be better?"

Gao Shen argued that Barcelona's logic about possession, while accusing opponents of conservatism, was distorted.

"Keep the ball to attack and score."

As for this match specifically, Gao Shen believed Martino had done something brave, starting to change Barcelona's play, bringing more long passes from midfield and the back, which he viewed positively.

"Tonight, Barcelona had 54 percent possession, which was influenced by the red card."

"Of course, you cannot deny the red card. Being a man down affected their possession. Normally it should be around 60 percent. I think that is a reasonable figure."

But the media immediately pointed out that while Barcelona's possession looked reasonable, their defense had frequent problems.

"That is a different issue. It has nothing to do with possession, and everything to do with the defensive system. But Barcelona also scored a wonderful goal. I think it is the best goal they have scored since I returned to La Liga over a year ago."

Catalan outlets believed Gao Shen was trying to interfere with Barcelona's decision-making and waging psychological warfare for the second leg.

"You can think that, but I am speaking from the heart. I sincerely hope Barcelona are stronger. That gives me and my team greater motivation."

The room erupted.

What is dominance?

This is dominance.

When most coaches hope their opponents are weak to make winning easier, Gao Shen says the opposite. He wants Barcelona to be strong, to push Real Madrid further.

Whether or not he meant every word, the attitude alone drew applause.

…

The Spanish media split sharply over Gao Shen's remarks.

Pro-Real Madrid outlets lavished praise, believing Gao Shen showed the spirit of a strong man. They also noted his philosophy aligns with Real Madrid's temperament, namely beautiful attacking football.

Alfredo, the editor-in-chief of AS, wrote that Gao Shen can beat Barcelona on the pitch and in public opinion, because he represents the most advanced football in the world today.

Speaking specifically about the 4-1 at the Bernabéu, Alfredo argued that Real Madrid not only won the first leg impressively, but also shattered Barcelona's confidence.

Especially Busquets's red card.

Alfredo listed Real Madrid's poor performances against Barcelona over recent years, including many bookings and dismissals.

Now, the situation has completely flipped.

It was Barcelona who received the red.

Times have changed.

Alfredo said Barcelona used to be stronger, but now Real Madrid are better.

He concluded that this powerful Real Madrid will create their own La Liga dynasty, perhaps even more glorious than Barcelona's Dream Team.

By contrast, the pro-Barcelona Catalan media blasted Gao Shen, saying he took advantage of Barcelona's misfortune after victory, unworthy of a famous coach.

Daily Sports rebutted Gao Shen point by point, insisting Barcelona's problems are in their lineup.

"In fact, if Fàbregas had come on earlier, the game would never have turned out like this."

Barcelona's mouthpiece argued that the crushing defeat was man-made rather than a matter of strength.

Martino trusted his compatriot too much, which cost Agüero his edge in the first half.

"Since joining Barcelona from Atlético Madrid, Agüero has never truly integrated into the team. By contrast, Fàbregas, a La Masia product, was more adept and had better chemistry with Messi, Xavi, and others after coming on."

Daily Sports said the heavy loss at the Bernabéu proves little. Busquets's red was a personal mistake. At the same time, the referee's favoritism toward the home side and excessive decisions were key factors.

"The team's real problem lies with coach Martino. He should tailor tactics to Barcelona's actual situation and conditions."

They produced Barcelona's passing data, especially long passes, showing a poor success rate, which led to many of Real Madrid's attacks starting from Barcelona's passing errors.

That suggests that if Barcelona's pass completion rises, will Real Madrid still be able to counter?

If so, why abandon Barcelona's traditional passing-control style and choose a riskier, less reliable long ball approach?

It is also obvious that many in the squad are not comfortable with it, including Xavi, Busquets, and even Messi.

Daily Sports directly targeted the new coach Martino, saying he lacks familiarity with Barcelona and understanding of Europe's top leagues, which led him to misjudge such a key match.

"He should be held responsible for this fiasco."

(To be continued.)