First-half stoppage time had already reached its final minute.
If this Real Madrid attack failed, both sides would head into the break with the score still tied at 2–2.
That was a result Zinedine Zidane could not accept at home.
Near the edge of the penalty area, Theodore did not hesitate.
Even though three Atlético Madrid players stood in front of him, tracking his movement, Theodore still chose to break through.
A forced drive!
With a razor-sharp touch from his right foot, the ball slipped past the first line of the three players.
The next second, Theodore engaged his explosive acceleration.
But the Atlético players fouled him decisively. Using both hands and feet, they cynically dragged Theodore down to the turf.
Peep!
Referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz finally blew the whistle for a foul.
However, he only awarded the free-kick; he kept his cards in his pocket, much to the frustration of the Bernabéu.
"A free-kick opportunity right on the edge of halftime!" Rob Palmer announced. "Theodore Bjorn is a specialist from these situations! With his ability, he absolutely has the chance to score directly here!"
"This free-kick is around twenty-eight meters from goal, Rob," Terry Gibson analyzed. "It's fairly far out. And Jan Oblak is arguably the best shot-stopper in the world right now. If Theodore wants to score directly, it will require perfection."
On the global live comment feeds, Theodore's supporters were already celebrating in advance.
"Committing a foul in this position? That's basically gifting Madrid a goal!"
"Theodore's free-kick conversion rate this season is absurd. It's practically a penalty for him!"
"The man whose free-kicks are more reliable than most strikers' one-on-ones! Come on, Theodore!"
In the Bernabéu stands, more than eighty thousand die-hard Madridistas began roaring the club anthem—Hala Madrid y nada más!
Just like the fans online, the Madrid supporters in the stadium possessed absolute confidence in Theodore's right foot.
After placing the ball meticulously on the grass, Theodore slowly took his three trademark steps back.
His eyes were fixed directly on Oblak's positioning.
Peep!
After referee Mateu Lahoz blew the whistle, the entire Bernabéu fell completely silent. Every gaze in the stadium turned toward Theodore.
Before beginning his run-up, Theodore visibly glanced toward the top-left corner of the goal.
Jan Oblak, a master of reading body language, sharply caught that detail.
The moment Theodore struck the ball, Oblak's body weight shifted heavily toward the left post, his feet already planting to launch into a diving save.
But Theodore did not send the ball toward the top-left corner.
Instead, he struck across the ball, executing a vicious, low-driven strike!
In an instant, the ball shot directly beneath the jumping Atlético Madrid wall.
In the blink of an eye, it skimmed rapidly across the wet grass and arrowed toward the bottom-right corner of the net.
3–2!
"GOAAAAAL!" Palmer roared. "A low skidding strike of absolute genius!"
"He has fooled the wall and he has completely fooled Jan Oblak!"
"Oblak didn't even move! He was rooted to the spot!"
"Three-two! Real Madrid have turned the score around at the Bernabéu!"
After Theodore scored, the referee immediately blew the whistle to end the first half.
Real Madrid concluded the first forty-five minutes with a vital one-goal lead.
Without question, the undisputed best player of the first half was Theodore.
Operating as a defensive midfielder, he had recorded two goals and one assist, while also contributing crucial defensive blocks.
The match entered halftime.
Across Spain, the sports media instantly erupted with praise for his masterclass.
AS: "The first half of the Madrid derby ends with fireworks! The new Ballon d'Or winner scores a genius free-kick!"
Marca: "This is the strength of the Golden Boy! Two goals and one assist! Theodore conquers the Bernabéu with unstoppable technique!"
Diario Sport: "The eighteen-year-old shines in the Derby! Simeone's aggressive pressing tactics dismantled by one man!"
Mundo Deportivo: "A razor-close battle! Atlético make a fatal mistake at the final moment! Theodore's free-kick is the difference!"
In the comment sections, fans from all allegiances were stunned.
Even rival supporters could not help but admire Theodore's brilliance.
"This is what carrying a team really means! As long as Theodore is on the pitch, I'm never worried about Madrid losing!"
"I'm an Atlético fan, but Madrid's number ten has been absolutely stunning tonight! Every Madrid threat comes from him. Giving him the Ballon d'Or was 100% correct."
"Theodore is terrifying. To defend a normal superstar, you mark them in the final third. To stop Theodore, you need the whole team to cover the entire pitch, because he dominates from defensive midfield to center forward!"
...
Fifteen minutes later, the second half officially began.
Atlético Madrid's players emerged with renewed fighting spirit.
Koke threaded a sharp through ball that successfully found Luis Suárez inside the penalty area.
Although Real Madrid's center-backs Varane and Ramos instantly converged on him, they gave the Uruguayan forward no angle to shoot.
Left with no choice, Suárez suddenly stopped his momentum.
He didn't force the shot.
Instead, he cleverly used his right foot to flick a backheel pass out of the crowded box.
The ball rolled perfectly toward the top of the penalty arc. Suárez's disguised pass had fooled the entire Real Madrid defense.
On the edge of the box, Héctor Herrera stepped onto the ball with a clear shooting opportunity.
However, to ensure he controlled the strike properly, he did not hit it first time. Instead, he took a touch to set himself.
That single touch gave Real Madrid a lifeline.
Theodore's terrifying explosiveness was displayed to the absolute maximum.
He launched himself into a desperate sliding tackle, successfully throwing his body across the ball at the exact moment Herrera pulled the trigger.
The ball ricocheted safely away.
"I knew it! Theodore was definitely going to stop that!"
"His reaction speed is inhuman! He is a one-man fortress at defensive midfield!"
"Herrera actually dared to take a touch? Does he not know how fast Theodore closes space?"
The fans had barely finished typing when Héctor Herrera brought Theodore down cynically.
After blocking the shot, Theodore had immediately regained his footing and hooked the loose ball away.
This was a devastating counterattacking chance for Real Madrid.
But just as Theodore engaged his acceleration, a furious Héctor Herrera slid in late and aggressively, hacking the teenager down from behind.
Referee Mateu Lahoz blew his whistle for the foul, but incredibly, he still refused to show Herrera a yellow card.
That leniency only encouraged Atlético's players to become even more physical.
The match continued.
Just as Theodore prepared to pass the ball into the middle for Modrić, Herrera arrived late again, slamming his shoulder violently into Theodore's back long after the ball was gone.
There were limits to patience.
Throughout tonight's match, Theodore had done his best to control his emotions in the face of Atlético's dark arts.
But Herrera's persistent, arrogant targeting crossed the line.
Theodore decided it was time to establish dominance.
Three seconds later, the ball broke loose in midfield as Theodore charged toward Héctor Herrera.
This time, Theodore didn't just challenge for the ball; he lowered his shoulder and slammed his massive frame directly into the Mexican midfielder with the force of a freight train.
At the same time, as he braced for impact, Theodore's elbow rose and caught Herrera flush under the eye.
The tough Atlético enforcer immediately crumpled to the turf and stayed down, clutching his face.
When referee Mateu Lahoz saw it, he did not hesitate.
He blew the whistle and he reached straight into his pocket and pulled out a yellow card, flashing it at Theodore.
"A yellow card!" Palmer announced. "The referee has booked Theodore Bjorn!"
"From the slow-motion replay, Theodore did indeed catch Herrera in the face with his elbow. It was a heavy, heavy collision."
"The referee had to book him there, though Herrera has been asking for it all night," Gibson added.
On the live comment feeds, however, fans were entirely on Theodore's side.
"Beautiful! Theodore takes no prisoners!"
"How the hell did Herrera think he could bully him and get away with it?"
"Herrera looks seriously hurt. The medical team is coming on with a stretcher!"
"The Madrid Derby is a warzone! That hit from Theodore felt so satisfying!"
"Out of everyone he could've provoked, he messed with the Ballon d'Or winner. Learned his lesson."
When Koke saw the severity of his teammate's injury, he immediately rushed up to Theodore, getting in his face and hurling aggressive trash talk.
Seeing their star player confronted, Sergio Ramos and Casemiro instantly sprinted over, shoving Koke away and standing protectively in front of Theodore.
For a tense moment, the Madrid derby threatened to explode into a brawl.
Fortunately, Lahoz blew his whistle frantically and hauled both captains—Ramos and Koke—aside for a stern final warning.
He made it clear that the next reckless challenge or confrontation would result in red cards.
After that severe warning, the temperature of the match cooled slightly.
At the same time, Atlético's medical staff signaled to the bench.
After a brief on-pitch assessment, Héctor Herrera's eye was swelling shut; he could not continue.
Simeone scowled and sent on Geoffrey Kondogbia.
"Atlético Madrid are forced into the first substitution!" Palmer noted. "Héctor Herrera, who came off worse in that clash with Theodore, is replaced by Kondogbia!"
After the match resumed, Atlético controlled possession.
Trailing by a goal, they naturally pushed forward to attack.
On the touchline, Simeone frantically urged his wing-backs higher up the pitch.
In the 55th minute, Atlético's furious pressure finally produced an opening.
Kondogbia, fresh off the bench, used his imposing physical strength to barge past Modrić in midfield.
Instead of passing, he aggressively carried the ball forward himself.
That driving run successfully drew the attention of both Theodore and Toni Kroos.
Once the two Madrid midfielders committed to closing him down, Kondogbia suddenly slipped a pass into the vacated space for Koke.
At the same time, Suárez and Félix initiated darting runs behind the Madrid defense.
Koke instantly had two passing options.
The Atlético captain chose the more experienced target, clipping a delicate, chipped pass over the top.
In an instant, the ball sailed perfectly over Sergio Ramos' head and dropped into Suárez's stride.
The Uruguayan striker didn't hesitate, he unleashed a devastating, first-time volley.
The strike carried terrifying power, giving Courtois absolutely no time to react.
Bang!
The ball crashed into the back of the net!
But right as Suárez wheeled away to celebrate, the assistant referee raised his flag sharply.
Peep!
Lahoz blew his whistle, ruling the goal out for offside.
Suárez was furious.
He sprinted toward the referee, wildly protesting the decision.
The VAR (Video Assistant Referee) room intervened.
After a strict line check, the decision stood: Suárez's shoulder was inches offside when Koke played the pass.
"A clear offside! The on-field decision is correct!" Palmer confirmed. "But warning signs are flashing for Real Madrid. Atlético are slicing through them with ease. Zidane needs to make an adjustment."
But Zidane remained seated.
Instead, it was Simeone who made another aggressive change.
In the 60th minute, Ángel Correa came on to replace João Félix.
Simeone wanted fresh legs and relentless pressing in the attack.
Before long, Atlético used their frantic midfield energy to regain total control of possession.
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