With a 1-0 away win over Espanyol, Real Madrid was very happy with the result.

After the game, manager Rafael Benitez publicly paid tribute to his players at a press conference, saying that the Real Madrid player played one of his most bloody games in charge and narrowly managed to get the three points.

"I know that from the point of view of the league situation, these three points will not help us to reverse Barcelona, and these three points will not put us directly at the top of the table, it will only have the effect of reducing the gap between us and Barcelona to seven points."

"But I want to remind everyone that the situation was desperate and there may have been a lot of people who have given up on us completely and felt that we couldn't shake Barça, but after tonight we will use a victory to show everyone that no matter what the circumstances, we will never give up."

Benitez also publicly accused referee Lahoez, arguing that it was unfair for him to send off Casillas in the opening game.

'I want to say that we all saw Callejon's performance soberly and I can't blame him because anybody in his situation at the time could have played more exaggerated than him, but the referee shouldn't be confused by him, he should have seen it clearly, it could be a yellow card, but it should definitely not be a red card.'

However, Benitez affirmed the referee's subsequent decision, believing that Lahoz's law enforcement was still okay.

In this regard, the media reporter joked on the spot that it was because Real Madrid won!

If Real Madrid lose tonight, Benitez will surely be furious.

……

In addition to Benitez, Yang Yang was also arranged by the club to speak to the media after the game, and he publicly stated that this game means a lot to the team, definitely not just three points.

'We were desperate when we saw Casillas sent off, but we all adjusted quickly, we found our direction again and all of us showed an unbelievable, passionate, passionate side as we played the whole game with 10 men and we got the win.

"It's not just three points, the most important thing is that we have gained confidence, we have gained valuable spiritual wealth."

Yang Yang also mentioned the difficulties encountered in the game, saying that Real Madrid had only 31 per cent possession in this game, which was the lowest in history this season, but the Spaniards were able to get such an advantage, not because they were superior, but because Real Madrid had one man less.

'In fact, you can see that in the first half we played better, we didn't have the ball, but we had more counter-attacking chances, we were more threatening, we played better in attack, but in the second half we couldn't do it.

'With one less person, the rest of us have to give more and run more, which is very physically exhausting, but I'm happy that we extinguished the hell lit by the Spaniards away from home and we came away with it all right, and although it was only 1-0, I think we did better with Barcelona and Villarreal.

For Casillas, Yang Yang expressed his unconditional support.

'I know he's definitely in a bad mood right now, but I want to say he's the best goalkeeper in the world and tonight's red card was a mistake and I hope he can come out as soon as possible and continue to lead our team to win because we need him.'

As for the captain Marcelo on the field, Yang Yang smiled and affirmed.

'I know a lot of people have misconceptions about Marcelo, even when I first came to Real Madrid, I had the impression of him as a full-back or even a winger, I think he was like everything, just not like a defender, but now he has completely changed my mind, he has been trying to improve his defence.

'He's getting better with his confidence, he's getting better at defending and in my opinion he's now the best left wing-back in the world, not even one of them.'

Within Real Madrid, Benitez's coaching staff has helped Marcelo analyze his defence and try to help him improve and improve, and Marcelo himself has shown a strong desire to improve, which has made him more and more good at full-back, even surpassing Yang Yang's best friend Maxwell.

Real Madrid's official statistics have shown that in the 08-09 season, when Marcelo was defending, the opponent's passing rate against him was as high as 67.5 percent, so to speak, he was the opponent's unimpeded channel, but last season, he directly dropped to 53 percent, and so far this season, only 29 percent, which can be described as a metamorphosis.

That's why Marcelo has been able to hold the main position this season.

A full-back who is very energetic in attack, fast, excellent in foot technique, strong in passing, but at the same time very good in defense, this is simply the ideal partner of Yang Yang on the left side of Real Madrid.

And the facts have also proved that Marcelo is gradually becoming Yang Yang's best wing partner.

Based on these facts, Yang Yang said that Real Madrid strongly agrees with Marcelo, and he personally put on the captain's armband for him in this game, which is also what Marcelo deserves.

'He's used one game to prove that he's a good captain.'

In terms of player ratings after the game, although Yang Yang, who scored the only goal, was elected the best of the game, in fact, in many media selections, including Marca and Efe, Yang Yang and Marcelo were rated the same.

……

As the team's on-field captain, Marcelo naturally also spoke to the media after the game.

For this match of Espanyol, the captain of Real Madrid expressed his satisfaction.

'After Casillas was sent off, the team did their best on the pitch and now we have managed to close the gap with Barcelona. I feel like with this game we are trying to prove to everyone that we are ready, whether it is the Copa del Rey, the Champions League or the league reversal, we are ready! ”

Regarding his improvement in the past two years, Marcelo said that in the past few years, the successive managers of Real Madrid have helped him a lot, and the arrival of Benitez has made him more disciplined and motivated.

'He's given me more game time and trust, he's worked on me with the coaching staff and I don't want to let them down and I'm glad I've been able to keep improving.'

Marcelo also took the initiative to mention Yang Yang and spoke highly of the world football No. 1.

"He's like my big brother, he's always helping me and growing up, and I've learned a lot from him, and to be honest, when he put on the captain's armband for me, I was really touched, and I felt like he was more qualified than me to wear it."

Marcelo said that it is a very happy thing to partner with Yang Yang, "He is always running as if he is never tired, always looking for opportunities, constantly pressing the opponent, I stand behind him, he blocks most of the pressure for me." ”

As for the ball he passed to Yang Yang, Marcelo said that he didn't see Yang Yang when he passed.

"All of this stems from the usual tacit understanding, because he always tells me that as long as I see a loophole and an opportunity, I will pass it on, and he will run to that position."

"Maybe it's an exaggeration, but I really think that over the past year or so, he's been in position almost every time, and I even doubt that he can read what I'm thinking, but it's not just me, it's other people who pass the ball to him as well." ”

"I think he's the smartest player in the world."

……

From the interview, Marcelo showed his admiration and admiration for Yang Yang, as well as that deep gratitude, so much so that the next morning, Marca newspaper said in an article that Marcelo has improved and matured in the past two years, and Yang Yang has made great contributions.

The Spanish newspaper El Mundo said that Casillas was sent off, which stimulated Real Madrid's bloodiness and fighting spirit.

"Real Madrid have a lot of viability and Rafael Benitez's side have shown enough resilience in the face of adversity. This time against Espanyol, Real Madrid showed an amazing Juanito spirit, from substitute goalkeeper Adan to superstar Yang Yang, everyone in Real Madrid showed their fighting power. ”

"On the pitch, Real Madrid only had 10 men, one less than their opponents, but at the end of the game, it was difficult for us to feel the lack of numbers, and it all had to do with Real Madrid's performance."

El Monde believes that Yang Yang is the key to activating Real Madrid's bloodiness and fighting spirit, and at the same time, the key to Real Madrid's ability to beat Espanyol away from home.

The newspaper even commented after the game that Yang Yang is becoming the leader of the Real Madrid dressing room.

"Maybe he's not the captain, but he's more able to motivate the team and the fighting spirit than the captain."

There is bad news, though.

Real Madrid appealed Casillas' red card immediately after the game, arguing that referee Lahozz's decision was wrong and provided video footage of the game as evidence, but the Spanish competition committee was quick to reply, believing that Casillas's actions during the match violated the rules of the game.

As a result, Casillas upheld the original decision, suspended for a red card and paid a fine of 600 euros, while Real Madrid was also fined 90 euros, meaning that Casillas will miss this week's game against Levante.

This is undoubtedly quite bad news for Real Madrid.

Two points were recovered in this round, and the gap between Real Madrid and Barcelona was reduced to seven points.

Without the points dropped in this round, everyone was confident in Barcelona, despite fifteen rounds of league remaining, but now, the situation has completely changed.

The 1-1 draw away at Sporting Gijón showed everyone that Barcelona also had a vulnerable side, and everyone began to believe that maybe Barcelona would drop another point in the future.

On the other hand, Real Madrid, with one less person than their opponents throughout the game, withstood the pressure and defeated Espanyol 1-0 away, winning everyone's respect and affirmation.

Yang Yang also relied on the goals in this round of the game to successfully chase his league goals to 24 goals, and he was only one step away from Messi's 26 goals.