Mahrez's breakthrough still had real quality.
Using repeated changes of rhythm, he left Marcelo with no way to respond. In just a few seconds, Mahrez had completed his cut inside.
At the top of Madrid's penalty arc, Mahrez glanced at the position of the goal, then instinctively shot with his left foot.
Although Casemiro and Toni Kroos both rushed in front of Mahrez, his shot came extremely quickly.
The two Madrid midfielders had no good way to stop it. After all, neither Casemiro nor Toni Kroos was known for speed.
They could only watch as Mahrez completed the shot.
If the player defending him this time had been Theodore, then without a doubt, Mahrez would never have had the chance to shoot.
Bang!
From the top of the penalty arc, Mahrez tried a low drive.
The ball brushed past the post and went out over the byline.
Madrid were lucky. If Mahrez's shot had been aimed slightly farther inside, it might have broken through Madrid's goal.
Mahrez's long-range strike immediately left Madrid fans feeling a wave of fear.
📱 @MadridistaHQ ✔
City's attacking ability really is strong. They can create danger out of nowhere.
| ↳ 📱 @BlancoPulse
| Reply: It's already the 70th minute, and Madrid are still behind. They're not seriously going to lose tonight, are they?
📱 @TheodoreEraCN ✔
Hurry up and attack, Madrid. At this point, we can only place all our hope on Theodore.
| ↳ 📱 @FootballCNLive
| Reply: Exactly. The only one who can save Madrid now is Theodore. Just give the damn ball to him.
In Madrid's back line, goalkeeper Courtois seemed to hear the fans' cries.
This time, he launched a long ball toward the left flank.
Near the touchline, Theodore and Manchester City full-back Kyle Walker jumped at the same time.
Although Walker was roughly the same height as Theodore, when it came to competing for headers, Theodore was still far stronger.
This time, Theodore got to the ball first.
Then, amid the cheers of tens of thousands of Real Madrid fans inside the stadium, Theodore began his individual show.
Relying on his unstoppable speed advantage, Theodore once again surged around the outside of Kyle Walker on the flank.
The instant Theodore flashed past Walker, the Manchester City full-back immediately grabbed Theodore's shirt with both hands.
It was a very obvious foul, but the referee did not blow his whistle.
Because two seconds later, Theodore suddenly powered forward and successfully tore himself free from Walker's pulling.
Theodore now looked like a wild horse released onto an open grassland.
He had completely let himself loose.
"Foul him! Don't let Theodore keep dribbling! Hurry up and foul him!"
"Quick!"
On Manchester City's bench, Guardiola, who was usually so composed, instantly became nervous and furious when he saw Theodore begin sprinting with the ball.
In City's back line, several defenders did not dare be careless.
In last season's Premier League matches, these Manchester City players had already experienced Theodore's ability firsthand.
At this moment, Rúben Dias and defensive midfielder Rodri immediately charged straight toward Theodore.
The goal of these two players was very clear.
They wanted to foul him!
As an experienced player, Theodore understood exactly what the City players were trying to do.
At this critical moment, he did not choose to continue forcing the breakthrough. Instead, he slammed on the brakes.
After the sudden stop, Theodore sent out a through ball.
Bang!
In an instant, the ball passed through the gap between Rúben Dias and Rodri.
It went straight toward Madrid's attack!
"Through ball!" Rob Palmer shouted. "Theodore doesn't continue the breakthrough. He chooses the pass instead."
As Rob's voice fell, the ball arrived at Ødegaard's feet.
At this moment, only Zinchenko stood in front of Ødegaard.
If there was one weak link in Manchester City's side, it might very well be left-back Zinchenko.
Whether physically or defensively, he was not among the very best.
Ødegaard and Zinchenko formed a one-on-one.
The Norwegian talent quickly pushed the ball forward.
He directly used his speed advantage to force his way past the defender.
Near the edge of the penalty area, Ødegaard shot immediately.
Bang!
The shot flew like a cannonball, and the ball flew firmly into Ederson's goal.
2–2!
In the 75th minute, Real Madrid had finally equalized with great difficulty.
"Ødegaard!" Rob Palmer shouted. "The Norwegian twin stars have linked up at the perfect moment!"
"Theodore's through ball finds Ødegaard, and Ødegaard's powerful strike breaks through Ederson's goal," Terry Gibson said. "The score is now two-two."
"There are only fifteen minutes left before full time," Rob added. "Madrid have seen the light of victory again."
In the stands of Estádio do Dragão, Madrid fans began shouting and celebrating.
Although they had not yet taken the lead, being able to equalize at this moment was already a huge victory for Real Madrid.
On Madrid's bench, Zidane finally relaxed a little and began shaking hands with his assistant coaches in celebration.
On Manchester City's bench, however, despair began to show in Guardiola's eyes.
...
After the restart, Manchester City had possession.
Bernardo Silva had only just controlled the ball in midfield when, in the next second, the Portuguese midfielder faintly felt a chill behind him.
Just as he was about to turn, Theodore rushed in front of him.
The next second, Theodore used a clean, sharp sliding tackle to steal the ball from Bernardo Silva's feet.
The ball was controlled by another Madrid midfielder, Modrić.
Modrić immediately sent out a long pass and the ball landed on the right flank.
Ødegaard, who had just helped Madrid score, once again received an attacking opportunity.
But this time, Manchester City's players did not dare be careless.
Aside from Zinchenko, Rodri and Gündoğan also appeared around the Norwegian player.
Clearly, if Ødegaard tried to force a breakthrough, there was a very high chance the defenders would win the ball from him.
So Ødegaard chose to pass.
A sideways pass, and the ball landed perfectly at Theodore's feet.
When Manchester City fans saw Theodore receive the ball at the top of the penalty arc, they all held their heads in their hands.
They knew very well that Manchester City were about to concede.
Sure enough, one second later, Theodore completed a long-range strike from the top of the penalty arc.
It was worth mentioning that in the instant Theodore shot, there was not a single Manchester City player defending around him.
For Theodore, this was absolutely a free goal-scoring chance.
Bang!
The ball turned toward the upper-left corner of Manchester City's goal.
Standing on the goal line, Ederson made no reaction at all.
Real Madrid 3, Manchester City 2!
"Theodore again!" Rob Palmer shouted. "Another thunderous long-range strike!"
"Madrid have taken the lead," Terry Gibson said. "In the 79th minute, Theodore has scored a crucial goal."