Even as Jordi Alba and several other Barcelona players crowded around him, shouting and pushing, Theodore Bjorn's expression did not change in the slightest.
He didn't back down.
He stood his ground, returning the angry trash talk in fluent Spanish without the slightest hint of intimidation.
Within seconds, the cavalry arrived. Luka Modrić, Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos, and Casemiro sprinted over to Theodore's side, immediately getting tangled up with the Barcelona players.
For a tense moment, the scene devolved into extreme, shoving chaos.
Realizing the situation was rapidly deteriorating, referee José Sánchez blew his whistle furiously, stepping between the players and physically separating them, signaling for calm.
At that exact moment, Sánchez tapped his earpiece, receiving an urgent communication from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) room.
Inside the broadcast booth, Rob Palmer saw what was happening and his voice immediately tightened.
"The referee is communicating with VAR... This is a massive moment in El Clásico!"
"And there he goes! He's running to the monitor himself! This could be a straight red card for Theodore Bjorn!"
Every single Real Madrid player and fan felt their heart leap into their throat.
On the live comment feeds, the digital vitriol was intense.
@Madridista_X: "Alba is a clown! He literally shoved Theodore first!"
@EuroScout: "If Bjorn gets sent off for defending himself against Alba's theatrics, this game is ruined."
@Barca_Hub: "He took Messi out from behind and then shoved Alba to the ground. That's a second yellow all day. Send him off!"
After reviewing the replay footage on the pitch-side monitor for roughly ten seconds, referee José Sánchez turned back toward the pitch, his decision made.
He jogged purposefully over to Jordi Alba.
Slowly, he reached into his breast pocket and produced a yellow card.
Alba was booked for instigating the confrontation!
Then, Sánchez walked over to Theodore.
The Bernabéu held its breath.
This time, the referee did not reach for his pocket.
He leaned in, spoke a few stern words of warning to the teenager, and pointed to the spot of the foul.
"The referee has not shown Theodore a second yellow!" Palmer shouted, his voice laced with relief.
"He has only booked Jordi Alba! That is the correct decision, it was handbags, but Alba certainly initiated the physical contact."
"A brilliant display of common sense from José Sánchez," Terry Gibson agreed. "He didn't let Alba's theatrics influence him."
Naturally, the Barcelona players were absolutely incensed by the referee's decision.
Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong, and Gerard Piqué instantly surrounded Sánchez, aggressively attempting to pressure him into changing his mind.
But José Sánchez was a veteran La Liga official.
He was well-accustomed to the pressure-cooker environment of El Clásico.
"Back off! Step away right now!" Sánchez bellowed, pointing firmly at the center circle. "Say one more word, and I'll book every single one of you!"
The moment Sánchez laid down the law, the Barcelona players immediately backed away, recognizing they were pushing their luck.
No one dared to complain further.
However, the incident had entirely altered the emotional landscape of the match. The Barcelona players had completely provoked Theodore.
The teenager's eyes narrowed.
The calm playmaker was gone.
He had decided he was going to unleash his absolute best against the Catalans!
...
After play resumed, Lionel Messi, having received brief treatment from the medical staff, stepped back onto the pitch.
Barcelona had been awarded a free-kick.
The spot where Theodore had fouled Messi was roughly twenty-four meters from goal, positioned slightly to the right of center.
For a left-footed free-kick specialist of Messi's caliber, it was an absolutely devastating position.
Messi slowly, meticulously placed the ball on the grass, taking three measured steps backward.
Peep!
The referee blew the whistle. Messi initiated his run-up.
With his left foot, he stroked the ball with textbook technique.
The ball curled beautifully, bypassing the Real Madrid wall with perfect elevation before dipping violently toward the near corner.
Although Thibaut Courtois launched his massive frame into a desperate, full-stretch dive, the strike was simply too precise.
The ball kissed the inside of the post and nestled into the net.
There was absolutely nothing the Belgian could do.
"MESSI!" Palmer roared. "A trademark direct free-kick from the Argentine maestro!"
"The score is 2–1! Barcelona have pulled one back!"
"As expected, when Barcelona desperately need a lifeline, they rely on the absolute brilliance of Lionel Messi."
After scoring the spectacular free-kick, Messi did not celebrate. He immediately pointed at the net, directing his teammates to retrieve the ball quickly.
The Barcelona players grabbed the ball and sprinted back to the center circle.
For Barcelona, scoring the goal was merely a stepping stone. Equalizing before halftime was the objective.
Following the restart, Real Madrid retained possession.
This time, Theodore actively dropped deep into the defensive line to demand the ball.
He was preparing to shift gears.
Barcelona applied a suffocating, aggressive high press in the attacking third, desperate to force a turnover before the break.
However, Real Madrid's midfield trio possessed outstanding technical quality under pressure.
Through a mesmerizing, rapid series of one-touch triangles, Modrić, Toni Kroos, and Theodore successfully dismantled the Barcelona press, moving the ball effortlessly up the pitch.
The ball arrived at Theodore's feet as he drifted out toward the right flank.
After receiving possession, Theodore immediately knocked the ball forward with his right foot and accelerated down the sideline, driving straight into Barcelona territory.
The Barcelona player tasked with defending that zone happened to be Jordi Alba.
Seeing the Spanish full-back approach, a cold, calculating smile appeared on Theodore's face.
He deliberately decelerated, slowing the tempo of the attack, openly inviting Alba to challenge him.
Two seconds later, Alba took the bait, rushing aggressively toward the teenager.
The moment Alba committed, Theodore planted his feet and drove his shoulder with immense, concussive force directly into Alba's chest.
The impact was brutal.
The next second, Alba was sent flying backward, crashing heavily onto the turf.
The referee, having a clear view, gave absolutely no signal. It was a fair, albeit devastating, shoulder-to-shoulder challenge.
Immediately after dropping Alba, Theodore chopped the ball inside onto his left foot, driving from the right flank diagonally toward the Barcelona penalty area.
Recognizing the immediate danger, Sergio Busquets and Frenkie de Jong rushed desperately to intercept him.
Theodore did not panic.
He deliberately slowed down once again, dragging the ball under his studs, waiting for the Barcelona midfielders to collapse on him.
But at that moment, a furious, humiliated Jordi Alba caught up from behind.
The Barcelona full-back did not hesitate.
Blinded by rage, he launched himself into a vicious, scything sliding tackle directly through the back of Theodore's legs.
Peep!
Referee José Sánchez blew his whistle instantly and sprinted over to Alba.
However, this time, Sánchez only delivered a furious verbal reprimand.
Recognizing that Alba was already on a yellow card, the referee opted for leniency, refusing to show a second yellow and send the veteran off in the first half of an El Clásico.
"He's bottled it! The referee has completely bottled it!" Gibson shouted in the commentary booth.
"That is a textbook yellow card challenge from behind, regardless of whether he's already been booked!"
"Alba is an incredibly lucky boy," Palmer agreed. "He has completely lost his head. But Madrid do have a fantastic set-piece opportunity now. Over to Theodore Bjorn."
Alba's reckless foul had not caused Theodore any genuine damage.
The teenager waved away the medical staff, stood up, and completely ignored the seething Spanish full-back.
He calmly retrieved the ball and placed it deliberately on the exact spot of the foul.
It was Theodore's turn to deliver a response to Lionel Messi.
...
The free-kick was positioned roughly twenty-eight meters out, slightly to the left of center.
Theodore set the ball down, took four deliberate steps backward, and planted his hands on his hips, adopting his signature, Cristiano Ronaldo-esque stance.
Peep!
Referee José Sánchez blew the whistle.
In that instant, eighty-five thousand fans inside the Bernabéu held their collective breath, their eyes locked on the eighteen-year-old.
Bang!
Theodore struck the ball with terrifying, explosive violence with his right instep.
The ball didn't curl; it knuckled.
It flashed over the Barcelona wall like a surface-to-air missile, swerving unpredictably in the air before dipping violently at the last microsecond.
Marc-André ter Stegen, completely deceived by the flight of the ball, didn't even manage to launch a dive.
He stood rooted to the spot, watching helplessly as the ball ripped through the net!
3–1!
Deep into first-half stoppage time, Theodore Bjorn had restored Real Madrid's two-goal cushion.
In his very first El Clásico, the teenager had already produced a flawless, devastating performance: two goals and one assist in 45 minutes.
The Bernabéu's stadium announcer roared into the microphone, his voice echoing into the Madrid night.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!"
"THEODORE BJORN! A DIRECT FREE KICK! ANYTHING MESSI CAN DO, THEODORE CAN DO BETTER!"
The instant Theodore's strike breached the net, the Santiago Bernabéu detonated.
Eighty-five thousand fans raised their arms and roared, screaming his name until their throats were raw.
Down by the corner flag, Theodore executed a massive, soaring leap, twisting in the air and landing with a thunderous "SIIIUUU!" while throwing his signature left hook punch toward the stands.
Every single Real Madrid outfield player sprinted over to mob him, burying him in a pile of white shirts.
On the touchline, Zidane finally allowed himself a tight, relieved smile.
For the pragmatic Frenchman, a 3–1 lead at halftime against a bitter rival meant Madrid firmly had one hand on the three points.
In the broadcast booth, Rob Palmer was losing himself.
"A STRIKE OF ABSOLUTE PERFECTION! STRAIGHT INTO THE TOP CORNER!"
"Theodore's form tonight is nothing short of explosive. He has single-handedly dismantled Barcelona in 45 minutes!"
"He has just proven to the entire world that whatever Lionel Messi can do, he can match it, and perhaps, exceed it!"