Matchday.
At seven in the evening, the Bernabéu stands were packed.
The fans waited for the battle to begin.
Inside the players' tunnel, the starting players from both teams were in position.
Before kickoff, the relationship between the two sides looked friendly. Lautaro walked over and greeted Theodore.
Everything seemed harmonious.
But everyone knew that once the match began, Real Madrid and Inter would become enemies.
For Inter Milan, if they wanted to finish first in the group, they had to beat Real Madrid.
Because of that, every Inter player came to the Bernabéu with the confidence that they had to win.
In the international broadcast studio, commentators Rob Palmer and Terry Gibson began their live broadcast.
Although this match was not as popular as the El Clásico against Barcelona a few days earlier, millions of fans worldwide still poured into the live streams.
"Welcome, football fans around the world, to the featured match of the third round of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage. Real Madrid host Inter Milan at the Bernabéu!" Rob Palmer announced over the international broadcast.
"Real Madrid currently have two wins from two and sit on six points, while Inter Milan have one win and one draw, placing them second in the group," Terry Gibson added. "Tonight, Zinedine Zidane has once again gone with a 4-3-3 formation."
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois.
Defenders: Lucas Vázquez, Raphaël Varane, Sergio Ramos, and Ferland Mendy.
Midfielders: Theodore Bjorn, Casemiro, and Toni Kroos.
Forwards: Eden Hazard, Karim Benzema, and Martin Ødegaard.
"As for Inter Milan, Antonio Conte has set his team up in a 3-5-2," Palmer continued.
Goalkeeper: Samir Handanović.
Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni, Stefan de Vrij, and Danilo D'Ambrosio.
Midfielders: Ashley Young, Arturo Vidal, Marcelo Brozović, Nicolò Barella, and Achraf Hakimi.
Forwards: Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martínez.
Just as Palmer finished introducing the starting lineups, the referee blew his whistle.
Real Madrid kicked off.
Benzema played the ball back to Toni Kroos in midfield, and Kroos moved it on to Theodore Bjorn.
Ever since El Clásico, Theodore's status inside Real Madrid had risen.
Whether it was Kroos, Modrić, or Benzema, all of them regarded Theodore as the team's attacking core.
Whenever they gained possession, their first thought was to get the ball to him.
After receiving the ball, Theodore remained composed.
Facing pressure from Vidal and Brozović, he turned.
That simple movement was enough to shake off the pressure from both Inter midfielders.
Theodore sent a long pass with his right foot. The ball drew an arc through the air before dropping at Ødegaard's feet.
In tonight's match, Ødegaard was playing on the right wing, while Hazard occupied the left.
The moment Ødegaard received the ball, he was met by Ashley Young.
Another midfielder, Barella, also began moving toward him.
Based on Ødegaard's previous choices, there was a high chance he would play the ball to Benzema inside the box.
But this time, Ødegaard chose to take his man on.
"Ødegaard hasn't passed!" Palmer called out. "He is taking on the Inter defenders!"
No sooner had he spoken than Ødegaard used an elastico to slip between the two Inter players.
Cheers rang out from the Bernabéu stands.
After Theodore's extra training sessions, Ødegaard's dribbling had improved. He broke through and drove into the Inter Milan penalty area.
Inter's cover defenders arrived. Center-back Bastoni rushed in front of Ødegaard.
Ødegaard shaped to pass, then knocked the ball forward with his left foot.
After creating space, he fired toward the goal.
The ball flew past the goalkeeper and smashed into the net!
1–0!
Real Madrid had scored almost immediately after kickoff.
"Ødegaard!" Palmer shouted. "He has scored! In the last match, Ødegaard scored a hat-trick against Huesca, and tonight, he continues that form! He has scored for Madrid after only three minutes!"
"Could Real Madrid be about to thrash Inter Milan tonight as well?" Gibson added.
While Ødegaard celebrated, Inter Milan head coach Antonio Conte's face filled with rage.
He glared at his defenders.
"You can't even stop that? He is Martin Ødegaard! He isn't Theodore Bjorn!" Conte yelled from the touchline. "If you don't want to play, get off the pitch!"
Conte tore into his defensive players.
He could accept his players being beaten by Theodore, but he could not accept them being dribbled past by others.
After the restart, Conte demanded that Inter Milan attack. He wanted them to equalize within ten minutes.
Inter's players launched an attack. Inter Milan's attacking firepower was strong.
Lautaro, Lukaku, and midfielders like Brozović all had excellent individual ability.
After Brozović received the ball in midfield, his idea was to play it to Lautaro and Lukaku inside the penalty area. But Real Madrid's players were focused and did not give the forwards space.
Lukaku and Lautaro were surrounded.
If Brozović tried to force the pass, the ball would be cleared.
Brozović chose to switch play.
He passed the ball to Ashley Young on the left flank. The moment Young received it, Casemiro arrived with a sliding tackle. He took the ball from Ashley Young's feet.
The second ball was controlled by an Inter player. Arturo Vidal got to the ball ahead of Toni Kroos.
Although Vidal was known mainly for his defensive qualities, his passing was decent.
Just as Vidal took control of the ball, Lukaku pulled out to the flank.
Vidal launched the ball wide with a long pass. After receiving the ball near the touchline, Lukaku used his strength.
With one touch forward, he forced his way past Vázquez.
Lukaku cut inside.
Just as he was preparing to shoot, Theodore appeared in front of him.
Before Lukaku could get his shot away, Theodore stepped in and won the ball.
He took possession right in front of Lukaku!
"A counterattacking chance for Real Madrid!" Palmer announced. "It's Theodore with the tackle!"
In the Bernabéu stands, tens of thousands of Madrid supporters began chanting Theodore's name.
The fans expected Theodore to help Madrid extend the lead.
Theodore did exactly that.
Through the middle, he sprinted toward Inter Milan's penalty area.
The Inter midfielders did not stand still.
Vidal and Brozović rushed toward Theodore. At that moment, Theodore slipped a through ball forward.
The ball arrived at Benzema's feet.
This was Theodore Bjorn's quality.
Just when everyone assumed Theodore was going to rely on his individual ability to tear through Inter's defensive line, he suddenly halted and slipped through a perfectly weighted pass.
That ball split Inter Milan's back line wide open.
It went straight toward the goalmouth.
Benzema received it and finished in one smooth motion.
Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanović could only watch helplessly as the ball flew into the net he was guarding.
2–0!
"Theodore Bjorn has his second assist!" Rob Palmer shouted. "And this time, the scorer is Karim Benzema!" T
erry Gibson added, "In less than ten minutes, Real Madrid are already leading 2–0. Madrid's form tonight is outstanding! Inter Milan simply have no answer!"
After scoring, Benzema rushed toward Theodore and gave him a huge embrace.
"Thanks, Theo! That pass was perfect!"
"Keep going! Don't stop!"
A bright smile appeared on Benzema's face.
Ever since Theodore had joined Real Madrid, Benzema's goal tally had been rising.
Deep down, Benzema was supportive of Theodore joining the team.
Theodore's presence had helped his numbers grow massively!
When Benzema scored Real Madrid's second goal, Inter Milan head coach Antonio Conte was so angry he practically exploded.
He kicked the water bottle in front of him away in frustration.
After the restart, Inter Milan had no way back. Their only option was to attack with everything they had.
In the 13th minute, Brozović received the ball in midfield and played it to Lautaro, who had dropped into the middle.
Neither of Inter's forwards liked staying fixed on the front line. Lautaro preferred dropping deep, while Lukaku liked pulling out wide.
Once the ball arrived at Lautaro's feet, he turned decisively.
There was no denying that Lautaro's directness and power were excellent. He charged straight into the penalty area.
At the same time, Real Madrid's defenders rushed toward him.
Casemiro and Varane both moved in to pressure him, but Lautaro used his technique to shift the ball with his left foot, sending it through Varane's legs.
A nutmeg.
Lautaro successfully broke into the box.
Faced with such a wonderful chance, Lautaro naturally was not going to waste it.
He drew his leg back and shaped to shoot.
A powerful strike! And the ball flew toward goal like a cannonball.
But Courtois produced a brilliant save.
The Belgian threw himself across the goal and used his right hand to push the ball away in midair.
"Beautiful!" Palmer yelled. "A world-class save! Courtois is truly incredible! He is a wall back there!"
Gibson chimed in, "Although Lautaro's shot was excellent, Courtois' save was even more commanding! He single-handedly kept out what looked like a certain Inter goal!"
Lautaro was disappointed.
After seeing his shot saved, he held his head with both hands, helplessness written on his face.
While Lautaro was still caught in that frustration, Real Madrid's counterattack had already begun to threaten Inter's penalty area.
After Courtois pushed the ball away, it was controlled in midfield by Theodore.
Once again, Theodore chose to move it with a single pass. In the shortest possible time, he sent the ball out to Ødegaard on the right flank.
After releasing the pass, Theodore did not stand still and watch. He immediately accelerated, sprinting toward Inter's half.
At that moment, Ødegaard, who had received the ball on the right, also began displaying his attacking talent.
However, the instant Ødegaard took possession, Inter Milan sent several defenders to keep close watch on him. Among them were Ashley Young and Vidal.
Center-back Bastoni was also moving toward Ødegaard.
"This time, Inter Milan have three defenders surrounding Ødegaard at once! Can the Norwegian forward break through?" Palmer asked.
To be honest, Palmer did not have much confidence in Ødegaard's individual ability in this situation.
In his view, it would not be easy for Ødegaard to break through three top-level defensive players in such a short space of time.
Reality proved that Ødegaard indeed did not have enough confidence to force it.
Ødegaard chose to pass.
With his left foot, he pushed the ball toward the middle.
The ball arrived at Theodore's feet.
"Theodore!" Palmer shouted in surprise. "When did he get into the attacking third?"
At that moment, Theodore had already shaped to shoot.
He lifted his right foot and struck the ball. It flew past Barella at terrifying speed.
The next second, it pierced through Inter Milan's defensive line like a bullet.
The ball hit the back of the net!
"Goal!" Palmer announced. "Theodore scores from distance! The score is now 3–0! Earlier in the match, he already had two assists, and now it is Theodore's turn to get on the scoresheet!"
Gibson added, "Inter Milan's defense has made another mistake! When Theodore received the ball at the edge of the penalty area, there was only one defender around him. That was obviously nowhere near enough to stop Theodore!"
In the Bernabéu stands, more than eighty thousand Real Madrid fans began chanting Theodore's name in unison.
Every Madrid supporter had a smile on their face.
"Signing Theodore was the right decision!"
"Theo is definitely the most talented player I've ever seen!"
"He's too strong. As long as you give him the ball, Real Madrid's attack can threaten the opponent's box every single time!"
"I hope Theodore stays at Madrid for ten years!" …
Once the score reached 3–0, the balance of victory tilted toward Real Madrid.
Of course, Inter Milan were not completely without a chance.
Only around twenty minutes of the first half had been played.
For the Nerazzurri, playing away from home, they still had seventy minutes to change the scoreline.
But by this point, Inter Milan head coach Antonio Conte no longer held much hope for his team.
Before the match, Conte knew very clearly that if Inter wanted to beat Madrid, they had to find a way to limit Theodore's influence.
Because of that, Conte had instructed Vidal and Brozović to keep close watch on Theodore at all times.
But judging from the current result, those two players had not done the job Conte had given them.
The moment Theodore breached Inter Milan's goal, images from last season's Europa League final surfaced in Conte's mind.
Perhaps tonight, Inter Milan were about to repeat the same nightmare.