87th minute.
Baptista received the ball on the right edge of the penalty area. The opponents rushed in, but they couldn't take it from him.
Baptista's build was simply too powerful, and his ball protection was outstanding.
Atlético sent in a double-team, and they finally managed to dispossess him when Baptista went to ground.
But the referee's whistle blew—defensive foul.
A free kick, from a very dangerous position.
From here, Beckham could try a direct shot with his signature Banana Free Kick, or he could deliver a pass.
Atlético's wall was convinced Beckham would go for goal.
After all, with Beckham's accuracy, why would he choose otherwise?
Yet…
Thud!
Beckham struck, his moon-shaped free kick curving through the air.
But instead of heading toward goal, the ball arced toward the far post.
Su Hang and Gabi wrestled for position, both leaping.
Su Hang soared higher.
Thud!
The ball met Su Hang's head. He hardly needed to exert any force—the ball redirected straight toward goal.
Beckham's cross was as precise as always.
All it required was a target, and the ball would do the rest.
Against this kind of attack, forget Franco—even Casillas wouldn't have stood a chance.
"GOAL!"
"Four–one!"
"Su Hang again!"
"Su Hang completes his hat trick!"
"Brilliant! His leap and header were flawless! He completely overpowered Gabi!"
"Yes! As Beckham once said, if you have such a lethal header in your squad, not passing to him feels like a crime!"
"Between the goal and Su Hang, Beckham chose Su Hang!"
Su Hang sprinted toward the Real Madrid supporters.
He leapt high—like a god descending!
The Madrid fans erupted with him:
"Siuuuuu!"
The Vicente Calderón rang out with the cry.
At that moment, all of Madrid knew the derby's outcome.
Real Madrid had won.
When the "Siu" chant resounds, it means Real Madrid's victory.
And this victory was once again Su Hang's.
Time and again, it had become a pattern.
You could already picture tomorrow's headlines:
Another stadium conquered by the Siu!
...
93rd minute.
Atlético made one last push.
Torres tried to beat Sergio Ramos and shoot.
But Ramos had been excellent all match. Aside from a few reckless moments, his defending was nearly flawless.
He stole the ball from Torres and launched it long.
Baptista muscled past his marker, chested it down to Su Hang, then spun and surged forward.
Su Hang caught the ball and, with his left foot, flicked it over the top.
A perfect through ball!
Atlético's thin defense was torn apart.
Baptista charged, diving forward before Franco could get there. He just managed to head it first.
Swish!
Franco got a fingertip on it, but it wasn't enough. The ball still hit the net.
"Five–one!"
"The Beast, Baptista, strikes again—another dagger in Atlético's heart!"
"And this goal was Su Hang's assist!"
"That left-footed flick was a surprise—Su Hang rarely uses his left, but today he's created two goals with it!"
"This has been a nightmare for Atlético!"
"Be it the team or Torres individually, Real Madrid have been the undisputed winners."
"Today, Madrid belongs to Real Madrid!"
"Today, the Madrid sky is pure white!"
The final whistle blew.
Five–one!
With this emphatic win, Real Madrid stayed firm in third place, closing the gap to second.
...
After the match, Atlético's players lashed out.
They accused the referee of favoritism.
They complained about repeated fouls from Real Madrid.
Ramos' yellow card became the prime example cited by Atlético fans.
The call was controversial. Many believed Ramos should have been sent off.
Su Hang responded:
"In a match this intense, mistakes are inevitable. Atlético feel wronged, but so do we."
"They think Ramos should have seen red. But from our view, Atlético could have had three players sent off."
"Despite all this unpleasantness, Atlético are still a good team."
"Torres' sharpness is second to none. Gabi's professionalism is something every young player should learn from."
"So why can't Atlético fans admit the Galácticos' strength?"
"There's a real gap in quality here. Any scoreline is possible."
"Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo, Beckham, Raúl, Roberto Carlos, Guti, Casillas, Baptista… losing to this Real Madrid is nothing to be ashamed of."
His words earned respect from neutral fans.
Indeed—any scoreline against the Galácticos made sense.
Even the world's best could lose to them.
This was the most star-studded team on the planet.
Atlético's players stayed quiet after that.
They had lost, after all.
And losers who speak up only sound like sore losers.
But they wouldn't forget.
One day, they vowed, they would beat Real Madrid.
...
Insiders revealed that Torres changed his desktop wallpaper to Su Hang's "Siu" celebration after the match—using it to inspire himself.
When asked by reporters, Torres denied it.
"Ding! Your hat trick made Torres envious. He too dreams of such a feat in the Madrid derby—or even bigger matches—like a god descending from the heavens."
"He set your celebration as his wallpaper to learn from you. But he knows his own strength: his acceleration is far beyond yours! Especially over mid-to-long distances! You've acquired 'Torres' Acceleration Path.'"
"Torres' Acceleration Path: El Niño Torres is blisteringly fast. His vertical acceleration down either flank of the box is unmatched, giving him dominance in this zone."
"Your Speed, Explosiveness, and Offensive Awareness increase. The closer the ball is to the byline, the faster you become."
So… Torres really did set Su Hang as his wallpaper.
Hahaha!
Su Hang admitted Torres had good taste.
Confirmed—he's a striker worthy of being wallpaper material!
And Torres' Acceleration Path was no small thing.
Many passes looked destined to roll out of play, unreachable for most.
Su Hang had faced this problem countless times—because he wasn't fast enough.
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser