Usually, around the 30-minute mark, a player starts to feel the strain in the first half.
But not this badly.
Su Hang looked like someone hitting the seventy-minute wall.
Many commentators were already shaking their heads.
Tommy Smyth: "It's definitely a stamina issue. Let me explain — if a player's energy level is at 100%, Su Hang's looks the same on the surface, but in reality, his battery's running low. One push, and it's nearly empty."
"This happens when a player goes through a long stretch of matches without proper rest, lowering his physical ceiling. It usually takes at least two weeks of deep recovery to fix."
"At this rate, Su Hang might not even last the full ninety minutes."
In the 34th minute, the veterans showed their class.
Zidane and Figo combined brilliantly through the middle with a slick two-on-three exchange of passes and dribbles.
Then Zidane slipped through a perfect pass.
Su Hang made his run, turned early, and fired first-time without taking a touch.
Valdés flung himself full stretch and managed to parry it away.
"Oh! A lovely attacking move! One of the rare moments of brilliance we've seen tonight!"
"Honestly, it's a bit embarrassing — these are La Liga's two best attacking sides, among Europe's finest, yet this final's been sluggish."
"Both teams are fighting hard for possession, but neither has truly threatened the goal."
"Su Hang's decision to shoot first time was spot on — it caught the defense off guard and denied Puyol another chance to make a block."
"But the shot itself lacked quality — too straight at the keeper. He probably sacrificed angle for power."
It takes both strength and perfect timing to balance power with precision.
That's why long-range specialists often have wicked angles — even controlling angle demands strength.
Not brute force, but balance and control — which can actually be harder.
In the 35th minute, Beckham swung in a corner.
Su Hang fought Van Bommel for position and launched himself into a diving header at the near post — but just missed.
Behind him, Ramos managed a touch, but Su Hang's body blocked his view, so Ramos couldn't get clean contact, and the ball flew over the bar.
Barcelona got a goal kick, and both sides reset, ready for the next play.
Valdés knew a quick restart wasn't possible, so he gestured for his teammates to adjust before taking the kick.
As Barcelona's first-choice keeper, Valdés had solid fundamentals. Out of habit, he glanced over his right shoulder —
the spot where Su Hang had just fallen.
Hmm. No one there.
Safe.
Basic goalkeeping rule — never let anyone sneak up behind you.
Drop the ball carelessly, and someone might take it away.
Valdés dropped the ball, taking a half step back out of habit — a motion so routine he could do it in his sleep.
But then, a chill ran down his spine.
Wait… if Su Hang wasn't there — then where was he?
In that instant, a white blur burst from Valdés's left side.
Su Hang exploded out of nowhere, nicked the ball, took a touch, and spun around!
"Su Hang!"
"Valdés didn't see him!"
"Su Hang got up and looped around behind him — he's been in Valdés's blind spot the whole time!"
"Barcelona's defenders didn't notice him either — they thought Valdés had him covered!"
"Valdés dives fast — great reflexes!"
"Su Hang's a right-footer, and Valdés is already shifting toward the far post!"
Thud!
Su Hang curled the ball with his left foot.
It bent ever so slightly, slipping past Valdés's outstretched arm and leg — and rolled perfectly into the near corner!
Left-Footed Prodigy — what a GOAT moment!
"GOAL! One–nil to Real Madrid!"
"What a dramatic moment!"
"That was a massive, massive blunder!"
"Su Hang pounced on Valdés's mistake to give Real Madrid the lead!"
"If I'm not mistaken, that makes Su Hang the second-youngest scorer in Champions League Final history — behind only Kluivert for Ajax in 1995!"
"To fire right after turning, Su Hang had to use his weaker left foot. If he'd switched to his right, Valdés could've closed down the angle."
"What a sharp finish from that angle — incredible!"
Tommy Smyth could hardly contain his excitement: "Su Hang completely hid himself in Valdés's blind spot! Judging by his reaction, this was absolutely intentional!"
"Valdés is on his knees in frustration — such a basic mistake. He's gutted!"
On the pitch, Su Hang sprinted to the corner flag, grinning from ear to ear.
He leapt and spun mid-air—
And the Real Madrid fans roared in unison:
"Siuuuuu!"
Moments ago, he'd looked exhausted, hands on his knees.
Now? Like a god descending from the heavens.
Barcelona fans were silent.
Wait… was he acting tired?
He faked exhaustion?
He… seriously?!
"How unbelievable was Valdés's mistake — and yet, if this was all part of Su Hang's plan from the start… that's terrifying!" Derek Rae said suddenly, remembering all the recent headlines.
Everyone had said Su Hang was out of form, his stamina collapsing.
Could all of that have been part of his plan?
Su Hang: Uh…
Truth be told, their guess wasn't far off.
But Su Hang hadn't been plotting it for weeks or months — just this one match.
His poor form before was real.
At first, his fatigue was genuine. But after adjustments from his professional team, his stamina and form recovered.
Even so, his performances during that period were below par — for two main reasons.
The first: he'd been deliberately holding back to save himself for the Champions League Final.
Even if they lost the league, the title might still be theirs.
But if he missed the Champions League, he feared that, as in history, the first Galácticos would have to watch Barcelona lift the trophy.
At the very least, Su Hang had three Moment Cards.
Even if it meant sacrificing the World Cup, he was determined to win the Champions League!
World Cup: "You seriously still have thoughts about me?!"
The second reason?
Earlier that year, World of Warcraft launched its fourth expansion, The Gates of Ahn'Qiraj.
It was the first large-scale, server-wide event in the game's history, requiring every player to work together to unlock it.
Su Hang's heavily invested guild, siu, aimed to be the first to clear the hardest raid and make history.
Unfortunately, that happened right as La Liga was reaching its final stretch.
Su Hang had pulled a few late nights with his vice guild leader, Clara, cutting into his sleep — and it showed on the pitch.
To recover, he did the only thing he could: cut the internet at home.
It worked — his form returned.
The price? His siu guild missed the world-first clear of the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj, losing their top-guild title.
A loss for the guild, but a win for Real Madrid.
He gave up World of Warcraft glory for La Liga's — fair trade.
World of Warcraft: "He doesn't even regret it?! Are you kidding me?!"
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser