"In the second half, try to create more chances for Robinho and Figo—let them take defenders on."
Su Hang dropped all pretense, grabbed the marker, and began sketching directly on the tactical whiteboard. "Keep our attacks simple."
"On defense, don't be afraid to pick up yellow cards. It's the only way we can limit Ronaldinho."
"But once someone's booked, the nearby players need to tighten their coverage—whatever happens, we can't afford a red card."
"And if both our defensive midfielders are sitting on yellows, we have to make a change. We need at least one who can still go all in defensively."
Simon immediately pulled out his notebook and began jotting things down with great seriousness.
The rest of the Real Madrid squad wasn't surprised by the scene.
It wasn't the first time they'd seen it.
Since the start of the second half of the season, Su Hang had frequently taken part in shaping the team's tactics.
And the results?
The Copa del Rey and La Liga titles spoke for themselves.
If that wasn't enough, they were already halfway to the Champions League trophy—
and in forty-five minutes, it might just be the whole thing.
...
Coming back from halftime, Barcelona's morale was sky-high.
As the match resumed, they immediately took control of the tempo.
In the 51st minute, Ronaldinho drove forward and drew a foul from Beckham.
Beckham was shown a yellow card.
Simon quickly made a substitution—
earlier than anyone expected.
"García replaces Baptista. That's a really early change for Real Madrid," commented Derek Rae. "But they didn't take Beckham off, which suggests they still want to use his long passes to threaten Barcelona on the counter."
"Still, Ronaldinho's performance tonight has been incredible—almost unstoppable."
"If Barcelona had another Ronaldinho, Real Madrid probably couldn't hold out."
Tommy Smyth agreed. "Exactly. Barcelona's youngster Messi already shows that kind of potential this season. Many Barça fans believe he'll be the next cornerstone of the team."
"But you could say the same about Real Madrid. Su Hang has already become half a Ronaldo. If the real Ronaldo were still at his peak, add Su Hang to the mix and Barcelona wouldn't be able to stop them either."
Fifty-ninth minute.
Ronaldinho surged down the flank.
Salgado was beaten, but he managed to grab Ronaldinho just in time, stopping him before he could enter the box.
That sparked furious protests from the Barcelona players.
Eto'o and several others surrounded Salgado, claiming Real Madrid's constant fouling was ruining the game and demanding a red card.
Ramos, Helguera, García, and Su Hang immediately came over to back up their teammate, and the situation quickly escalated.
In the end, it was Barcelona's substitutes who calmed things down, urging their teammates not to waste time on meaningless clashes. The scuffle ended abruptly.
Real Madrid fans, however, were a little disappointed.
They felt like they'd lost half the value of their tickets—no chance to see Su Hang taking on two, three, four, or even seven opponents all by himself.
Where was the WWE-style brawl they'd been promised?
Random Fan Online: Wait, isn't this a copy?
Su Hang: Check the date, pal—I did it first.
Random Fan: Tch, fine, you win.
In the 63rd minute, Figo charged down the right wing.
After a quiet first half, he was now bursting with energy.
Caught off guard, Van Bommel could only bring him down to stop him.
Upholding fairness, the referee showed Van Bommel a yellow card.
Barcelona used this break to make their final push, making two substitutions.
Big Eyes Xavi came on for Van Bommel in midfield.
The versatile Iniesta replaced Larsson, taking over the right wing.
The value of those two changes needed no explanation—
"The future twin engines of the Galactic Team, together with Messi—known collectively as the legendary trio 'Xavi, Iniesta, and Messi.'"
Busquets: ???
Beckham delivered the corner, but Puyol cleared it at the near post.
In the 67th minute, Figo went again.
This time, he cut inside early, giving his opponent no chance to foul.
When blocked, he played a diagonal pass to Zidane.
Zidane took the ball and spun brilliantly with a Marseille Turn.
Edmilson stretched out a leg but missed the ball—clattering Zidane instead.
The referee's whistle blew again, and Edmilson received a yellow card.
Ronaldinho might have been a master at drawing cards,
but Figo and Zidane weren't far behind.
Real Madrid earned a long-range free kick in the attacking third.
Ramos and others moved up, waiting to contest the aerial ball.
But Zidane surprised everyone with a short tactical free kick to Robinho on the left.
Robinho whipped in a cross.
Marquez cleared it away—
but Robinho followed up, regained possession, and passed again to Su Hang on the left.
Su Hang swung his left foot—sending in a curling cross.
The Beckham Curve was unleashed!
Special Effect: Header Lock!
Having drifted into the box after the set piece, Zidane rose into the air, meeting the ball with a thunderous header toward Barcelona's goal.
Fun fact: Zidane rarely appears on lists of top header scorers.
Yet nearly half of his most crucial goals came from headers.
The man's head was truly made of iron—rock-solid!
And every header seemed to matter.
Swish!
Valdés got a fingertip to it but couldn't stop the ball from bouncing into the net.
Zidane spun and sprinted straight toward Su Hang.
"GOAL!"
"He's done it again! Zidane scores twice!"
"Another assist from Su Hang!"
"Three–nil! Real Madrid are crushing Barcelona! The Galácticos have completely dismantled Barça!"
"Barcelona must be regretting it now. When Real Madrid and Inter appealed Zidane's suspension, they should've twisted the knife."
"If Zidane hadn't played tonight, the scoreline could've been completely different."
"Without Zidane orchestrating from deep, Real Madrid probably would've conceded early."
"And without that first goal, Barcelona wouldn't have been lured forward, allowing Real Madrid to strike back on the counter."
"Ronaldinho might be the world's best over the past two years,
but in this match, Zidane has been even more dominant!"
"And that old saying—'Ronaldinho ruled world football, but Su Hang ruled Ronaldinho'—it's no exaggeration."
"Two assists and a goal—Su Hang's been involved in every single Real Madrid strike. Absolutely indispensable!"
It was over!
By now, many Barcelona fans had lost all hope,
while Real Madrid supporters were already celebrating.
Three–nil—how do you even lose that?!
AC Milan: Since you're asking so sincerely...
Liverpool: We'll kindly show you how!
Barcelona used their final substitution, bringing on Motta for Edmilson.
Motta had the defensive grit of a holding midfielder and the flair of an attacking player,
but after being out of action for so long, his match fitness was uncertain.
It was a desperate, all-or-nothing gamble.
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser