In the 37th minute, the fully focused Su Hang immediately spotted an opening.
Raúl received Zidane's diagonal pass and unleashed a long-range rocket from outside the box.
Clang!
The ball smashed into the post, shaking the entire goal.
It rebounded across the box—right toward Su Hang, who was already charging in. He followed up in one smooth motion, not even thinking about whether to use his shin, knee, chest, or anything else.
Just as the ball left his foot, a defender's leg flashed in front of him—mere inches from blocking the shot.
Swish!
No surprise—the ball drilled into the net.
"GOAL!"
"One–nil! Real Madrid take the lead away at Levante!"
"Throughout the entire first half, Levante's defense has been a steel fortress. Real Madrid have fired seventeen shots, but none found the back of the net…"
"Until Su Hang stepped in! Of course it's Su Hang!"
"But Raúl has been excellent today as well—his long-range effort was just a whisker away from scoring!"
"Three shots denied by the woodwork—Raúl is just missing a bit of luck!"
"I know some fans think Raúl doesn't deserve to be mentioned with Su Hang and Zidane as part of the 'Su-Zi-Ra' nickname, but he's proving himself—El Capitán will rise again!"
The traveling Madridistas erupted in celebration.
Levante's home fans fell silent.
Their iron defense had lasted barely forty minutes.
What now? Push forward to equalize? Keep defending?
Neither option looked promising.
In the 42nd minute, Real Madrid threatened again.
Van Nistelrooy laid the ball off to Raúl, who struck a right-footed shot from the top-right arc of the box.
The ball flew toward the far top corner—
Clang!
It struck the junction of the post and crossbar and bounced into the stands.
The goalframe shook violently once again.
"Oh! The woodwork again!"
"So unlucky! Just a fraction off!"
"Raúl has hit the frame three times this half! With a little luck, he'd already have a hat-trick!"
"Raúl is holding his head—he can't believe it."
Eventually, the first half came to an end.
Real Madrid led thanks to Su Hang's goal.
Zidane and Van Nistelrooy were solid, but Raúl was arguably Real Madrid's standout performer—creating the most danger even without scoring.
However—
During halftime, Capello announced he would substitute Raúl for Robinho.
Some saw Raúl's three near-misses as proof of his threat.
But Capello saw them as three wasted chances.
He disliked inefficiency.
And with Real Madrid ahead, he believed Levante would push forward aggressively in the second half.
Robinho's speed and dribbling would be far more useful then.
For Raúl, who had just found some rhythm, the substitution felt disrespectful and disheartening.
Sure enough, as the second half began, commentators immediately weighed in:
"Since taking charge of Real Madrid, Capello has indeed developed a habit of making halftime substitutions. Raúl and Beckham have both been subbed off at halftime before."
"It must be said—this approach is questionable. These aren't just any ABC replacements. We're talking about El Capitán and the global superstar."
"Even if their form isn't perfect, don't they deserve some respect?"
Bang!
Less than two minutes into the second half, Van Nistelrooy attempted a powerful strike from outside the box.
But constant physical battles had thrown off his touch, and the shot flew wildly over the bar.
For one of the top five finishers in the world, this was shocking.
In the 55th minute, Beckham and Robinho pressed high.
A Levante defender passed back to the goalkeeper.
Van Nistelrooy closed him down.
Su Hang drifted to the top of the arc, cutting off the short pass toward the Center Back.
The goalkeeper shaped for a long clearance—
Fake-out!
Van Nistelrooy bit and was left behind.
Levante's keeper was showing off.
And doing it against Van Nistelrooy—definite bonus points.
For players from smaller clubs to catch the eye of giants, they need memorable moments:
forwards score, midfielders assist, defenders become walls—and goalkeepers?
A bit of flair helps a lot.
And this keeper had already made several top-quality saves.
But goalkeepers generally lack refined footwork—and this one was no exception.
He fooled Van Nistelrooy with the feint, but his touch afterward was too heavy.
The ball rolled farther than intended.
Su Hang, stationed near the arc, instantly burst into the box.
The Levante keeper raced toward the ball as well. Given the distance, he'd clearly get there first.
But controlling it at this moment was too risky.
Not daring to play with fire any further, he reached the ball and attempted a big clearance toward midfield—
Thud!
Thud!
Su Hang had anticipated it.
He leapt, blocking the clearance mid-air, twisting his upper body to avoid taking the full force.
A sharp pain struck his shoulder blade—
Blocked!
He whipped his head around.
The ball floated in an arc—over the keeper—dropping into the net.
A goal…?
"GOAL!"
"Su Hang scores a brace!"
"Of course, this one's a lucky goal!"
"The Levante goalkeeper's clearance slammed into Su Hang's back and bounced straight into the net."
"But if he hadn't taken that unnecessary risk in front of goal, this wouldn't have happened."
"This goal is the perfect reward for Real Madrid's relentless high pressing!"
Su Hang stood there grinning.
Exactly as expected.
Football is like falling in love.
Ignore it, and it comes to you.
Chase it too hard, and it slips away.
That's one-third of the shooting task done!
This goal completely crushed Levante.
A defensive team conceding two goals has only one option left: all-out attack.
Worse yet, the manner of the second goal shattered their morale.
Their emotions spiraled.
Their tackles grew reckless.
From a footballing standpoint, they posed less and less danger.
From a physical standpoint, they were becoming increasingly threatening to Real Madrid's players.
In the 61st minute, Van Nistelrooy was grabbed repeatedly.
The referee issued a yellow card to a Levante defender.
But the players didn't calm down.
They made a tackle, pushed everyone forward, and abandoned defense entirely in search of a goal.
The result?
Sergio Ramos intercepted the ball, passed to Beckham, and Beckham launched a long ball from the back line—sparking a rapid counterattack.