Robinho received the ball on the right flank, bursting forward with lightning speed. Facing the onrushing defender, he executed two quick stepovers and blew past him.
Thud!
Robinho sent a low cross into the box.
Much simpler than his usual flair.
Su Hang charged into the penalty area. As the ball came his way, he immediately turned, using his body to pin the Center Back.
The ball rolled cleanly past Su Hang.
Thud!
Zidane, arriving late and unmarked, met it with a powerful strike.
Whoosh!
No surprises there.
"GOAL!"
"Zidane scores!"
"After delivering six consecutive assists for Real Madrid, Zidane finally nets his first goal of the season!"
"And what a brilliant dummy from Su Hang! He completely locked down the defender, creating a vacuum for Zidane! Even the goalkeeper was drawn to him!"
"Three–nil! Barring a miracle, Real Madrid are headed for another big win!"
"And this confirms it—Real Madrid truly have a Su Hang dependence."
"In matches without Su Hang this season, Real Madrid haven't won a single time! And in matches with Su Hang, Real Madrid haven't lost once!"
Even without hearing commentary, for some reason Zidane scoring still gave a weird sense of being overshadowed
Wasn't he the one who scored?
Why is everyone shouting "siu"?
Shouldn't it be "zi zou"?
...
In the 66th minute—just three minutes after Zidane's goal—Levante were utterly rattled and collapsed under the slightest pressure.
Robinho dribbled down the wing, breaking through repeatedly.
Van Nistelrooy drifted wide to offer support.
Su Hang cut diagonally inward from the left wing into the central striker position, filling the space Van Nistelrooy left behind.
Robinho seized the opening, playing a diagonal ball through the gap created by Van Nistelrooy and sending it into the box.
But Robinho's passing isn't that refined yet—this one was hit hard, far too fast.
Even Su Hang could barely keep up.
If it had been Van Nistelrooy instead, this pass might as well have been a turnover.
At the decisive moment, Su Hang threw himself forward in a diving header.
At the same time, Levante's goalkeeper launched himself at the ball.
He extended one fist, reaching as far as he could.
Thud!
Su Hang's head reached it first.
The ball drilled into the net, splashing white foam upward.
"GOALLLLLL!"
"Su Hang again! He's done it again!"
"Hat-trick! Su Hang has scored a hat-trick in three consecutive matches for Real Madrid!"
"A hat-trick of hat-tricks!"
"Eleven goals in three games! Su Hang is absolutely unstoppable!"
"Four–nil! Levante are being torn apart! Levante—wait—"
"What's going on with Su Hang?"
"Oh! The stretcher team is coming in immediately!"
"After that diving header, Su Hang took a full punch from the Levante goalkeeper straight to the eye socket. With both players colliding at full force, this could be a serious injury."
"Because it's a head injury, the stretcher entered with the medical team… Oh! They're carrying Su Hang off now—he seems unable to clearly recognize the doctor's finger."
"This is bad news for Real Madrid. Hopefully Su Hang is okay—otherwise their upcoming Champions League group match is in danger!"
"Their next opponent is Lyon—last season they were in the same group and finished above Real Madrid!"
"This was supposed to be Real Madrid's perfect shot at revenge. But if Su Hang can't play—and given their current Su Hang dependency—Real Madrid could be headed for a rough Champions League opener!"
With Su Hang injured, Cassano came on.
Capello also replaced Beckham with Emerson.
No more goals were scored.
Real Madrid took all three points, moving up to fifth in the league.
...
"Explosive Display! Su Hang Scores Hat-Tricks in the Supercopa, the UEFA Super Cup, and La Liga—A Hat-Trick of Hat-Tricks!"
"Unstoppable! Eleven Goals in Three Matches—the Undisputed Strongest Number Nine!"
"Real Madrid Destroy Levante 4–0! Su Hang's Injury Casts a Shadow!"
"Champions League Group E Predictions Shift! If Su Hang Doesn't Recover, Lyon Could Strike Again!"
"Breaking! Su Hang Diagnosed With Mild Concussion—Unlikely to Play the First Champions League Match!"
The name Su Hang had gripped the entire European football world.
Eleven goals in three matches—earth-shattering.
But two injuries in such a short span raised doubts about his physical durability.
This concussion essentially ruled him out of the Champions League opener.
The next match would test Capello and the rest of the Real Madrid squad.
If they still couldn't win, trouble awaited.
No team can rely on a single player—not even one like Su Hang.
Especially one picking up minor injuries so frequently.
As Su Hang grows more dangerous and more central tactically, opponents will target him more aggressively—directly increasing injury risk.
Don't forget, Su Hang once played as a center forward—a heavily targeted position, especially for a physical target man.
But back then, Real Madrid were full of stars. Opponents weren't focused on him.
At the very least, they didn't use foul-level, injury-inducing tactics on him.
Defending a target man mainly means preventing him from turning and distributing—holding him is enough.
But defending Ronaldo? That's all flying tackles.
And while target men mostly face static physical battles, Su Hang's winger playstyle demands dynamic collisions—far riskier.
All things considered, Su Hang scoring eleven goals in three games would terrify opponents.
But Su Hang scoring eleven goals and missing two games due to injury?
Suddenly, he's not so frightening.
...
September 13th — Champions League Group Stage, Matchday 1.
Real Madrid flew to France to face Lyon away.
Su Hang didn't even board the plane. His concussion still had minor aftereffects, so he remained under observation.
Real Madrid's lineup:
Raúl, Van Nistelrooy, Robinho
Zidane, Diarra, Emerson
Roberto Carlos, Cannavaro, Sergio Ramos, Cicinho
Casillas
=Lyon=
Their defensive midfielder was also Diarra.
Two Diarras on the pitch—one had to prove superior.
Up front were Malouda, Fred, and Wiltord.
Malouda had shined in the World Cup and remained Lyon's key figure.
Fred—later dubbed Brazil's weakest No.9—was still good enough for the national team, proving he was no pushover.
On the bench, young Benzema drew plenty of attention.
He had already scored in the Champions League last season and was considered one of France's four rising prodigies.
The match delivered a heavy blow to Madridistas.
Lyon's striker Fred scored first, and substitute Benzema added another.
Real Madrid failed to score at all.
In the 63rd minute, Capello made a triple substitution—Reyes, Guti, and Cassano—but nothing changed.
0–2.
Real Madrid suffered their first defeat of the season.
Lyon once again lived up to their status as Real Madrid's nemesis.
In recent years, whenever they faced Real Madrid, Lyon won more often than not.
Along with Monaco's previous elimination of Real Madrid, it seemed Ligue 1 clubs—bottom of the top five leagues—always had a "surprise" ready for them.
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser