Bang!
Su Hang spread his arms wide, pinning the opposing player behind him, and successfully broke free from the triple team.
He then glanced at Van Nistelrooy and took the shot… from a tight angle!
The Steaua Bucharest goalkeeper dove the wrong way.
He rushed toward Van Nistelrooy, expecting a pass across from Su Hang.
Instead, Su Hang went for the shot directly!
The ball zipped into the near post, sending white foam flying!
"GOAL!!!"
"It's here! Finally here!"
"Su Hang didn't extend his goal drought to the 190th minute!"
"This is an utterly magnificent hero's goal! It completely showcases Su Hang's individual brilliance!"
"Three defenders couldn't stop him from storming into the box!"
"That final blind shot was even more effortless! He deceived the goalkeeper with just a glance, forcing the keeper into making a completely wrong decision!"
"One-nil! Su Hang puts Real Madrid ahead!"
"I told you, Real needs to create more chances for Su Hang!"
"Capello, stop trying to spread the ball around—just feed it to Su Hang. You don't even have to perfectly set him up; as long as he gets the ball, he'll score!"
"This is the absolute dominance of Europe's strongest number nine!"
Blow!
After enduring two matches, commentators finally got the chance to hype up Su Hang.
Having gotten used to praising him, these two games had them bursting with pent-up frustration.
What?
Why must you hype him? Can't you bash him?
Bro, how thick-skinned do you have to be?
Su Hang bashers have been proven wrong far more often than his hypemen.
As the game resumed, Steaua Bucharest again tried to launch fierce attacks and tackles.
But their efforts quickly faltered, thanks to the excellent interception skills of Diarra and Emerson.
Their tackles also faded under Zidane's orchestrated passing.
In the 17th minute, Steaua's players began to show signs of fatigue.
Zidane seized the opportunity, launching a long pass to the right flank.
Raúl Bravo received the ball and passed it to Raúl, who had dropped deep to receive it.
Emerson made a run past Raúl on the overlap.
Raúl played the ball out to Emerson.
Emerson crossed from the byline.
Thud!
Van Nistelrooy held off the center-back in the box and headed it home.
Behind Van Nistelrooy, Su Hang made a run into the box, drawing the attention of the other center-back.
A mere second-division center-back was no match for the King of the six-yard box.
"GOAL! Two-nil!"
"Van Nistelrooy scores too!"
"Su Hang drew so much defensive attention, creating increasingly better opportunities for Van Nistelrooy."
"Relying on single-marking Van Nistelrooy was unrealistic—players like him always demand a double team!"
Thirty-third minute.
Su Hang dropped deep, received the ball near the halfway line, and played it to Zidane.
Zidane immediately threaded a through ball into the right side of the penalty area.
Raúl received the ball at the edge of the box, feinted to create half a step of space, and unleashed a long-range shot.
It wasn't a perfect opportunity, but a striker like Raúl had the ability to turn even a weak chance into a goal.
Especially with Su Hang and Van Nistelrooy drawing defenders away from him!
"GOAL! Raúl! El Capitán!"
"Raúl's stunning long-range wonder goal puts Real Madrid three goals clear!"
"So effortless! The Galácticos that once made Europe tremble are back!"
"More and more players are showing clear improvement. After a draw and a loss, Capello is finally seeing the results he wanted."
"This is great news—they've finally hit peak form before facing Barcelona!"
Next round, Real Madrid will host their first Spanish Derby of the season.
Thus, their performance in this match is even more crucial.
Though Barcelona hadn't yet established a formidable global reputation, their squad had already reached the standard of a top-tier powerhouse.
In previous years, they were known as the Dream Team II.
This year and last were widely recognized as the peak years for Dream Team II.
Not just in La Liga, but across Europe, this Barcelona team commanded real respect.
In the second half, at the 59th minute, Steaua Bucharest struck on a counterattack.
They intercepted the ball from Raúl Bravo and finished with a clinical goal.
Three-one. The Steaua Bucharest home crowd went wild.
Scoring against the Galácticos was enough to send Romanian league fans into a frenzy.
In the 64th minute, Steaua Bucharest launched consecutive attacks, only to be hit with a swift counter.
Sergio Ramos headed a clearance to the left side of the penalty area.
Su Hang seized possession and drove down the left flank, executing a winger-style counterattack.
Cutting inside, he delivered a brilliant outside-of-the-foot chip pass to Van Nistelrooy in the center.
Unfortunately, Van Nistelrooy was just a fraction too slow and couldn't reach the ball.
The ball swept across the goalmouth and drifted toward the far post.
Raúl, sprinting full-throttle on the counterattack, arrived just in time to meet it.
But with the angle too narrow for a shot, he opted for a reverse triangle pass.
Thud!
Zidane, panting, surged forward and met the ball with a textbook strike.
The Steaua Bucharest goalkeeper was helpless.
"Oh! There it is again! This time it's Zidane!"
"Raúl didn't take all the glory—he shared the attack with Zidane!"
"And Zidane didn't disappoint Raúl's trust."
"Four to one! Real Madrid has silenced Steaua Bucharest's momentum. They've regained control of the game's tempo!"
On the sidelines, Real Madrid's substitutes were ready.
With the outcome no longer in doubt, Capello decided to conserve energy for the next match.
David Beckham replaced Zidane, then switched positions with Emerson to play right midfielder.
Emerson took up the role of central midfielder.
Robinho replaced Raúl, moving to right winger.
But he quickly approached Su Hang:
"Captain Su, Mr. Capello asked me to pass on a message."
"What is it, Mr. Robinho, sir?" Su Hang joked lightly with Robinho.
"Mr. Capello plans to substitute you next, giving you proper rest. We're playing Barcelona next..." Robinho relayed.
Su Hang then turned to look at Capello and nodded.
Only then did Capello breathe a sigh of relief.
He dared to substitute Raúl, Zidane, and Van Nistelrooy without warning.
He dared to keep Beckham on the bench.
But he absolutely dared not substitute Su Hang without Su Hang's consent.
He could sense discontent toward him, both from the club's upper management and within the team.
But the sole reason everyone had maintained harmony and refrained from pressuring him until now was something Capello understood better than anyone.
That reason was simple: up until this moment, Su Hang had never expressed any dissatisfaction with Capello.
Therefore, even if others harbored grievances, they had to give Su Hang face first.
Otherwise, it would be undermining the Real Madrid team under Su Hang's leadership.
David Beckham, Raúl, Guti, and Robinho all followed this principle.
In the 69th minute, Robinho, who had just entered, earned a free kick.
Beckham took the tactical free kick and aimed for Su Hang at the far post.
But it wasn't necessary.
Beckham's moonlit scimitar shot sailed cleanly over the wall, coming agonizingly close to scoring.
Had Beckham taken the shot himself, it would have been a goal.
But Beckham chose to play it to Su Hang, and in doing so, he gave away a goal.
The ball came in with fierce momentum and a perfect angle, as if it had unlocked the Header Lock.
Su Hang didn't even need to exert himself; the ball flew straight into his crotch.
Su Hang: ???
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
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