In the 88th minute, Ronaldinho was dribbling laterally when he suddenly slipped a through pass toward Gudjohnsen.
Helguera and Emerson had sealed off the space, yet the ball still slipped past Gudjohnsen and rolled into the penalty area.
Messi reacted instantly, accelerating into the box.
Emerson recalled Su Hang's words and made a snap decision, sliding in from the side.
Messi was brought down.
He even deliberately rolled several times toward the penalty area, since the spot where he fell was extremely close to the line.
Barcelona players rushed over again, verbally tearing into Emerson.
But none of them dared to lay a hand on him, because Su Hang was standing right there.
In the end, the referee defused the tense standoff by pulling out a red card.
"Red card! That was absolutely a red-card challenge by Emerson!"
"Messi is just too nimble!"
"He's won Barcelona a free kick in a perfect position! Yes, a free kick—not a penalty. The referee saw it clearly!"
Barcelona fans erupted in abuse.
At Camp Nou, the penalty area should extend three meters outward—doesn't this referee even know that?
But moments later, they forgot all about their anger.
Because Ronaldinho curled the free kick straight into the net.
Real Madrid's wall and Casillas might stop the football wizard once or twice, but they couldn't stop him a third time!
This was also the only goal Ronaldinho scored from his many free-kick attempts that night.
"GOAL!"
"A miracle! Ronaldinho creates a miracle!"
"Ten-man Barça snatch a dramatic equalizer against Real Madrid!"
"Even though taking just one point at Camp Nou feels like a failure for Barcelona, considering how this match unfolded, their performance was actually impressive."
"Ronaldinho completes a hat trick—he's been the brightest star on the pitch!"
"Given the time left, this should be the final score: 3–3!"
"The broadcast keeps cutting to Su Hang, as if responding to his earlier optimistic comments about the match in the media."
Barcelona's players celebrated wildly—partly out of genuine joy, partly to run down the clock.
Down a man, a draw felt as good as a win. There was no need, nor any realistic chance, to score again.
Yet amid the celebrations, Messi felt a faint bitterness rise in his chest.
It was as if this hat trick should have belonged to him.
For the first time, he felt a trace of jealousy toward Ronaldinho. He didn't know when he would be able to become Barcelona's king, just like him.
But after glancing at Su Hang, Messi felt a little better.
Even someone as strong as Su Hang hadn't managed a hat trick in this match either.
Hat tricks weren't child's play—they depended heavily on luck.
In the 90th minute, Barcelona launched a counterattack. Messi carried the ball down the right and sent in a cross.
Gudjohnsen went up for the header, but unfortunately sent it flying over the bar.
In the 92nd minute, after failing to break through for so long, Real Madrid lost possession again. Ronaldinho dribbled past two players, but the ball slipped from his control and was snatched away by Beckham.
Ronaldinho shoved Beckham aside, his foot clipping Beckham's calf as well, and won the ball back.
Ronaldinho's technique was unquestionable, but South American players being aggressive in challenges was also an undeniable fact.
Just because he played with elegance didn't mean he never committed fouls.
Truly elite players all played with a high level of physical aggression.
This was clearly a foul by Ronaldinho. But before the referee could even blow the whistle, Su Hang—tracking all the way back—arrived and slammed into Ronaldinho, taking control of the ball.
Ronaldinho lay on the ground with both arms raised, protesting.
The referee, however, remained unmoved.
Barcelona fans showered the scene with boos.
If this clip were taken out of context, it would absolutely look like a "cheap shot" by Su Hang on Ronaldinho.
Most fans watching only that moment would think a foul should have been called.
But if you watched it together with Ronaldinho's earlier challenge on Beckham, you'd know there was absolutely no problem with letting play continue.
On one hand, the referee maintained consistency in his decisions.
On the other, even if a foul had been called, it should have gone against Ronaldinho for his tackle on Beckham.
That's how all those out-of-context online arguments come into being.
Only those who actually watched the entire match had the right to speak.
Su Hang laid the ball back to Kompany, then turned and surged forward again.
Kompany played it wide to Salgado.
Salgado sent the ball to Beckham, who had just gotten back up from the ground.
Beckham lifted his head, locked onto Su Hang's run, and delivered a perfectly guided long pass.
Silvinho dropped back early to the projected landing point of the ball.
Su Hang, however, seemed to misjudge its trajectory, slowing down before he even reached Silvinho's side.
Several Barcelona players noticed it.
They assumed Su Hang had covered too much ground in this match and was completely spent in the final moments—his exhaustion causing a lapse in judgment.
...
As the ball sailed over Su Hang's head, he suddenly leapt high into the air, arms spread wide like wings, his left foot stretching forward with all his strength.
His right leg bent beneath him to keep his balance.
In that instant, he looked like a soaring eagle.
"What is that?!"
"The Bundesliga logo stop!"
"Su Hang is flying!"
The ball landed right on the tip of Su Hang's foot and popped up slightly.
He poured every ounce of his lifetime's ball-control talent into that single touch.
Strength, skill, and luck—perfectly united.
At that moment, Silvinho was at least three meters away from him.
Other Barcelona players immediately rushed toward Su Hang.
But after cushioning the ball, Su Hang landed swiftly.
The ball was still bouncing—nearly a full meter off the ground.
As soon as he touched down, Su Hang took a small hop forward, catching up to the ball while adjusting his stride.
Bang!
The ball exploded forward like a blazing meteor.
From about three meters outside the top of the penalty arc, Su Hang unleashed his shot!
Barcelona's defenders were completely powerless to stop it.
Only Valdés had a chance…
Whoosh!
No chance at all!
The shot was too fast.
And the placement was viciously precise, screaming toward the upper-left corner of the goal!
Valdés couldn't even react in time!
Bang!
The ball smashed into the overhead microphone mounted behind the goal, then rebounded toward the advertising boards.
Camp Nou fell silent for half a second—then erupted.
"No goal! It didn't go in!"
"Holy shit, that scared me to death!"
"That shot was insane—he literally plucked the ball out of midair!"
"Thank God Su Hang's finishing isn't sharper, or we'd have been killed by a last-second winner, damn it!"
"Yeah, I thought it went in at first!"
"Same here—from my angle, it looked exactly like a goal."
"Too close! Our defenders can't give Su Hang any more space—double-team him!"
"Huh? What's going on? Why is the referee pointing to the center circle?"
"The goal stands?! Damn it! Match-fixing! This is the blackest call in the world!"
"Shameless! Absolutely shameless! Are they that desperate to let Real Madrid win? This is Camp Nou!"
Barcelona fans were on the verge of exploding with rage.
The Barcelona players also surrounded the referee on the pitch.
They had never seen such an outrageous decision.