April 11th, the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.
The Bernabéu was still packed to the rafters.
But most of the fans were wearing Su Hang's number nine shirt, showing their support and longing for him.
At the same time, four enormous banners had been prepared across the stands.
Three featured Su Hang.
The fourth was an anime-style illustration: an old man kneeling before Su Hang, while secretly hiding a dagger and a list behind his back.
On that list were the names Henry, Shevchenko, Cristiano Ronaldo, Robben, Torres, Ibrahimović, and others.
It was a clear jab at Capello's recent behavior.
The change in attitude had come far too quickly.
The contrast before and after was simply too stark.
Once the match began, the broadcast kept cutting back to the stands.
Mourinho, having been sent off in the previous match due to Modrić's red card, could only "direct" this game from the stands using his phone—but it was nowhere near as effective as barking orders from the touchline.
Ashley Cole, meanwhile, had already been sent off earlier for the collision with Su Hang that caused the serious injury.
After news of Su Hang's injury broke, some fans even demanded that UEFA severely punish Ashley Cole, calling for a minimum three-year suspension.
However, Su Hang personally posted on social media to forgive Ashley Cole, urging fans not to blame him.
He said it had been a normal on-field collision—just one with an outcome no one could have predicted.
He believed Ashley Cole was a good person.
Ashley Cole was so moved by this that he reportedly burst into tears.
As for Chelsea's goalkeeper, Petr Čech did not travel to Madrid for this match either.
Su Hang's injury had reminded him of his own traumatic experience. His emotions collapsed, triggering post-traumatic stress disorder, severe anxiety, and depression all at once.
He was undergoing intensive psychological treatment and was unlikely to return within a month.
Even so, most people still believed Chelsea had a real chance to turn things around.
After all, the one missing from Real Madrid was Su Hang.
In the 11th minute, Shevchenko pulled one back.
In the 30th minute, Drogba struck again.
In the 78th minute, Ballack smashed in a long-range shot.
The Bernabéu was completely drowned in blue.
Even with Zidane back, the team's morale had already collapsed. The squad was no longer controllable.
In attack, everyone wanted to be the hero—everyone wanted to go end to end on their own, to become the next Su Hang. No one listened to Zidane's attempts to organize play.
In defense, the attackers pushed too far forward and couldn't recover, while defenders played with psychological burdens, terrified of conceding or committing fouls that would make them targets after the match.
As a result, performances across the board were dreadful.
Still, at crucial moments, Kompany, Ramos, and Casillas made several outstanding blocks.
Beckham also dropped deep and committed heavily to defending.
In the 86th minute, Shevchenko found himself completely unmarked and unleashed a powerful shot.
Ramos threw himself into the line of fire, blocking it at the cost of taking a brutal blow to the head, and was forced to leave the pitch.
But it was precisely that heroic block that kept the final score at 0–3.
Chelsea defeated Real Madrid by three goals.
The aggregate score was 4–4.
However, Real Madrid had scored four away goals at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea had only scored three away goals at the Bernabéu.
In the end, Real Madrid survived by the narrowest of margins and stumbled into the Champions League semifinals.
For a moment, both teams felt as if they had lost a funeral.
Chelsea were furious that a match only lasted ninety minutes.
Give them just ten more minutes, and they were certain they would have hammered in another goal and completed the comeback.
At the same time, many Chelsea fans turned their anger toward Robben.
They complained that at the most critical moments, Robben was always absent.
As one of the most important attacking players, his injuries severely limited Chelsea's ceiling.
Chelsea needed a stable flying winger—not a glass man.
Wasn't Robben on Real Madrid's transfer shortlist earlier?
Then let Real Madrid pay to take that fragile little winger away!
Out of sight, out of mind.
How old was Zidane?
Even with such a serious injury, he returned sooner than Robben.
Aside from attitude problems, there was simply no other explanation.
And how many injuries had Su Hang suffered?
Yet Real Madrid had relied entirely on Su Hang's dominant performance in the previous match—two goals and two assists—living off his legacy to crawl into the semifinals.
Honestly, if Su Hang had played even slightly worse in that match, it wouldn't have been enough.
That was pure, undeniable ability.
If Su Hang hadn't played at all, Chelsea would have smashed Real Madrid in both legs.
The Times put it bluntly:
"Chelsea fans aren't even asking Robben to save the team like Su Hang did in adversity—but if you can't even add something extra when things are going well, what's the point of staying in London?"
For a time, Robben became the biggest "hero" behind Chelsea's Champions League exit this season.
As for Real Madrid, despite being "killed into" the semifinals—
Yes, not fighting their way in, but being hacked their way in—
They had been completely outplayed by Chelsea.
A team like this reaching the semifinals—what was that, if not a gift package?
At this level, they might not even make it out of the group stage.
People had thought the difference with or without Zidane was already huge.
With Zidane, Real Madrid were Europe's top team in both firepower and results.
Without Zidane, their attack was still fierce, but results dropped sharply.
And yet—
Only now, with Su Hang sidelined, did people truly see it.
Zidane might have been the core of Real Madrid.
But Su Hang was the soul.
Without Su Hang, Real Madrid couldn't score a single goal against a powerhouse like Chelsea.
All of a sudden, the other three semifinalists were scrambling, hoping to draw Real Madrid—the ultimate gift package.
This year's Champions League semifinals featured Real Madrid, AC Milan, Liverpool, and Manchester United.
Soon, the draw was announced.
As expected, AC Milan did not draw Real Madrid.
Because UEFA couldn't allow Liverpool and Manchester United to clash in an all-Premier League showdown.
Avoidance rules were one thing; attracting fans and creating headlines was another.
If people wanted to watch Liverpool versus Manchester United, couldn't they just watch the Premier League?
Manchester United, meanwhile, became the luckiest team of the year.
AC Milan vs. Liverpool.
Manchester United vs. Real Madrid.
Considering that in recent years, every team that eliminated Real Madrid—except Monaco—went on to win the Champions League…
For Manchester United, this was a perfect draw, whether you believed in superstition or pure strength.
On top of that, the two clubs had plenty of old grudges.
Beckham leaving United for Real Madrid.
Queiroz coaching Real Madrid before returning to United.
United making an offer for Su Hang before his full rise.
Van Nistelrooy joining Real Madrid.
It could be said that this was Manchester United's best chance in years to take revenge.
As for AC Milan and Liverpool, they had no shortage of storylines either.
Two seasons ago—under a full moon, at the peak of the Champions League—the halftime champagne and the Miracle of Istanbul became one of the greatest spectacles in Champions League history.
Now, UEFA had handed AC Milan a chance at revenge.
So who would meet Manchester United in the Champions League final?
The battle was about to erupt.
Real Madrid: "Don't we get any dignity at all?"
UEFA: "You've already lost the substance—Su Hang. What dignity are you still asking for?"