Bang!
Šuker collided with Squillaci once again. Using his shoulder, he gave a strong push to carve out some space to receive the ball.
Despite Squillaci still grabbing onto his shirt and stretching it long, Šuker managed to trap the ball.
After a fierce struggle, Squillaci had no choice but to let go.
In that split second, Šuker cut sharply to the side.
Squillaci followed closely.
But Šuker suddenly changed rhythm, tapping the ball through Squillaci's legs while attempting to go around him.
Seeing what was about to happen, Squillaci bear-hugged Šuker's waist and yanked him to the ground.
Tweet!
The whistle blew immediately.
The referee pointed to the foul spot and showed Squillaci a yellow card.
No surprise there — hugging the waist? If that's not a yellow, nothing is.
Breathing heavily, Šuker got up and tossed the ball to Seedorf.
Though Šuker had absorbed a Gold-tier set piece card, his accuracy still wasn't on Seedorf's level.
"AC Milan's first free kick of the match!"
Commentator Aldo Serena couldn't help but sneer in his tone.
After enduring countless pulls and holds from Squillaci, Milan finally won a dead ball.
Had the officiating been more fair, Šuker could have exerted even more pressure.
But Šuker didn't complain —This was football.
Milan had benefited from favorable decisions before. They had to be ready for the reverse too.
Šuker positioned himself at the edge of the box, ready to dash in.
On either side of him, Squillaci and Vukojević had their arms out, ready to limit his movement.
Bang!
As Seedorf took the free kick, both defenders flanked Šuker, boxing him in.
Even though he had beefed up, he wasn't Drogba-level — he couldn't break free from that clamp.
Seedorf's ball was excellent —Just slightly unlucky.
The ball smashed into the joint between the post and crossbar, then ricocheted out of the box.
Everyone in the penalty area followed the ball with wide eyes — it soared past their heads.
Waiting at the edge of the box was —Gattuso.
He chested the ball down, then fired a thunderous volley.
"Šuker!!"
Gattuso yelled as he swung.
"Holy sh*t!"
Šuker ducked just in time, the ball skimming his scalp, slipping right between Vukojević and Squillaci — and into the net!
Swish!
"OHHHH!!! IVAN GATTUSO!!!"
"A worldie! An absolutely stunning goal!"
"He puts AC Milan in the lead!"
"43rd minute! Just two minutes before the half — Gattuso becomes the hero!"
ROAAAARRRR!!!
Gattuso let out a beastly scream, charging toward the corner flag and slapping it like a madman.
Overcome with adrenaline, he thumped his chest like a gorilla and even slapped himself twice in the face.
Šuker ran over, ready to yell at Gattuso —but seeing that scene, he stopped in his tracks.
The rest of the players turned around too —No one wanted to celebrate near a fired-up Gattuso and risk getting smacked.
In the Gerland Stadium, Lyon fans were left stunned.
They had spent all game trying to shut down Šuker.
And sure — they had kind of succeeded.Šuker hadn't scored.
But just when they thought they were safe, Gattuso pulled out a miracle.
"What the hell are we supposed to do with that?!"
Milan players gathered around Gattuso.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?!"
"No I didn't!"
"That shot was laser-guided right at my face!"
"I didn't mean it!"
"Bullsh*t! Then why did you yell my name?!"
Pressed repeatedly, Gattuso finally admitted:
"Okay, okay — I was aiming between your legs but didn't get the ball down in time!"
Šuker nodded:
"I knew it!"
Then, with a grin, Šuker gave Gattuso a friendly punch in the stomach.
"Nice one!"
"Heh heh!"
Gattuso laughed — the punch didn't even faze him.
That last-minute goal dealt a heavy blow to Lyon's morale.
They had hoped to exploit Milan's weakened form and punish them for missing Kaká and Pirlo.
But out of nowhere, Gattuso flipped the script.
With that, halftime arrived.
"IVAN! IVAN! IVAN!"
Šuker threw an arm around Gattuso's neck and waved at the Milan fans, who roared back in support.
"Good job!"
Maldini ruffled Gattuso's hair.
Only Maldini had the guts to do that.
Šuker stared at Gattuso's head too.
"What are you looking at?"
Gattuso glared.
Šuker shrugged.Clearly, this guy was up to something.
Maldini came over and hugged Šuker.
"Good work."
And it really had been.
Šuker had spent the entire first half battling the defenders, earning several chances despite limited support.
If not for some biased officiating, Milan might have scored even earlier — at least one penalty could've been given.
"Second half, I'll keep pressing.The wings need to follow up. I'll hold it up and lay it off."
Šuker was now fully integrated into the team plan.
Meanwhile, Lyon's squad gathered to review the situation.
Milan's tight defense was giving them headaches — especially with Gattuso and Ambrosini patrolling the midfield.
Milan's tactics were simple —But they were using Šuker's presence to maximum effect.
Every time the ball reached Šuker's feet, it threatened the goal.
The pressure was massive.
But the second half would be different.
"Gattuso and Ambrosini's pressing is intense, but their stamina will drop.That's when we strike. The formation stays the same, but we must seize our chances."
The coach spoke firmly, and the players nodded.
"I'll move closer to your side in the second half."
Vukojević told Squillaci.
He knew his teammate was in a tough spot.
Šuker had been dominating the one-on-one — Squillaci was at risk of being exposed.
Pride prevented him from asking for help —So Vukojević offered first.
That gesture meant a lot.
"Thanks."
Squillaci whispered.
Second Half Begins
Šuker warmed up on the sideline, bouncing up and down.
Squillaci looked at him and felt a cold sweat.
The guy looked completely fresh —as if the first half hadn't tired him at all.
And word was, Šuker's stamina was monstrous.
Apparently true.
While the rest were panting, Šuker looked ready to go another 90 minutes.
If Vukojević hadn't stepped in to help, he would've been destroyed in the second half.
Vukojević, too, stared intently at Šuker.
In the national team, Šuker was their most trusted teammate.
But here —he was their greatest threat.
"The second half is about to begin! Thanks to Gattuso's goal, AC Milan leads 1–0. But with 45 minutes left, Lyon still has time.
Can Milan hold off the comeback attempt?"
"For Squillaci, the question is — can he stop Šuker's assault?"
The whistle blew — second half, underway!
Šuker immediately charged into Lyon's half and planted himself in front of Squillaci.
The defender grimaced as Šuker tugged at his jersey again, getting up close and personal.
With a yellow card already, Squillaci couldn't risk another foul.
One mistake and he was off.
Now, under constant harassment from Šuker, Squillaci was fuming inside.
"Why did I get stuck with this annoying guy?!"
Meanwhile, Šuker didn't exactly enjoy playing this way either.
There was no flair in it —but tactics demanded it.
With Kaká and Pirlo out, Šuker lacked supply.So he had to stay high, absorb pressure, and use individual brilliance to open up chances.
Luckily, Squillaci was starting to show signs of fatigue...