In November, the weather in Scotland hovers around 16°C — not too cold, not too warm — perfect for sports.
But give it another month, and things will turn much harsher.
After drawing AC Milan in the third round of the Champions League group stage, Glasgow Rangers have become the focus of European media.
In Group E — the so-called "group of death" — this relatively unknown Scottish team is now tied on points with AC Milan, ahead of Lyon and Stuttgart, sitting in second place.
Their performance has made them a hot topic.
Of course, attention is great, but actually advancing is another matter.
Many teams have started well in the first three group matches, only to collapse in the latter half and lose everything.
But clearly, Glasgow Rangers are not one of those teams.
Their coach even said that from now on, "a new challenge begins," and they must stick together even more tightly to push through the group.
That's right — Rangers are now seriously thinking about advancing.
Initially, that wasn't even on their minds.
But after three matches and being tied with AC Milan, bold ambitions naturally began to sprout.
November 7th, the entire AC Milan squad arrived in Glasgow, Scotland.
Upon arrival, they were instantly surrounded by media.
"Suker! Do you believe Milan can beat Rangers this time?"
"Can you comment on what went wrong in the last match?"
"Away from home, are Milan going for a win or settling for a draw?"
The media looked like they were there just for the drama.
They would love nothing more than to see AC Milan fall further. If someone humiliated Suker on the pitch? Even better!
Suker ignored the reporters and boarded the team bus with his teammates.
"These guys are disgusting!" Pato grumbled on the bus.
He wasn't selected for the matchday squad and couldn't play anyway.
Even though he was registered for the Champions League earlier in the season, some paperwork issues from Brazil meant he wouldn't be eligible to play until January.
Milan brought him along mainly to help him soak up the Champions League atmosphere early — to help his transition for the second half of the season.
Coach Ancelotti really wanted to accelerate Pato's development, believing he could provide much-needed attacking firepower.
The team bus pulled up to the hotel.
Milan checked in under a flurry of flashing cameras.
"Why do I have to room with him?" Suker pointed at the confused-looking Pato dragging his suitcase."I request a room change!"
Ancelotti looked at Suker:
"Aren't you always looking after him? You two in one room is perfect."
"I'm requesting a room change!"Suker protested.
Denied.
Left with no choice, Suker had to room with Pato.
"Do you snore?" Suker asked from his bed, staring at Pato.
"I don't snore," Pato blinked.
"Good. Because if someone snores while I sleep, I have this condition — I'll sleepwalk and beat them up."
"Huh?!"
Pato frantically shook his head:
"I really don't snore!"
"Just don't disturb my sleep and we'll be fine," Suker muttered."You're not even playing, anyway."
That first night in Scotland, Suker slept soundly.
Turns out, Pato really didn't snore, giving Suker a rare night of perfect rest.
In the afternoon, the team arrived at Ibrox Stadium for a walkthrough session.
Compared to San Siro, the pitch quality wasn't great — a bit hard and rough underfoot — but that wasn't unexpected. Top-tier teams often have superior facilities.
Suker and Kaká practiced a few aerial passes and volleys.
Before long, Pato joined in, and the trio wrapped up their short session.
Back at the hotel, Ancelotti held a quick tactical meeting.
The media speculated on Milan's approach to this match.
But Milan had only one goal — victory.
To ensure that, Ancelotti scrapped the new tactical experiments and brought out the tried-and-true 4-3-2-1 Christmas Tree Formation.
This alone sent a strong message.
Though the newer tactics had more potential, the Christmas Tree was Milan's hidden ace — still the most stable and effective in high-stakes games.
Night fell.
Ibrox lit up.
Masses of Rangers fans packed the stadium, energized by their team's previous away draw with Milan.
The atmosphere was electric.
They believed that if they could hold Milan away from home, surely they could beat them here.
Cheers echoed as the players finished their warm-ups.
Both teams lined up in the tunnel.
Milan's starting XI was clearly loaded.
Suker even gave up his left-attacking midfielder spot to let Ronaldo start as the center forward.
But Ronaldo's form had fallen off a cliff. Apart from his finishing, he wasn't playing at a top-tier level anymore.
Milan was already planning to offload him after the season.
Starting lineups:
Glasgow Rangers (4-4-2):
GK: McGregor
DEF: Cuéllar, Papac, David Weir, McCulloch
MID: Charlie Adam, Hutton, Kevin Thomson, Barry Ferguson
FWD: Daniel Cousin, Nacho Novo
AC Milan (4-3-2-1):
GK: Kalac
DEF: Cafu, Nesta, Šimunić, Jankulovski
MID: Gattuso, Pirlo, Ambrosini
FWD: Kaká, Ronaldo, Suker
This was Milan's strongest lineup.
After the draw in the third round, Rangers were fired up and dreaming of a home win.
But Milan had no intention of letting that happen.
Their formation and lineup made it clear: they were going to dominate from the first half.
Kaká–Ronaldo–Suker was Milan's most threatening trio at this point.
In the second half of the season, with Pato eligible, things would look even more dangerous.
Kaká–Suker–Pato— Ancelotti's envisioned new front three.
All three could dribble, attack, and shoot.Their tight interplay was excellent.Suker could drop deep to organize, while Kaká and Pato pressed forward into space.
Suker and Kaká also had excellent passing and vision, making Milan's attack far more dangerous.
Sadly, Pato wasn't ready yet.
He sat behind the bench in the stands, watching.
This — the packed stadium, the swirling atmosphere, the mechanical camera arms sweeping over the pitch — was the Champions League.
"This is amazing..."Pato's eyes glowed with anticipation.
In two more months, he would finally be able to step onto this stage.
WHISTLE!!
The match began!
Pato shouted at the pitch:
"Milan!! Let's go!!"
The moment he yelled, Šimunić launched a long ball deep into the Rangers half.
Ronaldo and a defender collided — the ball ricocheted off both their shoulders and deflected left toward the channel.
Suker was already racing to the drop point.
He calmly cushioned the ball inside — a feint drawing the defenders toward him.
They didn't dare let him shoot.
"Close him down!" Rangers defenders shouted.
But Suker subtly chipped the ball over the backline...
Right into Kaká's run.
Kaká chested the ball down and volleyed before it hit the ground —
SWOOSH!Straight into the net.
The stadium fell dead silent.
Rangers fans instinctively looked up at the scoreboard.
21 seconds!
Only 21 seconds into the match — AC Milan scored!