"Who are we?"
"Real Madrid!!!"
"Where is this?"
"Santiago Bernabéu Stadium!!!!"
"We fight here!"
"Fight! Fight! Fight!—"
Every word from the live DJ was met with a loud response from the fans below.
Under the intense sound waves, the shouts of nearly ninety thousand fans instantly overwhelmed the Paris Saint-Germain supporters, and at the same time, plunged the Paris players into a state of panic.
Suker could feel that the Paris players were somewhat uncomfortable.
Suker understood this feeling well.
After all, when he was still playing for Dinamo Zagreb, they played at the Bernabéu Stadium, and the roar of the crowd made several of his teammates' legs turn to jelly.
Among them was Srna, that coward!
To be honest, this guy really didn't have this kind of mental fortitude at the beginning; it was all a result of training and being nurtured by the number of championships.
"What are you thinking?"
Srna leaned over, staring at Suker, saying, "I feel your gaze is very offensive!"
Suker grinned: "You can feel it even here?"
Srna: "We've known each other for so long. You're the kind of guy who glances up and down at people when you're planning something good. Come on, what dirty trick are you thinking of?"
"I really haven't!"
Suker said, shrugging.
Srna didn't press further and continued to Suker, "I heard that Maksimir Stadium is going to be renamed!"
Suker nodded; he could feel the slight envy in Srna's eyes.
Because Maksimir Stadium was about to be renamed 'Suker Stadium'.
Of course, this was not just to commemorate Suker alone.
Instead, it was a tribute to the brilliance created through the combined efforts of two generations of Sukers: Davor Šuker and Suker.
This proposal had emerged when Suker won his fifth Ballon d'Or, and after discussions and fan approval, the stadium, originally named after the Maksimir district, was finally going to be officially renamed Suker Stadium.
'Suker Stadium' was about to undergo renovations to further expand its capacity for fans, and at the entrance, statues of Davor Šuker and Suker would be erected.
At the same time, the Croatian Football Federation decided to add a 'Suker Award', also known as the 'Best Newcomer Award'.
The 'Season's Best Newcomer Award' would henceforth be renamed the Suker Award.
After all these years, Suker had already become a symbol of Croatia.
Especially after arriving in Zagreb by train, looking around, almost everything was related to Suker.
Even the slogan was 'This is Suker's hometown! This is beautiful Zagreb!'
Whether Suker admitted it or not, he grew up here, so it naturally counted as Suker's hometown.
It could be said that within Croatia today, Suker was already a symbol.
During Davor Šuker's era, perhaps it wasn't as strong.
After all, Davor Šuker was one among many stars, but not the one who truly stood out.
But Suker was different!
He possessed five Ballon d'Ors, surpassing all active stars.
Croatia itself didn't have much to show for, with neighboring Serbia dominating them in other aspects.
In the original timeline, they heavily promoted Modrić.
Now, with the even more outstanding Suker, it was naturally a case of making the best use of resources.
What's more, this was one of the five major balls, and even the world's number one sport, football itself. Under its influence, the value of Suker, a historical football star, became even greater.
Click! Click! Click! Click!
As the warm-up ended and they returned to the locker room, reporters on both sides frantically snapped photos of Suker.
The flashes were somewhat dazzling, and some players were caught off guard, nearly blinded.
Suker, however, was long accustomed to this and walked into the player tunnel with a concerned expression.
He even adjusted his angles to make his jawline more defined and resolute.
Zidane was setting up the tactics.
This time, he placed Suker in a free role.
This was to completely unleash Suker, preventing him from continuously being targeted by the opponent.
Suker himself had ample stamina and a wide range of activity, but previously he was restricted by zones, unable to make effective escapes.
Now, the XJBT tactic clearly relied on Suker's ability to play, so the so-called positional issues were disregarded, and Suker was completely freed.
The starting lineups for both sides were as follows:
Real Madrid (4-3-3):
Goalkeeper: Casillas.
Defenders: Srna, Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo.
Midfielders: Di Maria, Casemiro, Kroos.
Forwards: Bale, Suker, Benzema.
Paris Saint-Germain (4-4-2);
Goalkeeper: Sirigu.
Defenders: Jallet, Alex, Thiago Silva, Maxwell.
Midfielders: Lucas Moura, Beckham, Matuidi, Pastore.
Forwards: Zlatan Ibrahimović, Lavezzi.
Real Madrid deployed a conventional 4-3-3 formation, but Suker appeared in the center forward position; however, his center forward role was a withdrawn one, meaning he was a false nine.
How Messi played, Suker also played!
He had a wide range of activity, free positioning, and no defensive pressure.
At the same time, in the midfield, Casemiro played as the lone defensive midfielder, with Di Maria and Kroos partnering on the left and right.
This was a typical strategy to hide Suker.
Even if they marked Suker tightly, it would only be for a moment; Suker could move within a wide area to shake off his markers.
Maximize Suker's impact!
Paris Saint-Germain also made adjustments.
Mainly in the midfield combination.
The first leg featured Verratti + Motta.
But this match saw the use of the Beckham + Matuidi partnership.
This midfield combination offered more options in attack; although Beckham was indeed old and lacked running ability, in the early stages of the match, his passing ability could still provide assistance, proving he was still sharp.
Clearly, Ancelotti intended to use the connection between Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimović to attack Real Madrid's defense.
Suker stood at the central point outside the center circle. He glanced at Paris Saint-Germain's lineup and turned his head, saying, "After kickoff, hold your positions first!"
Beckham's passing could not be underestimated.
And facing a team with Beckham, one had to guard against his 'curved moon blade' style long passes.
"I'll stick to Zlatan Ibrahimović!"
Casemiro volunteered.
In the previous match, his performance wasn't too good, so returning to home for this game, he became even more proactive.
Suker nodded; being careful was always a good idea.
Just then, the match officially began.
The whistle blew, and Paris Saint-Germain immediately kicked off.
Real Madrid's three forwards charged forward.
However, Suker stopped after running a certain distance and turned to look at Beckham.
Sure enough, Beckham rushed to the wing position, ready to receive the ball.
Suker immediately shouted: "Bale! Get back!"
Bale turned his head upon hearing this, he also saw Beckham, and immediately turned back to retreat.
But he was still a step slow; Thiago Silva passed the ball diagonally forward, successfully delivering it to Beckham.
After receiving the ball, Beckham turned and blocked Bale behind him; in terms of physical confrontation, Beckham was still very experienced.
Bale's body paused; he was blocked by Beckham, who then immediately surged forward.
Beckham saw that Real Madrid's overall formation had not advanced, which wasn't a very good attacking opportunity.
But to force an attack, he still kicked the ball!
The ball traced a beautiful arc through the air.
Beckham's signature curve once again swept over the Bernabéu Stadium, which made many Real Madrid fans feel a bit nostalgic.
Even commentator González couldn't help but say, "The Bernabéu Stadium welcomes Beckham!"
Indeed, some applause erupted at the stadium, although fragmented, it was there.
Beckham's passing was precise, and furthermore, at the start of the match, his stamina was plentiful.
However, Zlatan Ibrahimović was entangled by Casemiro and Pepe, barely managing to head the ball, but it was easily gathered by Casillas into his arms.
"Counterattack!"
Casillas roared, immediately dashing out of the six-yard box with the ball, and as he approached the edge of the penalty area, he threw it forward forcefully.
"Too hasty!"
Suker couldn't help but grin.
Paris Saint-Germain players hadn't even entered Real Madrid's half; what the hell kind of counterattack was this?
But the ball was already flying towards him, so Suker could only lean back slightly.
His back was being pushed, so he couldn't cushion the impact sufficiently.
But even so, Suker still headed the ball into the air, and by occupying the landing spot, he used his toe to cushion the ball.
Matuidi held Suker back, not letting him turn.
But Suker had no intention of turning; he immediately passed the ball back to Kroos.
Kroos received the ball, passed it back to Suker again, and then Kroos suddenly sprinted forward, pressing towards the central axis.
His run immediately disrupted Matuidi.
Taking advantage of this, Suker hooked the ball and turned back.
"Cruyff Turn!"
Suker used the turn to get rid of Matuidi.
When he completed the breakthrough, Benzema, Bale, and Kroos all turned to look at Suker.
Suker was furious.
What are you looking at!
Run forward!
Suker, imitating Kroos, frantically shook his index finger.
Benzema: "???"
Bale: "???"
Kroos: "!!!"
Kroos was the first to react, suddenly turning his head and charging forward without hesitation.
And Suker also seized the opportunity, suddenly passing the ball forward.
Suker's short pass was a strong curve, using the instep of his foot to create an arc.
The ball went through the two Paris center-backs, drawing a small arc on the ground, and accurately rolled in front of Kroos.
Even the distance was perfectly controlled.
Kroos didn't even need to adjust to directly shoot.
"Oh~~ Kroos is going to be one-on-one!!"
González suddenly roared, then immediately exclaimed, "Not good! Alex!"
As Kroos was about to enter the penalty area, Alex, unable to catch up, actually leaped into the air, extending both feet forward, and suddenly clamped Kroos's legs.
This is the notorious scissor kick in football!
"Damn it!!"
One second earlier, Pepe was cheering, the next second he suddenly exploded in rage, charging directly forward.
But before he could reach the opponent's penalty area, he was stopped by Suker.
Suker, while controlling the enraged Pepe, called out to Ramos to control the situation.
"Calm down!"
Suker held Pepe tightly.
This guy cannot be left unsupervised; an enraged Pepe can do anything.
Although he was sticking up for his teammate, in the current situation, applying appropriate pressure is acceptable, but if not handled well, even Pepe might get a card.
Moreover, given Pepe's personality, the probability of him getting a card is too high.
No one else could restrain Pepe, so Suker had to do it himself.
Suker held back Pepe.
Ramos led his teammates to put pressure on the Referee, while also reprimanding Alex's actions, making the scene quite heated.
Finally, under pressure, the Referee ran towards Alex and directly showed him a red card!
Just 5 minutes into the match, Paris Saint-Germain center-back Alex was sent off with a red card.
At the same time, the Referee pointed to the penalty spot, indicating it was a red card and penalty kick package.
Facing this decision, the Paris Saint-Germain fans completely exploded.
They accepted the red card!
Kroos almost had a one-on-one, and Alex's scissor kick was very malicious.
But they argued that it was outside the penalty area, and Kroos rolled into the penalty area on his own.
But the Referee ignored it and insisted on the penalty!
Paris Saint-Germain suffered a heavy blow right at the start of the match.
And Ancelotti, the Head Coach, was dumbfounded.
He said they needed to attack strongly, but these guys brought him a red card and penalty package in return. How were they supposed to play now?
"Alex's foul was truly malicious, and from the slow-motion replay, it's clear that Kroos was indeed fouled on the edge of the penalty area line, and since he was already in a one-on-one situation, this counts as malicious obstruction. The red card is absolutely correct!"
González's so-called penalty area line was the arc at the top of the box.
Of course, as a Spanish commentator, there were some things he chose not to see.
It was enough that this decision favored Real Madrid.
What's more, it's not uncommon for the Referee to make mistakes or miss calls.
The outcome was decided; Kroos was helped up from the ground by Bale.
The former picked up the ball and directly passed it to Suker.
Suker gave Kroos a thumbs up: "Good run!"
Kroos also smiled.
When he saw Suker waving his finger, he knew it was a signal to run forward; he always used that move.
When Kroos plays, he always uses his fingers to communicate with teammates to determine the direction of attack.
And this time, Suker used the same method.
Suker carried the ball to the penalty spot and steadily placed it down.
Standing twelve yards out, Suker stood up, took a deep breath, and then quickly exhaled.
The Paris Saint-Germain Goalkeeper nervously moved from side to side; his eyes revealed his panic.
After all, this goal could very well completely end Paris Saint-Germain's path to promotion in the Champions League.
Sirigu really wanted to be Paris Saint-Germain's hero.
But Suker's penalty conversion rate was there, frighteningly high.
Moreover, Suker himself is a very skilled shooter, so Sirigu clearly had little confidence.
Soon, Suker started his run-up.
The Bernabéu Stadium, which had been cheering and shouting just a second ago, suddenly fell silent.
All Real Madrid fans held their breath in anticipation.
At that moment, Suker suddenly started his run.
As he approached the ball, his foot changed rhythm, but the entire process remained fluid.
Suker's change of rhythm caused Sirigu to move to the left, and Suker immediately twisted his body and struck the ball to the right.
His left foot firmly struck the ball; the shot was fast and the angle was precise.
With almost no suspense, the ball found the net.
Just 7 minutes into the match, Real Madrid scored, taking the lead against Paris Saint-Germain.
"Bottom right corner! The left-footed shot accurately found the corner, Suker did not disappoint the fans, a clean and decisive penalty goal!"
"Real Madrid leads Paris Saint-Germain 1:0."
"However, compared to this penalty, Suker's pass to Kroos earlier was also excellent!"
Suker's small curved pass was both elegant and precise, which created this penalty opportunity.
González exclaimed, "This season, Suker's assist data has significantly increased. Currently in the League, Suker leads with 12 assists, and in the Champions League, Suker also has 5 assists, on par with Messi!"
"This season, Suker is clearly playing more as a team, making Real Madrid's offense even more unpredictable!"
"I want to say to those who only focus on Suker's goal count: goals are indeed very important, but they don't represent everything. Match performance and assists are also very important."
"Suker is not declining; he has changed his playing style. I even feel that the current Suker is even more difficult to deal with!"
A forward who can score and assist is truly difficult to deal with.
He will make the opponent's defense even more chaotic.
When you think he's going to shoot, he passes!
When you think he's going to pass, he breaks through and shoots!
No matter how you defend, you can't get it right, which is why more and more teams are employing extreme man-marking tactics against Suker this season.
No way!
Simply unstoppable!
They can only use this method to somewhat weaken Suker's performance.
But even so, it's very difficult to completely stifle Suker's performance.
This is the terrifying and powerful side of Suker.
Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!—
The entire Bernabéu Stadium erupted in cheers.
Tens of thousands of fans were shouting Suker's name.
Whether it was dribbling past opponents or making through passes, Suker did it all very well.
The penalty kick was even more precisely struck.
Right at the start of the match, Real Madrid capitalized on Suker's strong performance on the field to score.
In contrast, Paris Saint-Germain was in a rather miserable state.
Especially Ancelotti, whose tactical arrangements completely failed.
From the moment Alex was sent off with a red card, Paris Saint-Germain had already begun to fall into the abyss.
Even Ancelotti couldn't find a suitable tactical approach to alleviate the situation.
As expected, Paris Saint-Germain, playing with one man down, quickly collapsed.
In the 23rd minute, Bale made a strong breakthrough and assisted Benzema for the second goal.
In the second half, in the 61st minute, during a corner kick attack, Real Madrid scored from a tactical corner, with Marcelo heading in at the far post.
Trailing by three goals, Paris Saint-Germain completely crumbled.
In the 72nd minute, Suker was substituted; Zidane felt there was no need for Suker to stay on the field.
No matter how strong Ancelotti was, he couldn't compensate for the disadvantage of playing with one less man.
Moreover, Paris Saint-Germain had already collapsed at this point, with no morale whatsoever.
Finally, all the Champions League Round of 16 matches concluded.
In the second leg, Real Madrid defeated Paris Saint-Germain 3:0 at home.
With an aggregate score of 5:2 over two legs, Real Madrid became the first team to qualify for the Champions League Quarter-finals.