At Bucharest National Arena, the home team's goal fell silent.
Watching Suker slowly run onto the field, the pressure was simply overwhelming.
They unexpectedly scored a goal and dragged the game out, maximizing the expectations of Steaua Bucuresti fans.
But as Real Madrid exerted pressure in the second half, they first scored a goal using penetrating passes.
Then, at a critical moment, Suker came on as a substitute.
This almost spelled the end for Steaua Bucuresti.
At this stage, under such circumstances, could they really stop Suker?
Even to Steaua Bucuresti fans, this seemed like an almost impossible task.
When Suker entered the field, the entire Bucharest National Arena fell silent.
Only after Suker came on did the noise and discussions in the stadium resume somewhat.
The Romania commentator said with a solemn expression, "The time has come to test Steaua Bucuresti. How to stabilize the situation in the coming time, and how to stop Suker, will be their biggest test."
The Spain commentator, González, said softly with a slight expression, "Suker coming on as a substitute, for Real Madrid, has already signaled the final battle."
"This match started with some unexpected events, leading to the game not flowing particularly smoothly, but Real Madrid, with ample experience and tenacity, turned the tide of the game. Now Ancelotti has once again placed his chips on Suker, and we believe that this most outstanding striker in Real Madrid's history will surely lead the team to victory."
Suker came to the field, ready to receive the ball from his teammates.
As soon as he reached his position, a large number of opposing players immediately began to move and gather around him.
Targeting and blocking Suker on the left wing was already standard practice.
Suker did not pay much attention to this.
Real Madrid nowadays no longer plays with such clumsy methods.
They rarely go head-to-head with the opponent on the left wing.
Instead, they play smarter, fully utilizing the width of the field and off-ball movement to put themselves in an advantageous position.
Suker was no longer just a winger who attacked, but a more comprehensive player.
It was Real Madrid's throw-in, and Marcelo threw the ball to Suker.
Suker retreated slightly, held off the player behind him, and easily controlled the ball with his chest. As the ball was about to land, he gently nudged it with the inside of his foot, transferring it horizontally to Kaka.
While transferring, he also nutmegged the opponent.
Suker turned his head to look at the Steaua Bucuresti player he had nutmegged. The player was clearly a bit nervous, his body somewhat stiff.
Otherwise, the ball might have been intercepted.
However, Suker also knew that few players would not be nervous when facing him.
After all, in the past few seasons, Suker had fully demonstrated his dominance in games.
For these players, Suker's appearance almost completely drew their attention.
After passing the ball, Suker did not continue to push forward but moved horizontally, running into the next open space.
When Kroos passed the ball to him, Suker paused slightly, turned to the other side, and gently pushed the ball with the inside of his foot, passing it to Kaka.
Kaka passed the ball to Marcelo, who was pushing forward on the left wing, while Suker continued to move leisurely in the midfield.
"Damn it!"
Pintilii, Steaua Bucuresti's defensive midfielder, couldn't help but curse under his breath.
Ever since Suker came on, the pressure had increased several times over.
Even though Suker seemed to be just casually moving around in the midfield, almost all of his passes were directed towards Steaua Bucuresti's open spaces.
Furthermore, Suker attracted too many defensive elements, so when Suker was in the middle, it was difficult for them to spread their defenders to the sides.
This also allowed Real Madrid to easily bring the ball to the byline.
However, Real Madrid did not cross the ball; they just kept transferring it around Steaua Bucuresti's penalty area.
The spaces on both sides were fully utilized, and once they encountered a dangerous situation, they would immediately transfer the ball backward and reorganize.
Otherwise, they would pass the ball to Suker, Kaka, or Kroos.
With the ball-holding ability of these three, they were enough to get the ball out of dangerous areas.
Ancelotti, on the sidelines, nodded slightly as he watched the game unfold.
This was the effect he wanted to see.
Relying on Suker as the core element, constantly applying pressure in the midfield.
It's not just about attacking fiercely to apply pressure.
This posture of surrounding but not attacking puts even greater psychological pressure.
No one knew when Real Madrid would suddenly change their rhythm and start a fierce attack.
Moreover, Suker was right there; as soon as he moved, he could immediately enter the heading area.
But Suker didn't push forward!
His teammates didn't pass!
Steaua Bucuresti still had to run desperately, constantly chasing and blocking.
This was too much pressure for Steaua Bucuresti.
"Push out! Push out!"
Steaua Bucuresti's Goalkeeper kept shouting.
Watching Real Madrid constantly passing in dangerous areas, not knowing when they would suddenly shoot.
This kept the Goalkeeper's nerves taut, unable to relax for a moment.
And over time, they would definitely not be able to keep up with Real Madrid's changes in rhythm.
Therefore, he hoped his teammates would force the opponents out, at least to give him a breather, right?
Steaua Bucuresti's pressing and tackling became more intense.
They also wanted to drive Real Madrid out.
"Surround him!"
Stanciu, Pintilii, and Popa instantly rushed towards Kaka.
Seeing this, Kaka immediately passed the ball horizontally to Kroos.
At this point, the distance between Kaka, Kroos, and Suker was less than four meters, forming a small three-man triangle formation.
Seeing Kaka's pass, the three immediately turned and rushed towards Kroos, trying to disrupt Kroos's pass.
They indeed succeeded.
Kroos gently chipped the ball, and it hit Stanciu's shoulder, disrupting the original passing route and landing spot.
Kroos was also startled and immediately shouted, "Cover me!"
Stanciu: "It's disrupted!"
Immediately, Stanciu turned and rushed directly to the landing spot.
At the same time, Suker also ran to the landing spot.
He first glanced at the ball, then turned his head to reconfirm Stanciu's position.
Stanciu stared intently at Suker, imagining all sorts of ball control options Suker might choose.
In this position, Suker was fully capable of dribbling and accelerating directly.
The two almost arrived at the landing spot at the same time. As expected, Suker took the first step and made a sprinting motion.
"Got him!"
Stanciu's expression was excited as he suddenly accelerated.
But the next second, Suker suddenly stopped short.
The ball almost slid against Suker's chest. As the ball landed, Suker slightly shifted his center of gravity forward, while raising his right foot, with his toes pointed down, presenting the top of his foot at a downward angle, and gently nudged the ball with the sole of his foot.
The ball rebounded from the force, flying towards the area behind Suker.
This was the reverse direction of Suker's run.
Stanciu's mouth opened slightly. He turned to look at Suker.
He can still stop the ball like that?
Suker also looked at Stanciu, a slight smile curving his lips, and winked at him.
"Oh~~ Suker! A back-heel flick, and the ball flew in the opposite direction! Kaka!! Kaka is charging! Can he break through the encirclement?"
Kaka suddenly dribbled forward, utilizing the opportunity Suker created, and also seizing the chance that Steaua Bucuresti's defense had collectively shifted to the right.
He intended to directly use his speed on the left wing to break into the shooting area.
Kaka controlled and dribbled the ball in one fluid motion, then sprinted forward fiercely.
Steaua Bucuresti was slow to react, immediately turning and rushing.
Kaka reached his shooting range, directly pulled back his left foot, and was about to shoot fiercely.
Bang!
Just as the ball was kicked, a figure slid past in front.
It was Steaua Bucuresti's center-back, Gardoș, who made a last-ditch block.
The ball flew high and out of bounds.
Seeing this, Kaka couldn't help but put his hands on his hips and shake his head, full of regret.
Just then, a voice sounded in his ear.
"You're as slow as a snail."
Kaka turned his head angrily.
He saw Suker smiling at him, which made the former lose his temper.
But he had to admit, if it were his prime, Kaka's initial burst would have left the opponent no chance to catch him, let alone block him.
One could only say that his current explosiveness and speed had declined too much.
"Ah~~~ What a pity!!"
Zidane clutched his head.
Suker's reverse back-heel flick had completely drawn Steaua Bucuresti's defense.
If only there had been a few tenths of a second more, Kaka would have been able to complete the shot.
Compared to Zidane, who looked regretful, Ancelotti's expression was calm.
However, he looked at Kaka with a hint of emotion in his eyes.
He saw Kaka's start and, to be honest, it was too slow!
Ever since his meniscus surgery, Kaka's explosiveness and speed had significantly declined.
This 'old guy' who couldn't run anymore was once the 'Wind Chaser' of Milan!
The match on the field resumed.
As Real Madrid took a corner kick, Steaua Bucuresti used strong defense to clear the ball.
At the same time, they immediately launched a counterattack.
Stanciu ran forward fiercely, hoping to score again with this counterattack.
But as soon as he reached his position, ready to receive the ball...
At this moment, a sudden sense of pressure came from beside him, which disrupted Stanciu's rhythm.
Meanwhile, Casemiro burst out from the side.
He stepped sideways with his right leg, forcefully squeezing in front of Stanciu, shielding him behind him, and simultaneously stealing the ball.
"Casemiro! It's him again! In this match, the Brazilian defensive midfielder performed exceptionally well; this is his third steal of the match!"
After intercepting, Casemiro looked up and forward.
Kaka and Kroos were both in open positions.
But in the middle, through the crowd, Suker actually pointed to his feet, signaling for a pass.
Casemiro had almost no time to think.
If Suker said pass, then pass!
He swung his left foot and pushed the ball forward with force!
The ball flew past Kaka and Kroos, also piercing through Steaua Bucuresti's midfield line, and was delivered straight to Suker's feet.
The pass wasn't perfect; it wasn't a ground pass and had some bounce.
But Suker still controlled it steadily by hooking his ankle.
Suker was positioned sideways, and as he received the ball, Steaua Bucuresti's center-back Gardos was already charging towards Suker.
"Don't even think about getting past!"
Gardos's charge was very intimidating.
But Suker remained motionless for a long time, as if he had frozen.
Until Gardos got close enough to see the ball in front of Suker, which greatly increased his desire to directly steal it there.
The moment he stretched out his right foot, Suker made his move.
Suker twisted his waist and turned to face the attacking direction, while lightly poking the ball with the tip of his left foot.
As Gardos prepared to extend his foot for a tackle, a nutmeg angle naturally appeared between his legs, and it was unavoidable.
The ball was thus skillfully threaded by Suker through Gardos's legs, completing a nutmeg.
Gardos reacted quickly, seeing himself nutmegged, he immediately reached out, trying to stop Suker.
But Suker was very experienced; he slightly turned his body, evading the opponent's 'capture'.
Under high-speed camera, Gardos was like a high-speed racing car, directly sweeping past Suker.
And Suker's movement was minimal; with just a turn, he completed the dribble.
"Oh~~~~!!!"
González suddenly stood up.
The moment Suker dribbled past, there was a wide-open space in front of him.
"Suker!!! He's charging!!!"
González was shouting, and all the Real Madrid away fans were cheering as well.
Suker surged into the edge of the penalty area, and the other two Steaua Bucuresti defenders immediately chased after him from both sides.
Suker suddenly straightened up and turned his head to look at Benzema.
This action caused Zuccala to hesitate, and his closing-in steps slowed down a bit.
And Suker seized this opportunity.
He lowered his body, shifted the ball from his right foot to his left, and pushed it forward with his left foot.
An La Croqueta!
The movement was clean and crisp, and the clear sense of rhythm change from stillness to motion was unmistakable.
Suker suddenly burst out of the two defenders' encirclement, without even lifting his head, and lightly chipped the ball with his foot.
The ball immediately sailed over the diving Goalkeeper and dropped into the net.
Suker, meanwhile, rounded to the other side, lightly pointed his finger forward, shaking it slightly, with a smile on his face.
"Oh~~ My God! God! God!"
"Suker! This is Suker!"
"What is a star player?"
"What is an ace?"
"What is a core player?"
"Look! This is it! After Suker received the ball, he dribbled past multiple players, and three Steaua Bucuresti players couldn't stop Suker's shot!"
"At 78 minutes of the match, Suker quickly brought a goal for Real Madrid after coming on!"
"After being one goal down in the first half, Real Madrid scored two consecutive goals in the second half, tilting the scales of victory in their favor and firmly seizing the hope of winning."
"This is the omnipotent Suker! This is the invincible Real Madrid!"
González praised him to the utmost.
In this attack, Suker's individual ability was displayed to the fullest.
From being called upon in a crisis to breaking the deadlock, Suker took less than 20 minutes.
"Real Madrid has turned the game around. After Suker came on, Real Madrid's attacking power became even stronger. I even suspect that this is not Real Madrid's full attacking power!"
González then continued with emotion: "Suker! Since last season, his playing style has gradually changed."
"He is no longer a winger who makes direct runs, but rather a free agent in the front field, even driving the team's attack, organization, and many other aspects of work."
"I think this is the most suitable transformation for Suker. As players age, they will choose different paths of transformation, and Suker's change this time has shown us a different Suker."
When Suker is mentioned, the image in many people's minds is that of a fierce, hard-charging warrior.
He had dominated all full-backs of his era and even the previous generation on the wing!
He left nothing but shame for the left-backs of that period.
But the current Suker has become more composed and steady; in seemingly casual passes and receptions, he always manages to hit the key points of the attack.
At the same time, he has become the core engine of the team's offense.
Suker's several shifts brought attacking opportunities for Real Madrid.
And finally, Suker directly went solo, with continuous dribbles bringing the match atmosphere to its peak.
In this match, Suker showed everyone his versatile side.
He can be the central pivot point, using his vision, dribbling, and overall perspective to open up attacking lines for the team, while also easing the burden on the midfield.
However, if the situation remains deadlocked, Suker will once again transform into that unstoppable attacker, helping the team break through defenses.
Real Madrid's comeback put Steaua Bucuresti in a very passive position.
But Real Madrid's offensive momentum had not ended.
In the 83rd minute, capitalizing on Steaua Bucuresti's attack, Real Madrid launched a quick counterattack.
Suker received the ball in his own half, and after turning, he immediately saw Bale making a forward run.
Suker did not hesitate at all, striking the ball hard with his right foot.
A straight line, like a sharp sword tip, pierced through Steaua Bucuresti's midfield and defensive lines.
A through ball spanning 25 meters, perfectly matched Bale's run, resulting in a one-on-one opportunity.
Bale didn't even try to score himself; as he approached the Goalkeeper, he passed the ball to the side, and Benzema, who was in an open position, tapped it into the net.
Real Madrid scored another goal, sealing a 3-1 away victory.
The appearance of this goal virtually told everyone that Steaua Bucuresti had no chance of a comeback.
The moment Suker came on, the game was already sealed.
When the final whistle blew.
In the first match of the 2013/2014 Champions League group stage, Steaua Bucuresti lost 1-3 to Real Madrid, losing their home match.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, successfully secured their first Champions League victory.
Although the match was somewhat tumultuous, Real Madrid, after making appropriate adjustments in the second half, quickly launched a counterattack and secured the victory.
Throughout Bucharest National Arena, the home fans wore expressions of sorrow.
Their players had played well enough, but they still couldn't secure the victory.
Real Madrid's ability to adjust left them far behind.
Their immense strength was so great that they couldn't even grasp its extent.
After this match, their only feeling was deep helplessness!