Costa's goal helped Atlético Madrid pull one back, and more importantly, it significantly boosted their morale.
Costa lived up to the expectations of his teammates and coach; this goal fully demonstrated his individual ability.
Although this kind of 'tank turn and goal' doesn't quite fit the aesthetic of Spanish fans, for Atlético Madrid fans, a goal is a goal, no matter how it comes.
Now, they are just one goal away from equalizing, and there's still plenty of time, giving them ample opportunities.
Thinking of this, the Atlético Madrid players felt invigorated, their bodies seemingly lighter and less tired than before.
Suker picked up the ball and placed it on the center circle, waiting for the kickoff.
Atlético Madrid scoring one back wasn't a huge problem.
After all, anything can happen in a football match, and Costa is currently in his prime, so this goal wasn't unexpected.
But for Suker, the pressing issues were how to score again and how to continue suppressing Atlético Madrid.
"Let's aim for the middle from now on!" Suker suddenly said.
Benzema turned to Suker: "High balls?"
Suker nodded.
His heading ability was also a key weapon in his arsenal, especially against Atlético Madrid's relentless and dense defense, where dribbling and passing took too much time.
It required judging the situation and also pulling players wide, which didn't make for high offensive efficiency.
Therefore, the simpler, the better.
This way, while there was a risk of a back-and-forth battle with Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid wasn't afraid of that.
It was just a matter of who could breach the opponent's goal first!
Besides, was it about comparing goal efficiency with himself?
Suker saw Costa smugly lift his chin at him, as if provocatively.
Suker couldn't help but sneer.
How much had he drunk? He was getting carried away!
When I scored 60 goals in a single season, you weren't even in La Liga yet.
Suker decisively used a State Recovery Card, putting himself in a perfect all-around condition.
'Time to explode!'
"Real Madrid kicks off. Since Atlético Madrid pulled a goal back, Real Madrid is no longer using a penetrating style of play but is constantly making crosses from both wings, using the speed of the wings to complete attacks."
"While this attack is simple, it also makes it very difficult for Atlético Madrid to defend, especially with Suker's unpredictable running directions. They must shut down Suker's heading threat!"
Godin constantly turned his head to confirm Suker's position, while also reminding his partner Miranda.
"Don't let Suker get away!"
"I'm on him!"
The two reminded each other. Just then, Suker suddenly accelerated forward.
Miranda quickly followed.
The next second, Suker stopped abruptly and jumped.
A vertical leap from a standing start, Miranda couldn't keep up at all.
Suker's vertical leap height was also beyond the reach of others.
After jumping, Suker immediately flicked his head towards the ball.
Bang!
Courtois deftly slapped the ball away.
"Damn it!" Courtois muttered after landing.
Get it together, guys!
If this continues, Suker will breach the goal sooner or later.
The ball was slapped away, and Kaka controlled it at the far end, feigning a shot, then immediately lifted it again for a cross.
Suker created some distance and jumped again.
This time, he was directly sandwiched between Miranda and Godin.
Suker couldn't move; he could only turn his head to look.
"Karim!"
Benzema ran towards the landing spot, but before he could jump, Juanfran grabbed him.
As for Bale, he was jointly blocked at the far end by the retreating Gabi and Filipe.
"These guys can really run!" Suker couldn't help but grin.
He was known for his stamina, but he was one person who could run, whereas Atlético Madrid as a whole team could run incredibly well.
In the 65th minute, Atlético Madrid made a substitution.
They didn't change their defensive line but focused on the attacking line.
Villa and Turan were replaced by Raúl García and Rodríguez.
Atlético Madrid strengthened their midfield and attacking capabilities.
Real Madrid immediately responded.
Benzema and Kroos were replaced by Pato and Di Maria.
Ancelotti further ensured Real Madrid's supply line for attacking.
Bale, Pato, Di Maria, Kaka, Srna, Marcelo—all of them could provide ammunition for Suker.
Next, it was a matter of watching Suker, like a rabbit, constantly jumping in the penalty area.
Bang!
Suker collided with Godin, and the ball hit both their shoulders, flying out of bounds.
Both simultaneously raised their hands, indicating the other had touched the ball.
The Referee pointed to the corner flag, signaling a Real Madrid corner kick.
Godin slightly grimaced, rubbing his somewhat sore thigh.
After 65 minutes, he didn't know how many times he had already jumped.
His thighs were aching and swollen from all the jumping.
In contrast, Suker still had his head held high, ready to jump at any moment.
Godin couldn't help but grimace.
What kind of monstrous stamina was this?
Didn't he get sore?
"Watch the near post!" Miranda warned.
Godin lunged over again.
Suker also burst forward fiercely, and both jumped simultaneously.
As Godin squatted to jump, he suddenly felt his legs weaken. His knees, which should have pushed him up, failed to lift, and he directly dropped to one knee.
But he couldn't just let Suker head the ball like that.
He disregarded everything and, following his body's momentum, crashed hard into Suker.
Just as Suker jumped, he was sent flying sideways by Godin's collision.
"You bastard!" Pato immediately raged.
That was too dangerous of a move.
Even though it was a side collision, a bad one could lead to spinal problems.
Bale's expression also changed, and he immediately charged forward in anger.
But before they could do anything, Kaka was the first to arrive, grabbing Godin by the neck and directly slapping him.
Bale and Pato were about to join the fight, but seeing Kaka's violent outburst, they immediately started to break it up.
"You remember this! I don't care if it was intentional or not, I'll kill you next time!"
Kaka's handsome face was filled with rage as he cursed at Godin, but he was still pulled away by Bale and Pato.
Kaka's furious outburst stunned the teammates as well.
After all, normally Kaka was gentle and refined, his only flaw being an occasional joke. They had never seen Kaka so enraged.
Pepe also exclaimed, "Is that guy really that fierce?"
He charged up without a word and directly slapped someone.
This kind of thing wouldn't be surprising from Pepe, but from Kaka, it was quite unexpected.
"He came from Milan. Think about Milan during that period..." Ramos grinned.
Maldini, Nesta, Gattuso, Stam, Ambrosini, Seedorf, etc.
Anyone who hung around with those guys couldn't have a good temper.
Kaka just had a slightly stronger tolerance.
But if you touch Suker, just wait and see if he beats you up!
"How are you?" Kaka walked to Suker's side, asking worriedly.
The others also gathered around.
Ever since Suker went down, he had been slow to get up, and they feared he was injured.
At this moment, Suker covered the side of his face with one hand, then suddenly opened his index and middle fingers, revealing a gap through which Suker's sly eye could be seen.
Suker winked at Kaka, quietly giving a thumbs up.
Kaka was exasperated; just as he was about to laugh, Suker kicked his calf.
'Keep pretending! I haven't even gotten my penalty yet!'
Kaka sighed inwardly, then turned and started yelling again.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The Referee's whistle blew continuously. He pointed to the penalty spot and simultaneously showed Godin a red card.
Whoosh!!!!!!!!!!!!—
The entire Calderón Stadium erupted.
Atlético Madrid fans angrily protested the Referee's decision, believing it shouldn't be a penalty.
But the Referee showed no reaction. In his view, Godin had already lost his balance but still deliberately collided with Suker, who was already in the air.
Just like Kaka's rage, this action was a dangerous one that warranted a red card.
A red card plus a penalty—Atlético Madrid was truly in danger now.
Suker stood up with Kaka's help. His eyebrows furrowed slightly; there was a stinging pain in his lower back, and every time he moved, there was a sharp sting.
Suker twisted and stretched his waist.
Hiss~~~
Suker couldn't help but gasp.
Damn it!
Injured!
But he didn't dare show it. He just had to get through 30 minutes.
Kaka handed the ball over. Suker took it, then took a deep breath and slowly walked towards Bale.
Suker shoved the ball into Gareth Bale's arms.
"You do it!"
Gareth Bale held the ball, staring blankly at Suker.
Suker: "Give those mocking bastards a taste of their own medicine!"
In this match, Gareth Bale was booed the most fiercely by the Atlético Madrid fans.
It wasn't just boos; there were verbal insults too.
Gareth Bale looked at Suker gratefully and nodded heavily.
Suker turned to leave, subconsciously touching his waist, then grimaced and rubbed his ankle.
Of course, the latter was feigned.
"Suker's ankle is problematic!"
Ancelotti had been watching Suker closely; he naturally saw Suker constantly rotating his ankle and showing signs of pain.
"Substitute him!" Zidane also turned his head and said.
Ancelotti nodded, signaling the defender Carvajal to warm up.
Meanwhile, on the field, Gareth Bale stood at the penalty spot, taking a deep breath.
This was the first time he had stood at the penalty spot since his transfer.
Real Madrid's first penalty taker was Suker, and he had no right to compete with Suker.
But what he hadn't expected was that Suker would actually give him this penalty.
And what he had to do was not let Suker down, to calmly strike the ball into the goal.
The stadium was silent; Gareth Bale took continuous deep breaths, he could even feel his own heartbeat.
He resisted looking at the goal, and as the whistle blew, he suddenly rushed towards the penalty spot.
"Gareth Bale runs up, shoots~~~"
Gareth Bale's penalty was very decisive; he didn't aim for the corner but instead took a powerful shot.
The ball soared towards the upper part of the goal; this scene made Real Madrid fans gasp, but the next second, the ball hit the net at the top of the goal, and Gareth Bale scored with a powerful shot, Real Madrid once again extended their lead to 3:1 against Atlético Madrid.
"Gareth Bale converts the penalty, scoring Real Madrid's third goal, which is also his second goal of the match."
After scoring, Gareth Bale did not run to celebrate but actively sought out Suker.
Suker high-fived him, but when Gareth Bale went for a hug, he grabbed his shoulders and pushed him towards the Real Madrid fans' stands.
"Go! Enjoy this moment!"
Gareth Bale turned and looked at Suker with renewed gratitude.
Suker, meanwhile, let him be the protagonist of this match.
Gareth Bale rushed towards the stands, igniting cheers from the Real Madrid fans.
Taking advantage of this, Suker turned to look at the coaching bench, and sure enough, Ancelotti made a substitution gesture towards him.
Suker also immediately nodded.
If he were to continue playing now, he wouldn't be able to.
The pain in his waist was becoming increasingly intense.
In the 78th minute, Suker was substituted.
However, no one was surprised; his performance in this match had already been excellent.
One assist, one goal, and he successfully created a penalty and a red card.
It could be said that he thoroughly caused trouble for Atlético Madrid.
Now, with Atlético Madrid playing with one less player, Real Madrid had essentially secured the victory and no longer needed Suker to attack.
After Suker left the field, he immediately followed Zidane into the player tunnel and returned to the locker room.
This action also aroused suspicion from many people, who wondered if Suker was injured?
Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone back to the locker room, would he?
On the other side, in the locker room, the team doctor carefully examined Suker's wrist.
"Does it hurt?"
"It hurts!"
"Really hurts?"
"Really hurts!"
The team doctor looked at Suker suspiciously, then he twisted Suker's wrist, and the latter grimaced.
"Alright, it should be a sprain. We'll bandage it to fix it, and after the match, we'll go to the hospital for a thorough examination."
The team doctor delivered the diagnosis.
Suker also took a deep breath; as long as they didn't check his waist, it was fine.
That was a real injury!
Slap!
As luck would have it, Zidane forcefully slapped Suker's back, and the latter almost fainted from the pain.
"Good job, you single-handedly messed up Atlético Madrid's defense."
Suker lowered his head and said nothing.
Zidane: "What's wrong?"
Suker still kept his head down, mumbling: "I feel like I didn't play too well."
Zidane sighed: "You've been excellent, don't put too much pressure on yourself!"
Slap!
Zidane once again forcefully slapped Suker's back, encouraging him: "You are the best!"
Suker's vision went black, and he cursed inwardly.
Zidane! You old man!
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Three whistles, and the match ended!
After 90 minutes of play, Atlético Madrid lost to Real Madrid 1:3 at home.
They had managed to pull back a goal with great difficulty, but under Suker's relentless bombardment, they once again fell into disarray.
One by one, the Atlético Madrid players squatted on the ground, their faces full of bewilderment.
So, how exactly can they defeat Real Madrid?
They felt they had done well enough, but they still couldn't win.
They had hoped to overcome that mental hurdle with this match, but instead, it was sealed even tighter.
Simeone moved among his players, comforting each one.
He didn't know if it would work, but it was better than doing nothing.
Finally, Simeone turned to look at the Real Madrid players preparing to leave the field, letting out a long sigh.
The impact of this match was significant.
It might even affect these players' form in League matches against other teams.
The Champions League was the same; Simeone needed to do something to boost morale.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, was delighted; they defeated Atlético Madrid away from home and reached the top of the League table, and although it was only the seventh round, they were very satisfied.
When they returned to the locker room, they found Suker was not there.
"Where did Suker go?" Srna asked.
Zidane: "He went to the restroom."
Only then did everyone nod.
After they had showered, Suker finally arrived.
Suker went to the restroom to avoid his teammates; Zidane's two slaps had caused him excruciating pain, not to mention these heavy-handed teammates.
Once the State Recovery Card had cooled down, Suker returned refreshed.
However, his wrist was still bandaged; after all, he had to keep up appearances.
"So, you're really injured?"
Suker nodded: "When I landed, I supported myself with my hand and twisted it!"
"You should also be careful; if you're hit from behind, you might injure your spine."
Srna reminded him.
Suker nodded, indicating he would be careful.
At this moment, Benzema walked over, showing his bandaged left hand.
"We're the same!"
Suker rolled his eyes.
Benzema, ever since he started treating the bandage as a lucky charm, has worn it in every match.
Now it's completely healed, but he still wears it.
"Gentlemen, after you pack your bags, we should head back."
Ancelotti finished his post-match interview and walked in. After speaking, he walked towards Suker, looked at Suker's wrist, and asked, "How is it?"
"It's just a sprain!"
Ancelotti visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
A wrist injury wouldn't affect the match; if it were another position, it wouldn't be so pleasant.
Ancelotti patted Suker's shoulder: "For the upcoming matches, I'll put you in rotation. You should rest and recover well!"
Suker was immediately helpless.
Rotation again!
Was he resting too much this season?
However, Suker didn't mind that much; after all, it was only the beginning of the season, and more rest wasn't a bad thing.
The second half of the season was the crucial time!
After Real Madrid played their seventh match, they had almost no rest time.
After all, three days later, another major battle was coming.
They would travel to the British Isles, to Stamford Bridge in London, to face Mourinho's Chelsea.
This was also Mourinho's return to his old club after six months of rest.
The Blues entered Mourinho Era 2.0 mode!
And this time, Mourinho also declared that in this match against Real Madrid, they would do everything to win.
He also stated that he knew Real Madrid well enough, so Chelsea would inevitably gain a tactical advantage.
This was true!
After all, Real Madrid's defense was personally built by Mourinho.
Whether it was the use of Pepe and Marcelo, or Ramos being converted to a center-back, these were all Mourinho's doing.
Srna was even a player personally brought in by Mourinho!
However, Real Madrid's current defense also had some minor changes, plus the change in midfield and attacking style, which would also give Mourinho a headache!