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Chapter 19 - Chapter 19: Barcelona, Get Out of the Bernabéu

90th minute.

Ronaldinho punished the "arrogant Real Madrid."

He dribbled laterally along the edge of the box, passed it back, and then darted into the penalty area.

Motta didn't even take a touch—he lofted a perfect through ball over the top.

Cambiasso, desperate to stop Ronaldinho from breaking into the box, had no choice but to pull him down.

The referee's whistle blew instantly.

A collective groan echoed through the Bernabéu.

Because Cambiasso already had a yellow card.

The referee pulled out another.

Two yellows became a red.

Cambiasso was sent off.

His eyes were red with emotion. He feared that his sending-off might cost Real Madrid the match.

"Hey, Cambiasso!" Su Hang ran up, threw an arm around his shoulder and said, "You're a hero. You did the right thing."

"If you'd been just a second slower, Ronaldinho would've scored or won a penalty."

"Don't worry—we've got this!"

Then, Su Hang raised both hands over his head and started clapping, signaling the fans in the stands to give Cambiasso a round of applause.

Clap, clap, clap!

At first, some fans who had been blaming Cambiasso hesitated—but they started to clap.

The applause grew louder.

Then came cheers. Then chants of encouragement.

On the bench, Zidane muttered, "I knew it... That's Su's leadership. He just saved Cambiasso's career."

"If Cambiasso had gone down as the scapegoat in El Clásico, he'd be done for."

"Su Hang's applause turned him from villain to hero!"

Many Real Madrid substitutes nodded in agreement.

Everyone makes mistakes. What matters is having a teammate like Su Hang who steps up when it counts.

Su Hang was a real one.

On the other side, barcelona manager Rijkaard looked confused.

Wasn't Su Hang just trying to stall?

How could people interpret it like *that*?

Under complaints from Barcelona's players, the referee waved for Cambiasso and Su Hang to stop delaying the match.

Cambiasso left the field.

Real Madrid were down to **nine men**.

The game was barely playable at this point.

Any die-hard Real Madrid fan could only hope the whistle would come soon.

Winning? Out of the question.

A draw would be a miracle.

...

barcelona pounced.

They launched wave after wave of attacks, surrounding Real Madrid.

Every Madrid player dropped back to defend, but there were still plenty of gaps.

92nd minute.

Ronaldinho whipped in a cross from the wing.

Su Hang jumped to challenge Kluivert, and the header clattered off the crossbar.

94th minute.

Van Bronckhorst, far from home, reached the byline and crossed.

Casillas came flying out, punching the ball out of the box.

Borja gathered it near the edge and turned to start a counter.

Ronaldinho immediately hugged him tight to stop the break.

The ref gave Ronaldinho a yellow card.

Grinning, Ronaldinho flashed his white teeth and motioned for his teammates to drop back.

Casillas signaled for everyone to push into barcelona's half—he was taking the free kick himself.

Bang!

Casillas launched it long.

Bravo won the first header and knocked it to Roberto Carlos.

Carlos took off, brushing past Luis Enrique with raw pace.

Then he whipped in a sharp diagonal cross.

Su Hang, trapped between Cocu and Motta, could only flick a header back.

As he landed and tried to push forward, Cocu brought him down hard.

The referee put the whistle to his lips—but didn't blow.

Real Madrid still had possession.

Advantage played.

Beckham picked up Su Hang's header and fired a through pass to the left wing.

Carlos had drawn the defenders in, letting Guti slip in behind on the overlap.

Guti received the ball and immediately sent in a cross.

Reiziger, to his credit, went all out—diving in and getting a touch on the ball.

It popped up high, but not far.

The ball arced out toward the edge of the penalty area...

Where Su Hang—just knocked down by Motta—was staggering to his feet.

He looked up at the falling ball, twisted his body, swung his arms, and locked onto it with fierce determination.

At that very moment, every single player on the Madrid bench stood up.

Even the fans were on their feet.

All of them had the same image flash through their minds.

The 2002 Champions League Final.

Zidane, standing in that exact same spot, made the same movement toward a falling ball.

That night, Real Madrid conquered Europe.

Zidane struck from the heavens.

A goal from the stars.

Bang!

Su Hang swung his rarely-used **left foot** and struck the ball.

It flew like lightning into the top-left corner of the Barcelona goal.

Whoosh!

White waves rippled through the crowd like an ocean.

Zidane once said after that 2002 final that he would never score a goal like that again.

He wasn't lying.

But...

What if Zidane had been nine years younger?

Maybe he still could.

Boom!

The entire Bernabéu quaked—not with sound, but sheer emotion.

Eighty thousand fans trembled as one, shaking like an earthquake had hit.

Only when Su Hang turned and ran toward the bench with his arms wide open...

Only then did they realize this wasn't a memory.

This wasn't a dream.

It was real.

...

"GOAL! GOAL! GOAL!"

"Su Hang! Su Hang! It's Su Hang again!"

"Three–two! Su Hang scores a last-minute winner against Barcelona!"

"An absolute stunner! A definitive match-winner!"

"Hat trick! Su Hang wins El Clásico for Real Madrid with a hat trick!"

"He's now the youngest player to ever score a hat trick in El Clásico history!"

"Su Hang is running toward Zidane! He's overwhelmed with emotion!"

"Because this winning goal—was nearly identical to Zidane's legendary volley two years ago!"

"And more than that! With Zidane subbed off, it's like Su Hang inherited his spirit—he became Real Madrid's new front-line commander!"

"It's like destiny! Su Hang has been playing like Zidane himself these past few minutes!"

"Some said he couldn't pass, had no creativity! But in the final ten minutes, Su Hang played at the level of the best players in the world!"

"He's Real Madrid's new Zidane! A Zidane playing as a forward!"

The commentator was shouting like he'd lost his mind.

But no one could blame him.

The Bernabéu had lost its mind, too.

It was unbelievable!

Su Hang's performance was beyond words!

And Queiroz? You benched this guy for four straight games?

That's a crime!

...

"Wait! Su Hang's running toward Barcelona's side... what is he doing? Could it be..."

Yes!

Su Hang's plan to fake an injury had failed.

But now—he genuinely couldn't keep playing.

He'd already used up his Zidane Moment card.

If he kept going, his cover would be blown.

So...

Sorry, Puyol—it's time to fire the cannon.

"This is Real Madrid!" Su Hang roared at Puyol. "And I run the show here!"

"Barcelona—get out of the Bernabéu!"

"Doesn't matter how many times you show up—I'll make you lose every single time!"

Su Hang shouted like a madman.

And the Bernabéu roared with him.

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