"A Clash of Geniuses! Who Will Reign Supreme—Real Madrid's Crown Prince Su Hang or Roma's New King Cassano?"
"Su Hang vs. Cassano! A Glimpse at the Next Decade of Spain vs. Italy's Striking Power!"
The football atmosphere across Europe was electric.
With most groups already decided, the few remaining matches that still mattered were drawing the biggest attention.
Over fifty media outlets were broadcasting live from the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
The stadium, with a capacity of 100,000, had drawn a crowd of 80,000.
That was remarkable, considering Roma's poor form this season had kept their average attendance below 40,000.
And this game meant nothing for Roma—they had been eliminated long ago.
For Real Madrid, it was a do-or-die battle, but for Roma, it was irrelevant.
Even so, 80,000 Roma fans had shown up.
Part of it was the sheer pull of Real Madrid's Galácticos.
The other part was the return of Su Hang.
Many Italians were eager to see whether this player—hailed by the Spanish media as a near-mythical talent—could really live up to the hype.
Could Spain really produce a superstar?
Impossible!
Only Italy—and Serie A—produced true superstars.
Real Madrid's Ronaldo and Zidane? Both bought from Serie A.
Without Serie A, La Liga was nothing.
And yet they dared to claim it had surpassed Serie A as the best league in the world?
Dream on!
...
Stadio Olimpico, Rome
The players of both teams lined up to walk out onto the pitch.
Without exception, the Roma players' eyes went straight to Su Hang.
Because… his right eye was still bruised.
Honestly, Su Hang found it a little embarrassing.
This was his first appearance in front of Italian fans—
And he was sporting half a panda eye.
"Looks like he really did get into it with Roberto Carlos," Cassano said to De Rossi as they chatted.
"So… did he win or lose?" asked Pelizzoli.
"Samuel said Su almost killed Roberto Carlos if Carlos hadn't backed down," Totti revealed, sharing some inside information.
Samuel, of course, had been a Roma player before moving to Real Madrid.
His return to Rome was itself one of the subplots of the match.
"Huh?" Totti's eyes shifted to Su Hang's arm—and his pupils narrowed.
That was…
the captain's armband!
What on earth was going on?
Had Su fought Roberto Carlos or Raúl?
How did the captain's armband end up on his arm?
When the players took the field, the commentators were equally stunned.
"Oh! We can see the Real Madrid captain's armband on Su Hang's arm!"
"My God! He's the captain for this match!"
"That's right! With Raúl injured, and both Guti and Salgado on the bench, Su Hang is the only player on the pitch eligible to wear the captain's armband."
"This must be a new record for Real Madrid's youngest on-field captain—Su Hang is only nineteen!"
"From earlier reports, he seems to have some leadership qualities."
"This match could be the real test of that leadership!"
Still, no one truly believed it.
Nineteen years old… lead this group of Galácticos?
Not a chance.
"Alright, folks, with the referee's whistle, we're underway."
"Roma are taking this very seriously—full-strength lineup. For them, this is about pride!"
"Totti partners Cassano up front."
"In midfield, from left to right: Perrotta, De Rossi, Dacourt, and Mancini."
"The back line: Candela, Dellas, Cufré, and Panucci."
"In goal: Pelizzoli."
"Real Madrid stick with their three-man defense—Simón knows this setup well."
"Up front: Su Hang, Ronaldo, and Owen."
"Midfield: Solari, Zidane, Beckham, and Figo. Roberto Carlos remains suspended and is not in the squad."
"The back three: Woodgate, Samuel, and Helguera."
"In goal: Casillas."
Bang!
Before the commentator even finished reading the lineups, Totti suddenly unleashed a thunderous strike from distance.
But Casillas, ever the world-class keeper, held it securely.
Still, Roma's home advantage had them playing with fire in their veins.
As soon as Casillas played the ball to Woodgate, Roma pressed high.
Totti and Cassano sliced straight through Woodgate's options, forcing him to attempt a pass to Solari—
Only for De Rossi, charging forward from midfield, to intercept cleanly.
Totti and Cassano surged forward like twin arrows, cutting straight through Madrid's back line.
Real's defense was in complete disarray.
What had started as De Rossi looking for a pass ended with him carrying the ball right to the edge of the box—
With no one marking him!
Bang!
De Rossi let fly from range.
Casillas dove full stretch, but couldn't get a hand to it.
"GOAL! Roma! That's the Roma spirit!"
"De Rossi with a stunning strike straight through Real Madrid's goal!"
"A strike that embodies Roman pride!"
"Real Madrid are headed for disappointment today!"
"Because Roma aren't giving them a single point!"
"De Rossi has justified the faith placed in him. After the departure of world-class defensive midfielder Emerson, the 21-year-old took over the role as Roma's starter."
"Many have criticized him, blaming Roma's slump this season on his lack of defensive solidity."
"But fair's fair—De Rossi is absolutely a capable starter, and today he's proving it again!"
On the pitch, Zidane cast a glance at Woodgate.
The man's flaws were becoming harder to ignore.
His distribution was dreadful.
Zidane had just given him a perfect passing lane, but Woodgate hadn't seen it.
Even if he had, he probably couldn't have made the pass.
England had been producing quite a few underperformers lately.
In the 8th minute, Zidane slid a pass through to Ronaldo, whose shot from distance earned a corner.
Beckham took it, finding Woodgate for a header—but it sailed just over the bar.
In truth, Su Hang had been in a better position.
But Beckham, influenced by his England teammate, went to Woodgate first.
It's common—national teammates often have better chemistry at club level.
It's also one of the reasons Ronaldo didn't object to Roberto Carlos turning Real Madrid into a Brazilian enclave.
The more national teammates he had at Madrid, the more Brazil could dominate the international stage—
The kind of dominance that even Zidane's France couldn't stop.
And it also solidified Ronaldo's role at the heart of Brazil's national team.
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