In the tenth minute, Su Hang passed back to Solari, who threaded a ball through to Ronaldo.
Inside the penalty area, Ronaldo was brought down by De Las.
But the referee waved play on—no penalty.
He ruled that Ronaldo hadn't even touched the ball, so he wasn't in control of it.
Ronaldo protested and immediately got a yellow card for dissent.
"Hey! Why are you booking our player? I don't see how anything he did could have offended you!" Su Hang charged in, holding Ronaldo back while arguing with the referee.
"Don't think for a second this is just another game. This is a crucial match, and every decision you make should be weighed carefully, sir!"
Su Hang was making a point: sure, the ref could give Roma the home advantage—but he'd better not forget how many eyes were on this game. Every call would be scrutinized afterward.
The referee shot Su Hang a glare, but inside, he was already regretting that yellow card for Ronaldo. Yeah… that one had been hasty.
From then on, his whistle was a bit more balanced—almost like a quiet make-up call for Real Madrid.
Casual fans might not have noticed, but the pros did. These subtle shifts often decide whether you score… or concede.
Su Hang's talk with the ref had worked. For the moment, he was doing exactly what you'd expect from a captain.
...
In the 31st minute, Ronaldo skipped past a defender and played it across to Owen on the right.
Owen went for goal from a tight angle—side netting.
In the 45th, Cassano whipped in a cross from wide. Casillas punched it clear.
De Rossi picked it up outside the box and unleashed another thunderbolt, but Samuel stretched out a leg to block it.
From the resulting corner, Su Hang headed the ball clear, and the halftime whistle blew.
Roma 1–0 Real Madrid.
If it stayed that way, Madrid would finish third in the group and drop to the Europa League—a humiliation they could hardly stomach.
At halftime, Simon tried to fire the team up, but the veterans weren't the type to rally to pep talks.
Su Hang, however, went from man to man—Zidane, Ronaldo, Figo, Beckham—pulling them together. By the time the second half started, they were united and ready to fight.
...
In the 47th minute, Solari pulled defenders left, then slipped it across to Zidane.
Zidane threaded a pass into the left side of the box for Su Hang.
Su Hang took it to the byline, deliberately avoiding Cufré instead of cutting inside.
At first, Cufré—spooked by Su Hang's "Crown Prince of Real Madrid" and "White-Clad God of Death" nicknames—had expected a dazzling inside cut. Instead, he thought—this guy's all talk.
That moment of misjudgment gave Su Hang his chance.
Bang!
Su Hang fired from a tight angle, but Cufré lunged and blocked it with his leg.
Cufré smirked inwardly. That's it? This is the guy they've been hyping to the heavens? Slow to the byline, average shot, no guts to cut inside—and I still read him like a book. Cassano would've buried that.
Bang!
Before Cufré could reset, Su Hang leapt and flicked a header back into the six-yard box.
By the time Cufré landed, the ball was already sailing over his head.
Alright, he thought, maybe the prince can jump.
A split-second later, Ronaldo launched himself forward—volley, net.
Whoosh!
Goal!
"GOAL! It's in!"
"A brilliant volley from Ronaldo—the almighty Phenomenon is back!"
"That was a tough shot, one only Ronaldo could pull off!"
"And credit to Su Hang for the assist—his headed flick was key!"
"Su Hang's game might not be flashy, but it's effective. That's why Madridistas petitioned to get him on the pitch!"
"Su Hang can fit with any striker! Fans have always wanted him with Ronaldo and Raúl in the 'Raul–Su–Ronaldo' trident!"
"But right now, the trio of Su Hang, Michael Owen, and Ronaldo is just as dangerous—MRS! Mister Su! I'd call it the 'Mr. Su Trio'!"
Good grief… these commentators could moonlight as comedy show hosts.
...
In the 58th minute, Figo dazzled on the wing and crossed.
Ronaldo went down again in the box.
No penalty.
Su Hang was on the ref in an instant, eyes hard.
"The contact wasn't heavy," the referee explained quickly. "Ronaldo looked like he went down on his own."
In other words—diving. And truth be told, that was exactly what it was.
If not for the earlier harsh yellow, Ronaldo might have been booked again.
After hearing the ref out, Su Hang motioned for his teammates to get back and defend.
It was exactly what you'd expect from a true captain.
...
In the 64th minute, Zidane slid a pass through.
Ronaldo blasted it over the bar.
The Phenomenon's patience was wearing thin.
Meanwhile, on the other group match, it was still 0–0. If Madrid drew 1–1 here, Leverkusen and Dynamo Kyiv would go through.
Roma could sense Madrid's restlessness.
...
In the 68th minute, a Madrid attack broke down, and Roma took possession.
Totti, deep in his own half, launched a pinpoint long ball to ignite a counterattack.
Upfield, bad boy Cassano and Woodgate jostled for position.
Cassano threw up an elbow in the tussle, catching Woodgate, then took control, pushed the ball ahead, and burst toward the box.
Samuel and Helguera were too far away to close him down.
One-on-one with Casillas—goal.
"Ohhh! Cassano! This is the Prince of Rome!"
"Brilliant from Cassano!"
"2–1! This is Roma's statement—they're dead set on dragging Madrid out of the Champions League!"
"Didn't Florentino say he was interested in Cassano? What about now—still interested?"
"All that hype about Su Hang before the match, and this is it? He's nowhere near Cassano's level!"
"Cassano's got way more spark than Su Hang!"
When the teams first met this season, Marca had reported Madrid's supposed interest in signing Cassano.
That was obviously bogus—Madrid wasn't short on forwards. Why would they sign another?
...
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