The Power Throw-in increased Su Hang's Offensive Awareness by 1 point.
This was a notable improvement, as Su Hang's attributes usually progressed only very slowly through training.
Currently, his stats were as follows:
Offensive Awareness: 77
Ball Control: 73
Shooting: 75
Long Pass: 72
Short Pass: 75
Heading: 78
Set Pieces: 80
Tackling: 75
Explosiveness: 77
Strength: 83
Jumping: 75
Vision: 8
=
March 13, La Liga Round 28.
The competition in La Liga had reached a fever pitch, and the picture was becoming clearer.
This season, Real Madrid and Barcelona were clearly stronger than the rest of the league. Traditional powerhouses like Valencia, Deportivo La Coruña, and Sevilla had fallen behind and realistically had no hope of winning the title. The gap between Real Madrid and Barcelona was razor-thin.
In this round, Real Madrid rotated heavily. The players were drained after the previous Champions League clash. With the match's intensity and duration, and on the advice of the team doctor, it was clear that without rest an injury crisis was looming.
In recent years, Real Madrid had already been plagued by frequent injuries to key players. Another injury crisis would be disastrous.
But even after rotating, Real Madrid slipped to a 2-1 defeat away at relegation-battling Getafe.
March 20, Round 29.
Real Madrid hosted Málaga at the Bernabéu.
Su Hang started and scored the only goal of the match, securing the victory. But aside from that goal, his performance was poor—he was practically invisible.
Still, with Figo and Zidane taking turns creating chances and feeding him the ball, it was impossible not to score.
Luxemburgo began to notice the problem. With Figo's resurgence and his growing chemistry with Zidane, most of the ball possession now went through the two of them.
And they clearly weren't too fond of the Brazilian clique. Not that they refused to pass to them, but whenever possible, they preferred finding Su Hang or Raúl first. Only then would Su Hang and Raúl look for Ronaldo.
As a result, the Brazilian clique's performances became rather average. Of course, this was also because Ronaldo was the primary focus of the opposition's defense.
April 3, Round 30.
Real Madrid traveled to face Albacete.
This should have been a routine win. In previous encounters, Albacete had been beaten so badly by Real Madrid that they were left with lasting psychological scars.
And that's exactly how it played out. In the opening 20 minutes, Ronaldo scored twice, one of them assisted by Su Hang.
But just as everyone expected Ronaldo to complete a first-half hat trick, disaster struck. In the 26th minute, Ronaldo went down and couldn't get back up. He had to be helped off by the team doctor.
Luxemburgo looked pale.
Two days later, Real Madrid were set to play their Champions League quarter-final.
He had only intended to give Ronaldo some minutes to maintain match fitness before substituting him at halftime. Instead, Ronaldo was now injured—and even in the best-case scenario, he would need at least a week to recover.
This season's Champions League quarter-finalists were:
Liverpool and Chelsea from the Premier League,
Inter Milan and AC Milan from Serie A,
Bayern Munich from the Bundesliga,
Real Madrid from La Liga,
PSV Eindhoven from the Eredivisie,
and Lyon from Ligue 1.
Real Madrid's opponent was none other than Chelsea, the Premier League powerhouse.
Chelsea's manager Mourinho had just led Porto to the Champions League title the previous year, instantly becoming the hottest coach in Europe.
Real Madrid had even considered him for their own bench, but talks broke down due to his rigid style of play and insistence on absolute control over the team.
After the Albacete match, reporters questioned Luxemburgo about Ronaldo's injury and his plans for Chelsea.
Luxemburgo insisted, "Ronaldo's injury isn't serious. There's a chance he could appear at Stamford Bridge."
When asked about Mourinho's tactics, he scoffed:
"Mourinho's tactics are a step backwards for football."
"I don't think such tactics should be encouraged."
"They kill people's passion for the game."
"We'll use attacking football to teach Chelsea what the real game is about!"
As a Brazilian, Luxemburgo was, of course, an advocate of artistic football. To him, Chelsea's defensive counter-attacking style was a disgrace to the sport!
...
April 4, Real Madrid flew to London.
But Ronaldo was not among the traveling squad. Luxemburgo's smokescreen had clearly failed. Ronaldo was out.
The media quickly lost confidence in Real Madrid.
Sky Sports: "Ronaldo remains Real Madrid's most lethal weapon—the most dangerous striker in world football today!"
BBC: "Without Ronaldo, their top scorer, Real Madrid could suffer a fatal blow!"
The Times: "Chelsea's defense is terrifying. Only the very best attackers can break them down. Without Ronaldo, Real Madrid are like a spear without a tip—it will be very difficult to score at Stamford Bridge!"
The Echo: "People have been praising Su Hang's performances, but the truth is every team's number one defensive target has always been Ronaldo. Without him, Su Hang may not shine the same way under tight defensive pressure!"
Spanish media, however, still had faith in Real Madrid.
For Su Hang, this was the perfect chance to prove himself.
But ninety minutes later, Stamford Bridge erupted with wild celebrations.
Mourinho was caught on camera fist-pumping in triumph. Chelsea fans roared, "We did it!"
The scoreboard read 2-1. The home team had won.
Chelsea had beaten Real Madrid 2-1 at Stamford Bridge!
For Su Hang, this was one of the rare defeats he suffered while wearing the white shirt.
He had started up front alongside Owen, but was substituted for Raúl in the 60th minute.
Later, Figo dribbled past multiple defenders before threading a perfect pass to Owen, who finished coolly one-on-one to give Real Madrid a vital away goal.
That goal could prove priceless. It meant that in the return leg at the Bernabéu, Real Madrid only needed a 1-0 win to eliminate Chelsea.
The press began debating Real Madrid's priorities.
Clara from Marca bluntly stated:
"Real Madrid have now reached the most crucial stage of the season. Back in January, they were eliminated from the Copa del Rey. Now, they must choose between La Liga and the Champions League. You can't have both."
"The league is entering the final sprint, and this year's relegation battlers are especially fierce. They're playing with everything they have, which could easily injure Real Madrid's key players."
"Therefore, we believe focusing on the Champions League is the smarter choice."
Even Barcelona's mouthpieces, Mundo Deportivo and Sport, encouraged Real Madrid to give up on La Liga. After all, that would dramatically increase Barcelona's chances of winning the title.
...
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