Then the only option was to replace Su Hang.
But that's Su Hang!
Every rational Real Madrid fan knows Su Hang isn't the strongest player on this team.
On this forward line, he's probably the weakest.
But!
If you asked Real Madrid fans who they'd choose in a desperate moment, the answer would only be Su Hang!
Su Hang!
It's still Su Hang!
Trust Su Hang, and victory will come!
That 's fate!
And football itself is metaphysics!
The noise around the stadium grew louder.
Real Madrid fans began arguing among themselves.
75th minute.
Su Hang, standing in an offside position, headed the ball back. Ronaldo followed up with a shot, but the ball soared into the stands—well below his usual standard.
But that wasn't the important part.
What mattered was that after the shot, Ronaldo sat down on the pitch, clutching his knee.
The Real Madrid fans froze.
Damn it… which Su Hang fan jinxed him?
Could it really have worked?
"Oh! Ronaldo's knee seems to be troubling him!"
"This is bad! If he's injured without any contact, it usually means it's serious."
"Ronaldo has had too many recurring injuries these past few years."
"Oh! The team doctor is signaling for a substitution!"
"Luxemburgo looks grim. Real Madrid needs a goal, but their best striker has to come off!"
"Terrible news!"
Luxemburgo's assistant immediately contacted the fourth official to change the substitution.
Owen had originally been set to replace Su Hang.
But now he had to come on for Ronaldo instead.
Meanwhile, Raúl replaced Figo, who had actually played decently.
Figo's Vertical Burst was most effective when he had space to accelerate, but Chelsea's compact formation left him with no room to break through.
Bringing on Raúl, an opportunistic forward, might prove more useful.
As Raúl entered, Su Hang ran over, slipped the captain's armband off his own arm, and placed it on Raúl's.
The stadium erupted in applause.
Su Hang showed proper respect for his captain.
Truth be told, he could have easily "forgotten" to return the armband, citing the tense game and not wanting to waste time.
But Su Hang didn't.
81st minute.
During a stoppage, Chelsea made a change as well.
They took off Didier Drogba and brought on defensive midfielder Thiago Mendes.
That left Chelsea with five defenders, five midfielders, and zero forwards.
Unbelievable!
The commentators were stunned.
This was the Champions League quarter-final!
Did Chelsea really not care about their reputation?
How could they make such a move?
After the match, the football world would rip them to shreds!
It was an absolute disgrace!
They could have at least dropped Drogba deeper into midfield or even into a holding role.
But instead, they openly revealed their plan to bunker down.
This…
"Ding! You have activated Zidane's early-stage special effect 'Full Concentration'. For the next ten minutes, your vision is raised to Level 10!"
Su Hang's eyes lit up as his field of vision expanded.
He rarely triggered Full Concentration.
Most of the time, he was only a substitute.
And even when he started, he often lingered in offside positions to avoid receiving passes.
So it was almost impossible for him to rack up enough passes to activate it.
But today, with Chelsea defending so deep, Su Hang had no chance to linger offside.
He was fully involved in passing and link-up play.
Originally, Su Hang thought Level 8 and Level 10 vision wouldn't make much difference.
But after experiencing it, he realized—there was no going back.
It felt like he had eyes in the back of his head.
The clarity was on a whole different level.
It was 4K for sure.
That Level 8 vision? Utter garbage.
He couldn't even spy properly on the girls' dorm next door!
Zidane: The girls' dorm? What the hell… You're using my gift for this??
86th minute.
Now fully adapted to the thrill of Level 10 vision, Su Hang suddenly spotted a chance out of nothing.
He dropped back into midfield and pressed Thiago Mendes, signaling his teammates to join in.
Zidane, Raúl, Guti, and the others instantly swarmed.
Mendes' passing options shrank rapidly.
He had no choice but to play it sideways to the retreating Lampard.
But just as he released the ball—
Su Hang turned sharply, as if he had predicted the pass, and charged straight at Lampard.
Lampard didn't even have time to bring it under control, let alone pass it back.
He had to let it roll past and use his body to shield Su Hang, trying to take possession.
He held him off for barely a second.
Just as he prepared to nudge the ball clear—
Su Hang suddenly launched into a sliding tackle.
Tackling from such close quarters was incredibly difficult.
Too close, and it's almost always a foul.
Too slow, and the opponent would easily poke the ball away first.
But Su Hang's move completely caught Lampard off guard.
And the execution was top class.
Fans with sharp memories would recall Cannavaro's masterclass against Juventus.
This was right up there with that.
Su Hang: Bingo! That's Cannavaro's flying tackle!
Bang!
Su Hang not only won the ball but also kept it under control at his feet.
Lampard was sent tumbling, rolling across the turf.
Chelsea players immediately raised their hands, shouting for a foul.
But the referee didn't budge.
He had been right there, and saw everything clearly.
Su Hang's tackle was clean, crisp, and frighteningly good!
Was he a center-back before?
Bang!
Su Hang passed to Guti nearby, then sprinted forward.
Guti fed Beckham.
Beckham carried the ball forward two steps, as Su Hang overlapped on the outside.
Beckham immediately laid it off to him.
Su Hang now had a clear chance on the wing, with no defender near him.
Gallas had chosen to mark Beckham off the ball instead of Su Hang with the ball.
After all, Su Hang wasn't supposed to be a threat out wide.
But Beckham… if Su Hang laid it back to him, that trademark curling strike could be deadly!
Bang!
Su Hang whipped in a cross.
And it actually looked like a proper cross!
Terry froze, stunned by the ball's arc.
Wait a minute—wasn't Su Hang supposed to be terrible at crossing?
Even Mourinho looked like he'd seen a ghost.
That technique… maybe not brilliant, but at least a standard cross!
Why would a target man striker waste time practicing crosses?
Cross to himself and head it in?
"Oh! Su Hang with the cross!"
"Oh no! Too long!"
"Su Hang isn't a natural winger, his crossing still lacks precision."
"With that delivery, it's hard to tell who he was even aiming for."
"Owen's at the near post—no chance."
"Raúl's at the penalty spot—too far away."
"Wait! Roberto Carlos!"
...
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