The camera shifts.
At the far post, Real Madrid's left back Roberto Carlos bursts into the box.
He charges from behind the unsuspecting Geremi straight to where the ball is about to drop.
Bang!
The ball arrives!
The man arrives!
Carlos swings that massive left thigh of his—thicker than some players' waists—and unleashes a thunderous strike!
The angle was tight, but no one anticipated it—it looked like a strike straight from the training ground!
And how could the world's best left back, famed for his attacking play, possibly fail here?
Whoosh!
The ball rockets into the Chelsea goal at the near post.
By the time Chelsea's players turned their heads, all they saw was the white ripple of the net.
"GOAL! Four-four! Real Madrid have done it!"
"Just one more goal!"
"Su Hang's cross was brilliant! Apart from him, none of Real Madrid's forwards are great in the air, so he didn't force Owen or Raúl into a tough header."
"He spotted Carlos on the far side! His vision is incredible! Even our wide-angle camera didn't catch that Carlos still had a chance!"
"And what a strike from Carlos! No wonder he's called the best left back in the world!"
"Chelsea are in deep trouble now! If they concede again, they'll be knocked out!"
"But without a striker on the pitch, how can they score?"
"They've got no choice but to sit back and hold on. Their only hope is to survive these last few minutes!"
"I know it sounds simple—just defend for a few minutes. And Chelsea are one of the best defensive teams in Europe."
"But this is the Bernabéu! And their opponent is Real Madrid! A team that has already scored three tonight!"
"Right now, everyone believes Real Madrid can still find another goal!"
"This is electrifying! The unstoppable attack versus the immovable defense!"
Of course, calling Real Madrid the "unstoppable attack" was an exaggeration.
In truth, over the past two seasons, their firepower hadn't been Europe's best. Even this season in La Liga, their goal difference was smaller than Barcelona's.
But stereotypes die hard. With seven global superstars, Real Madrid's attack was still considered the fiercest. No one could match their talent up front.
...
90th minute. The stoppage-time board goes up.
Three minutes!
A routine figure.
Not ideal for Real Madrid. Most of their fans were expecting at least five.
Coach Luxemburgo stormed over to protest to the fourth official. Instead, he got a yellow card.
91st minute. The match shifts.
Chelsea, who had been nervy, suddenly grew confident.
Though still under siege, every time they won the ball, they hoofed it into Real Madrid's half to waste time.
A few more clearances like that, and the final whistle would blow.
Chelsea were on the brink of reaching the Champions League semifinals!
For them, this was historic. Chelsea were rapidly rising as a new giant of European football.
92nd minute. Chelsea had the ball.
Terry looked to clear long.
But Su Hang leapt right in front of him.
If Terry went through with the kick, the ball might ricochet off Su Hang straight back into Chelsea's box—a disaster waiting to happen.
To be safe, Terry pulled back and rolled it to Cech instead.
But as Su Hang landed, without even seeing the pass, he immediately sprinted towards the ball.
He had predicted Terry's decision!
The ball sped towards Cech.
Su Hang charged as well.
The ball was quicker.
Cech could have just blasted it long, but with little angle, it would probably gift Real Madrid a throw-in high up the pitch.
So instead, he feinted.
A fake swing, shifting the ball the other way.
Su Hang was sold.
Cech then prepared to pass back to Terry again.
The little exchange had already burned precious seconds.
But as Cech's foot touched the ball, he caught the panic on Terry's face.
He realized too late.
He had already struck it.
Bang!
Bang!
Two sounds, almost as one.
But the cameras caught everything.
The moment the ball left Cech's foot, Su Hang—freshly shaken off—had already spun, burst forward, and launched into a flying block in one fluid motion!
So quick it was frightening!
The ball cannoned off Su Hang's foot and flew back.
Straight into Chelsea's net, behind Cech.
To the crowd, it seemed as though Cech had volleyed it straight into his own net.
Silence fell.
No one understood what had happened.
Then Su Hang rose, sprinted to the corner flag, arms waving.
He leapt high, twisted 180 degrees in mid-air, and crashed down like a god descending.
"Siuuuuuuu!"
A thunderous roar awoke the sleeping white dragon.
The Bernabéu erupted!
"GOAL!!!"
"Su Hang! He's done it again!"
"Cech with a huge blunder!"
"He thought he'd beaten Su Hang, but Su Hang spun, exploded forward, and blocked it into the net!"
"Cech and Su Hang combined for a fatal assist!"
"The aggregate is now 5–4! Real Madrid have turned it around!"
The stadium went wild.
Not just the fans—players too.
Unbelievable!
It was as if Su Hang knew from the start that Cech wouldn't simply clear it. He spun almost in sync with Cech's touch.
And his explosiveness—astonishing!
After turning, one push from his right leg launched him into a mid-air lunge.
He literally propelled himself airborne, blocking it from above.
Most players, after sprinting and turning, use all their strength just to fight inertia. Accelerating again instantly is nearly impossible.
But Su Hang did it.
Because he had… the Wind Chaser effect!
Thanks to Owen!
Forwards live and die by their explosiveness!
"The Real Madrid players have lifted Su Hang up!"
"They're tossing him into the air!"
"Oh, everyone is celebrating!"
"The Chelsea players didn't even try to stop it."
"There's still a little time left, but they know it's over!"
Sure enough, Terry, heavy-hearted, urged the referee to restart.
Real Madrid reluctantly shuffled back.
But within twenty seconds, Lampard's long-range strike sailed wide, and the referee blew: two short, one long.
Full time!
Real Madrid beat Chelsea 4–2 at the Bernabéu.
They overturned the tie from 1–2 to 5–4 on aggregate!
Chelsea were eliminated. Real Madrid marched into the Champions League semifinals!
On the sidelines, Mourinho stood frozen, glaring at Su Hang.
Unbelievable.
That guy's vision was sharper than the cameras.
...
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