Su Hang isn't charging forward?
Then… who's he passing to?
Figo?
But Kolo Touré is glued to Figo—how could Su Hang possibly get the ball to him?
You've got to be joking!
Fabregas turned his head toward the front line.
The moment Su Hang's pass touched down, it curved sharply along the turf.
A J-shaped pass was born.
Figo on the left, Su Hang on the right.
Touré was running parallel with Figo, yet the curve of that pass bent right around him.
Seeing interception was impossible, Touré lunged into a slide tackle, stretching out in hopes of cutting the ball off.
But he missed it by inches.
Figo picked up the ball and burst into the box—another one-on-one chance!
Thud!
Facing Almunia, Figo fired a low shot without hesitation.
The ball slipped past the keeper's fingertips and into the net.
For a superstar like Figo, finishing such a chance was second nature.
"GOAL!"
"Figo again!"
"The Portuguese maestro is on fire today!"
"Dribbles, cuts inside, one-on-ones, drawing yellows and reds, scoring—he's done it all!"
"But what's even more surprising is Su Hang—that curving pass was absolutely brilliant."
"Fabregas gave him far too much space—Arsenal's future core was careless there."
"Two-nil! Real Madrid now lead Arsenal by two goals!"
"This almost seals Arsenal's Champions League fate."
"So fast! The first half isn't even over, yet the suspense is gone."
"Even without Ronaldo, Madrid's attack hasn't weakened. Figo's proving his leadership perfectly! And Su Hang—he's becoming a complete threat: passing, shooting, and dribbling!"
Moments later, the referee booked Arsenal's right midfielder, Freddie Ljungberg.
That tackle definitely warranted a yellow.
In fact, if not for Arsenal's situation and being a man down already, the referee might well have shown red.
The first half ended 2–0.
At the Bernabéu, fans sang and danced.
For the first time since May 2002—after four long years—Real Madrid were back in the Champions League final.
A journey as long as the gap between World Cups and Euros.
...
The second half began, and Arsenal still had no better plan.
They could only rely more heavily on their talisman, Thierry Henry.
In the 48th minute, Henry moved to the left flank, beat his man with a few feints, and breezed past Salgado.
Already on a yellow, Salgado couldn't risk another foul.
Thankfully, Beckham tracked back and brought Henry down with a tactical foul.
The referee gave Beckham a warning—he was lucky to escape a card.
Arsenal earned a dangerous free kick, and they threw everyone forward once again.
This time, it paid off.
Henry whipped the ball into the box, and Sol Campbell rose highest to head it home.
2–1.
Arsenal clawed one back—but they still needed two more.
In the 56th minute, Arsenal launched another counterattack.
Gravesen brought down Hleb and was shown a yellow card for a tactical foul.
Cards were piling up on both sides—Madrid had to be careful not to lose a man.
That break gave Arsenal a brief moment to breathe.
By the 62nd minute, after five minutes of reprieve, Real Madrid struck again.
Su Hang dropped deep to receive Beckham's long pass. Using his strength, he shielded the ball from Gilberto Silva's press, acting as a pivot.
Once Figo pulled wide, Su Hang played the ball across to him.
Figo faked a run to the byline, then cut inside sharply—only to be brought down by Eboué.
Yellow card for Eboué.
Real Madrid had a free kick in a perfect spot.
And of course, their best free-kick taker—Beckham—was on the pitch.
Right time, right place.
Beckham stepped up and unleashed a perfect Banana Free Kick, channeling his Manchester United roots to strike down Arsenal once more.
"Three-one! Say his name—David..."
"Beckham!"
"That beautiful curling Banana Free Kick! The Beckham curve lights up the Bernabéu again!"
Arsenal's brief resurgence evaporated instantly.
They'd fought so hard for a goal, only for Madrid to answer effortlessly.
It felt just like grinding all month for a 3,000–5,000 salary while someone else makes that in a day through livestream sales.
It kills your spirit.
Might as well give up.
As fatigue set in, Arsenal's players began to fade.
Ten men against eleven—it was inevitable.
They had to run harder to cover the missing man, and that takes its toll.
In the 71st minute, Su Hang dropped to the right to receive the ball.
He absorbed Ashley Cole's challenge, spun inside, and pinned Cole to his flank.
A quick brace of his arm and a low drive of his back—Portugal's king unleashed his special effect, the Running Posture of the King of Portugal.
In an instant, the accompanying effect, Leave Them in the Dust, activated.
Even Cole, famed as the Premier League's fastest and one of its strongest, could only stumble behind, unable to close him down.
Su Hang's tank-like charge forced Sol Campbell to cover.
Su Hang sent a diagonal pass to Figo.
Figo received, feinted a shot—
Given how brilliant he'd been all match, both Kolo Touré and Almunia dove to block.
But it was a feint—he passed instead.
The ball rolled across the box to Cassano, who calmly slotted it into the empty net.
"Four-one!"
"Arsenal have no fight left!"
"And look—Figo's been involved in all four goals! Two goals, one assist, and even Beckham's free kick came from a foul on him!"
"This old warhorse has been charging nonstop since his return—how much fuel does he have left in the tank?"
"Oh! Arsenal are making their final substitutions."
Bergkamp replaced Hleb.
Van Persie came on for Gilberto Silva.
They'd abandoned structure and defense—throwing everything into attack.
But even the most loyal Gunners fans couldn't feel hopeful now.
Even with an extra man, it wouldn't have mattered.
At the same time, Real Madrid made their own changes.
Robinho replaced the veteran Figo.
The Bernabéu erupted in long, thunderous applause.
Figo was undoubtedly the man of the match.
Guti and Pavón came on for the booked Gravesen and Salgado.
With that, Real Madrid shifted from their 4-3-1-2 to a 4-4-2 formation.