Having scored the second goal, and a beautiful one at that, Suker was quite satisfied.
Of course, if he were more extreme, he could have scored again, but Suker was clear that he couldn't apply any more pressure; if he over-pressured, Arsenal would explode!
Because of this, Real Madrid's tempo finally began to slow down.
As for Arsenal, they had almost lost all their fighting spirit and momentum.
They had considered a comeback, but that only existed in a very, very, very ideal scenario, and now there wasn't even a hint of a reversal.
The remaining time could almost be called garbage time.
Arsenal could, at most, use the remaining time to try and salvage some face on the field.
Real Madrid also understood this very well; in the 87th minute, Arsenal utilized Cazorla's breakthrough, and Giroud scored with a push-shot, securing a goal to save face.
But the final score still showed a huge difference, and there was no hope of a comeback whatsoever.
"The match is over, Arsenal has very little time left, and this match has been a huge blow to Arsenal. In their games against Real Madrid, their performance in both legs wasn't spectacular; in fact, they couldn't even play at the tempo they wanted."
"I don't know how to evaluate this match, but from Real Madrid's perspective, they have already shown the makings of a champion!"
"Ancelotti has done very well, completely polishing this Real Madrid team in just half a season. Of course, this also builds on Real Madrid's inherent foundation."
The English commentator looked up at the clock again; injury time was about to end.
The next second, the Referee's whistle blew.
"The full match is over! Let's congratulate Real Madrid; they defeated Arsenal in both legs and successfully advanced to the Champions League quarterfinals!"
"These two matches didn't put too much pressure on Real Madrid, but the upcoming matches will be even tougher, which requires Real Madrid players to remain sufficiently cautious!"
"But they can celebrate now; this match was played wonderfully, especially Suker's world-class shot—that was truly spectacular!"
The full match ended, and Real Madrid successfully won the game.
In these two matches, Real Madrid played very comfortably, with no overall mistakes, controlling all the key moments.
This also further boosted their morale, making them look forward to future matches even more.
And for Real Madrid fans, these two matches also greatly increased their confidence.
Although last season's Real Madrid also maintained sufficient strength.
But at that time, the internal environment had problems, and they faced many unpredictable things, ultimately being eliminated with regret.
However, this season, judging from their current performance, the players are playing better and better, and their overall cohesion is also very strong, which will certainly allow them to go further in the Champions League, and even reach the top again.
Having won the match, Real Madrid's players were also very happy.
But Suker did not accept any interviews, which left reporters somewhat disappointed.
However, they did not give up; instead, they gathered at the post-match press conference, hoping to ask questions to the two Head Coaches.
At the post-match press conference, Wenger looked a bit haggard.
This haggardness was visible to the naked eye, as they had just played a terrible match.
In fact, Wenger himself admitted that it was a terrible match.
However, he did not shift the blame to the players but took responsibility himself.
He stated that the loss of the match was due to differences in tactics and form.
And as the Head Coach, he should have closely monitored the players' form, but they failed to do so, failing to show the fans the best side of the players, which was their responsibility.
Of course, this felt a bit like taking on too much, but Wenger was just that kind of person.
Rather than letting the players fall into public controversy, it was better for him to take on these responsibilities and bear the pressure.
At the very least, he believed he had stronger stress resistance than these players.
At the same time, Wenger also commented on Real Madrid and Suker.
"These two matches were very difficult; this difficulty came from multiple aspects. Tactically, we couldn't form a counter, and the players' form couldn't be adjusted in time."
"Of course, there's also the reason for the individual players'break out, yes, it's Suker!"
"How to evaluate Suker? I don't need to say much more; he is a phenomenal player. So-called limitations are just an illusion; at least, so far, I haven't seen any team successfully limit Suker. But it's not just Suker; the other Real Madrid players also played very well, so this defeat was inevitable!"
"I will not look for excuses for failure; Real Madrid played better than us, and that is the reason for their victory."
Regarding the questions about Suker, Wenger said a bit more.
The Professor still had a good temper; facing some difficult questions from the media, he responded to each one, showing no sign of leaving in a huff.
However, his responses also showed extreme helplessness.
Of course, there was also the perennial question: that Arsenal was very close to Suker back then.
To this, Wenger said with a smile: "We are close to all top players, but not all players will come to play for Arsenal. As for Suker, I admire that kid, and I also imagined him playing for Arsenal. Although it wasn't successful, his current performance is also very spectacular, and I am happy for him!"
These words once again elevated Wenger's stature, but Wenger no longer responded to the subsequent questions.
Perhaps he was truly tired; after a greeting, he left.
But no one said anything, after all, Wenger had already responded enough.
As for Ancelotti, he hardly spoke throughout the entire process; he had nothing much to say, and saying too much would seem like showing off.
After Wenger left, he only responded to a few questions, but he did not go into too much detail.
When you win, you should be a bit low-key.
Therefore, Ancelotti only answered three questions before returning to the locker room.
Inside Real Madrid's locker room, it was still bustling with excitement.
Two exhilarating victories completely ignited the players' passion, and they were all jumping and cheering, making a great commotion.
Ancelotti also celebrated with the players for a while before urging them to wash up and then take the evening flight back to Spain.
Two more days passed, and the Champions League Round of 16 gradually concluded.
The final eight teams were confirmed as: Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Borussia Dortmund.
Three La Liga teams!
Three Premier League teams!
Two Bundesliga teams!
As for the traditional evergreen Serie A teams, all were eliminated.
AC Milan was the only Serie A team to reach the Champions League Round of 16, but they were cleanly dispatched by Atletico Madrid 5:1 over two legs.
The entire Champions League has now become a competition ground for La Liga, Bundesliga, and Premier League.
Among them, the Premier League, due to severe internal competition, cannot devote too much attention to the Champions League, which also leads to their lack of Champions League competitiveness.
And so far, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are the teams with the highest odds of winning the Champions League.
Barcelona also has many fans, and they also cheer for it, but in terms of competitiveness, they still have not met the standard.
What's more, they faced Atletico Madrid in the quarterfinals.
This team, hailed as the biggest dark horse of this season's Champions League, Atletico Madrid's unleashed energy is truly astonishing.
Especially in the League, Atletico Madrid is also on par with Barcelona this season.
Except for not being able to beat Real Madrid, this Atletico Madrid team seems to be evenly matched with anyone, including Bayern Munich.
Of course, this still needs to be played to know, and this is just the idea of many analysts and fans.
Real Madrid's opponent in the quarterfinals was also confirmed.
It is Borussia Dortmund from the Bundesliga!
They are also old rivals, always meeting in these past few seasons.
Klopp's Borussia Dortmund achieved brilliant results last season.
They even reached the Champions League final, finishing as runners-up, which greatly boosted Borussia Dortmund's reputation.
However, this also consumed a lot of their energy, and without winning the championship, they also lost some things.
For example, the departures of striker Robert Lewandowski and Götze dealt a significant blow to Borussia Dortmund.
These two left to seek a Champions League title, transferring to Bayern Munich for that purpose.
Last season's Champions League made them realize that it seemed only by joining Bayern could they fulfill their Champions League dream.
Of course, there was also Real Madrid, but compared to Bayern, La Liga was too far, the styles were not entirely the same, and adaptation was one aspect of the problem, not to mention severe internal competition.
To put it bluntly, they weren't very confident about establishing themselves at Real Madrid.
Although Real Madrid also extended an olive branch to them, they still chose the more familiar Bundesliga team over Real Madrid.
The departure of these two players caused some reduction in Borussia Dortmund's strength, but they still reached the Champions League quarterfinals thanks to Klopp's excellent leadership.
However, they faced the strong opponent Real Madrid in the quarterfinals, which was something they needed to take very seriously.
This was not last season's Real Madrid; there were no internal conflicts, and their overall cohesion had been mobilized.
If one had to compare, it was more like the Real Madrid team that won the Champions League twice in the previous two years, a team capable of suffocating opponents.
Klopp had also studied Real Madrid's matches, and honestly, the more he watched, the less confident he became.
Real Madrid had almost supplemented and improved every position; there were no observable weaknesses or shortcomings.
The most crucial aspect was their intense attacking ability!
The forward combination led by Suker—those three guys possessed the ability to tear apart any defense.
Facing Real Madrid's front line, it wasn't a question of whether to defend, but rather how long they could defend.
Defenses would eventually be torn open, no matter how strong they were.
Therefore, Klopp did not need to focus on researching this point.
Borussia Dortmund is located in Germany's Ruhr industrial region.
This was once an industrial city; if time could rewind, the sky above this city would be covered in a thick industrial fog, and the streets would be bustling with traffic.
However, present-day Germany is also undergoing a transformation, a battle of industrial restructuring; the former bustling scene is gone, many machines have stopped operating, the streets have become a bit quieter, and the air has become much fresher.
Borussia Dortmund's training ground is located next to a disused factory.
The area is not too large; compared to elite teams, Borussia Dortmund's facilities are relatively simple, but they also highlight a German meticulousness.
From the entrance, the entire internal road network is extensive and crisscrossing, all consisting of straight roads.
Some trees are planted on both sides of the roads, but they are not very lush; in spring, when everything revives, these newly grown tender leaves are neatly trimmed by the Germans.
Klopp's office is on the first floor.
Klopp still had his unkempt appearance; he stroked his chin, his fingertips running through his beard, making a rustling sound.
While stroking his beard, he looked at the information in his hand, and after a moment, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
"What a terrible draw!"
Klopp couldn't help but sigh.
Playing against Real Madrid was absolutely the worst situation; not even Bayern Munich would be this bad.
At the very least, they understood Bayern Munich; although the winning rate was not high, they knew how to play.
But facing Real Madrid, he truly had no idea.
Moreover, in the Champions League Round of 16, Real Madrid's two-leg matches against Arsenal, the explosive offensive power they displayed left him with lingering fear.
Could Borussia Dortmund withstand it?
No!
It should be, how long could they withstand it?
Knock knock!
A knock on the door sounded, and Klopp looked up and called out, "Come in?"
A player wearing a Borussia Dortmund training kit walked in.
This player's name was Nuri Şahin, a Turkey player, but a product of Borussia Dortmund's youth academy, who had just returned to Borussia Dortmund in the winter transfer window last season.
Şahin had a brief stint at Real Madrid, so Klopp wanted to get some inside information from him.
After understanding Klopp's intention, Şahin showed a wry smile.
"I'm sorry, I also want to provide you with some useful information, but I had limited playing time when I was at Real Madrid, and I didn't have many friends in the locker room either."
Şahin joined Real Madrid in 2011 for a fee of 10 million euros.
From then on, he began his journey as an invisible man.
In his one season at Real Madrid, he only made four appearances, all as a substitute, and never started a game.
And in the locker room, he was just a small, transparent figure, almost always alone, let alone mixing into Suker's circle.
Şahin evaluated his career at Real Madrid as a failure!
Şahin had a good relationship with Mandžukić and should have had a good relationship with Suker as well.
But that was not the case.
Suker would also talk to him, but it was more of a colleague relationship.
This relationship at most ensured he wouldn't be bullied at Real Madrid, but it didn't mean Suker would accept him into his circle.
To put it bluntly, his strength wasn't enough!
If Şahin's strength had been strong enough, Suker wouldn't have let a capable subordinate leave.
"Is that so~"
Klopp couldn't help but sigh.
Şahin shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, I couldn't help you!"
"It's okay," Klopp waved his hand and said, "I was just trying to understand. How's your recent form?"
After that, there was some casual conversation about his well-being, which didn't last long, and Şahin quickly left.
Walking out of the office, Şahin couldn't help but let out a breath.
Just then, his phone rang, and after Şahin answered, he heard Mandžukić's voice.
"You guys are really unlucky; you're playing Real Madrid next! Even we wouldn't say we're guaranteed to win against them."
Listening to Mandžukić's slightly boastful tone, Şahin couldn't help but curl his lips.
"How amazing you guys are! Weren't you still suppressed by them for two seasons!"
Mandžukić laughed and cursed, "What's it to you?"
Şahin was indeed not at Borussia Dortmund at that time.
His return this time was also to fill some positional vacancies due to the departure of key players like Götze.
Şahin and Mandžukić had a very good relationship; in the early days of Borussia Dortmund, they were as close as brothers.
However, later Mandžukić transferred to Bayern Munich, which made Şahin feel a hint of betrayal, and the two stopped contacting each other for over a year.
But they quickly resolved the misunderstanding and returned to their original good terms.
"I'm telling you, Suker is crazy right now," Mandžukić reminded him. "Last season they lost a lot of championships, and he also lost the Ballon d'Or. Now he's holding it all in; don't think his performance isn't that strong right now, but that's precisely why he's terrifying. I've never seen this guy in a slump; he's just holding it in, waiting to beat us!"
He paused, then said, "Of course, they'll beat you guys up first!"
Şahin retorted, "Why do we have to get beaten?"
After thinking for a moment, he sighed, "Alright, we have a higher chance of getting beaten."
"That guy felt bad too; I even greeted him, but he didn't help you. Otherwise, you would have stayed at Real Madrid."
Listening to Mandžukić's rambling, Şahin's face couldn't help but flush, and he immediately changed the subject.
This wasn't what he wanted to talk about; in fact, Suker had helped him, but he hadn't seized the opportunity.
He didn't want to bring that up because it was too embarrassing.
Moreover, his relationship with Suker wasn't particularly good; it was only out of consideration for Mandžukić that Suker helped him a little, which was considered a gesture of goodwill.
But he himself was not up to par, and he couldn't blame others for that.
In fact, Şahin really didn't want to bring up his experience at Real Madrid.
During that time, he suffered blows every day; he once thought he was a genius, fantasizing about carving out his own fame in football.
But at Real Madrid, he was constantly hit hard.
That place was not only a gathering place for geniuses but also a collection of monsters and freaks.
Being a genius was merely a threshold to enter Real Madrid; success or failure depended on whether one could ascend to the next level.