"This is the role of a superstar! This is Suker's value!"
"A crucial goal at a crucial moment!"
"For both sides, they want to score quickly, gain the advantage, and dominate the game!"
"This goal is not just about a simple score difference; it's a change in the overall rhythm that allows the scoring team to play more freely in the time that follows!"
"Especially for teams like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, they have multiple ways to kill the game when they take the lead, and now Real Madrid has this opportunity!"
"Bayern Munich's ability to adjust amazes us, but Real Madrid's performance in the game is even more stunning!"
"They seem to never treat pressure as a burden; even in such a critical situation, their performance remains so stable!"
"Especially Suker's handling of details in this attack, I think these things are key to the rapid growth of some young players. This is why Suker can become a five-time Golden Ball Winner!"
"He is too calm! It is precisely because of this calmness and composure that he can lead Real Madrid to victory again and again!"
The scene was a joyous celebration; Suker's goal made Real Madrid's players incredibly excited.
They knew what this goal meant; they had a very high probability of securing final away from home.
On the other hand, Bayern Munich understood that the situation had once again become severe.
Not only were they behind, but the situation had also become extremely passive.
It was just like the previous situation, always falling behind step by step, ultimately leading to a loss.
Before Bayern Munich could make any reaction, Real Madrid made a substitution first.
Kaka came off, and Isco came on.
There was a slight change in the midfield.
Kroos took the deep-lying defensive midfielder position, while Casemiro and Isco each occupied the left and right midfield areas.
Ancelotti had originally planned to substitute Casemiro, changing to a structure with three technical midfielders.
But he considered that in the current situation, players needed abundant physical stamina.
And Kaka's stamina was indeed running low.
Substituting Casemiro at this point would not only impact Kaka but also put more pressure on Srna.
Therefore, he kept Casemiro, allowing him to continue his defensive coverage on the flank.
At the same time, the attacking power on the left side was strengthened, and Kroos's deeper role as a defensive midfielder also contributed to stability.
Ancelotti truly would not give Bayern Munich any chance.
His control over the situation was also very appropriate.
Guardiola also saw this substitution and understood what Real Madrid was trying to do.
And he now only had one substitution left; trying to change the situation with it was truly too difficult.
"The boss wants you to control the tempo. You need to command the midfield, and if necessary, you can also have Suker drop back to support you!"
After Isco came on, he directly relayed Ancelotti's instructions to Kroos and Suker.
Suker nodded in agreement, indicating no problem.
He also knew that stability was the most crucial thing at this moment.
However, Kroos was clearly under great pressure.
The burden of controlling the remaining time was being placed on him.
Whether he could stabilize the tempo would depend on his performance.
Even Suker would provide cover for him for this purpose.
It must be said, this pressure was immense.
Kroos couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency.
'Can I do this?'
At this moment, Kroos's shoulder was gently patted by Suker. When the former turned his head, Suker pointed his index finger downwards and said:
"Think about where this is? Think about how you left here? Think about what someone here said to you? Don't you want to prove yourself?"
Upon hearing this, Kroos paused, and his eyes instantly became sharp.
Back then, Bayern Munich's general manager told him that he was not a world-class midfielder and refused to give him a raise.
The raise was secondary, but the denial of his own worth was the key reason for Kroos's departure.
"I know what to do!"
Kroos nodded, indicating that he understood.
Suker smiled: "Play boldly; we will all cooperate with you!"
On September 26, 2007, in the 7th round of the 2007-08 Bundesliga season, Bayern Munich hosted Cottbus.
Kroos always remembered this match; it was his debut for Bayern Munich and a solid step towards his dream.
At 17 years and 265 days old, Kroos became the youngest player to appear in Bayern's history at that time, and his debut was stunning.
A month later, in a Europa League group stage match between Bayern and Belgrade, Ottmar Hitzfeld unleashed Kroos in the 81st minute.
Bayern was trailing 1-2. Kroos went all out. In the 85th minute, Kroos took a free-kick, and Klose headed it in from inside the box, making it 2-2.
In the 92nd minute, Kroos scored another low free-kick, making it 3-2, and Bayern completed the comeback.
Everyone considered Kroos a talented player, but in his season and a half at Bayern, Kroos only made 19 appearances in the Bundesliga, mostly as a substitute.
After his loan spell ended, Kroos returned to Bayern Munich.
He made a request to the club, hoping to get more playing time.
However, in Van Gaal's eyes, Kroos was not important. Most of the time, Kroos played as a defensive midfielder, sometimes even being assigned to the left wing. For Van Gaal, Kroos was just a "gap-filler" player.
Kroos tried hard to adapt to his role, but he was not happy. He couldn't unleash his attacking strengths until his "mentor" Heynckes returned to Bayern.
At that time, Heynckes gave him the key to the gym and told him one sentence.
'Now you know it exists. Talent isn't everything; you must work hard, otherwise I won't use you.'
Heynckes had a great influence on Kroos's career.
Under Heynckes's supervision, Kroos's performance improved steadily. At this time, he was not yet a midfield monster, but he quickly honed his various weapons.
Until the 'Century Heist' occurred.
At that time, Real Madrid was interested in Kroos, or rather, Suker really liked Kroos.
Real Madrid's stance was that they hoped Kroos would come to Bernabéu to play.
Kroos was somewhat tempted, but he still hoped to be more heavily utilized at Allianz Arena.
And with that, Kroos made some demands to the club.
Either give him more midfield resources, or give him a raise.
In fact, Kroos didn't want a raise; what he wanted more were midfield resources and playing time.
But he never expected that Bayern chairman Rummenigge would directly say, 'We won't give you a raise; you are not a world-class midfielder.'
It was this sentence that completely severed Kroos's ties with Bayern Munich and deeply wounded the self-esteem of this talented midfielder.
The 'Century Heist' quietly unfolded, with Real Madrid pressuring the club, and Suker constantly praising Kroos in the media.
The enraged Bayern Munich, on the other hand, continuously suppressed Kroos, even to the point of not giving him much playing time anymore.
One was Real Madrid, which recognized and praised him.
The other was Bayern Munich, which repeatedly denied and belittled him.
Even a fool would know how to choose.
Ultimately, Real Madrid used Alonso, who wanted to leave, as leverage to acquire Kroos.
At the time, everyone considered it a failed transfer.
After all, Alonso at that time was a World Cup winning midfielder and a key contributor to Real Madrid's Champions League consecutive titles.
As for Kroos, he had not yet fully proven himself.
But Real Madrid still resolutely agreed!
Since then, Kroos transferred to Real Madrid and underwent transformation and sublimation there.
It can be said that today's Kroos has already replaced midfielders like Alonso and Kaka, becoming the core player of Real Madrid's midfield.
He is also firmly moving towards becoming that 'midfield monster'!
Furthermore, without Modrić sharing resources, Kroos's growth trajectory was clearly a step faster, and his abilities became even more comprehensive.
"How did it turn out like this?"
In the VIP box, Rummenigge frowned as he looked at the scoreboard.
As a chairman who was once a player, he was also very sensitive to the game.
Especially losing a goal at this crucial point would put Bayern Munich in an extremely passive situation.
"We can't stop Suker; Real Madrid holds a card that our defense deeply fears!"
The technical director said.
Rummenigge: "So, where is Ronaldo?"
He's done well enough. He helped us equalize in the first half. It's just that Real Madrid has a richer tactical reserve.
Are you saying Guardiola's preparation was insufficient?
You can't say that. Guardiola's response was also very good, but Real Madrid's changes in this Champions League were unexpected by everyone.
The technical director felt depressed.
The previous Real Madrid, even when strong, was strong in a balanced way.
Mourinho's team could play with a suffocating rhythm, but they wouldn't have these kinds of tactics.
But Ancelotti is different. This guy has many tricks up his sleeve, and his tactical thinking is wild and unconstrained, which made it impossible for them to grasp the flow of the game.
This match was a prime example!
So what's the key next?
The technical director was silent for a moment, then said, "Midfield!"
Midfield?
Rummenigge raised an eyebrow slightly; "The midfield is the key? Then Schweinsteiger will help us win!"
The technical director didn't speak.
To be honest, he felt that Schweinsteiger wouldn't be able to gain the upper hand.
If it were before, it would be fine, but the 'Little Pig' is indeed a bit old now.
And on Real Madrid's side, Kroos, many people underestimated his ability.
Of course, he wouldn't mention this name in front of Rummenigge. For Rummenigge, the name Kroos was a taboo.
Whenever someone mentioned it, it was as if he was stupid.
At the same time, on the field, the match resumed.
After conceding a goal, Bayern Munich's overall offense became more intense.
But within this intensity, there were many problems, or rather, some rashness.
Kroos accurately perceived this point. He understood that Bayern Munich, though seemingly calm at this moment, every pass was aggressively sent forward, regardless of the rationality of these passes, as if they wanted the ball to be as close to the goal as possible.
"Casemiro, mark Franck Ribéry! Don't worry about horizontal passes!
Isco, hold your position, tuck in the two wings for some cover!"
Kroos began to shout loudly, and with his command, Real Madrid also moved quickly.
Real Madrid's tactical execution needs no further explanation; when a commander role is formed, they will all follow instructions.
Of course, this commander role is assigned to different players according to the situation.
Suker, Srna, Kaka, and others have all served in this role.
And now, this heavy responsibility has fallen on Kroos.
With Real Madrid's overall movement, Bayern Munich clearly felt greater pressure in attack.
They wanted to push the ball forward as quickly as possible, but found that the ground passes were blocked.
Is this forcing us to play long balls?
Schweinsteiger passed the ball out again, then looked at Kroos in Real Madrid's half.
Kroos constantly moved left and right. He wasn't the first to press and apply pressure, but he was definitely the first to provide defensive support.
This also meant that in attack, Bayern Munich, in addition to breaking through the corresponding pressing players, also needed to guard against the secondary pressing of these supporting defenders.
This kind of defense was like nesting dolls, one layer after another, very difficult to break through directly.
But Bayern Munich didn't want to get overly entangled in the midfield, so they could only play long balls.
Here it comes!
Seeing Schweinsteiger's passing posture, Kroos immediately turned his head; "Captain, challenge for the header!"
Ramos suddenly charged forward.
His actions were incredibly decisive.
But at the same time, Cristiano Ronaldo was also jumping to contest the header.
Neither of them gained an advantage from the collision, and the ball was chased down and controlled by Robben on the right.
At this moment, Real Madrid's players had already man-marked Robert Lewandowski, Cristiano Ronaldo, Franck Ribéry, and Schweinsteiger in defense, controlling all of them.
This was forcing Robben to either break through himself or pass back.
But Robben did not pass back or break through, but paused for a moment.
The real threat isn't these people!
Kroos's expression was focused. He suddenly turned his head and scanned around.
He saw someone charging diagonally from behind Schweinsteiger.
Got him!
Kroos turned and started moving.
At the same time, Robben also pushed the ball horizontally.
"Oh~~~ that run! Lahm!! Lahm is coming up!"
The entire Allianz Arena also erupted in cheers.
For Bayern Munich fans, their captain Lahm's long-range shooting ability was quite exquisite.
Lahm also rushed forward, turning his head to look at the ball and starting to take small steps to adjust.
Just as he was waiting for the ball to arrive, a figure suddenly slid past his eyes.
Kroos suddenly slid in, actually tackling the ball away first.
Kroos! A timely sliding tackle and interception, this interception was really crucial! Bayern Munich's intention was completely seen through by Kroos!
After completing the sliding tackle, Kroos stood up from the ground, powerfully waving his arms and shouting.
Although it was a small interception, a small interlude, it was enough to strike a blow to Bayern Munich's confidence.
Lahm was a kind of insurance for Bayern.
When the situation was deadlocked, they would activate Lahm, letting the captain push forward and try long-range shots.
And as a former Bayern player, Kroos was well aware of this, so he constantly kept an eye on Lahm's movements.
Although Lahm hid well behind Schweinsteiger, with Kroos's deliberate attention, he would still expose his movement trajectory.
Therefore, the moment Lahm started running, Kroos also acted directly, and indeed seized this interception opportunity.
After completing the interception, possession changed hands.
Kroos quickly dropped back to receive, then used the two fullbacks and the inward tucking of the two wings to fully open up angles and increase the number of controlling personnel, resulting in Real Madrid having extremely rich passing channels.
He could easily complete transfers from various angles.
At this point, Real Madrid only needed stability, so for Kroos, it was best to drag out the time as much as possible.
"Shit!"
In the private box, Rummenigge couldn't help but curse.
The technical director also frowned tightly, sighing inwardly.
Since Rummenigge was right next to him, he couldn't say much, but he truly believed that Kroos was a genius player they had missed out on.
Kroos definitely had the potential to grow into a super midfielder, and he was now gradually fulfilling that talent.
Kroos's excellent performance at Real Madrid now was not only due to the team's ability but also his own talent.
If Kroos were still at Bayern Munich, if that incident hadn't happened.
Perhaps Kroos would have been Schweinsteiger's best replacement!
Bayern could have smoothly transitioned the midfield handover period, unlike now, where their situation was somewhat awkward.
Lahm also quickly dropped back; their intentions had been seen through by Kroos, which also made him feel very uncomfortable.
But in the current situation, they couldn't concede another goal.
After Lahm dropped back, he saw that Real Madrid was not in a hurry to attack, but instead committed more forces to the midfield, intending to play a cat-and-mouse game with them.
This is terrible!
Lahm couldn't help but complain, this was the situation he least wanted to see.
Real Madrid began to slow down the tempo, intending to waste time.
Bayern Munich wanted a fast pace, which would be more advantageous for them.
But Real Madrid obviously didn't think so.
They were already leading; as long as they maintained the status quo, they could get three points away from home, so why not?
Furthermore, their second substitution was in the midfield, which increased their midfield control, and they would not give Bayern any breathing room.
Stable rhythm!
Drag out the game as much as possible!
Control the ball if you can, transfer if you can.
Unless there's an excellent opportunity, otherwise, they'll just wear you down to death.
Real Madrid is playing too passively, this is not a Champions League match!
The German commentator was a bit exasperated.
There was nothing he could do; Real Madrid was indeed playing in a way that made them uncomfortable.
The situation remained deadlocked, so he could only vent his inner anxiety in this way.
But no matter how much he said this, it was useless, because Real Madrid would continue to waste time.
This was the problem caused by the second goal!
And as the ball smoothly transferred from Kroos's feet again, the German commentator said helplessly:
"Toni Kroos! We shouldn't have let him go!"