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Chapter 16 - Chapter 16: This Is a Rolls-Royce-Class Forward

The first half was fiercely contested, with both sides creating multiple attacking opportunities.

Still, neither team managed to find the back of the net.

From the overall flow of play, Barcelona looked closer to scoring, as their threats came from much closer to goal.

As for Real Madrid, limited by Su Hang's performance, most of their chances came from outside the penalty area.

...

At halftime, neither team made any substitutions.

Barcelona had the upper hand and saw no reason to change things.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, were already giving their all—with no room left to adjust.

But tactically, Barcelona did make changes.

Centering their play around Ronaldinho, Xavi and Van Bronckhorst began launching repeated attacks down the left flank, targeting Figo, Cambiasso, and Salgado.

Barcelona gained even more momentum.

"At this rate, it's only a matter of time before Real Madrid concedes!"

Anyone watching could see it.

In the 54th minute, Su Hang dropped back to midfield to help Figo press Xavi.

Xavi passed the ball back—

Cambiasso intercepted it cleanly.

He then fed it to Beckham.

Beckham passed to Su Hang, who returned it immediately.

In this way, Real Madrid stabilized possession.

Beckham then switched it wide to Carlos.

Carlos carried the ball forward, combining with Zidane several times until the ball finally reached deep into Barcelona territory.

Zidane glanced at Su Hang, who was slowly advancing from midfield, and gave him a signal.

Su Hang immediately sensed trouble.

Sure enough—

Bang!

Zidane launched a diagonal lob over the top, sending the ball to open space just ahead of Su Hang.

Su Hang accelerated, charging straight for it.

Zidane, smart as ever, had lofted the ball perfectly.

Bang!

Su Hang and Cocu clashed fiercely as they jostled for position.

They'd faced off before—every time Su Hang dropped deep, he'd run into Cocu.

Until now, Cocu had always held the upper hand.

A world-class all-rounder, Cocu was especially adept at playing defensive midfielder.

But this time, something felt off to Cocu.

Su Hang gave a faint smile.

That was because he had activated his "Physical Suppression" trait.

Bang!

Su Hang muscled past Cocu and won the aerial challenge.

He headed the ball forward.

As soon as he landed, he exploded forward in pursuit.

Cocu lost balance in the tussle, stumbling and missing his chance to hold Su Hang back.

The ball bounced near the edge of the penalty arc.

Puyol charged out from the box.

Su Hang hadn't headed the ball too far. He was confident he could reach it first—

Unless Puyol went for the slide.

Whoosh!

Puyol slid in!

He had to break up the play at all costs.

But the next moment—Puyol's eyes widened in disbelief.

His move had been predicted!

Su Hang reached the ball, stomped on it, and spun with a Marseille turn—barely avoiding Puyol's tackle.

Now, there was no one left between him and the Barcelona goalkeeper Valdés.

Valdés rushed out without hesitation—

But it was already too late.

Su Hang made a slight adjustment and blasted it—just like a training ground finish.

A shot rated just above 70 would be average in a game situation.

But in this case, the execution was excellent.

The contact point, power, and speed were all top-notch.

Swish!

Valdés couldn't reach it—Barcelona's net was breached.

They had dominated Real Madrid for over fifty minutes—

Yet it was Real Madrid who struck first.

That's football!

"GOAL! Su Hang! It's Su Hang again!"

"A stunning solo effort!"

"He outmuscled Cocu to win the aerial, then turned past Puyol and slotted it home one-on-one!"

"Su Hang just took down Cocu, Puyol, and Valdés in a single attack!"

"Outstanding! A moment of genius!"

"No doubt—he's Real Madrid's rising supernova!"

"And yet, this brilliant player had been benched by Queiroz. That's outrageous!"

"If Su Hang, Ronaldo, and Raúl had formed the HRR trio, that 'Rolls-Royce front line,' Real Madrid's three straight losses could have easily been three straight wins!"

"Su Hang sprints toward the corner flag, leaping into the air—his signature celebration!"

And in the next moment, 80,000 fans at the Bernabéu roared in unison:

"Siu!"

Su Hang landed with authority—commanding and fierce!

Countless cameras zoomed in on the number 24 on his back—

And the name "HangSu" above it.

El Clásico.

Su Hang charged into enemy territory—

And came out victorious!

...

Real Madrid's goal threw Barcelona off their rhythm.

In the 57th minute, they made two substitutions.

Dutch striker Kluivert replaced the underwhelming Saviola.

Saviola was a winger by trade—naturally, he struggled when forced to play as a central striker.

They also brought on veteran Luis Enrique in place of Overmars.

After signing a bunch of young players, Barcelona's verdict seemed to be… veterans still get the job done.

And it was true.

Just one minute later—

Van Bronckhorst received a pass from Ronaldinho down the left wing and whipped in a cross.

Kluivert soared high and smashed home a header—simple and brutal.

He tied the score.

No need for overcomplication.

A simple run and cross from the byline proved far more effective.

Kluivert went wild in celebration—clearly unhappy about being benched for the team's so-called rebuilding.

...

Su Hang dropped back to his own half.

On the surface, Van Bronckhorst's cross looked impressive—

But the real key was Ronaldinho.

He drew almost all the defenders' attention before making the pass.

That made the connection between Van Bronckhorst and Kluivert look like a simple training drill.

Real Madrid's Ronaldo had the same ability.

Unfortunately...

...

In the 69th minute, disaster struck.

Ronaldinho went on another wild dribble, drawing most of the defense before slipping a through ball to Xavi.

Once Xavi got it, he had a clear sight of goal—almost a free shot.

Figo had no choice but to bring him down.

And instantly regretted it.

He already had one yellow.

As expected, the referee showed him a second yellow—then a red.

Two yellows meant a red.

Figo was sent off.

Real Madrid... down to ten men!

Zidane, the on-field commander, shifted Raúl to the right and pulled Su Hang back into the attacking midfield role.

Now, Real Madrid had no strikers.

This gave their midfield defense more structure—

But also removed all offensive pressure, giving Barcelona total attacking freedom.

...

In the 72nd minute.

Ronaldinho dazzled again—

Dribbling past three defenders before squaring the ball across.

This time, no one could stop Xavi.

He surged in and blasted it—

The ball slammed into the net.

"Oh! 2–1! Barcelona takes the lead!"

"Real Madrid are in real trouble now!"

--

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