After the match, reporters caught up with Zinedine Zidane.
Reporter: "Real Madrid had been in poor form recently. How did you find the key to turning things around?"
Zidane: "Changing formations is a big deal for any team. We needed time to adapt. What you're seeing now is the result of that adjustment."
Reporter: "Su Hang scored twice and provided an assist, earning Man of the Match. That's a stark contrast to his earlier performances. Was it luck? Many people still doubt his potential."
Zidane: "Su Hang isn't money—you can't expect everyone to like him. But Real Madrid's resurgence is inseparable from him."
"To Real Madrid fans, I'll just say this: You can always trust Siu!"
Siu—by now, it had become synonymous with Su Hang.
The next day, media outlets across Spain ran with the story:
"Real Madrid Thrash Opponents, End Losing Streak! Into the Copa Del Rey Quarterfinals!"
"After Nearly Three Months, Su Hang Wins Man of the Match Again—Has He Really Returned to Form?"
"5-0! Real Madrid Claim a Massive Win! Is the Counterattack Starting Now?"
"Madridistas, Don't Get Too Carried Away! The Copa Del Rey Has Little Weight—La Liga Is the Real Test!"
"Opportunistic Striker Su Hang Steals Cassano's Numbers! Italy's Bad Boy the Real Hero Behind Madrid's Victory Over Bilbao!"
"With Ronaldo Out, Cassano Carries the Team! Highlights of Cassano's Performance!"
From the headlines alone, it was obvious the last three came from Sport and Mundo Deportivo.
...
January 15th, La Liga Matchday 19.
Real Madrid hosted Sevilla at the Bernabéu.
Attendance finally climbed back to its former heights, with 70,000 fans filling the stands.
They came hoping to see Madrid win at home.
And the team did not disappoint.
Zidane and Raúl provided assists, with Cassano finishing off the opener.
Figo came on as a substitute, scoring once and assisting once.
Su Hang played the full 90 minutes, once again recording two goals and one assist—his second straight "two plus one" performance.
Real Madrid won 4-2 over Sevilla.
The victory lifted them from sixth to fourth in the league standings.
...
January 18th, Copa Del Rey Quarterfinal First Leg.
Madrid traveled to face Real Betis.
Ninety minutes later, they left with a comfortable 2-0 win.
...
January 21st, La Liga Matchday 20.
At home against Cádiz, Su Hang delivered an assist.
Starting midfielder Figo added one goal and one assist.
Baptista, pushing forward from midfield, scored twice with spectacular long-range strikes, sealing a 3-1 victory for Madrid.
...
January 25th.
Madrid defeated Real Betis 3-0 in the return leg, advancing to the Copa Del Rey semifinals.
...
January 29th, La Liga Matchday 21.
Madrid visited Celta Vigo.
Ronaldo, returning from injury, appeared on the bench.
Cassano struck twice.
Ronaldo came on as a substitute and scored.
Beckham delivered a trademark free-kick goal.
Zidane notched a hat-trick of assists, bringing his tally to 10—level with Barcelona's Ronaldinho at the top of the assist chart.
Su Hang added one goal and one assist as Madrid thrashed Celta 5-2.
Despite his earlier slump, Su Hang had now accumulated 15 goals and 6 assists in 21 league matches—averaging a goal contribution per game!
That efficiency put him first in La Liga, tied with Ronaldinho.
Ronaldinho: "See? I'm the benchmark. Everyone wants to go toe-to-toe with me!"
Thanks to this run of victories, Madrid climbed to third in the standings—a world away from sixth place at the start of the second half of the season.
...
February 6th, La Liga Matchday 22.
Madrid hosted Espanyol.
Raúl opened the scoring.
Beckham and Roberto Carlos each provided an assist.
Ronaldo, in blistering form, scored twice.
Figo added another goal and assist. In his last six appearances, he had three matches with both a goal and an assist, plus two others with either a goal or an assist—red-hot form.
Bringing him on after the 60th minute had become one of Madrid's tactical trump cards.
When everyone else was tiring, a fresh Figo was unstoppable.
...
February 8th, Copa Del Rey Semifinal First Leg.
Madrid faced Zaragoza once again.
But this season, Zaragoza had lost David Villa.
Villa, nicknamed the "Golden Boy," had joined Valencia for €12 million.
His arrival powered Valencia into a fierce title race with Barcelona.
Meanwhile, Villa, Eto'o, and Su Hang were locked in a three-way battle for the Pichichi.
Their teams sat in the league's top three, and their goals also ranked first, second, and third.
It was truly a three-way standoff.
Villa's importance was clear.
Even with Madrid rotating heavily, they delivered devastating impact.
Su Hang, in particular, was outstanding—two goals and two assists, earning Man of the Match.
Madrid crushed Zaragoza 6-1, leaving them with a serious case of "Su Hang phobia."
...
February 11th, La Liga Matchday 23.
Madrid traveled to face Athletic Bilbao once more.
The sides had already met in the Copa Del Rey, where Bilbao were eliminated.
It was that victory that had kickstarted Madrid's resurgence.
By now, Madrid had won eight straight matches across all competitions—unstoppable.
But success and failure often come hand in hand.
The same player who drives your winning streak can also spark your downfall.
Madrid nearly met that fate here.
Despite dominating offensively, they couldn't find the breakthrough.
Not until the 85th minute, when Su Hang headed in Beckham's corner, did Madrid snatch a narrow 1-0 victory—extending their winning streak to nine matches.
...
February 14th, Copa Del Rey Semifinal Second Leg.
With a commanding 6-1 lead from the first leg, Madrid rotated heavily.
They still won 2-1, advancing to the Copa Del Rey final.
Their opponents? Espanyol.
That gave Madrid an excellent chance of lifting the trophy.
After all, they had beaten Espanyol 4-2 just weeks earlier.
...
February 18th, La Liga Matchday 24.
Madrid hosted Alavés.
The team claimed a 3-1 win, extending their winning streak in all competitions to eleven straight matches.
Zidane, Beckham, and Ronaldo all contributed assists.
Baptista opened the scoring.
Figo struck twice.
On paper, it looked like a perfect result.
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
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