"After the referee blows the whistle, Su Hang will pass to García, and García will cross it in."
"This gives Spain, whose players aren't exactly tall, a better chance at scoring with headers."
After all, if they took the corner directly, Spain would hardly win it—
even with Su Hang in the box.
Germany's height advantage was overwhelming.
They were the exact opposite of Argentina.
Argentina: On the flight home already—don't mention them.
Su Hang: Remember to double-check your passport.
Messi: ???
In fact, not only Germany, even García believed Su Hang would take a short, tactical corner—because that's what Su Hang told him.
García signaled to his teammates not to crowd the box, leaving space for a second run.
The Germans noticed Spain's adjustment and quickly shifted out to follow.
As an elite goalkeeper, Lehmann stepped forward slightly, keeping control of the gap between himself and the defensive line.
That way, when the ball came in, either the defenders could clear it or he could claim it.
He absolutely couldn't afford to leave a pocket of space for those nimble Spaniards to exploit.
Thud!
Su Hang struck the ball.
It arced high through the air in a wide curve.
"Su Hang takes the corner… wait—"
"The curve's way too big! That's a poor delivery!"
"Did Su Hang even see his teammates? There's no way anyone's getting to that!"
"It's too close to the goal—this ball—holy shit!"
Thwack!
Lehmann realized something was wrong.
He spun and dove back—
but too late.
The ball dropped sharply from the side and straight into the goal.
Lehmann's desperate dive only redirected it deeper into the net.
This was…
"GOAL!!!"
The stadium erupted!
The commentators could barely contain themselves.
"My God! What just happened?!"
"A corner kick… straight into the net!"
"I never thought I'd see a goal like this on the World Cup stage!"
"What insane luck!"
"Yes! Forget technique—this is pure luck! The luckiest goal in the world!"
"Without a doubt, this might be the Goal of the Tournament!"
"The last time someone scored directly from a corner at a major event—it was Arsenal's Frenchman, Thierry Henry!"
"And the player with the most direct corner goals is Inter Milan's Uruguayan, Recoba!"
In fact, stars like Beckham, Ronaldinho, Roberto Carlos, Neymar, Diego Forlán, and Di María had all pulled off direct corner goals before or since.
"2–1! Spain takes the lead!"
"Su Hang is unbelievable!"
"Oh! Congratulations to Su Hang—he's just set a new record!"
"Two minutes and twenty-two seconds! Su Hang breaks his Real Madrid teammate Ronaldo's World Cup record for the fastest brace, set in 2002!"
"Ronaldo's took two minutes and thirty seconds!"
"What's truly chilling is that Su Hang is seen as the next Ronaldo by Real Madrid fans! Maybe this is destiny—some kind of strange inheritance!"
"If before this season Madridistas saw Su Hang as a budget version of Ronaldo, now he is another Ronaldo. The real deal—a brand-new Ronaldo!"
"With that goal, Su Hang moves past Germany's Klose to take sole lead in the World Cup scoring chart with five goals!"
At Sky Sports' commentary booth, Queiroz was practically shouting himself hoarse.
He'd been singing Su Hang's praises all match—
so much that even the commentator in the next booth looked embarrassed.
Queiroz: "Did you see that? That's Su's adaptability as a top striker!"
"At first, he didn't use his scoring power to decide the game because he knew the team needed everyone in rhythm to go far."
"Unfortunately, neither Villa nor García could get into form today."
"So Su Hang had to step up—but even then, he was still creating chances for Villa."
"Only after realizing his teammates truly couldn't do it did he take control himself!"
"That's what makes him special! That's the phrase that stuck with me most when I coached Su Hang at Real Madrid."
"If you can handle it, you play. If not, I will! That's why he's the leader of both Real Madrid and Spain!"
"That's the mark of a top player!"
Su Hang: Uh, aren't you more used to hearing me swear?
Queiroz: Su, I'll pretend I didn't hear that this time—but don't say it again!
"Wait—Su Hang's taking off his shirt!"
"There's another one underneath? No wonder I thought he looked bulkier today—I figured it was a training vest!"
At the corner flag, Su Hang pulled off his Spain jersey, revealing a Real Madrid shirt underneath.
But this one was special.
The name on the back wasn't Su Hang.
It was "MODRIC."
Modrić!
Su Hang pointed to Modrić in the stands, giving him a thumbs-up.
The recent media attacks had put huge pressure on Modrić.
But he stood firm—refusing to renew with his old club, and officially signing with Su Hang's agency to become one of Su's players.
The camera zoomed in on Modrić, his eyes glistening red.
Who wouldn't be moved seeing their own name printed on a Real Madrid jersey?
For that celebration, Su Hang got a yellow card.
FIFA's regulations from recent years penalize certain celebrations—shirt removal included—with a yellow card, to maintain the sport's image.
In the BBC booth, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger had been invited to comment on the match.
As the referee blew for halftime, Wenger summed up:
"Maybe it's just me—it sounds crazy—but after watching that first half, I have to say…"
"Su Hang's style reminds me of Henry!"
"It's like watching Henry himself out there!"
"His sense for supporting teammates, carrying the ball forward, creating assists—it's all so similar."
"I wonder what Henry himself would think seeing this."
"So far, I'd say France are the strongest contenders for the title. They've got Henry and Zidane."
"But Spain may have just found their own Henry—and their midfield collectively matches Zidane's influence."
"Of course, Portugal's Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo are an incredible duo too."
"And Italy—they're full of stars. They desperately need a great trophy to redeem the whole nation!"
Wenger, as always, knew how to balance his words.
...
In the locker room, Su Hang had just sat down.
"Ding! Moment Card usage has ended. Henry's playing style has influenced you deeply—you've gained valuable insight, especially in his shielding and ball control."
"Ding! You've acquired the skill: '"Henry's Touch."