"His three-man run might not be as elegant as Maradona's, as graceful as Cruyff's, as explosive as Ronaldo's, or as composed as Zidane's—but it's every bit as effective!"
"Two goals and one assist—Su Hang has single-handedly torn Germany apart!"
"Spain is inching closer to victory!"
Spanish fans erupted in celebration once again.
On the pitch, after scoring, Villa turned and sprinted straight toward Su Hang before dropping to one knee.
Villa shouted, "It's time to tell our story—ah, no, I mean… please, place your noble foot upon my thigh!"
Amid the laughter and cheers of their teammates, Su Hang's right leg was practically lifted and placed on Villa's thigh. Villa then mimed polishing Su Hang's boot.
It was one of the highest gestures of respect between teammates—symbolizing Villa's complete acknowledgment of Su Hang's ability and status. From this moment on, Villa would never again think he deserved to start ahead of Su Hang.
...
In the 71st minute, Germany launched a spell of frenzied pressing but achieved little.
During a stoppage, they made decisive substitutions:
Defensive midfielder Sebastian Kehl replaced the yellow-carded Frings. The futureDortmund legend would go on to inherit and later pass down the club's "glass captain" curse to "Rolls Reus" Marco Reus. Odonkor came on for right midfielder Schneider.
Schneider was never known for his pace or dribbling—his strengths lay in passing and playmaking. A true team player, he captained Germany on several occasions and was respected for his calm leadership and precise crosses, which made him a reliable presence in midfield throughout his career.
Odonkor, on the other hand, was a pure speedster. In this World Cup, he had edged out Kuranyi for a spot in the final squad.
At the same time, Spain also made a change—Torres, another pace-driven attacker, came on for Villa.
In the 74th minute, Kehl, freshly on the field, was clearly struggling to adapt to Su Hang's tempo.
Su Hang had dropped deep—so deep that Kehl hesitated to follow.
That hesitation gave Su Hang room to receive a pass from Alonso and lay it off immediately to Xavi.
Without taking a touch, Xavi lifted a perfectly timed through ball over the top.
Torres exploded into a sprint, the "Spanish supercar" blazing past Mertesacker, who couldn't even grab his shirt.
Confident and aggressive despite his tight angle near the byline, Torres struck hard and fast.
Lehmann expected a cutback—a trick Torres had used often this tournament—but was wrong-footed completely.
The ball ripped past him and into the net, sending a wave of red celebration across the stands.
"Four–one! It's over! The match is as good as done!"
"The Germans have no way back now!"
"Let's congratulate Spain in advance!"
"Torres scores less than three minutes after coming on! Aragonés' substitutions are pure magic!"
"Last match, Su Hang came off the bench and saved the team."
"This match, Torres does the same!"
"Xavi's vision is unbelievable—he's showing true leadership! Barcelona's midfield couldn't function without him!"
"Oh! More Spanish players are warming up—it looks like Aragonés is getting ready to give the youngsters a run!"
Sure enough, Aragonés made a quick double substitution, signaling garbage time had begun.
Iniesta, another Barcelona product, replaced attacking midfielder García.
Joaquín, dubbed "La Liga's Figo," came on for Fabregas on the right.
Iniesta's dribbling was sharp and fearless, while Joaquín combined blistering pace with superb technique. Both were brimming with potential.
By contrast, Reyes, who had also been warming up but wasn't called onto the field, looked visibly disappointed.
Reyes had once been a dazzling prodigy—tipped as Bergkamp's successor at Arsenal.
But since last year, the Neville brothers at Manchester United had bullied him off the pitch with rough tackles, later calling him "too soft" in interviews. His career nose-dived after that.
Other teams began targeting him the same way, and he developed a real fear of those malicious fouls.
Before the World Cup began, Reyes had even said he hoped to return to Spain if the chance arose.
...
In the 77th minute, Joaquín—barely three minutes on the pitch—soared down the right wing. Fearless and direct, he skinned the slower Schweinsteiger and crossed from the byline.
Su Hang met it at the near post with a powerful header, but Lehmann pulled off the save.
Torres pounced on the rebound, yet Lehmann denied him again with a brilliant double stop.
But the third wave was unstoppable—Iniesta followed up and smashed home from the right edge of the box!
The ball rippled the net.
Lehmann collapsed face-down in despair.
"Oh! Three minutes again!"
"Five–one! Spain are running riot!"
"Germany could never have imagined such a humiliation on home soil!"
"Iniesta scores three minutes after coming on!"
"Barcelona have struck gold! Iniesta's legend begins here! Xavi, Iniesta, Messi—the youth talents Barcelona have nurtured these past two seasons are shining bright!"
"But while Barcelona leads in numbers, in terms of sheer quality, Su Hang stands alone."
"Calderón, you'd better move fast! If Real Madrid can't renew Su Hang's contract—or worse, loses him altogether—they'll be left in Barcelona's dust in youth development!"
Compared to Real Madrid's academy products—Pavón, Raúl Bravo, Postiga—Barcelona's youngsters were clearly thriving.
...
Germany made one last desperate move, subbing veteran Neuville in for the disappointing Schweinsteiger.
If Frings' failure to contain Su Hang had been the key reason Germany fell behind,
then Schweinsteiger bore direct blame for both the third and fifth goals conceded.
Performances like that would hardly earn Bayern's coach any confidence.
In the 80th minute, Lahm combined with Neuville down the flank and crossed.
Podolski flicked the ball on with his head, and Klose darted in to finish—bringing his World Cup tally to five goals, once again tying Su Hang for the Golden Boot lead.
Five–two!
Germany pulled one back.
Klose raced to fetch the ball from the net, showing the unyielding spirit of the German machine.
In the 82nd minute, Iniesta's run down the right forced a foul from Lahm.
Su Hang took the free kick—but blasted it high over the bar.
"Oh! Su Hang's energy has clearly dropped off. Kehl's been putting serious pressure on him lately."
"Even so, he's still the best player on the pitch."
"He's played like a true leader—but anyone who understands football knows he isn't Spain's tactical core."
"He's turned a workhorse role into a playmaker's one!"
"Two matches, five goals, one assist, and two key plays—Su Hang's performance is absolutely phenomenal!"