In the 31st minute, Alonso sent a diagonal 45-degree cross from the right.
Su Hang slipped away from Meira and won the header inside the box.
Clang!
The ball smashed off the crossbar and bounced left.
With his back to goal, Villa sprinted over, flicked the ball with his heel, and sent it toward Mariano in front of goal.
Thud!
Carvalho slid in and pulled off another world-class clearance.
"Oh! Both sides are getting closer and closer to scoring!"
"I can feel it—a goal is coming!"
"Su Hang's header was the closest chance of the match!"
"Carvalho's defensive play was crucial—if not for him, that would've gone in!"
In the 32nd minute, Spain came again.
Garcia passed to Villa, who had dropped back unusually deep.
Villa poked a risky ball toward Su Hang at the top of the box—dangerous, because multiple Portuguese defenders were already closing in.
Thud!
Su Hang snapped his ankle, cushioning and shifting the ball past Carvalho in one smooth motion.
The Ice Prince's Waltz!
Carvalho never expected the usually rough-footed Su Hang to bring the ball down so flawlessly. His aggressive lunge instantly became a mistake.
That single touch completely took him out of the play.
Next, Su Hang would—
Carvalho realized Su Hang's intent and tried to pull his leg back,
but he was too late.
Su Hang's left foot, still in his follow-through, caught on Carvalho's foot.
Beep!
The referee's whistle and Su Hang hitting the turf happened almost together.
But the gesture that followed was even more shocking.
The referee pointed straight to the spot!
A penalty!
The stadium exploded.
"It's here! Finally!"
"As expected! Spain has manufactured a perfect chance!"
"Carvalho brought Su Hang down inside the box!"
"This penalty is a real art—Su Hang did intend to draw it, but Carvalho lost because he swung his leg first!"
"This is elite mind-games between attacker and defender!"
"Su Hang reacted too fast! Even a top defender like Carvalho got tricked!"
"A penalty fit for a king!"
"No problem at all—the decision is clean. Portuguese protests mean nothing!"
"In the first thirty minutes, Portugal's attacks were slightly sharper. Spain had only one reliable attacking point—Su Hang in the center."
"Portugal had Cristiano Ronaldo and Figo, but from wide areas, their threat simply isn't as deadly as Su Hang through the middle."
"That might be why Spain ended up with the match's best scoring chance."
"Oh, Su Hang is up now. He's standing behind the spot. He's Spain's primary penalty taker, and he earned this one himself."
"He leads the World Cup scoring chart with six goals—his first ever World Cup."
"Can he extend his tally?"
"GOAL!"
Su Hang blasted the ball past Ricardo before the keeper could reach it.
Ricardo guessed correctly, but the shot was too fast.
True mastery hides in simplicity.
For a penalty—just hit it clean and hard!
Su Hang wiggled his fingers, sprinted toward the spot, leaped—
spun 180 degrees in midair—
arms hanging—
and crashed down like a god descending from the heavens.
Spanish fans roared with him: "Siuuuuuu!"
Spain's players charged over to hug him, with substitutes and coaches joining in.
A white wave of celebration erupted across the stadium.
"One-nil! Su Hang scores from the spot and puts Spain ahead!"
"That's his seventh World Cup goal this tournament! He's practically secured the Golden Boot!"
"So difficult! Two attack-minded teams, yet both defending flawlessly! If France vs Italy was the strongest spear against the strongest shield…"
"…then this match is the clash of two all-around warriors!"
"Spain leads—for now!"
"Can Portugal equalize?"
The camera showed Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Portugal needed those two forwards to step up, but both were still too far from goal.
Watching the celebrations—especially Su Hang's signature move—Cristiano Ronaldo felt a faint ache in his chest.
He couldn't explain it.
As if he'd forgotten something important.
Spain's celebration lasted a while, but Portugal didn't complain. They used the time to reset their mentality and tweak their tactics.
Play resumed.
Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo switched back to their original wings.
This signaled their intent clearly.
Both were right-footed.
Figo on the right meant he would focus on creating chances.
The responsibility to score naturally fell to Cristiano Ronaldo.
In the 34th minute, Figo beat Mariano with an Elastico and crossed.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who had cut inside early, and Pauleta both crashed the box.
Cristiano Ronaldo headed the ball—
Casillas charged out bravely.
Thud!
Casillas punched it away first,
but then collided with Cristiano Ronaldo.
The referee blew for a foul—Cristiano Ronaldo had barged into the keeper.
Portugal retreated to defend.
But Casillas still didn't get up.
Spain's medical team rushed in. After a quick check, the doctor shook his head.
"Oh! Bad news for Spain—Casillas can't continue!"
"Canizares is warming up. Spain is bringing the veteran on."
"As a former first-choice keeper, Canizares has elite shot-stopping ability—but he's old now. Can he handle Portugal's ferocious attacks in such a high-intensity match?"
Play restarted.
In the 36th minute, Deco tested Canizares immediately with a long-range rocket.
No one expected it.
But Canizares reacted brilliantly, diving and brushing the ball with his fingertips.
It smashed against the post and bounced out.
The Spanish fans' hearts nearly stopped.
To be blunt—if Casillas were in goal, Portugal might have equalized.
Not because Canizares is better,
but because shots like that require pure luck to stop.
Even the best keeper can't guarantee a save.
...