The referee explained the basis for his decision, clarifying that he didn't issue cards for the scuffle that followed. The yellow card was strictly for Maniche's persistent and overly rough obstruction of Su Hang's breakthrough.
The implication was obvious: if every clash of that level warranted a booking, both teams would've been swimming in cards already.
And in truth, it was precisely because the referee maintained a looser standard today that the match flowed so smoothly. There were almost no unnatural stoppages, and both sides were able to attack with full intensity.
A top-class referee, indeed.
In the 74th minute, Su Hang drifted out to the flank and called for the ball.
This time, Costinha came across to cover.
Su Hang used a "Figo-style flick-over dribble" to beat him cleanly, then feinted a horizontal pass before driving to the byline, slicing past Ferreira as if he weren't there.
Thud!
Su Hang fired in a high-quality reverse cutback.
Raúl hit it first time.
But Carvalho read it perfectly and blocked the shot.
Raúl gave Su Hang a thumbs-up in appreciation.
Queiroz was the first to notice the shift in Su Hang's game:
"Huh… Su Hang has been showing up on the wing a lot recently."
"That's not his usual style."
"He's drifted wide before, but his real threat normally comes from his central pivot role. And he's never been a player who likes to carry the ball forward himself."
"But now he's repeatedly driving down the flank, even beating defenders."
"This style is much closer to Portugal's Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo."
"So is Portugal's central pressure forcing Su Hang wide, or has he found a weakness on Portugal's flanks?"
In the 75th minute, Su Hang pulled wide again and attempted a pass.
But Ferreira blocked it.
The ball bounced behind Su Hang, and he lifted his right foot back, controlling it with a scorpion kick before whipping in another sudden cross.
Raúl rose high in the box—a huge chance—but the ball flew over the bar.
Another miss for Raúl.
In the 77th minute, Su Hang drifted wide left yet again and received a pass from Raúl.
Ferreira closed in quickly this time, applying real pressure.
But Su Hang pulled the ball back with a heel flick, dodged Ferreira's lunge, then powered past him.
He extended his left arm to keep Ferreira locked behind him.
The Running Posture of the King of Portugal activated, and the "Leave Them in the Dust" effect made it impossible for Ferreira to catch up.
Thud!
Another cross from Su Hang.
But inside the box, both Villa and Raúl were simultaneously disrupted by Meira and Carvalho, sending bodies tumbling everywhere.
Chaos in the penalty area.
Spain's players shot their hands up, demanding a penalty!
The crowd's tension spiked.
Any fall inside the box could lead to a spot-kick.
But the referee immediately shook his head.
He suspected Villa of exaggeration. Meira had indeed made contact, but not enough to justify a fall.
And since both were battling for control of the ball, stronger contact was acceptable.
The same ruling applied to Raúl.
In truth, Raúl was wronged—Carvalho had genuinely elbowed him down.
But Carvalho, as an elite defender, knew exactly how to fool a referee. He left no evidence.
"Ferreira! What are you doing? Put him down! Take him out!" Carvalho barked furiously. Ferreira was being toyed with by Su Hang, a player not even known for dribbling.
At this rate, Carvalho and Meira were bound to break.
Queiroz sighed into the mic:
"Su Hang is clearly determined to make things happen on the wing. Who would've thought he'd be this dangerous out wide?"
"His dribbling may be a bit inferior, but paired with his raw power, he's no less threatening than Cristiano Ronaldo or Figo. His style looks just like peak Figo!"
"That means we now have three Kings of Portugal on the pitch!"
"One Portuguese legend, one rising Portuguese star, and one foreign-born King of Portugal!"
"Which one will change the score next?"
In the 78th minute, Ronaldo dropped into the left channel to demand the ball.
Simão passed it to him without comment—it was, after all, the zone where a Left Winger operates.
You switched to striker, Ronaldo. Go into the box and hold the line, will you? Why are you invading my inside-cutting space?
But there was nothing he could do. At this stage of his career, Ronaldo simply didn't have a striker's toolkit. Forced into the position, he continued playing like a Left Winger.
Sure enough, once he received the ball, Ronaldo started cutting inside from the left.
Senna couldn't stop him at all and had no choice but to foul him.
The referee blew his whistle—yellow card for Senna.
Ronaldo earned Portugal a superb free kick position.
Figo was supposed to take it, but recognizing his own fatigue, he shook his head and handed the chance to Ronaldo.
A power strike demands too much energy, and having Figo run over to take it would waste even more stamina—not worth it.
Thud!
Figo was exhausted; Ronaldo was not.
Ronaldo unleashed a booming strike—this one even curled.
The ball bent beautifully toward the goal.
It looked certain to score.
Thud!
Canizares flung himself across and parried it away.
The whole stadium froze.
That was a guaranteed goal.
Even Casillas wouldn't have reached it!
What was that?
Saint Canizares?
Canizares: You're welcome! Didn't you know Casillas was my backup back in the day?
Figo, who had been pretending to be tired moments earlier, suddenly charged into the box. He leapt, meeting the rebound with a header.
But the ball bounced too high and he couldn't place it. It flew over the bar.
As the clock hit the 79-minute mark, Su Hang began to feel anxious.
To be fair, Portugal's defense today was far stronger than Germany's.
And just like Portugal, Spain suffered from the same issue: Su Hang created threats from wide areas, but the team's strikers simply weren't delivering.
Villa or Raúl—both were missing that final spark.
Portugal lacked a Su Hang, and Spain lacked one too.
The Figo Moment Card only lasted ten minutes.
Su Hang had just over a minute left to wreak havoc on the flank.
He—wait.
Why keep attacking from the wing?
Su Hang shook his head.
Of course.
Peak Figo was a wing demon, but Su Hang wasn't Figo.
And hadn't the aging Figo shined brilliantly this season as an attacking midfielder?
If this were peak Figo playing as an attacking midfielder…
Tsk, tsk, tsk…
Zidane, you're in danger.
Today, I'll show you what a true world-class attacking midfielder looks like!
In the 80th minute, with his last minute of Figo time ticking down, Su Hang dropped into midfield to ask Raúl for the ball.
At that exact moment, the Endurance Engine activated.
...