In the 53rd minute, Cristiano Ronaldo shifted the ball past Alonso on the left before hammering through with a burst of Stepovers to take on Sergio Ramos.
Although Sergio Ramos got a touch, Ronaldo still won a corner for Portugal.
Queiroz spread his hands.
"Cristiano Ronaldo has created more chances than anyone else on the pitch today, followed by Figo and Su Hang."
Derek Rae said, "Of course. Ronaldo has had the most possession. He's Portugal's creator, and even Figo has been playing as his support. This player's future is limitless! He's already one of Europe's hottest rising stars!"
Tommy Smyth added, "No wonder Ferguson chose Ronaldo over Van Nistelrooy. Ronaldo has been the second-biggest breakout star of this World Cup so far. I think once he returns to Manchester United, he'll become their primary ball-carrier, even surpassing Rooney in status!"
"And naturally, the one who's made an even bigger impact than Ronaldo is Su Hang. His seven goals have earned worldwide recognition!"
Speak of the devil...
In the 55th minute, Su Hang dropped deeper to receive the ball, then breezed past the recklessly charging Maniche with a Marseille Turn. Driving diagonally left, he pulled Carvalho out of position and slipped a horizontal pass across.
García tried a first-time through ball to Villa, aiming for a perfect assist, but his rhythm didn't match the ball and the pass skewed off course.
Villa stretched as far as he could but still couldn't reach it, and the ball rolled out over the byline.
A highlight from "Su-Dane" was wasted.
But it also revealed something.
With the breakneck pace of the match, both teams were already showing major signs of fatigue around the 50-minute mark.
That was why García mistimed his pass.
Why Villa couldn't accelerate again to save the ball.
In a normal match, this kind of fatigue usually shows up around the 70th minute.
In this state, players' movements deform, dribbling and passing quality drop sharply, shooting suffers, and the risk of injury skyrockets.
Muscles normally shield the bones by staying tense. When they loosen, your bones and joints take the full impact.
Sure enough, in the 62nd minute, Portugal's Right Back Miguel went down in a routine duel and couldn't get up.
The Portuguese team doctor rushed in and called for a stretcher.
Miguel couldn't continue, and Ferreira came on.
Tommy Smyth, commentating from the stands, immediately lit up.
"Oh! This is not good news for Portugal!"
Derek Rae was puzzled.
"Why? Is Miguel that good? He seems average to me. Valente on the other side has had far more impact, hasn't he?"
Tommy Smyth laughed.
"Whether he's good or not doesn't matter. For Portugal, Miguel going off injured is a curse."
"In the Euro 2004 final, Miguel was injured and had to leave. Portugal ended up losing heartbreakingly to Greece and missed out on the Henri Delaunay Trophy! They became the backdrop of the Greek miracle!"
"And now, Miguel is injured again. The curse has returned!"
In the 64th minute, Figo carried the ball and waited for Valente's overlapping run before threading a pass.
Valente whipped in a cross.
Pauleta was sandwiched between Ibáñez and Puyol, unable to touch the ball, and was left gasping inside the box.
Portugal immediately sent Simão to warm up.
In the 65th minute, Ferreira, who had just come on, played a through ball toward the middle, but his intended target Pauleta was already on the ground.
Figo and Ronaldo both protested, insisting Senna deserved a booking.
But the referee shook his head. He judged it a normal challenge.
And it truly was—Senna had no extra actions.
Pauleta simply couldn't keep going.
Portugal's great center forward from the Golden Generation had run out of fuel.
On the sideline, Portugal made the change: Simão replaced Pauleta.
Compared to the wingers of that era, this center forward had always seemed ordinary, yet he was still the strongest striker Portugal had in this period.
And later, once Cristiano Ronaldo transitioned into a world-class center forward to fill that void, Portugal's wingers declined sharply.
Subsequent generations—ABCD lineups and other star-studded squads—produced countless talents with soaring market value, but cohesion, execution, and tactical discipline always fell short.
Portugal never truly reached its perfect form.
Or perhaps the 2004–2006 Portugal team was already the best they would look in a span of twenty years before and after.
After coming on, Simão took over at left wing, and Cristiano Ronaldo moved into the striker role.
Ronaldo's explosiveness was clearly far superior to Pauleta's, but whether he could handle the striker position at this stage was still uncertain.
On the other side, Spain also made a change, bringing on a fully rested Raúl for García.
In the 70th minute, Ronaldo drifted wide to the left. Under pressure from three defenders, he still managed to earn another corner, maintaining his trademark efficiency—every attack producing something.
Su Hang saw Ferreira and Simão on the pitch and sensed the moment had come.
Substitutes often become the unpredictable factors in a match.
Their fitness is better and they bring something unknown—but the opponents don't understand them, and they don't yet understand the opponents either.
And Ronaldo had shifted to a position he wasn't familiar with.
This was Portugal's weakest moment.
"Ding! You've activated the Moment Card: Right-Wing God Figo 2000!"
Yes.
Su Hang chose Figo.
He had two other cards left, but neither fit the situation like Figo.
Nineteen Messi was sharp, but operated mainly through the center.
Portugal's central defense, however, was airtight—Carvalho, Costinha, and Maniche excelled there. There was almost no way to threaten through the middle except with aerial play.
By contrast, Portugal's aggressively attacking wings offered far better opportunities.
Messi was out.
And while both the Right-Wing Master and Copa del Rey Bale were flank cards, the Right-Wing Master had Figo's game sense and knowledge of Portugal.
"As the saying goes, it's often the inside that brings a fortress down."
So Bale was out.
The traitor Figo won Su Hang's final trust.
Barcelona: Yes, Luís is a Judas!
In the 71st minute, Su Hang headed the ball clear, winning possession for Spain.
Thirty seconds later, instead of returning to his striker position, he drifted wide and called for the ball from Mariano. Mariano passed, and Su Hang pushed the ball down the flank, going straight at Maniche.
Maniche was beaten immediately.
But with excellent defensive awareness, he clamped onto Su Hang's jersey, the two wrestling all the way until Su Hang abandoned the dribble, turned, and shoved Maniche off.
Maniche lunged forward, bumping chest-to-chest with Su Hang.
The referee rushed in and booked Maniche.
Figo approached, insisting Su Hang should be booked as well.
But Su Hang wasn't as hot-headed as Rooney.
What he saw was Figo's fear—and fatigue.
Portugal was running out of power.