"This counterattack is incredibly dangerous. Real Madrid must prevent this from happening again—shut down that number 7 kid!"
The Spanish commentator spoke with gravity.
Pato was showing more and more promise.
As a young player who had only recently broken into the starting lineup, he had quickly secured a regular role.While not yet an untouchable starter, his talent had won over many fans and teammates.
And Pato did not disappoint.Some were even beginning to hope he could grow into the next Kaká—or even the next Suker.
Though Suker failed to get a shot off, he quickly climbed back to his feet.But Pato was even faster—as soon as the attack ended without a goal, he sprinted back to help defend.
Once the forward players had retreated and there were enough defenders, Pato then ran forward again.
Suker nodded at the sight.
Right now, Pato had truly found his role.
That's how a young player should play—He needed to show his energy and drive, and running was a big part of that.He had to make sure people didn't see him as lazy.
Suker didn't fall back because he had attacking responsibilities—He was the team's offensive core.He needed to stay forward. That was tactical.
But Pato didn't have that luxury!
The ball was still under AC Milan's control.
Kaká received the ball and dribbled forward a few steps.
"Slow it down!"
Kaká shouted, then passed the ball sideways to Pato.
Pato immediately returned the pass.
Milan began drawing Real Madrid's shape out.
They weren't in a rush—they had won the first leg, after all.It was Real Madrid who needed to panic.
Sure enough, Real began pushing up and pressing.
They had no choice but to go for it—even if they were gambling, they had to create chances.
Their high press aimed to apply pressure to AC Milan's midfield.
But Milan's midfield wasn't so easy to disrupt.
Pirlo shifted the ball sideways and passed back to Kaká.
Kaká then laid it off to right-back Oddo, who used his vision to thread a forward ball.
The ball was fast and hard, traveling directly toward Suker.
Suker didn't wait for the ball—he moved backward to receive it.
The moment he touched the ball, he turned his foot outward while shielding, and passed it left.
The weight and angle were perfect, allowing Seedorf to step forward into a long stride.
"Close him down!"
Ramos shouted.
Miguel Torres immediately stepped up to contain Seedorf.
But Seedorf slowed down to look for a passing option.A year or two ago, he might've gone for a dribble—but now, his form had declined, and he was more likely to pass.
He lifted his foot and launched a switch of play—from the left flank all the way to the right, landing in front of Kaká.
Kaká controlled it with his instep, and as he looked up, Suker had already started sprinting—charging between Ramos and Cannavaro.
Kaká immediately lifted his leg and passed.
"Damn it!"
Cannavaro was a step too slow—Suker had already burst forward.He couldn't catch him, so he tried to intercept the pass instead.
Cannavaro desperately reached out his foot—But the ball curved around it and dropped right in front of Suker.
A rainbow pass!
Beautifully executed!
As Suker sprinted and met the ball, he couldn't help but admire it.
Kaká's vision and technique were improving rapidly.
These rainbow-style lobs—he had learned them from Suker, and now, his success rate was even higher.
Having shaken off Cannavaro, Suker took the ball and nudged it sideways.
That dodge let him avoid the onrushing Casillas.
Suker jumped lightly to evade Casillas's challenge,Then, facing an open goal, calmly slotted it in.
"GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Suker! At 23 minutes, AC Milan's persistent passing finally carved open a key opportunity!"
"Kaká's pass was so incisive—cutting around Cannavaro perfectly for Suker's run to finish."
"This season, Kaká has mostly played as a wide midfielder. Though he's further from goal, his adjustment has stabilized Milan's midfield and injected more vitality into the team."
"We can expect even greater performances from Kaká going forward!"
With Suker's goal, San Siro erupted.
Tens of thousands of fans chanted his name.
This was their pride and joy—Suker, the goal machine who guaranteed Milan's offensive power.
Once again, Milan had scored first in the first half, giving them a huge advantage.
Most importantly, the defense was solid, and the offense had now clicked.
Ancelotti let out a sigh of relief.
He could feel that progressing to the Champions League quarterfinals was drawing closer.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid's morale sank further.
Already trailing on aggregate, now they'd conceded again.
Qualifying for the next round of the Champions League looked more and more distant.
And after three previous exits in the Round of 16, some players started to wonder—
"Are we cursed or something?"
"Hey! Pass the ball to me!"
Van Nistelrooy snapped at Robben.
Though they were both Dutch, and teammates on the national team,The Dutch dressing room had a reputation for serious internal conflict.
Van Nistelrooy was a senior player, so he naturally felt he could scold Robben.
But Robben didn't care—he turned around and walked away.
He didn't like causing trouble, but he wasn't afraid of it either.
Many people had criticized Robben's selfishness,But no one could change him, and he had no intention of changing either.
After Milan's celebration, Real Madrid restarted the game, still playing aggressively.
But from the back line, Suker sensed something was off.
Real Madrid looked disorganized.
They weren't functioning as a unit, but as a collection of individual groups.
If Robben was the main attacking route down the flank,Then the team should shift to support that—Others should create space for him, offer passing options—but no one was doing that.
Nobody was moving to receive the ball or open up space.
It was all fragmented and chaotic.
Raúl was running all over the place, working hard—
But one man could only do so much.
On the sideline, Real Madrid's head coach was screaming himself hoarse,But it was having no effect.
Suker stopped for a second.
"You guys are in a pretty bad state."
Cannavaro blinked.
"Are you talking to me?"
Suker shrugged.
"Is there anyone else here who understands Italian?"
Cannavaro smirked but didn't respond to that. Instead, he shot back:
"You guys aren't much better—Paolo and Nesta's form is fading. How far can you really go in the Champions League?"
"Farther than you."
Suker retorted without hesitation.
Cannavaro was silenced.But it was true.
At this point, Real Madrid's comeback chances looked slim.
"Will you come to Real Madrid?"
Suddenly, Cannavaro asked Suker directly.
Suker turned in surprise.
Such a personal question, and he just blurted it out?
Cannavaro continued:
"If you were at Real Madrid, I think this team would still have hope."
Real Madrid's transfer policy was still focused on signing big names.
And Suker was clearly a top target.
Both Calderón and Florentino Pérez had expressed interest in signing him.
The only question was—during whose presidency would Suker arrive?
Cannavaro believed that Suker would definitely join Real Madrid someday.
That was his only step up.
But he didn't know when.
"Take a guess."
Suker answered with a smirk.
He wasn't going to say anything definite.
Meanwhile, the match time continued to tick away.
Real Madrid kept up their attacking pressure on AC Milan's defense.
Robben tried a few cut-ins and shots, but none were effective.
Van Nistelrooy was far from his previous sharp form.
Raúl's condition had also declined.
In short, Real Madrid were in a mess.
AC Milan, on the other hand, held firm with dense defensive lines,Fending off the pressure and ending the first half with a lead.
"Second half, maintain the same tactics.Paolo and Šimić—start warming up."
Maldini had mostly played as a substitute this season.
Everyone knew Maldini wanted to retire soon.Very likely, this would be his final season.
Though there had been no official announcement, it was plain to see.