"Equalized!! Milan!! Kaká!!!"
At the moment Kaká scored, Aldo Cerella couldn't help but stand up.
He waved his hands excitedly, celebrating with all his might.
"This is Milan! The tenacious Milan!"
"Even when behind, they have the courage to fight back. They never give up. Time and again, their counterattacks have finally cracked open Manchester United's goal again."
"They played wonderfully here at Old Trafford!"
"Once, Milan's defense left us a deep impression, but now Suker and Kaká, with their unparalleled individual skills, have put on a spectacular show."
"Milan 2:2 Manchester United, both teams back to square one. The second half will be especially crucial!"
Twice they have equalized.
This left Manchester United's players feeling exhausted.
Mainly because they couldn't pull away on the scoreboard!
Although Milan's defense is aging, scoring a goal is still extremely difficult.
But Suker and Kaká — these two guys nearly relied purely on individual skill to score.
This weighed heavily on Manchester United's minds.
Their zonal defense was already well done, but they were still repeatedly disrupted by these two and conceded twice.
Modrić exhaled deeply.
At 45 minutes, the first half was about to end.
Both sides tacitly eased up, not launching fierce attacks.
Soon, the match entered halftime.
Players returned to their locker rooms.
Both teams discussed tactics for the second half.
But whether Ancelotti or Ferguson, both chose to maintain the status quo.
The current situation was very tight, and the lineups were optimal.
If they made substitutions, it could break the balance, and neither was sure what changes might happen.
Plus, an early substitution could be countered by the other side's adjustments.
So both sides were holding back with resolve.
However, Milan's situation wasn't very optimistic.
Maldini's lips were a bit blue, clearly he was unwell.
"Can you hold on?" Ancelotti asked.
Maldini was very important; Ancelotti didn't want to substitute him.
Maldini was silent for a moment, then said: "Ten more minutes."
Everyone sighed upon hearing this.
Maldini wasn't one to give up easily, so saying this meant his body was really struggling.
Not only Maldini, Nesta was also getting calf massages with the team doctor's help.
In the last few minutes of the first half, Nesta was barely able to run.
Suker watched this helplessly.
This was the problem with an aging lineup — not durable enough!
A whole season's fatigue suddenly exploded; Maldini's condition was exactly .
As for Nesta, it was the accumulation of small injuries.
"Kaladze! Costacurta! Warm up!"
Their bench was too thin.
"Second half, I'll drop back more to secure possession. You push forward and try to score first!"
With Maldini and Nesta out, Milan's defense might be severely weakened.
A leading score would be crucial.
It could further energize their overall tactics.
Halftime ended; no substitutions from either side.
The second half began.
Milan intended to speed up attacks early on.
They wanted to score first while Maldini and Nesta were still on the pitch.
But Manchester United thought the same — they planned to press hard for the first ten minutes after halftime.
Ferguson and Ancelotti, two famous coaches, had the same idea.
This led to a fierce clash right at the start of the second half — both sides fighting tooth and nail.
"The second half is intense, both teams fiercely contesting midfield to ensure possession and accelerate attacks!" Official source is novel⚑fire.net
On the pitch, challenges happened constantly.
Every touch was rough, hardly smooth.
But Manchester United still managed possession, relying on Modrić's orchestration.
AC Milan didn't let them pass easily.
Pirlo, Gattuso, and Seedorf pressed aggressively.
Even Suker frequently dropped back.
Suker pressed close to Modrić, grabbed his jersey with his right hand, pulling it down.
Modrić struggled fiercely, cursing.
Suker stuck like glue, pressing closer, trying to snatch the ball.
But Modrić passed sideways directly, shifting possession away.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
Suker finally let go but did not retreat much.
Gattuso closed in on Ronaldo.
Ronaldo's footwork was brilliant.
At this moment, Ronaldo had explosive power and agility; his body was still flexible.
Gattuso watched carefully, experienced enough not to rush.
When Ronaldo tried to break through, Gattuso suddenly lunged and pushed Ronaldo aside, winning the ball.
Suker shouted, turning to sprint.
Gattuso saw Suker sprinting, chose not to pass to Pirlo, but directly to Kaká.
Kaká dribbled forward and used the outside of his foot to flick the ball diagonally ahead.
Suker was parallel with Vidić.
But in the next second, Vidić saw Suker suddenly lower his body and burst forward with explosive power.
Suker's second acceleration was a nightmare for many defenders.
Vidić was no exception.
Seeing Suker about to escape his coverage, Vidić desperately reached out, but Suker cleverly twisted his waist to dodge.
Vidić threw his whole body forward but still missed.
"Can he accelerate more?!"
Vidić was mentally crushed.
He could only watch Suker's receding figure and fall heavily to the ground.
"Suker! He's broken through!"
Watching Suker dribble into the penalty area, Old Trafford suddenly fell silent.
Manchester United fans held their breath.
Milan fans were even more breathless, eagerly watching Suker.
Under the entire stadium's gaze, as Suker neared the goal, Van der Sar's rush out was too late.
Just as Van der Sar tried to guess Suker's shot angle, the ball sharply darted toward the near post.
He didn't even see Suker's shooting motion.
"Tip shot! Suker! A toe-tip shot! His shooting move was so disguised that Van der Sar couldn't react!"
"In the second half, AC Milan score first! Suker's second goal of the match."
"AC Milan 3:2 lead Manchester United!"
"Their performance is amazing! Especially Suker and Kaká — they've made the most crucial contributions this match!"
Italian commentator Aldo Cerella's voice sharpened.
At Old Trafford, this famous European stadium that troubles even the strongest clubs,
Milan's lads showed resilient spirit.
Manchester United led twice, Milan equalized twice.
Now, Milan scored first in the second half and took the lead.
This performance is astonishing.
This is not some weak team!
This is Manchester United!
This is Old Trafford!
But even so, AC Milan still displayed extremely outstanding performance.
Throughout Old Trafford, Manchester United fans were silent.
This made the few Milan fans the stadium's main focus.
They cheered and rejoiced for this hard-earned goal.
Suker is trustworthy!
He always makes enough contribution to Milan's victory.
Of course, Kaká's performance also deserves recognition.
Suker and Kaká have become Milan's backbone to beat Manchester United.
Suker stood before Milan's fans' stands.
At this moment, the camera focused entirely on him.
Even at Old Trafford, he was still the brightest star.
The dome lights shone; flashes lit up everywhere.
Suker looked as if bathed in a halo, shining brilliantly!