"Cambiasso again! Beautiful transition play — under his orchestration, Inter Milan scores their second goal!"
"What a performance from Inter in the first half!"
"In just 38 minutes, they've secured a two-goal lead!"
Suker climbed off the ground and spat out the grass in his mouth.
"Damn it! These guys are ruthless on the counter!"
Inter Milan was fully in rhythm.
AC Milan's defense couldn't hold them back.
But there was no trace of panic on Suker's face.
Because this — was something they had already anticipated before the match.
It was impossible to completely shut out Inter's offense.
Inter was bound to unleash their pent-up fury in the first half.
The key wasn't whether they would concede —It was how to lay the groundwork for a comeback despite it.
AC Milan had conceded two goals, yes.
But their overall tactical framework was still intact.
Cambiasso panted heavily.
After returning from injury, his stamina had taken a major hit.
Many said he'd gotten lazy — playing "wellness football."
But really, he was just physically limited.
In this match, Cambiasso had gone all-out — sprinting all over, giving everything.
And he had helped Inter gain a two-goal cushion.
But then the question came —Why wasn't AC Milan rushing?
Shouldn't they be desperate for a comeback?
But AC Milan remained composed, methodical —As if something bigger was in the works.
Cambiasso, even in oxygen debt, tried to think…
But his brain felt like it had slowed to a crawl.
Still, instinct told him — drop back and defend.
Meanwhile, on the sidelines— Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net
Coach Ancelotti watched Cambiasso retreat with a knowing smile.
"Looks like he sensed something."
"Too late," the assistant coach chuckled."He pushed so hard in the first half. In the second, what will Inter do without Figo and Vieira to back him up?"
"Instinctively, they'll focus on defending in the second half — but that only eases our defensive burden and gives us more room to attack."
Then he turned and called out:
Seedorf — a player AC Milan could always count on.
A versatile threat, second only to Suker.
He would enter the second half to partner Suker in the attacking midfield, intensifying pressure.
Their target: Cambiasso.
"If we can score one more, it'll be perfect!"
"It'll make things so much harder for them. Our plan is simple — just don't concede three."
But just as Ancelotti said that…
On the pitch, Suker was dancing past three defenders, bulldozing through like a tank.
Ancelotti's eyes widened.
Suker was sprinting like a man possessed.
"Damn it! Took me 40 whole minutes just to break through this triple-team!"
He had no intention of wasting this moment.
"Fall back! Watch Su—"
Suker wound up and roared:
[Lampard-style long shot!]
Time to show your worth, dammit!
BOOM!Suker unleashed a powerful shot from about 20 meters outside the box.
The ball flew with deadly precision.
It barely rotated, slicing through the air as if suspended in space.
Even as it neared the goal, it wobbled unpredictably.
Inter's keeper Julio Cesar misjudged the shot and dove left—
But the ball curved slightly and suddenly dipped to the right.
44th minute — Suker scores with a world-class long-range strike to pull one back for AC Milan!
After two straight goals conceded, Milan fans had been disheartened.
But now, Suker had blasted through a triple-mark and scored a screamer.
It lit their hearts on fire again.
"Suker!! What a thunderbolt!!"
"From nearly halfway, he created this chance entirely by himself!"
"This is what the 2007 Ballon d'Or winner looks like — he really can do everything!"
"Just before halftime, Suker finally shattered Inter's lockdown and found the net!"
Suker crouched on the ground, panting heavily.
He'd run nonstop for the entire first half, constantly clashing with defenders.
Every time he touched the ball, three Inter players swarmed him.
And yet — he broke through. He scored.
The shock to Inter was immense.
Srna shook his head, conflicted.
This was his fellow Croatian countryman, their national core…
But here in club football, they were enemies.
Ibrahimović stared wide-eyed.
Even though he called himself God, this…
This was the kind of goal only a true deity could score.
"If I were in his place… could I do that?"
Cambiasso looked like he'd seen a ghost.
He no longer knew where Suker's limits were.
Every time they thought they'd shut him down —He broke through anyway.
Three men sacrificed tactical flexibility just to mark Suker.
And still, it wasn't enough.
They kept him quiet for 40 minutes…
But can you call it "successful marking" if he still scores?
This wasn't even in the game plan.
Scoring under that kind of pressure?
He hadn't dared to hope.
But Suker did it anyway.
Suddenly, Ancelotti remembered how he once described Suker—
"The One Who is the main character and the supporting role."
But now…He was stepping into the realm of the divine.
Ancelotti considered it from the other side.
If he were Inter's coach…
Could he do anything more than what Mancini did?
Mancini had already done everything possible.
"Damn it! F*ck! What the hell just happened?!"
Mancini angrily kicked over a water bottle.
His face twisted in rage.
Inter had triple-marked Suker for 40 minutes!
And this freak still scored!
How do you even rationalize that?!
But soon, Mancini calmed down.
Yes, things went off-script — but they were still in the lead.
In the second half, they would simply continue to suffocate Suker.
As long as they shut down Milan's core playmaker, Inter would win.
That was the plan: hold the lead, defend hard.
After Milan's goal, both teams seemed to fall into an unspoken truce —Quietly waiting for halftime.
A few minutes later, the whistle blew.
Players rushed to their locker rooms.
In AC Milan's dressing room:
Ancelotti stood in front of the tactical board.
"Great job in the first half — and we even had a pleasant surprise!"
Everyone turned to look at Suker.
Suker, munching on a banana, raised his hand:
"I'm a f**king genius!"
Ancelotti smiled too, then continued:
"But the second half is even more critical. Inter won't be satisfied with just one goal — that's not safe enough."
"They'll push hard early in the half, but we won't just sit back!"
"Seedorf — once Suker draws their attention, you push the attack forward."
Seedorf nodded firmly:
He had waited all first half on the bench for this exact moment.
"After all the pressing and energy Suker forced them to spend…"
"Inter's midfield is drained."
The whole first half had been Suker running in circles, dragging defenders all over.
One man exhausting three others.
Now, the opening was there.
Suker had created it.
And it was time to capitalize.