"For Real Madrid, the second half presents a very passive situation. With the numerical disadvantage, they are forced into a more defensive phase, playing more reactively. Physical fatigue is one factor, but the pressure from Valencia is another!"
"However, Real Madrid still has a trump card!"
Gonzalez said gravely; "That is Suker! We've seen Suker's outstanding performances in the second half of many matches. Unlike others who struggle with declining stamina, Suker often delivers astonishing performances in the second half!"
"In this match, we can similarly expect Suker to perform!"
At the center circle.
Suker stretched his legs, but his eyes were fixed on Valencia's half.
The tactics hadn't changed!
It was still the long-ball tactic. Real Madrid had many players capable of launching those long passes, so Suker wasn't worried about that.
Even under pressure, if they couldn't aim precisely, they would still loft long balls into the opponent's half for him to chase.
For Suker, his second-half performance would largely depend on his individual ability!
To be honest, Suker thought Mourinho didn't need to be so conservative. They could handle some measured offensive play.
However, Mourinho was too cautious!
He would rather secure a draw through defense than risk attacking for a win that might lead to a loss!
That was just Mourinho's personality; there was no changing it.
As a player, Suker could only follow orders.
Moreover, they still had hope.
With the score level, Valencia would undoubtedly be unsatisfied!
They'd managed to get a red card, gained a numerical advantage, and caught Real Madrid in an injury crisis. Naturally, they would want to secure a victory.
However, Real Madrid wouldn't make it easy for them.
Beeep!
The whistle blew.
The second half began.
Suker immediately passed the ball and sprinted forward.
Valencia also charged into Real Madrid's half after kickoff, pressing aggressively.
Mourinho's prediction was correct. Valencia started the second half with intense pressing and pressure.
They wanted to score quickly.
Suker glanced back at the half and saw that Real Madrid was struggling to handle Valencia's press.
Suker thought for a moment, then dropped back a bit.
This would, first, pull the defensive line out of position, and second, stabilize the midfield.
It would be effective for launching counters.
If the opponent's defensive line didn't follow him, Suker could link up with the midfield and advance through possession play.
When Suker dropped back near the center circle, Valencia's defensive line indeed pushed up to continue marking him.
Boom!
Alonso passed the ball to Suker.
Before receiving the ball, Suker looked around.
Then, looking to the right, he used the outside of his foot to push the ball to the left.
However, Valencia's defense was well-organized, leaving no gaps for Suker to exploit.
Di María also passed back, restarting the buildup.
"Real Madrid is playing very patiently. Even with a man down, they remain very composed!"
Alonso constantly looked around.
As Real Madrid's deep-lying playmaker, he didn't seek glory but prioritized stability and avoiding mistakes!
If his position was compromised, Real Madrid's entire structure would fall apart.
Suker understood this well, which was why he dropped back to support Alonso and share some of the burden.
At the same time, Suker frequently glanced around.
If the opponent showed even the slightest lapse or mistake, Suker could immediately launch a counter.
Boom!
Alonso passed to Suker again.
Suker again looked around before receiving the ball.
He was surprised to see that Rami hadn't closed him down.
Or rather, he was looking at Šrna overlapping on the left.
Well done, Šrna!
There weren't many ways to defend against Suker, but the most crucial one was to keep him facing away from the goal while preventing him from turning.
Once Suker managed to turn, his threat level increased exponentially.
This meant the defense had to close him down immediately.
But Rami's attention was drawn to Šrna, causing him to miss Suker's movement initially.
By the time his teammates shouted, Rami finally realized.
But by then, Suker had already received the ball!
"Damn it!"
Rami panicked and immediately stepped forward!"
"Don't!"
Alba shouted; "Drop back! Maintain distance, drop back!"
At this point, pressing Suker alone would likely only result in getting beaten.
If Rami was beaten, Alba would also suffer.
So, Alba didn't let Rami rush in to pressure.
They retreated step by step, constantly watching Suker's movements.
Rami especially maintained a distance that still posed a threat to Suker.
"They're really cautious!"
Suker shook his head inwardly.
He looked up toward the goal and suddenly raised his foot as if to shoot.
Rami immediately stuck out a leg to block.
Suker faked the shot and actually pushed the ball aside, creating space.
Rami hurriedly followed.
Suker faked another shot and pushed the ball again, creating more space.
This time, Rami spread his legs.
'You're done for!'
Once a defender spreads his legs, it means he's lost the ability to follow up with a tackle. Suker could now break through more boldly.
Suker executed a quick step-over.
The ball moved from his left foot to his right, and he pushed it forward with his right, bypassing Rami.
Rami urgently shouted; "Alba!"
"I fucking hear you!"
Alba was furious.
He'd been beaten again!
He knew Suker was tricky, but not to this extent!
Suker bypassed Rami and charged into the penalty area.
He looked up toward the goal again.
"Don't even think about shooting!"
Alba threw himself forward with all his strength to block.
Suker faked another shot and actually cut inside!
The ball was moved to near the penalty spot.
At this moment, Valencia's defenders felt their heads spin.
Suker, facing the ball, was already winding up with his left foot.
Alba on the left and the goalkeeper on the right had the shooting angles completely covered.
Suker had no choice but to push the ball to the left.
"I'm here!"
Di María happily charged forward and, meeting the ball, angled his foot slightly downward.
The ball bounced up, cleared the goalkeeper's outstretched leg, and flew into the net once again.
54th minute, Real Madrid scored again.
"Ángel Di María, a brace!!"
"Oh my god, two goals! Di María with two goals! Tonight's protagonist is Di María. He descended upon this pitch like an angel, bestowing blessings upon Real Madrid!"
On the sidelines, Mourinho celebrated excitedly again.
"Well done!"
Of course, compared to Di María's finish, Suker's feints, touches, and cuts were even more technically impressive.
The final assist was also extremely composed.
The only pity was that, so far, Suker hadn't scored but had instead provided two assists!
Suker without a goal, Di María with a brace.
This threw Valencia's defense into chaos.
Should they mark Suker or that Argentine?
Suker absolutely couldn't be left unmarked, but could they afford to leave the Argentine alone?
Based on current performance, he was the biggest threat in front of their goal.
Valencia's players communicated with their coach.
However, he seemed unwilling to change, still insisting on focusing solely on marking Suker.
"They're really sticking to me!"
Suker shook his head.
Fame attracts trouble!
These guys were really going all out to defend against him.
But time was running out!
Once the match reached the 80th minute, it would fully enter 'Suker Time.'
Then, he would teach these guys a harsh lesson.
Full match, 80th minute.
Suker used his [State Recovery Card] and maxed out all his threatening cards.
The 80th minute arrived.
The so-called 'Suker Time' was a term coined by Spanish commentator Gonzalez.
It referred to the period between the 70th and 90th minutes when Suker's performance noticeably surged.
During this time, Suker was the player who needed the most attention.
In the Spanish Clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona, Suker had repeatedly dismantled Barcelona during this period, hence the name.
Valencia was already a goal down.
How would they withstand Suker's attacks in the remaining time?
Boom!
Šrna launched a direct 45-degree long pass, switching play from the right to the left flank into space.
Suker immediately accelerated, going full speed.
He charged toward Valencia's defense like a bolt of lightning.
"Go! Go! Go!" Alba frantically directed; "Press him!"
Facing Valencia's right-back Luis, Suker advanced calmly.
Luis didn't dare be careless, stabilizing his stance and trying to predict Suker's direction.
Tap!
At that moment, Suker sharply stepped forward with his left foot.
Luis panicked and retreated, also stepping forward.
He's cutting inside!
Just then, Suker used his planted left foot as a pivot, turned, and pulled the ball.
Suker used his back to hold off Luis, forcefully completing the turn and accelerating again to create space.
"Luis! Suker shakes him off!"
Suker had reached the left side of the penalty area, near the goal line.
As he prepared to shoot, he suddenly felt his supporting leg get clipped. He couldn't help but fall forward.
"Oh~~~ Foul!!! That's a tackle from behind!!—"
Gonzalez shouted.
Luis, in his panic, had resorted to a scissor tackle from behind.
He took down Suker, ball and all.
Beeep!
A sharp whistle sounded.
The referee showed Luis a red card and pointed to the penalty spot!
Another red card + penalty combo!
"Following Pepe, Valencia's full-back Luis also received a red card, and gifted Real Madrid a penalty!"
"Valencia failed to convert their penalty. Can Suker seize this opportunity?"
On camera, Suker walked to the penalty spot, placed the ball down, and began pacing his run-up.
At this moment, the entire Valencia home stadium fell silent.
Valencia fans felt headaches coming on.
When Pepe was sent off, they were overjoyed.
But the problem was, they still couldn't break through. Instead, they found themselves trailing twice to a ten-man Real Madrid, and now they'd conceded a penalty.
If this goal went in, they'd have virtually no hope left.
Forget winning; even a draw would be hard to salvage.
In this situation, they were naturally extremely anxious.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Suker took a deep breath and began slowly approaching the penalty spot.
His pace wasn't fast, his steps not large.
But each step seemed to sync with the heartbeat of the fans.
As he neared the ball, Suker's steps accelerated. Without any change of rhythm, he pushed his foot forward.
"Left side!"
The Valencia goalkeeper immediately dove.
But he saw the ball flying toward the other side. At that moment, he felt all the energy drain from him.
Swish!
The ball found the net!
82nd minute, Valencia 1-3 Real Madrid!
In the 16th minute, Pepe was sent off with a red card. Yet, Real Madrid managed to take the lead twice, and in the 81st minute, Suker's charge completely killed off Valencia.
Currently, Valencia was undoubtedly the team in La Liga second only to Real Madrid and Barcelona.
But against a depleted, ten-man Real Madrid, Valencia couldn't even secure a win at home. This made everyone marvel at Real Madrid's strength.
85th minute, Mourinho used his final substitution to bring Suker off.
"Suker is coming off. This means Real Madrid is switching to a full defensive mode. Even with a man down, the defense Mourinho has built isn't easy to break down. Moreover, Valencia would need to score two goals in less than 10 minutes just to earn a draw!"
"In this match, Suker provided two assists and scored one goal—another dominant performance!"
On camera, Suker sat on the bench. His jersey was soaked through, his hair damp, sweat dripping down his face.
It was his intense running that continuously pressured Valencia's defense, even forcing opponents to foul.
Though exhausting, the result was worth it!
"Whew~~~" Suker sighed: "That was exhausting!"
The other Real Madrid substitutes also looked at Suker.
Their eyes held awe.
After Pepe was sent off, Suker received very little support up front. Yet, he still repeatedly charged at Valencia's defense, applying tangible pressure.
If it were them, they could never have done it!
They had marveled at Suker's performances many times before, but Suker always exceeded their expectations.
They even wondered, where were Suker's limits?
As teammates, they also wondered, how could Suker be beaten?
But as those who knew Suker best, they had no ideas.
Perhaps the only thing that could beat Suker was… time itself!
Time ticked away.
Suker propped his chin on his hand and watched the pitch.
After he came off, Real Madrid stabilized their defense. Though Valencia attacked fiercely, they couldn't break through Real Madrid's goal in such a short time.
"The match is almost over!"
Suker stretched lazily.
This damn match was finally ending!
Just then, Soker heard a commotion.
He turned to see Pepe excitedly waving toward the bench from the player tunnel entrance, while assistant coach Faria desperately tried to push him back inside.
"Hey! You guys were amazing!"
"I can't believe it! You actually won the match!"
"Buddy! No! Boss!" Pepe was being shoved into the tunnel, but a thumbs-up appeared at the entrance: "Suker! Incredible!"
Suker grinned wryly!
This guy really couldn't stay quiet.
Suker remembered.
In the original timeline, in 2009, Pepe had a similar impulsive incident, I think against Getafe, though it didn't happen in this timeline.
But what was meant to happen still did, just a few years later.
In the original timeline, after being sent off with a red card, Real Madrid still beat Getafe, and then Pepe smugly ran back to celebrate.
This action thoroughly angered the Spanish FA, resulting in a nine-match ban—a heavy blow.
A leopard can't change its spots; the trouble he was destined to cause still happened.
This time, however, Faria was quick to stop Pepe from rushing back onto the pitch.
Otherwise, if Pepe got banned for nine matches, Real Madrid would really be in trouble.
Beeep! Beeep! Beeep!
Three whistles blew.
The full-time whistle.
2011/2012 La Liga Season, Third Round: Valencia 1-3 Real Madrid.
Real Madrid secured their third consecutive win of the new season.
After defeating Valencia, Real Madrid only had Sevilla left before overcoming this tough stretch of league fixtures.
After the match, the Real Madrid players returned to the training base, where Mourinho held a post-match debrief.
It was more of a critique session—a roasting, really.
Focused on 'someone's' impulsive actions that put the entire team in danger.
In this 'critique session,' Mourinho held nothing back, berating Pepe. The latter, though reluctant to listen, knew he was wrong and could only endure it.
Moreover, Suker and Casillas didn't speak up either.
This time, Suker, Casillas, and Mourinho were unprecedentedly unified in their stance.
They couldn't tolerate such issues. A foul under defensive pressure was one thing, but pure venting was unacceptable.
The critique session lasted a full hour. Pepe also engaged in self-reflection and promised never to cause trouble for the team again.
However, Mourinho, along with the club, still imposed a three-week fine on Pepe's wages.
Pepe had no objections to this.
With that, the matter was considered resolved.
Though the process was full of twists and turns, Real Madrid still won the match, which was what mattered most.
However, the next match also required attention.
After all, they had to face the 'Europa League Kings,' Sevilla.
In that match, Pepe would be suspended for three games and unable to play.
Of Real Madrid's four main defenders, two were now lying in hospital beds, one was suspended, and only Šrna remained holding the fort alone.
Suker had a strange feeling!
Had Ramos and Pepe's troublemaking abilities improved because Šrna was there as a safety net?
Was the nice guy just meant to be taken advantage of?
Suker shook his head, but Šrna's presence did reassure him.
Otherwise, with Ramos and Pepe causing so much trouble, even Suker would find it hard to handle.