Chapter 263: The Twin Ghosts Strike Again
"The match is over. Bayern Munich lose 1:2 at home to AC Milan!"
"For Bayern Munich, they've once again fallen under the shadow of Milan's banner."
The German commentator was at a loss for words.
The worst part? Compared to previous encounters, this game didn't show any progress—in fact, they played even worse.
It's not that Bayern were awful. It's just that AC Milan got better.
With Suker's arrival, AC Milan's already formidable midfield control became even more dominant.
Bayern had gone all out to mark Shevchenko, yet they still couldn't keep Milan from scoring.
The game felt like chaos.
Everything was just a mess!
"Sigh... we still need to work harder," the German commentator said with a sigh.
There were no excuses for this loss.
Bayern had been completely outclassed.
But of course, they wouldn't give up just yet.
There's still the second leg to play, and by then, Kahn will be back from injury—a huge morale booster for Bayern.
Kahn's return could be vital to the team's spirit. With him in goal, they may just be able to pull off a comeback.
Plus, Maldini had just been injured and won't be back anytime soon!
There's still hope!
The first leg of the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League Round of 16 has ended.
The clash between Bayern Munich and AC Milan quickly became the center of media discussion.
Both teams are European powerhouses and always attract attention. With AC Milan taking the win, the media coverage naturally favored them.
Headlines read:
"Bayern Munich Fall at Home!"
"Milan: Bayern's Kryptonite!"
"Bayern Falter While Milan Triumphs!"
"Dominance in the Blood! Milan Defeats Bayern Again!"
European media were quick to mock Bayern Munich.
Victory or defeat—there's no in-between.
When you lose, people dig into every flaw.
Regardless of how Bayern played, as long as they lost, the ridicule would follow.
German media quickly responded:
"Kahn Returns from Injury, Will Lead Bayern Into the San Siro!"
German outlets expressed excitement over Kahn's return.
Young Renzing had played a bit too nervously in this match.
With Kahn in goal, things would surely be different—or so they believed.
But the Italian media fired back almost immediately:
"Just In: Milan Confirms Inzaghi's Return From Injury, Could Play Next Leg!"
And just like that, the German side went silent.
At AC Milan's training ground…
Kaká threads a through ball, Inzaghi bursts forward, and slots a low shot past Dida.
Two goals in a training match. Inzaghi, back from injury, is on fire.
The coaching staff nodded in satisfaction.
"Pippo's desperate to get back on the pitch—he hasn't gone on a single date lately and has been obsessively rehabbing," an assistant coach joked.
Ancelotti didn't respond. He just stared toward the pitch.
At that moment, Kaká sent another pass to Suker.
Suker, stationed right on the defensive line, didn't even attempt a shot.
Instead, with a light touch, he laid the ball off backward.
Inzaghi, initially making a forward run, suddenly cut sideways to lose his marker—then fired another low shot into the net.
Ancelotti raised an eyebrow.
These two were getting ridiculous.
Suker and Inzaghi.
Ancelotti honestly didn't know how to describe this duo.
Previously, Inzaghi partnered with Shevchenko up front—both great finishers, but their pairing never exceeded the sum of their parts.
So Ancelotti often split them up.
Instead, he began pairing Suker with Inzaghi more often.
He even experimented with the "Twin Ghosts" strike partnership—Suker and Inzaghi.
But that duo is nearly impossible to control.
They're too unpredictable.
Sometimes, 1 + 1 = ∞, as the two phantom killers wreak havoc on opposing defenses.
Other times, 1 + 1 = 0—both vanish from the match entirely.
Fortunately, in those moments, Suker tends to drop back and contribute, giving the team at least a baseline performance of 1 + 1 = 2.
Ancelotti still hasn't figured out how to make them click consistently.
He even asked them directly.
Their response?
"It's all about feeling."
Yep. These two madmen rely entirely on vibes.
When they're in sync, no need to say anything—just chaos for the opposition.
When they're not, they each do their own thing.
Suker drops deep. Inzaghi hugs the defensive line.
Kahn is known to absolutely hate dealing with Inzaghi.
Ancelotti couldn't help but wonder:
With Kahn starting, could pairing Suker and Inzaghi up front be the secret weapon?
In training, after scoring again, Inzaghi ran to the sideline celebrating like crazy.
Was he that excited about being back from injury? Or just eager to face Bayern?
Either way, Inzaghi was in fantastic form—which was great news for AC Milan.
Suker, however, was a little frustrated.
Why?
Because of his card system.
He had high hopes going into the Champions League knockout stage—eager to draw a platinum card for heading or shooting.
But what did he get?
Platinum Dribbling Card: Iniesta's Dribbling.
It was a great card. Way more compatible with Suker's playstyle than Grealish's.
But there was one problem—he couldn't equip it!
The card required 93 agility, and Suker only had 89.
And worse, it's been dropping as he grows taller!
For the first time, Suker hated being tall!
Now close to 180 cm, he hoped he wouldn't grow any more.
Any taller and he'd be forced to play as a target man or poacher.
He sighed deeply.
All he could do now was hope to stabilize his agility stat and pour future attribute cards into boosting it—just to unlock better dribbling.
Suker stood on the sideline, visibly downcast.
As Gattuso passed by, he saw the gloomy expression on Suker's face.
BAM!
"Cheer up!" Gattuso shouted, punching Suker in the stomach.
Suker clutched his belly and looked at Gattuso helplessly.
There was no way to get mad at this crazy guy.
And Suker knew—this was Gattuso's way of encouragement.
Quickly adjusting his attitude, Suker reminded himself:
The Champions League is still going. There are plenty more chances to draw cards.
Meanwhile, AC Milan continued training with their new formation.
Well, not new—Suker had played striker before.
But Ancelotti had now brought back the "Twin Ghosts" combo for serious development.
Suker and Inzaghi share one big trait:
They operate on pure instinct.
No tactics, no structure—just raw talent and chemistry.
But Ancelotti had one request:
"Look up. Just glance at each other before the play."
Eye contact is crucial.
A look that says:
"I'm passing now."
"Make the run."
"I'm open."
All of that can be communicated with just a glance.
Their instinctive synergy was amazing—but unpredictable.
Adding just a tiny moment of eye contact would reduce the risk and add some consistency.
And so, under Ancelotti's guidance, the Twin Ghosts combo started to stabilize.
SWISH!
Suker received a pass from Kaká and scored with a deft chip.
Inzaghi ran over, yelling, "You didn't pass to me again!"
"I had a clear shot," Suker replied, blinking.
Inzaghi snapped, "But what if you missed?!"
Suker pointed to the net: "I didn't."
"I said what if!?"
"There's no if! No what if!"
Inzaghi's face twitched, and he lunged to pull at Suker's cheeks.
But Suker wasn't going down easy.
He reached out—
"Too short!" Inzaghi grinned, butt sticking out.
"Too bad!"
But in the next second, Inzaghi felt a chill…
His shorts had been pulled down!
Still wearing tight briefs, butt out, the sight was horrifying.
"PIRLO!!"
Inzaghi shouted, yanking up his pants and charging after Pirlo.
Pirlo didn't get far before Gattuso tackled him like a linebacker and pinned him to the ground.
Inzaghi arrived and piled on.
Suker, rubbing his red cheeks, muttered, "So childish…"
"Suker!" Ancelotti waved him over.
"Coach!"
"That was a great goal," Ancelotti said with a smile. "But you could've passed to Pippo—he was in space. Safer play."
Suker grinned. "Got it! Next time for sure!"
Ancelotti was giving him a gentle warning.
Don't be fooled by Ancelotti's Buddha-like smile.
He may seem kind, but he's ruthless when he needs to be.
He'll allow one or two mistakes—but not three.
He doesn't scold or threaten—just reminds.
But if you don't adjust, he'll drop you or transfer you out without hesitation.