Chapter 373: Suker-Kaka Connection

"This is the 19th round of the 2006/2007 Serie A season. After the winter break, the league resumes, and AC Milan is playing at home against Reggina!"

"During the winter break, AC Milan 'reinforced' their squad!"

"A 195cm Croatian central defender and former Lazio player Oddo have both made it into the starting lineup."

"Simunić, known for his aerial prowess while playing for Hertha Berlin, stands at 195cm tall—an expert in air duels!"

"Oddo is a product of AC Milan's youth system. Though he made his name at Lazio, will he perform even better now that he's returned to AC Milan?"

"But of course, compared to that, fans are even more focused on the front line!"

"Suker scored 18 goals in 18 matches during the first half of the season—an astonishing one goal per game average. Can he continue that red-hot scoring form?"

"Ronaldo, who just joined during the winter break and is wearing jersey number 99, is sitting on AC Milan's bench. This striker, once feared by every defense in world football, may be at the twilight of his career—but could he still shine again at AC Milan?"

With these questions raised by commentator Aldo Serena, fans watching in front of their TVs grew even more excited for the match.

As the referee's whistle blew, the match began with AC Milan taking the kickoff and controlling the rhythm with short passes in midfield.

Pirlo kept linking up play, carefully observing Reggina's defensive movements.

This season, AC Milan had been plagued by ultra-defensive teams—parking the bus, so to speak—which made breaking through extremely difficult.

These opponents didn't care about playing attractive football; all they wanted was a draw.

But Reggina was clearly different.

Their formation and player deployment weren't set up to simply park the bus.

After scanning a few times, Pirlo slid the ball forward to Kaka.

As Kaka received the ball and began to turn, he suddenly heard Suker shout:

"Pass it over!"

Without even looking, Kaka sent the ball toward Suker's direction.

Suker had already dropped back, and with his back to goal, he immediately swept the ball sideways to switch play.

At the same time, Suker glanced toward Kaka's position on the flank.

Reggina's defense reacted quickly, pressing hard at the first sign of danger.

Had Suker called a second later—or Kaka passed a second slower—Kaka would've been trapped by the pressing defense.

After making the switch, Suker again slotted himself into the defensive line, holding his position.

He knew as long as he stayed there, Reggina's backline wouldn't move freely.

They were wary of him—very wary!

Suker stepped back a few more paces.

Sure enough, Reggina's backline fanned out in a semi-circle, stepping forward slightly but always keeping a tight hold on Suker.

Their spacing was deliberate—not too far, not too close—ready to shut him down the moment he made a move.

Seeing this, Suker knew they had prepared for him.

But Suker wasn't a traditional center-forward.

He didn't just camp in front of defenders—his movement range was massive.

In full view of the crowd, Suker drifted to the left side. Kaka then moved centrally to occupy his spot.

Suker waited patiently on the left flank, noticing that AC Milan was playing conservatively, hesitant to release the ball.

He smirked.

This is the time to strike a heavy blow!

With that thought, Suker dropped deeper into midfield.

Seedorf was pushed inside by Suker's positioning.

Pirlo's direct passing route to Suker was blocked.

But the Pirlo-Seedorf-Suker triangle remained intact.

Pirlo, always sensitive to space and positioning, passed toward Seedorf's right foot as he faced away from goal.

This allowed Seedorf to use the outside of his foot to flick the ball out wide—no adjustment needed.

Suker received it near the AC Milan technical area.

Every Milan player and Coach Ancelotti turned to look at him.

Feigning a drive inside, Suker dragged his left foot over the ball in a dummy dribble—without touching it.

Tedesco was completely wrong-footed and even slipped.

Taking advantage, Suker quickly pulled the ball back and pushed it forward, then accelerated like an arrow shot from a bow.

"So fast!"

Ronaldo clenched his fists instinctively.

Watching Suker's explosive sprint shook Ronaldo to his core. There was a bitter taste in his mouth.

Once upon a time, I scored goals like that...

But injuries had wrecked his career.

Now, he couldn't play like Suker anymore—he could barely run.

Suker kept surging forward.

Ronaldo's legs twitched unconsciously, trying to mimic Suker's steps, as if doing so could bring back the old days.

But some things, once lost, never return.

Suker reached the byline.

With the outside of his right foot, he curled the ball into the center of the box.

Kaka made a sharp run, launching himself into a diving header.

Duang!

The goalpost rattled violently. Kaka held his head in pain, eyes nearly tearing up.

He buried his face in his arms—not because of the pain, but embarrassment.

He missed the ball and smashed his head on the post.

"You're really brave!" Suker laughed. "Trying to out-headbutt a goalpost?"

Suker patted Kaka's head—there was already a noticeable bump.

"Poor kid!"

He shook his head.

Though his words were teasing, Suker was genuinely pleased.

At least Kaka was showing some real fight now.

That kind of effort was exactly what he needed to get back in form.

And sure enough, five minutes later, Kaka struck.

Chasing a long ball from Pirlo, Kaka sprinted forward, nodded the ball ahead with his forehead, and continued his dash.

Suker hovered near the backline, waiting for the moment.

Kaka dribbled all the way to the end line.

Under Suker's gaze, Kaka finally looked up.

At that instant, Suker made his move—and Kaka crossed immediately.

They synchronized perfectly.

No flag from the linesman. No whistle from the ref!

Suker took several explosive steps and stretched with his left foot to reach the ball.

Pa!The ball clipped his toe, took a slight deflection, hit the far post—and went in.

13th minute: Kaka assists Suker for the opening goal!

"Suker! Kaka! Once again it's the link-up between these two Milan young stars."

"Superb timing, perfect chemistry!"

"Suker bags his 19th goal of the season and puts AC Milan ahead at the San Siro!"

Suker ran to the corner flag, laughing and pointing both index fingers at the crowd.

Instantly, the stadium erupted.

The Milan fans poured all their love into that deafening roar—for Suker.

"He's the darling of this stadium," Ronaldo muttered.

Maldini nodded. He saw it as something inevitable.

Suker was already one of Milan's own.

Even though he hadn't yet gained Italian citizenship, he was family to every AC Milan fan. That much was clear.

And if the first goal came fast—the second came even faster.

Just five minutes later, Kaka received another ball from Pirlo.

Despite being surrounded by three defenders, he weaved his way into the penalty area.

In a blink, he saw his chance and struck decisively.

It was a toe-poke, the ball curling into the top-right corner.

Reggina's keeper couldn't even react—the deceptive movement and awkward angle left him helpless.

18th minute: Another goal for AC Milan!

AC Milan 2:0 Reggina.

"Slow the pace!"

Seeing the quick goals, Ancelotti shouted from the sidelines.

He urged the players to maintain rhythm and avoid overly aggressive attacking.

The second half of the season wasn't like the first.

Every match mattered more now. Pressure, strategy, fitness—all needed his strict control.

There were bigger, tougher games ahead—no need to overexert themselves here.

It wasn't that Ancelotti was underestimating Reggina—it's just that they weren't a real threat to Milan.

To exaggerate a bit: with the way Suker was playing, he could score with his eyes closed.

Who could stop that?