Chapter 381: Kaká Scores on the Rebound

Capello's brows were tightly furrowed as he looked out onto the pitch.

The situation was serious—the midfield was being completely suppressed.

It wasn't just about Suker. Pirlo, Seedorf, and Kaká were all in outstanding form.

This relentless pressure from AC Milan's midfield prevented Real Madrid from progressing the ball effectively, which in turn left their forward line struggling.

Back when Capello was managing Juventus, he had clashed with AC Milan and Ancelotti many times.

They were old rivals.

Capello believed he understood AC Milan well. After Shevchenko's departure, even though Suker was performing admirably, he assumed the team would inevitably weaken.

But in just over 20 minutes of this match, AC Milan had shown him they hadn't been affected at all.

In fact, even the old guard like Maldini were playing like they were possessed.

The young players were ferocious!

The veterans were monstrous!

This AC Milan side was far from the crumbling team the media had portrayed—they had no sign of collapsing in the second half of the season.

Ancelotti, calmly chewing his gum, looked satisfied.

He was very pleased with AC Milan's performance.

No matter what people outside said, the team's form was holding strong, and they were even getting better as the match progressed.

And of course, Suker played a huge role in that.

It was Suker's consistent goalscoring that had propelled AC Milan forward. With those goals, pressure on the defense eased accordingly.

With confidence and the lead on their side, the team naturally played better and better.

"Forza! Milan!"

"Forza! Milan!"

"Forza! Milan!"

"Crush them!"

In the away stands, AC Milan fans roared with passion.

They were ecstatic.

Their team had taken the lead at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Suker and the whole AC Milan squad were performing brilliantly.

The fans were inspired.

Back on the field, Milan's attacks continued relentlessly.

"Push up! Go up!"

Suker dropped back to receive the ball and signaled Kaká to advance.

But Kaká was a step slow, and Suker had to hold off Ramos while waiting.

Ramos clung to Suker like an octopus, tugging and grappling until he was practically climbing on top of him.

Eventually, Ramos managed to drag Suker down in a fierce struggle.

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The whistle blew.

The referee ran over.

He gave Ramos a stern warning and awarded AC Milan a free kick.

Suker got up without complaining and headed toward the edge of the penalty area.

Because the foul occurred near the center circle, Pirlo didn't send the ball directly into the box but passed it out to the wing instead.

Suker shifted toward Kaká's side while keeping an eye on the far flank.

Seedorf was pushing up, and he also noticed Jankulovski overlapping on the left.

"Suker!"

Kaká shouted.

He looked up at Suker. At that moment, all eyes were on Suker, who was ready to receive the pass.

But then Kaká made a sudden cut with the ball.

He didn't pass—instead, he drove toward the byline.

"Damn it!"

Cannavaro cursed and immediately moved to block.

Meanwhile, Suker darted into the space Cannavaro had vacated.

Kaká saw the run and sent a reverse diagonal pass.

Suker let the ball go under his leg, intentionally dummying it.

"Suker lets it through! Seedorf behind him barely controls it, pressured by Roberto Carlos, he passes left."

"Jankulovski crosses immediately!"

"Suker dives for the header!"

Bang!

The ball crashed into Casillas' arm and bounced away.

Suker, lying on the ground, saw Seedorf rushing in to shoot. He curled up to avoid interfering and give Seedorf a better angle.

Clang!

Another strike hit the post and flew out.

"Two shots off the post! AC Milan couldn't convert this attack. Seedorf was going for too much precision."

Suker turned his head to look.

No goal.

He sighed and got up, brushing off the grass.

"Let's go again!"

Suker shouted.

The match had reached the 40-minute mark.

With five minutes left in the half, Real Madrid players were growing increasingly anxious.

"Send it forward! Get it up front!"

Van Nistelrooy yelled with urgency.

If they couldn't equalize before halftime, they'd face a tough second half.

Tactical changes and substitutions would be harder to pull off if they were chasing the game.

They didn't want to lose this Champions League first leg at home and began launching long balls forward.

"Real Madrid is resorting to long balls, trying to pressure Milan's defense through forward chases."

"But it's chaotic—the midfield's disconnected, and if Milan counters…"

The Spanish commentator had barely finished when Gattuso surged forward and dispossessed Raul, immediately passing to Pirlo.

Pirlo turned and fed the ball forward.

Kaká ran laterally to receive and drove toward the left.

Meanwhile, Suker shifted right.

Seeing the run, Kaká lobbed it into the space behind Madrid's defense.

Suker and Cannavaro both chased it.

But Suker was quicker. He controlled the ball with his chest, trying to slip past Cannavaro.

Cannavaro, however, clung to him tightly, and the two collided.

Aaaahhh!!!

Suker screamed and fell—right inside the penalty area.

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The whistle blew.

Cannavaro's face turned pale.

"I didn't foul him!"

He protested, but the referee pointed to his eyes.

"I saw it!"

Cannavaro was speechless.

The referee pointed to the penalty spot and blew the whistle again.

"Penalty!!"

Aldo Serena shouted excitedly.

AC Milan had won a penalty at the end of the first half.

A golden chance to widen the lead.

Suker picked up the ball and walked to the spot, glancing at the referee.

The referee nodded and backed away.

The other players gathered at the edge of the box.

Suker took a deep breath and looked at the goal.

Casillas was tense, hopping from side to side to distract him.

Suker lowered his head and stepped back to prepare his run-up.

The tension peaked.

The Bernabéu fell silent.

Everyone stared at the penalty spot.

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Suker charged forward!

He didn't vary his rhythm, striking the ball cleanly toward the bottom left corner.

Casillas dived at full stretch—

"Damn!"

Suker's heart sank.

Casillas blocked the shot!

Just as Suker moved to follow up—

A figure flew in ahead of him and smashed the ball in.

The ball rocketed past the near post and into the net.

"Casillas saves the penalty—but Kaká races in from outside the box and scores the rebound! Kaká extends Milan's lead!"

Kaká sprinted toward the corner flag in celebration.

Suker scratched his head awkwardly and followed him.

Clearly, Casillas had studied Suker's penalty patterns—he knew Suker favored the bottom left.

Suker had gambled, and nearly lost.

If Kaká hadn't followed up, that penalty would've been wasted.

Thankfully, the result was still good.

"How are you gonna thank me?"

Suker jumped on Kaká's back.

Kaká turned: "You should be thanking me. If I hadn't scored, you'd be getting roasted."

"I gave you a free goal!" Suker shamelessly added.

The others didn't mind. They were up by two.

Even if Suker had missed, it wouldn't have been a big deal—after all, he earned the penalty in the first place.

Scoring was a bonus. Missing it just meant trying again later.

The team didn't dwell on it.

With Kaká's rebound goal, the first half ended.

And Real Madrid found themselves trailing AC Milan 0–2 at home.

At that moment, Madrid was teetering on the edge.

They had to make changes—fast.