Chapter 404: Kaká Explodes

A ghostly, assassin-like goal.

The moment the ball hit the back of the net, as Kahn stared at Suker's retreating figure, his eyes were full of fury and helplessness.

Inzaghi didn't even play, and yet Milan still managed to score in his signature style.

Twenty minutes of silence, exchanged for one goal.

So now the question was — how do you even limit someone like Suker?

On the Milan bench, even Inzaghi was shaking his head repeatedly.

"Damn it… Feels like I'm completely obsolete. Maybe it's time for me to transfer!"

Inzaghi felt crushed.

Everything he could do — Suker could do.

And the things he couldn't do — Suker could still do them.

This basically buried Inzaghi on the bench.

Now that Suker was even replicating Inzaghi's specialty goals, his chances of playing were close to zero.

"Just one season, and this kid's stolen everyone's tricks,"sighed Costacurta.

Shevchenko and Inzaghi — Milan's two deadliest strikers.

Now, one Suker could do the job of both.

How are they supposed to compete with that?

Inzaghi muttered,

"At this rate, I won't be surprised if by season's end, he pulls out Ronaldo's signature elastico and forces him to the bench too!"

Being teammates with Suker was mentally exhausting.

This guy just kept improving, constantly catching up and overtaking, while the rest of them could only watch helplessly.

Who could understand that kind of powerlessness?

"Thank goodness he's not a defender," Costacurta laughed.

Inzaghi turned his head,

"Who says he can't be a defender?"

Suker already had pressing and intercepting ability, combined with his speed and passing vision. With some training, he could become a fantastic full-back.

Of course, no sane coach would waste such a lethal attacker by putting him in defense.

But in theory? Absolutely possible.

On the sidelines, Ancelotti applauded non-stop.

Suker's goal was crucial.

After Kaká's repeated breakthroughs failed to yield results, the goal came from the opposite wing instead.

Bayern's defense was solid — but not resilient. You couldn't brute-force them, but if you subtly twisted the knife, the whole structure would collapse.

That's exactly what Milan had done.

At the 31st minute — AC Milan struck first.

Bayern were once again trailing.

They'd prepared for all kinds of scenarios pre-match — but they hadn't expected Suker to pull off an Inzaghi-style goal.

And more importantly — it sent a message.

Suker may "poach" goals for efficiency — but in terms of goal-scoring variety, he was absolutely unpredictable.

With the lead in hand, Milan began playing with more ease.

After kickoff resumed—

Suker stood back on the back line.

This time, Sagnol didn't dare let his guard down. No matter how aggressively Kaká charged, he kept his eyes locked on Suker.

But very soon — he realized his mistake.

By focusing entirely on Suker, Kaká was running wild down the wing.

At this point, Lahm was still not a defensively reliable full-back. He'd become more balanced in later years, but right now, his focus was attack.

As a result, Kaká's constant attacks made Lahm look very passive.

For Bayern, it was frustrating.

Milan's attacks pushed their whole formation backward — and they couldn't even get a counter going.

The forwards up front were left starving, waiting for a pass that never came.

Suker drew away the defenders' attention.Kaká? Was thriving.

Gradually, Kaká realized he liked this tactic.

He had more freedom in the attacking third, and with Suker soaking up the pressure, Kaká was getting more and more comfortable.

"Dog chasing frisbee?"

Fine. Call me a dog if you want. As long as I'm enjoying myself!"

And so Kaká continued tearing apart the defense.

Pirlo was also enjoying himself — slinging passes like a maestro.

Bang!

Another long ball from Pirlo — aimed between Lucio and Lahm.

Kaká used his speed to slice between them.

As the ball dropped, Kaká didn't take a touch — he struck it first time.

The shot was like a missile, blazing toward the goal.

Kahn got a fingertip to it — but the ball was moving too fast, and the power was too great.

He couldn't stop it.

Whoosh!The net rippled again.

"WOW!!"

Suker's jaw dropped.

That volley? It had a touch of van Persie to it.

But more than anything — it showed just how technically precise Kaká's footwork was.

And more importantly — was this the explosion?

Was Kaká finally breaking out?

Suker was thrilled!

He leapt onto Kaká's back, celebrating even more wildly than Kaká himself.

"KAKÁ!! GOAL!!!"

"What a stunning volley! The moment the ball dropped into the penalty area, Kaká had already decided — he would shoot. The decisiveness in that strike was powered by his overwhelming confidence!"

"42nd minute of the first half — with goals from Suker and Kaká, AC Milan now lead Bayern Munich by two!"

ROAR!!!!!!!!!!!

As Suker and Kaká ran to the edge of the stands—

San Siro exploded.

The Milan fans were ecstatic.

In this special era — this golden age of rising stars — Milan had the best two.

That was the fans' greatest joy.

Suker and Kaká.With these two, they believed Milan held the future in their hands.

Despite the scandals, the setbacks — Milan was still Milan.

"Eat, sleep, beat Bayern" — they could still do it.

Just like those two goals proved.

By halftime, they led 2–0.

Bayern's players wore pained expressions.

One goal was bad enough.Two?

That pressure was immense.

How were they supposed to mount a comeback?

This was Milan.Once they lock it down in the second half — even scoring one goal would be a nightmare.

Did people really think that just because Maldini and Nesta were getting older, they were no longer elite?

No choice.Bayern had to face it head-on.

With the first half over, the teams walked into the tunnel.

Bayern players were dejected, faces full of confusion and despair.

One or two losses — fine.

But every time they ran into Milan in Europe — they just couldn't catch a break.

On the sidelines, Bayern's coach wore a grim expression.Changes had to come in the second half.

On the other end, Milan's bench was buzzing.

"Think we can score more?"

"How's it feel? You like this tactic? Want me to start feeding you balls too?"

Suker's eyes sparkled as he stared at Kaká.

Kaká felt… a bit pressured.

He didn't understand why Suker was so obsessed with him "exploding."

Even Kaká didn't know when he'd hit top form — but Suker seemed absolutely convinced it would happen.

Yet thanks to Suker's constant encouragement and belief, Kaká really did feel his rhythm improving.

"I feel pretty good. I think I can score again in the second half," Kaká said truthfully.

Suker nodded immediately,

"Don't worry! I'll keep drawing defenders for you!"

Kaká raised an eyebrow,

"You're not gonna try scoring?"

"Hell no!" Suker grinned."Samuel's been glued to me all game. You're already in the box, and he's still tugging at my shirt!"

"Bayern's terrified of you," Maldini laughed.

And rightly so.

Last season's massacre had been led by Suker.And he scored again today.

Samuel not marking him like a leech would be a miracle.

Suker knew it too.

"Second half — if anyone wants a goal, just push up. I'll create the space."

Suker had given up on scoring.

If Bayern were going to triple-mark him, he might as well help the team in other ways.

He already had one goal — now it was time to rack up some assists.

What's funny is — ever since they found out they'd be facing Bayern, not a single Milan player even considered the possibility of losing.

They'd beaten Bayern so many times — the idea of defeat never crossed their minds.

This would later fuel Bayern's ruthless campaigns across Europe, cutting down all challengers just to get revenge on Milan.

But no matter what—They never caught them.

Milan just seemed to be Bayern Munich's natural nemesis.