The Argentine goalkeeper dived with all his strength, but the ball shot straight into the top corner, leaving him no chance to react. The stadium shook to its core. After being stifled for nearly the entire first half, Spanish fans erupted in sheer ecstasy.
"GOAL!"
"It's in! Su Hang scores directly from the free kick!"
"This shot is almost identical to Beckham's goal that knocked Ecuador out two days ago!"
"Same spot! Same Beckham curve! Same crescent arc!"
"That's Beckham's signature technique—the hallmark of Real Madrid's commercial superstar!"
"Incredible! Su Hang's footwork has never been his strong point, but who would've thought he could pull this off! Beckham must've given him some private lessons!"
"Their relationship must be really close."
"But thinking about it, Beckham's had plenty of teammates—yet so far, Su Hang's the only one who's actually mastered this move!"
"This strike just sliced through the tongues of Argentine fans—they're silent now!"
"Two to two!"
"Su Hang comes off the bench and equalizes within a minute!"
"As the saying goes, a substitution is like a new blade—and this time, Aragonés brought on a crescent blade that cuts straight to the throat!"
On the pitch, Su Hang was just as thrilled by the goal.
He admitted—it was a bit of a gamble.
To guarantee a 100% activation of the "Banana Free Kick," he needed to take three free kicks, with the third automatically triggering it. Considering Argentina's intense tackling, he was confident he could draw enough fouls.
So what if his body took a few hits? Worth it. It was far easier than relying solely on his footwork to create danger.
That's why he'd insisted on taking the free kick himself—to deliver a little "English shock" to Argentina on his third attempt.
Argentina: That was straight out of hell's joke book.
But to his surprise, it worked on the very first try.
Wait… according to the game's "guaranteed activation" rule, once a special move triggers successfully, the counter resets back to zero.
So this one shouldn't count toward the three required attempts, right? Which means next time, to guarantee another Banana Free Kick, he'd have to miss two first? What a waste of this hard-earned free kick he'd begged for!
System: But you already triggered it on the first try, damn it! You scored!
System: What, you want both the "One-Shot Wonder" and the "Three-Try Guarantee"? Trying to double-dip submissions? Two-timing, are we?
Su Hang: Only kids make choices. Adults take it all.
Grumbling a little at the system, Su Hang sprinted to the bench and threw his arms around Raúl in a massive hug—to show his gratitude.
A veteran still at the tail end of his prime stepping aside for a rising star—Raúl had done something no other star would dare.
Raúl thought Su Hang just meant a brief hug. He didn't expect to be lifted clean off the ground as Su Hang spun him around and around.
Raúl couldn't help but laugh.
He hadn't scored the equalizer himself, but right then, he knew he'd made the right choice.
Looking back on his life, the three things Raúl would never regret were:
"Handing the Real Madrid captain's armband to Su Hang,"
"Handing the Spain captain's armband to Su Hang,"
"And voluntarily letting Su Hang replace him in the Round of 16 against Argentina!"
The match resumed.
Though the score had changed, both teams—especially Argentina—stuck to their original tactics. They hadn't yet figured out what exactly changed in Spain's game after Su Hang came on when he'd already scored.
Maybe after ten or twenty more minutes, once Argentina's coach and players got a better read on him, they'd find a way to completely freeze this "lucky guy."
...
Fifty-fifth minute.
Argentina launched a fierce assault.
Riquelme showed his class, feinting a pass before driving dangerously close to the penalty area.
But Ramos closed in fast, timing his tackle perfectly to dispossess him.
Thud!
Ramos instantly swung his leg for a long clearance to start a counterattack. Compared to most pure defensive center-backs, his dribbling and passing were far sharper.
Around midfield, Su Hang leapt high and flicked the ball backward with a header.
Behind him, Villa burst forward at full speed.
Su Hang followed right after.
Villa pushed forward but was soon blocked. He quickly slowed down, passed the ball back, and accelerated again—classic one-two play.
Had Su Hang played the wall pass just right, Villa would've been through on goal.
But Mascherano saw it coming, tugging and pulling to stop Villa's run.
Thud!
Su Hang had already executed the one-touch wall pass!
Damn!
Villa's face fell. He was about to turn and tell Su Hang it was his fault—he hadn't shaken off his marker in time and was a step late, missing the passing lane.
If the ball rolled too deep, Argentina's defenders would easily claim it.
Despite their limited time playing together, Su Hang's sense of timing was flawless. Villa couldn't help but give him a mental thumbs-up.
Then, the next moment—everyone froze.
Because the ball wasn't rolling toward Villa at all.
Instead, it curved around him toward the left flank.
That pass… wasn't for Villa!
It was aimed for the left side—
"Mariano! Mariano's charging up!"
"He's still a bit far, but no one's going for it! That's a huge defensive gap on Argentina's right flank!"
"Su Hang's vision is incredible! Even the camera thought he was playing a through ball—but instead…"
"And to think it was a first-time diagonal pass to the wing—that takes serious technique!"
In the stands, Croatia's eliminated substitute Luka Modrić watched in awe.
That pass was like a turbo engine igniting—amplifying Spain's attacking momentum to the max.
Now, Mariano could deliver an uncontested cross.
This was an eighth-gear setup!
The kind of playmaking you'd expect from a midfielder.
And yet, Su Hang—a forward—was acting as Spain's offensive accelerator.
Is this the Real Madrid captain's level?
Su Hang would say no—this was the rare "Ultra-Rapid Rocket Pass & Shot," a low-probability activation.
Courtesy of Van Persie's "If I Stop to Shoot, I Lose."
Good job, Van Van.
Ayala sprinted to close down Mariano.
The rest of the defense rushed toward the penalty area—it had to be a cross.
However—
Thud!
Mariano sent the ball in.
No—this couldn't be called a cross.
It wasn't lofted. It was a half-high ball.
And not aimed toward the center of the box either.
It curved toward the left edge of the penalty area instead.
A half-high horizontal pass—no, a half-high back pass.
The commentators and fans were baffled.
At that moment, Villa and García were already inside the box, while Fàbregas and Su Hang were positioned just outside, ready to charge in.
Four attacking options—so why not cross it in?
But the Spanish players understood perfectly.
Because that pass was meant for one man.
Aragonés had hammered it in during halftime...
Find Su Hang!