"Oh! What's going on?"
"The players from both sides are clashing again!"
"Here it comes—here it comes! The Spanish Clásico's signature scene is finally here!"
"It's Casillas and Messi!"
On the pitch, Casillas was never going to let Messi and Ronaldinho calmly retrieve the ball. He tried to get to it first and kick it away before Ronaldinho arrived.
But Messi charged in and slammed into the unprepared Casillas, knocking him off balance.
Casillas immediately shoved Messi straight into the goal net.
Ronaldinho dropped the ball at once and rushed over, angrily questioning Casillas about why he had resorted to such rough play.
Real Madrid and Barcelona players instantly crowded into the goalmouth.
The Bernabéu's goal had never been so packed.
Just as the Barcelona players were itching to escalate things, Su Hang's arrival brought the confrontation to an abrupt halt.
Where Real Madrid's number nine went, red and blue both stepped aside.
New arrivals like Thuram and Zambrotta had no reason to fight to the death for Barcelona. Besides, as veterans, they were experts at staying on the sidelines when chaos broke out.
In the end, only Puyol stood firm in front of Ronaldinho and Messi.
"Hey… this is a football pitch. We solve problems with football," Puyol shouted at Su Hang, his face flushed, looking every bit like Barcelona's war god.
But in the next moment, in a voice too low for Ronaldinho and Messi behind him to hear, he added, "Su… please…"
Su Hang looked at Puyol and genuinely respected him.
True toughness wasn't fearlessness—it was stepping forward even when you were afraid.
Su Hang suddenly raised his hand.
Puyol, Ronaldinho, and Messi all instinctively lifted their arms to shield their faces, ducking slightly into defensive stances.
Instead, Su Hang waved his hand to disperse his teammates.
"Back off. Settle this with football. Use victory to kick Barcelona out of Camp Nou!"
The Real Madrid players immediately stepped away.
The Barcelona players quickly retreated as well.
The referee then punished the instigators of the scuffle.
Messi and Casillas were both shown yellow cards.
At the same time, the referee cast Su Hang a grateful look for keeping the situation under control.
That was dangerously close to someone losing their paycheck.
...
Back to the match.
In the 90th minute, Beckham sent in a diagonal pass, allowing the cutting Robinho to burst into the penalty area.
Puyol stepped in first to claim position, and Robinho went down inside the box.
Real Madrid players raised their arms, appealing for a penalty, but the referee waved play on.
He judged that Robinho had gone down too easily, suspecting an attempt to win a penalty.
By comparison, Messi's earlier spot kick—though also intentional—had involved genuine contact from Cannavaro.
The two situations looked similar, but in reality, they were worlds apart.
Robinho's had about an eighty percent chance of not being given.
Messi's had about a ninety percent chance of being awarded.
That was where Messi surpassed Robinho in his control of details.
Because of the scuffles and stoppages, there were five minutes of added time.
In the second minute of stoppage time, Su Hang dropped deep to offer an outlet for a teammate.
After receiving the ball, he didn't pass immediately. Instead, he leaned into Xavi and forced a turn.
Xavi grabbed and scrambled with both hands and feet, but Su Hang—strong as a tank—plowed straight through him before nudging the ball forward and accelerating.
Bang!
Ronaldinho flew in with a sliding tackle.
It was rare to see him defend with such ferocity.
Clearly, Su Hang had ignited his competitive spirit.
Both in this match—and in this year's Ballon d'Or race.
Originally, following the old trajectory, Ronaldinho would have completed his personal honors while also collecting major trophies like the Champions League, eventually entering a stage of contentment.
Then he would linger in nightlife, indulging himself night after night, his form declining rapidly.
But now… it seemed Ronaldinho's decline might not come so early after all.
Beep!
The referee blew his whistle and showed Ronaldinho a yellow card.
It was a dangerous tackle, one that risked inflaming the situation further.
...
In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Barcelona launched a desperate final assault as Real Madrid dropped everyone back.
Iniesta played it wide to Zambrotta. Zambrotta danced along the flank to draw Roberto Carlos before cutting the ball back to Messi.
Messi accelerated inward.
At that moment, the entire stadium fixed its gaze on him.
The Barcelona-leaning commentator rattled on:
"Messi leads La Liga this season in number of dribbles—more than Ronaldinho!"
"His success rate is also third in the league, behind only Su Hang in second and Ronaldinho in first!"
"His inward cuts from the right are especially dangerous, unlike traditional wingers who prefer to go down the line!"
"Coincidentally, Real Madrid's Su Hang also focuses on cutting into the box from the left wing this season—one reason for his huge goal tally!"
"Along with Robben in the Premier League, this inverted-winger style may become a future trend!"
"This attack from Messi could be fatal for Real Madrid—"
Bang!
The commentary cut off mid-sentence.
Messi's dribble came to a dead stop as well.
Real Madrid's number nine, Su Hang—who had tracked back deeply—seemed to have anticipated Messi's move. From the left defensive midfield area, he retreated step by step and, the instant Messi cut inside, slid across from the side and barged him off the ball.
A clean, decisive tackle.
"This—what a beautiful tackle!"
"Su Hang just gave Real Madrid's back line a textbook demonstration!"
"Messi was completely read!"
"That tackle was so easy it felt like Messi was handing the ball straight to Su Hang!"
It wasn't just the commentators who felt that way.
Messi felt it too.
In that instant, the scoreline, the shame of being constantly compared to Su Hang despite lagging far behind in fame and honors, his own mistake, and the opponent's brilliance—all of it flashed through his mind.
At only nineteen years old, Messi was still ten months younger than Su Hang.
Not yet mature enough, he made a hot-headed decision.
Messi chased after Su Hang, his eyes fixed only on the ball.
So…
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The referee blew his whistle repeatedly.
"Oh! That's a terrible decision!"
"He's clearly lost his head!"
"Messi slides in from behind—Su Hang is sent crashing to the ground!"
"Oh—this—Ramos is charging in!"
"Ramos sends Messi flying!"
"Players from both sides rush in, and Real Madrid's substitutes are storming onto the pitch—the situation is escalating!"
"Security is entering the field, and the crowd is furious!"
It took a full two to three minutes for the chaos to finally subside.
But the cost was enormous.
For Real Madrid, the King's Guard Ramos received a yellow card for shoving and striking Messi.
From the bench, Modrić rushed onto the pitch, repeatedly provoking and pushing multiple Barcelona players before sprinting away—earning a straight red card.