"Come on! Clown! Hit me!"
"Come on! See what your old man can do!"
Suker was held firmly on both sides by Maldini and Nesta. No way was he backing down now—he wasn't needed to fight!
But soon, Suker's tone changed.
"Don't stop me! Don't stop me!"
He struggled violently, and Maldini and Nesta held on tighter.
"Calm down!" Maldini urged anxiously.
Suker turned, desperate: "Boss, let me go! I'm going to shut Ivan up!"
Maldini froze.
Suker took the chance, broke free from their grip, and lunged forward to grab Gattuso, who was arguing fiercely with the referee.
"You're crazy! I went up to provoke, and you get a yellow card—what the hell am I doing then?"
Suker dragged Gattuso away from the conflict.
Gattuso struggled free and said, "I got fouled, I'm just explaining to him."
"Explaining or not, you looked like you wanted to punch the referee!"
"I didn't!"
Gattuso denied, "I'm serious about talking to him."
Suker rolled his eyes.
He saw the referee already reaching for his pocket—if he'd been a second later, Gattuso would've been carded too.
From the Italian commentary booth, Aldo Serena sighed:
"This is the Champions League semi-final for sure—the anger flared right from the start. Sprints and clashes broke out, yet the referee still holds back from issuing cards."
Suker sighed quietly. The referee was a bit timid.
Earlier fouls had gone unpunished, and even now, after the conflict, Suker would have accepted yellow cards for both him and Vidić.
But the referee didn't act, and after calming things down, awarded possession back to Manchester United.
Suker retreated to his own half.
Passing Modrić, he whispered, "Good pull."
Modrić rolled his eyes.
If he'd been a moment slower, Suker would've been in trouble.
That pull was to stop Vidić from losing control and getting carded—he knew Suker too well; the Croatian would exaggerate to get a card.
At the same time, Modrić didn't want Suker to actually get hurt.
With this flare-up, tensions rose on both sides.
And since no clear yellow cards were given, defenders' tackles became even more aggressive.
When Ronaldo charged again, Jankulovski performed a swift flick to throw him off.
Then Milan counterattacked. Kaká was tripped by Giggs, and another conflict broke out—this one even fiercer.
Giggs pushed Kaká, who immediately grabbed Giggs by the neck.
Despite Kaká's gentle appearance, he was as fiery as Modrić—he could fight hard.
Giggs was a Manchester United veteran, and when he saw their big man being attacked, United players swarmed around.
Milan players didn't back down either.
Nesta shouted, already ready to fight.
In the end, under the referee's loud whistle and strong efforts by peacemakers, Kaká and Giggs each received a yellow card.
"Why not mess with their defenders? What's the point of messing with forwards?" Suker grumbled at Kaká.
Kaká wore a serious face.
"I can't control my temper!"
Suker sighed.
In such a crucial match, with so much pressure, it's hard to control tempers.
Kaká wasn't like Suker—he wouldn't back down an inch.
Within ten minutes, the match was forced to stop twice with two flare-ups.
The referee called both captains over and clearly warned them.
After this, the referee's decisions became stricter.
At the 8th minute, Milan kicked off.
Rushing forward, the ball was intercepted by Carrick and quickly passed to Modrić.
Milan was attacking, but their defense had gaps.
Modrić observed, receiving the ball sideways. He laid it forward and unleashed a powerful long pass.
Not only Pirlo could do long passes—Modrić had precise guidance too.
The ball soared over half the pitch, landing behind Milan's defense.
Rooney accelerated forward.
"Modrić's long ball! Rooney's sprinting—Nesta can't catch him!"
Rooney charged hard.
Dida rushed off his line, hoping to clear the ball before Rooney reached it.
But Modrić's pass had a cunning curve—spinning inward.
After bouncing, instead of rolling forward, it suddenly lifted.
Dida's expression changed drastically.
Rooney's eyes lit up, accelerating again.
Before Dida could react, Rooney headed the ball.
The ball sailed over Dida's head as Rooney swiftly slipped past.
With an empty net ahead, Rooney calmly finished the goal.
10 minutes in, Manchester United took the lead with a beautiful link-up between Modrić and Rooney.
Manchester United 1:0 AC Milan!
"Goal!!! Rooney! What a superb assist and run!"
"Modrić's long ball was perfectly timed and angled, even causing Dida to misjudge and aiding Rooney's finish!"
"Rooney took the chance and puts United ahead!"
The Manchester United fans went wild.
They cheered Rooney loudly:
"Rooney! Rooney! Rooney!"
They didn't forget Modrić either:
"Modrić, brilliant pass!"
"Well done, Luka!"
"Beat Milan!"
Meanwhile, the Milan players felt heavy inside.
Especially Nesta—when Rooney burst forward, he failed to block him immediately, and by the time he reacted, it was too late.
Maldini shook his head too.
Though he was tracking back, he simply couldn't keep up with Rooney's burst and had to watch him break through.
That feeling was painful.
But Maldini was too old now—he really couldn't keep up.
Up front, Suker sighed.
The veterans were showing signs of wear.
When the pressure was low, they could cope.
But facing United's young, fast, and skilled attackers, they were clearly struggling.
"Midfield, drop back more! Help the defense relieve pressure!" Pirlo shouted.
Seedorf frowned, "What about offense?"
"Leave it to Suker and Kaká!"
Pirlo declared loudly, "Suker! Kaká! I'll pass you the ball—you create chances."
"Shut up!"
Suker and Kaká shouted simultaneously.
But in the end, they both nodded.
Suker gestured helplessly at his head.
Kaká sighed deeply.
Just be the dog!
Better than losing the match.
United's goal put Milan on the back foot.
They had to drop back, even midfielders retreating to help defense.
Milan's attack now relied solely on Suker and Kaká.
Luckily, these two had strong individual skills.
Pirlo trusted them—if he passed well, they'd find a way to score.
"I'll draw their attention!"
Kaká stood at the center circle, stepping on the ball.
Suker shook his head.
"One alone can't do it. We'll press from left and right. Don't force passes—go solo when you can."
He took a deep breath:
"Unless you get into a free spot, I'm not passing."
Kaká nodded.
"Me too!"
Suker clenched his teeth:
"Let's go at them!"
Manchester United was strong.
But Suker refused to believe that with him and Kaká, they couldn't break through.
"The game restarts. Milan's lineup pulls back to help defense, front line left to Suker and Kaká!"
"United's attack is too intense."
"Milan must hold strong, avoid conceding more, and seek chances to counterattack—passing to the two forwards."
Milan's retreat stabilized the defense, lessening United's pressure.
Meanwhile, Pirlo kept watching Suker and Kaká's positioning.
Once an opportunity arose, he would launch a quick long ball counterattack.