The moment Kaka received the ball and turned, the first thing he did was look toward Suker.
But Suker was tightly marked by Vukojević, leaving no angle for a pass.
Just then, Shevchenko suddenly dropped back, signaling for the ball.
Kaka immediately passed it forward.
At the same moment Kaka made the pass, Suker twisted his body and sprinted forward.
Vukojević reacted quickly and tried to follow, but he couldn't match Suker's burst and speed.
The moment he turned, he failed to grab Suker, and that meant the gap between them would only grow.
From half a body length, to a full one, to two…
Watching Suker run faster and faster, Vukojević could only call for backup.
"Mark him! Suker!!"
But no one responded.
Everyone's attention was on Shevchenko.
Damn it!
At that moment, Vukojević was filled with dread.
Letting Suker break through like that was incredibly dangerous.
And he couldn't keep up!
"Chris!!! — Turn around!!! Mark Suker!! —"
Vukojević roared at the top of his lungs.
Chris finally reacted and turned his head toward Suker.
By then, Suker had already reached the edge of the penalty area, level with the defensive line.
At the same time, Shevchenko stopped and nudged the ball sideways.
He passed into the open space ahead of Suker.
Suker accelerated again, tapping the ball forward and breaking into the box.
"Suker!!! He's through!!"
Suker had instantly broken the defense line.
Inside Stade de Gerland, the hearts of Lyon fans pounded wildly.
They stared at Suker in terror.
Once inside the penalty area, Suker saw the goalkeeper hadn't rushed out yet, so he advanced to the six-yard box.
Sure enough, the keeper came off his line.
Suker shifted his body slightly, feinted as if to push the ball forward, tricking the keeper into diving sideways—then calmly chipped the ball.
It soared over the keeper and dropped into the net.
18th minute, Suker scores with a chip.AC Milan leads Lyon 1-0 on the road.
"Suker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!——"
In the Italian Sky Sports commentary booth, "Rossoneri Saint" Crudele raised both hands and shouted excitedly.
His wrinkled face was red like an apple; the old man even jumped up in joy.
"This is Milan's counterattack! This is Milan's counterattack!"
"Simple, direct, deadly!!"
"The moment Kaka turned, Shevchenko dropped back to support. Andriy took on the role of pivot, receiving Kaka's pass and laying it off beautifully into space—the angle and pace were perfect. Suker didn't need to slow down and could sprint straight into the box!"
"Suker was ice-cold in front of goal!"
"A feint to draw out the keeper, then a delicate chip!"
"A brilliant goal!! Milan!! The opening goal!"
Crudele waved his arms: "Well done, boys!"
In a Milan bar…
At the moment of the goal, Milan fans erupted.
They cheered wildly and shouted Suker's name.
This goal gave Milan the advantage away from home.
Though they believed themselves stronger than Lyon, Lyon's lineup wasn't weak.
But Milan's boys played patiently and struck with a textbook counter.
"For the attack! Cheers!!"
A fan raised his voice.
Everyone lifted their glasses.
"The one who scored for us is—""SUKER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!——"
The entire bar echoed with Suker's name.
They drank heartily, filled with delight.
Yes!
This is Milan!This is how Milan should play!
In Zagreb, Croatia, a similar scene played out in a local bar.
As Suker scored, fans raised their glasses and cheered.
They wouldn't miss this match.
These boys who came from Dinamo Zagreb were now fighting on the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal stage.
A stage far beyond what Dinamo Zagreb could ever reach.
Now they were shining there!
To Croatian fans, aside from domestic league games, they gathered midweek to watch these boys shine in the Champions League.
They are Croatia's future!
On the pitch, Suker ran to the away fans and celebrated with them.
The Milan section of the stands erupted in joy.
With Suker's goal, the fans' passion was instantly ignited.
"Great chip, Suker!"
"One more! Give us one more!!"
"Fantastic play!"
"Keep it up! We're with you!"
The fans' noisy cheers echoed, and though indistinct, Suker could feel their burning support.
He pumped his fist toward the crowd before heading back, surrounded by teammates.
"Captain!"
Suker raised both hands and shouted to Shevchenko.
Sheva turned around and gave him a hard slap on the back.
"Great shot!""Beautiful pass!"
This wasn't flattery—Shevchenko's pass was truly brilliant.
The angle and speed were perfect. Suker didn't have to slow down and had time to set up his shot.
"Let's go! Let's go!"
Shevchenko rubbed Suker's head with vigor.
Even though it wasn't his goal, as captain, Sheva was thrilled.
He no longer needed to prove himself with goals.
Being the top scorer didn't matter anymore.
He was Milan's captain.That was enough.
On the bench, Ancelotti, Maldini, and others clapped.
"He was marked for almost 20 minutes, but it only takes one chance to turn an attack into a goal."
Maldini smiled: "Once Suker starts running, no one can stop him."
The old captain had spoken, and the rest nodded.
With Suker's goal, Milan's morale surged again.
Shevchenko kept shouting commands.
He used to be relatively quiet during matches, but as captain, he now spoke more—much more.
"Suker! Pass it!""Switch! Switch!""Look at me! Look at me!""Back! Back!"
Shevchenko was animated in his direction—but truthfully, he was terrible at it.
If he weren't captain, Suker would've snapped back.
Shut it already!
Suker held his tongue, but someone else couldn't.
"Andriy! Stop yelling nonsense!"
Kaka turned his head: "You're ruining my rhythm!"
Shevchenko froze, then scratched his head in embarrassment.
Yeah… maybe he was getting a bit carried away.
Still, it was his first time as captain. He wanted to lead the team to victory and was just a little over-enthusiastic.
Kaka passed sideways to Suker.
Suker used his body to shield the ball from Vukojević and laid it off.
Vukojević tried his hardest to press but couldn't steal the ball and was very frustrated.
Since Suker bulked up, he had become even harder to deal with.
Suddenly, Gattuso was trapped in a tight spot at the back.
Suker immediately dropped back to support.
Vukojević followed, even charging deep into Milan's half.
"Gennaro! Pass it here!"
Suker shouted.
Under pressure, Gattuso hurried the pass—and it wasn't a good one.
Suker moved to receive it, but a hand suddenly pushed into his chest.
Vukojević had dashed out and pressed on Suker's chest to stop him from starting, using the momentum to accelerate himself and take the pass.
"That bastard…"
Suker had been duped. He chased back hard.
He appeared on Vukojević's side, trying to press.
Then, Vukojević stopped sharply and dragged the ball wide.
Suker closed his legs quickly but was a beat too late.
Damn it!He got nutmegged by Vukojević!
The ball went through Suker's legs and rolled backward.
Right there, Juninho suddenly arrived.
"Danger!!"
Stam shouted, immediately charging in.
With Juninho's agility and shooting ability, any control of the ball would be trouble.
Wham!Stam slammed into him hard.
Juninho had barely touched the ball when he was sent flying.
Tweet!The referee pointed to the edge of the box and called a foul.
Stam also received a yellow card.
"Damn!"
Suker stopped and winced.
Juninho was already up, placing the ball at the designated spot.
"Wall! Wall! Form the wall!"
Suker shouted as he rushed over.
Goalkeeper Dida organized the wall.
This was Juninho's free kick—they couldn't be careless.
Once the wall was set, Juninho stood behind the ball, his expression calm as he stared at the goal.
At the whistle, he struck it directly.
A gorgeous curve.
The ball bent through the air and rocketed into the top-right corner of Milan's goal.
43rd minute, Lyon equalized with a free-kick from Juninho.