Chapter 176: Keane Stained Red

Words : 1400 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

"Second half, we..." Bang!!!!!!!!!!!— Crash!!! Crackling noises! The players of Zagreb Dinamo turned their heads toward the locker room door. "A fight?" Duimović exclaimed in surprise. Šuker blinked and grinned, "Looks like Ferguson's blow-dryer is working." "Is it that scary?" Drna was a little afraid. Modrić swallowed nervously. The noise sounded like something was being smashed! Ferguson had a bad temper and absolute authority at Manchester United. If other coaches hitting players was exaggerated, Šuker felt Ferguson could really do it! "Alright, forget about them, let's focus on our game!" Bešić pulled everyone's attention back. "We must be more cautious in the second half, especially against Manchester United. We cannot afford any mistakes." "Hold the midfield line tight against number 7, Little Ronaldo. He likes to dribble, so let's give up the wings but prevent him from crossing." "Keep an eye on Van Nistelrooy and Rooney in defense!" Bešić clapped his hands: "Come on, lads, a draw is our mission." With Bešić's encouragement, they headed out again. The second half began with both sides switching sides. Šuker and Mandžukić stood at the center circle, ready for kickoff. Šuker felt the atmosphere change, and the expressions on the Manchester United players became fiercer. "Be careful in the second half!" Šuker frowned. "Especially watch out for Keane!" Šuker reminded again. Mandžukić nodded immediately. Soon, the whistle blew, and the second half started. After Zagreb Dinamo kicked off, Šuker immediately ran toward the wing and retreated to prepare for a pass. But Neville, Manchester United's fullback, followed closely. "Troublesome!" Šuker thought silently. At this moment, Modrić passed the ball to Duijmović. Duimović controlled the ball and looked up for a moment. Just as he was about to pass, he suddenly flew up. "Damn it!—" Šuker instinctively cursed. Duimović fell, clutching his leg, screaming in pain. At the same time, the captain, Štimac, sprinted over. "You butcher! Look what you've done!" Štimac angrily accused Roy Keane. Keane dusted himself off, showing no sign of apology, which only made them angrier. The referee ran over and separated the arguing players. Then, he showed a yellow card to Roy Keane. "Yellow card?" Šuker was dissatisfied. "That should be a red card." The referee looked at Šuker, his eyes carrying a hint of danger. Damn it! So obviously biased! Šuker walked over to Duijmović, who was sweating from the pain. The team doctor quickly came on to check. The diagnosis came out. The doctor shook his head, indicating Duimović could not continue. "Is it serious?" Modrić asked anxiously. The doctor glanced at Roy Keane. "He held back some force, no bone injury!" Šuker pursed his lips. So, Keane didn't try to completely ruin him. Seeing Duimović being carried off, Zagreb Dinamo immediately made a substitution. Strinić came on. "This was deliberate!" "They want to give us a warning!" Šuker said grimly. "Later, pass the ball to me!" Modrić looked at Šuker: "What are you going to do?" Šuker: "Teach them a lesson!" Šuker was never a saint. Growing up in an orphanage, he knew what survival meant. At 7, he dared to fight the boss of the orphanage, sneaking into rooms to hit with a brick. At 9, he led a gang of kids to bully others. In those resource-scarce, war-torn times, if you weren't ruthless, you wouldn't survive. Duimović was targeted, and Roy Keane would pay. He must be held accountable. The ball passed to Šuker's feet; he dribbled sideways. He didn't pass but kept the ball glued to his feet and charged toward Keane's ribs. Keane immediately rushed to slide tackle. At that moment, Keane's leg was slightly raised—aiming at the leg. Šuker flicked the ball up slightly, his knee hit Keane's studs hard. Pain surged through his body. His eyes flashed with intense bloodshot glare. His arm bent at a right angle, he twisted his head down. Keane saw this and caught the deadly glare. "Get lost!" Šuker's elbow slammed down with full force. He aimed at Keane's nose. "Today you'll see blood!" Keane instinctively used his palm to block. Šuker's arm scraped the palm, smashing into Keane's mouth. Crack! The sound of broken teeth. "Oh~~ Roy Keane's tackle was aimed at Šuker's leg!" The Croatian commentator roared angrily: "That damn butcher!" Beep! Beep! Beep! The sharp whistle blew. Šuker immediately lay on the ground; his knee started bruising. Keane was bleeding from the mouth. Two major clashes happened within two minutes. The referee felt the situation was getting out of control. Especially with Šuker holding his leg and Keane spitting blood. Keane glared fiercely at Šuker. He was sure Šuker did it on purpose. Keane's nose was the target; he blocked it but broke his front tooth. But others saw it as just a sliding tackle with a protective fall. Beep! Yellow card! "Get off!" The referee pointed coldly at Keane. Two yellows turned into a red. Keane was sent off! The Old Trafford stadium went silent. Keane was known for his temper, but this was unexpected. Manchester United fans were confused. Ferguson stared coldly at Keane, clearly unhappy. "Šuker!" On the field, Modrić found Šuker. "Your leg?" Šuker grinned, helped by Modrić to stand and moved slightly. "Fine!" Šuker shook his head, "No injury!" Impossible to be uninjured. Without the 'state recovery card,' he'd have to rest. "My bones are tough!" Šuker casually dismissed it, moved his legs, really showing no problem. He breathed out slowly. Feeling much better. Finally, it's fair! "Šuker was checked and found okay. That's the best news now. Roy Keane's action was too dangerous, and he got a red card. For Manchester United, the situation worsens—they're down a man with 30 minutes left." On the field, Zagreb Dinamo started attacking hard. With one more man, it was the best chance to increase the lead. Without Keane's pressure, Modrić played even better in midfield. He passed the ball to the wing. Šuker took the ball and went down the line. "Šuker, cross!" The ball flew toward the center; Mandžukić roared and jumped furiously. His head hit the ball hard. Swish!! In the 76th minute, Zagreb Dinamo scored again. "Goal!! Zagreb Dinamo breaks through Manchester United's defense again!" "After losing Roy Keane, United's midfield faltered. With Modrić and Šuker's excellent play, Zagreb Dinamo scores their second." "This young Croatian team is still blowing a storm of youth!" "They continue!!" Croatian commentator Kraušić shouted angrily: "Damn beautiful football!" The goal gave them and their fans great relief. After scoring, Šuker waved his arms toward the stands. Of course, Manchester United players shouted angrily. But Šuker didn't care; it wasn't his team. Now was his venting moment. Leading away and with a man advantage, Zagreb Dinamo had a huge edge. Bešić immediately made a substitution. He took Šuker off. Mainly because the Manchester United players looked at Šuker with hostility. Maybe because Šuker got Keane sent off, they wanted revenge. Bešić didn't want Šuker to stay on. Besides, they needed to switch from attack to defense. Manchester United played in frustration. After Keane's red card, everything changed. They played chaotically. Cristiano Ronaldo spread his hands in helplessness. He had no room to perform, tightly marked. Van Nistelrooy lost his teammates' support, unable to show his prowess without service. In the end, the 90-minute match ended. Manchester United lost 1:2 to Zagreb Dinamo. After the game, Šuker dashed to the bus without equipment. He didn't dare to stay—afraid Keane might come after him. A fight? Šuker would definitely get beaten badly. However, Keane had no time for Šuker now. He was cornered by the angry Ferguson in the locker room. "Is this your response?" Ferguson's expression was cold. At halftime, he scolded Keane a bit, but Keane started to act recklessly on the field. Not just this incident, recently, Keane and Ferguson's relationship soured. Ferguson needed absolute authority in the locker room. Keane seemed to challenge Ferguson's power. Not only talking big in the media but openly questioning Ferguson's coaching. Ferguson wouldn't tolerate that. Seeing Keane with bloodied mouth but fierce eyes, Ferguson nodded heavily. "I understand." Then Ferguson turned and left the locker room.

Chapter 176: Keane Stained Red

Comments (0)