Chapter 213: Old Guys Enjoying the Attack

Words : 1295 Updated : Oct 3rd, 2025

"Justin, did you get the jersey?" From the stands, a blonde girl—another ball kid—walked over and asked. "Rowling, I got Kaka's jersey for you!" The chubby boy beamed, wearing a simping expression. Rowling was a pretty little girl, her face glowing with a bright smile. "Justin, you're the best!" Then she paused and asked, "What about Suker's jersey?" "Nope," the chubby boy shook his head. "He's not as handsome as Kaka." Rowling's expression instantly fell. "Why didn't you get Suker's jersey? He's the Champions League top scorer!" "What's a Champions League top scorer?" Clearly, the chubby boy didn't follow football. Seeing the girl upset, he quickly added, "After the match, I'll go get it for you, okay?" The little girl immediately lit up with joy. "Justin, you're the best!" On the pitch, both teams had taken their positions at midfield. Fenerbahçe had kickoff. Suker approached Shevchenko and Kaka. "When the match starts, we go hard—shake their rhythm and if we win possession, we counter immediately!" "Watch each other's positions. When we press, we press together!" Shevchenko and Kaka both nodded firmly. If Inzaghi had started, Suker wouldn't have suggested this tactic. Inzaghi lacked impact, but Shevchenko was different. He and Kaka both had speed, allowing the trio to bring strong pressure up front. Recently, Suker had trained in tandem with Shevchenko. The Ukrainian striker was a different type than Inzaghi. The latter needed through balls to be effective, while Shevchenko played a more rugged style. While Suker had more chemistry with Inzaghi, Shevchenko was more effective and impactful—that was a fact. As the match was about to begin, Suker also observed Fenerbahçe's formation. Nicolas Anelka was undoubtedly their most threatening player. As a notorious journeyman, Anelka had played for clubs across the top five European leagues—Real Madrid, Arsenal, Liverpool, PSG, Manchester City—and in the future, he would also join Chelsea. Another notable player was Volkan Şanlı. In the 2003/04 season, Fenerbahçe's 3–0 home win over Manchester United made headlines. Volkan Şanlı stood out in that match, earning praise and being dubbed the successor to Turkey's legendary striker Hakan Şükür. Unfortunately, Volkan failed to maintain that form and soon declined. Now, Volkan Şanlı looked across at Suker—the similarly tall forward now hailed as Europe's brightest young talent. Volkan had failed in the Champions League, unable to break into an elite team. But Suker had dazzled his way onto AC Milan's stage. Volkan felt indignant about this. He would prove in this match who the real shining star was! WHISTLE!!! Fenerbahçe kicked off immediately. And just as the match began, Suker, Shevchenko, and Kaka surged forward. "Watch your positions and spacing!" Suker shouted while gesturing. "Push the midfield up! Let's press!" "Damn these guys!" Pirlo grinned, immediately organizing the midfield press. The defensive line pushed forward too. Right from the kickoff, Suker ramped up the tempo. No probing phase—just all-out battle from the start! "AC Milan is pressing high! My God—they're not giving Fenerbahçe any breathing room. Shevchenko, Suker, and Kaka are relentlessly pressing! Fenerbahçe can't get the ball out!" the commentator shouted. Suker and Shevchenko rushed the center back Servet from both sides. Charging straight at him, Suker roared, "Hand the ball over, you bastard!" BANG! Under intense pressure, Servet had no choice but to boot the ball away. The ball flew into Milan's half, where Gattuso pounced like a tiger toward the drop point. "Get out of my way!!" With a lion's roar, Gattuso leapt and headed the ball down to Pirlo. Landing, he shouted forward: "Forwards, nice work!" How could it not be? They forced a turnover straight from kickoff! Just listen to San Siro roaring— WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO—!!! The entire stadium erupted in cheers. Milan had drawn their swords right from the start. No waiting around—just hammering the opponent's weak spots. "Milan with a quick switch to the left—Suker has dropped back to receive the ball. He's about to cross!" Suker lobbed the ball into the penalty area. Shevchenko surged forward and leapt high for a powerful header. Unfortunately, it went over the bar. "Great pass! Keep them coming!" Shevchenko turned and gave Suker a thumbs-up. Suker returned the gesture. That's how to use Shevchenko—don't restrict him. Give him space to sprint and attack. Even with a slightly off pass, he could still threaten the goal. "Fall back to defend!" The team quickly dropped back. Early on, Milan had won possession through intense pressing and already registered a shot on goal. "Suker seems to love playing at a high tempo. He always speeds things up," the assistant coach remarked, exhaling. Watching Suker lead the attack made his head spin. He couldn't catch his breath! It was always either pressing or attacking. Press, then attack. Attack, then press again! Ancelotti laughed. "That's fine. Look—the momentum is with us!" He pointed to the pitch. Milan players were charging forward like a pack of wolves. Pirlo even pushed up to the edge of the opponent's box a few times for long shots. When Pirlo advanced, Suker or Kaka would drop back to cover. Even the fullbacks were itching to join in. Cafu and Maldini both started overlapping. Though lacking stamina, they couldn't resist this high-tempo wave of attacks. Suker and Kaka operating in the half-spaces had created room on the flanks for them. The fullbacks began bombing forward! The commentator laughed. "37-year-old Maldini and 35-year-old Cafu are playing like they're in their prime!" After around ten minutes of this constant pressing— Suker suddenly slowed things down during an attack, cutting back and passing the ball. Maldini and Cafu stopped overlapping. Suker scolded them, "Can you two cool it? Charging up like that—how are Kaka and I supposed to run?" The two veterans looked a bit embarrassed and sheepishly dropped back. The commentator chuckled. "Maldini and Cafu got carried away—they were pressing too hard and crowded Suker and Kaka's space." "That's why attack duties should be left to the younger ones," he joked. "Look! They got told off, didn't they?" Suker wasn't worried about positioning, but rather that the two old men would burn out before the second half. He slowed the tempo to let these overexcited old boys cool off. Once things stabilized, Suker resumed attacking. The commentator shook his head, smiling. "I never expected the calmest player on the team to be the youngest." Suker received the ball on the wing again. This time, he held his position, preventing Maldini from overlapping. Ambrosini pushed up into the half-space to support. Pirlo passed it to Suker, with Ambrosini just behind asking for the ball. Defensive midfielder Selçuk closed in. Fullback Serkan was also ahead. Suker didn't move toward the ball, instead waiting. Selçuk advanced to intercept. "Good chance!" As Selçuk lunged, Suker spun with his left foot, slipping the ball between the defender's legs. Then he lightly hopped to dodge the incoming leg and burst forward. "A nutmeg! Beautifully done!" With Selçuk beaten, Serkan stepped up quickly. Suker glanced toward the box. Faked a cross with his left. Serkan moved centrally to intercept. Suddenly, Suker pushed the ball forward and exploded past the defender. With raw power, he bulldozed into the penalty area, leaving Serkan behind. "Oh!! He's through! Fenerbahçe is in danger!" Shevchenko and Kaka were both charging the defense. Suker glanced up—both were tightly marked. He cut the ball back—a perfect cutback pass. Ambrosini met the ball and coolly slotted it into the net! 27th minute—Suker's brilliant wing play and assist led to Ambrosini's goal! AC Milan 1 – 0 Fenerbahçe!

Chapter 213: Old Guys Enjoying the Attack

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