The All-Around Center Forward

Manchester City scored and equalized the score.

However, compared to these, Kaka's mistake was somewhat surprising.

Although Casemiro's pass was semi-high when he confronted the opponent, making it difficult to control the ball, with Kaka's ability, he shouldn't have stopped the ball three meters away.

This terrible stop allowed Yaya Touré to seize the opportunity and pass it to Aguero in front.

He completed a one-two with Aguero, and Yaya Touré scored a goal.

"What's going on?"

Suker immediately retreated to inquire.

He also didn't think Kaka would make such a mistake.

Kaka pointed to his knee and said, "My knee felt a sharp pain when I twisted my body just now!"

Suker frowned, "Injured?"

Kaka shook his head, "Not sure! It doesn't hurt now!"

Suker, "Why don't you go down and rest for a bit!"

Kaka, "I want to keep going now."

Suker, "What if you make another mistake? This is also for your own good, go down and get checked, unexplained pain must mean there's a problem."

Listening to Suker's advice, Kaka thought about it and nodded.

He understood that if the sharp pain returned and Manchester City seized the opportunity again, their problems would be much bigger.

Seeing Kaka nod, Suker made a substitution gesture towards the sideline, then pointed at Kaka.

Mourinho and Faria frowned slightly.

They immediately took action!

Suker wouldn't call for a substitution for no reason, it's likely Kaka is really injured.

"Di Maria, prepare to come on!"

Mourinho said to Di Maria, "You go play central midfielder."

After thinking for a moment, Mourinho shook his head and said, "Never mind, you go play on the left wing, let Suker play central midfielder, and Kroos drop back to play defensive midfielder!"

With Kaka injured in such a crucial position, Real Madrid's formation would have to undergo a major change.

Of course, they could also keep this formation and let Khedira play defensive midfielder.

But Khedira has been slacking recently, and Mourinho really doesn't trust him!

After conceding the goal, Real Madrid quickly made a substitution.

Kaka came off, Di Maria came on.

When Kaka came off, his feet seemed fine, but the team doctor led him directly off the field, which worried many people.

"Is Kaka injured? That stop just now was indeed a bit unexpected, it shouldn't be a mistake Kaka would make, but no matter what, we still hope Kaka isn't injured!"

In the locker room, the team doctor led Kaka for an examination.

After listening to Kaka's words, the team doctor began to pose Kaka's leg in different positions.

"Does it hurt?"

"No pain!"

"How about this?"

"No pain!"

When his knee was bent outwards and pulled in the opposite direction, pain was clearly visible on Kaka's face, and his body couldn't help but tremble.

"It hurts!!"

Kaka was in so much pain that cold sweat broke out.

The team doctor immediately let go, and Kaka felt the pain dissipate, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

The team doctor said seriously, "It might be a meniscus injury!"

"Meniscus in the knee?" Kaka frowned

The team doctor nodded, "Meniscus injuries will show up with different postures. Yours should have been injured before."

Kaka nodded, "It hurt before, but it wasn't obvious, and the pain disappeared immediately, so I didn't pay attention."

"That's right, that's how meniscus injuries are; specific postures will compress the injured area, causing pain!"

The team doctor continued, "Let's go to the hospital first!"

Kaka could only nod.

Soon, they took the ambulance waiting outside the stadium to the hospital for further detailed examination.

At the same time, on the field, the match between the two sides continued.

After Manchester City equalized, their overall pressing became more obvious, and their morale also soared.

Yaya Touré's continuous dribbling and breakthroughs put immense pressure on Real Madrid.

At the same time, players like Aguero and David Silva were constantly passing and receiving the ball in the front field, and with Real Madrid having lost Kaka's command, they were indeed a bit disorganized.

Although Kroos replaced Kaka's position.

However, Real Madrid and Kroos lacked sufficient understanding, and there wasn't the same level of trust as with Kaka, so they would occasionally bypass Kroos and pass directly to Suker.

This made Kroos very awkward.

The match entered the 67th minute, and it was another continuous breakthrough by Yaya Touré, who then passed the ball to David Silva in the right flank.

David Silva suddenly cut horizontally inwards, and upon reaching the central axis, he looked up at Nasri on the left, but his foot poked the ball towards the central axis.

The ball passed between Ramos and Pepe.

On the other side, just as Aguero was about to start, Pepe grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back.

Beep!!!—

A sharp whistle sounded, and the Referee pointed to the 12-yard spot, awarding Manchester City a penalty kick.

At the same time, the Referee showed Pepe a red card!

A red card + penalty package!

"Oh~~ this is bad, Manchester City has been awarded a penalty, and Pepe has also been sent off with a red card! This is the worst news for Real Madrid!"

Kaka seemingly left the field due to injury, and Pepe immediately received a red card.

The situation was very unfavorable for Real Madrid.

On the other hand, Manchester City's atmosphere was ignited by this penalty.

They finally felt the hope of victory this time.

Aguero placed the ball on the penalty spot to take the kick.

Under the anxious gaze of Manchester City fans, Aguero accurately shot the ball into the bottom left corner, helping Manchester City take the lead.

70 minutes, Manchester City 2:1 Real Madrid!

Real Madrid was forced to make a substitution, Benzema came off, and Carvalho came on as a substitute.

Real Madrid's formation changed to 4-3-2.

Suker returned to the striker position, and the two strikers became Suker and Bale.

The midfield consisted of Di Maria, Kroos, and Casemiro.

The backline was Srna, Ramos, Carvalho, and Marcelo.

Real Madrid, playing with one less man, could only prioritize defense and use the two fast players upfront, Suker and Bale, to launch quick counterattacks.

"The situation is becoming increasingly unfavorable for Real Madrid. Two unexpected incidents led to two goals conceded and two substitutions. It can be said that since the start of the second half, Real Madrid has been in constant trouble!"

"The only good news is that Manchester City has once again increased their offensive pressure, rather than strengthening their defensive line!"

Manchester City also made their second substitution.

Following Aguero's appearance, Bosnian star Džeko also came on as a substitute, wearing Manchester City's number 10 jersey.

Manchester City increased their offensive investment, which was bound to put greater pressure on Real Madrid's defense.

But it's also understandable, after all, Real Madrid is now one man down, and Manchester City surely wants to strike while they're vulnerable!

For the remainder of the game, Real Madrid began to suffer immense defensive pressure.

Except for Suker and Bale, everyone else had to drop back into the penalty area to defend.

But even so, the pressure was too great.

After all, they were a man down!

Crosses from both sides, breakthroughs from the outside, diagonal passes—all these continuously put pressure on and confused Real Madrid's defense.

It even reached a point where they couldn't clear the ball at all.

"Damn it!"

Suker couldn't help himself and turned to Bale, saying, "You wait for the counterattack!"

"And you?" Bale asked.

Between him and Suker, it was also his turn to drop back.

"I'm going back." Suker waved his hand, "Stop talking nonsense, just wait for the pass!"

Bale going back was useless!

This guy isn't good at dribbling in small spaces, and his passing ability isn't that great either.

Only if Suker drops back can the pressure on the defense be relieved.

Suker went straight back to the defensive line, and he immediately marked Yaya Touré.

Defense needs to focus on the key player, and no one touched the ball more than Yaya Touré.

Yaya Touré also saw Suker, but he didn't think much of it and kept moving, but Suker stuck very close to him.

At the same time, Suker was also observing Manchester City's passing routes; they were passing around Yaya Touré, and now that Suker was marking Yaya Touré closely, it was very difficult for them to pass to Yaya Touré.

"Suker has also dropped back; Real Madrid is truly under immense defensive pressure this time! But fortunately, after Suker dropped back, he marked Yaya Touré!"

It was difficult for Suker to tackle Yaya Touré.

Because Yaya Touré would not advance forward, but constantly shift the ball to both sides.

He almost always kept Suker separated from the ball, passing with his back to the goal.

Suker actually hoped Yaya Touré would try to break through him, but the opponent was also experienced and simply wouldn't engage in a tough battle with Real Madrid in the central axis.

Instead, they used their abundant stamina on both sides to constantly shift and wear down, and even waste time.

The match entered the 78th minute, with only 12 minutes remaining until the end of the game.

Suker gritted his teeth. "Increase the intensity of our pressing! We can't keep playing like this!"

Srna turned his head. "They can't push in on the right. You find an opportunity on the left!"

"Understood!"

Suker didn't waste words and immediately pressed towards the left.

He trusted Srna.

Since Srna said they couldn't push in, then they couldn't.

Srna would hold the right side, which meant hope would emerge from the relatively weaker defensive point on the left.

Sure enough, Manchester City's attack began to shift towards the left.

Marcelo was furious.

His defensive ability was indeed not as good as Srna's, but this kind of pressure was too much!

Aguero positioned himself towards the left.

David Silva, Yaya Touré, and even Javi García, who was running forward, all did the same.

Even Maicon was restless!

Bang!

Carvalho leaped up fiercely to contest the ball, heading it away.

"Suker!"

Carvalho roared.

Suker immediately rushed to the landing spot. He didn't control the ball first, but instead made a strong horizontal bump.

Yaya Touré stumbled slightly from Suker's bump. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Suker controlled the ball.

When Yaya Touré charged again, Suker pulled the ball horizontally.

Yaya Touré immediately followed up.

"So annoying!"

Suker cursed inwardly.

When he saw the position on the right, Srna slightly advanced his position and looked at him.

This was telling him to pass the ball.

Suker gritted his teeth, pressing the tip of his foot on the end of the ball, and sharply pushed down.

The ball, under force, immediately shot out towards Srna.

This was an unconventional pass, but at this moment, only this could avoid slowing down the rhythm.

Because it was an unconventional pass, the ball speed was not fast, and the angle was not good enough.

But Srna pulled the ball and threaded it to the wing.

Casemiro made another horizontal transfer on the wing.

A wall pass!

But just as Srna was about to receive the ball, he suddenly jumped up, letting the ball pass through.

And on the other side of Srna, Suker suddenly caught up to the ball and dribbled forward with large strides.

"Counterattack!!! Counterattack!"

González exclaimed, standing up.

Suker carried the ball and charged forward with large strides.

His speed was very fast, and before Manchester City could retreat, he was already in their half.

"Someone go up!"

Vincent Kompany was shocked. "Slow him down!"

But after he shouted, no one responded. Only then did he see that the defensive midfielders hadn't retreated.

"Damn it!"

Vincent Kompany could only go himself!

But just as he charged towards Suker, Suker passed the ball horizontally from a long distance.

Vincent Kompany paused for a moment. When he turned sideways to chase horizontally, he realized he seemed to be unable to catch up.

"FXXK!"

Vincent Kompany directly slid tackled.

But Suker seemed to have anticipated it, poking the ball with his toe and leaping up sharply, dodging the tackle.

After landing, Suker rushed towards the ball again.

Suker!!!!!!!—

All the Real Madrid fans were shouting Suker's name.

Suker caught up to the ball again. He swung his right foot fiercely, without the slightest hesitation, and took a shot!

The ball flew in a half-volley, sweeping towards the right side of the goal.

Manchester City Goalkeeper Joe Hart's eyelids twitched. He shuffled to his left and made a fierce diving save.

Bang!

The shot had immense power. Joe Hart put all his strength into it but couldn't cushion the impact. The ball bounced off his hands to the penalty spot.

Slap!

Joe Hart landed, scrambling with hands and feet to try and control the ball.

But the next second, a figure flashed past, the ball disappeared, and a crisp swish of the net echoed in his ears.

Joe Hart turned his head.

He found the ball already in the net.

"Goal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!—

"Gareth Bale!"

"Bale's follow-up shot helps Real Madrid equalize the score!!"

"Oh my God! Playing with one man down and trailing by a goal, Real Madrid still managed to equalize with their tenacious fighting spirit!"

"Suker's long-distance run, Srna's feint, Real Madrid's transitional passes from defense to attack—all of it was magnificent!"

"Goal! Goal!"

In the 85th minute, Real Madrid equalized the score.

Manchester City 2:2 Real Madrid!

With the equalizer, the Real Madrid players were incredibly excited. They embraced each other, celebrating joyfully.

On the bench, Mourinho also vigorously waved his arms.

When the second goal was conceded, Mourinho was almost out of options.

After all, they were still a man down at that time.

Fortunately, Suker actively retreated and created this excellent counterattacking opportunity, and Real Madrid seized this chance to equalize the score.

Pant! Pant! Pant!

The Real Madrid players were all breathing heavily. Except for Suker, everyone else was nearing their physical limit.

Although their stamina was good, they couldn't withstand Manchester City's nearly half-field pressing.

This counterattack boosted their morale, but to say they could launch another counterattack would be quite difficult.

Even Srna was squatting on the field, breathing heavily.

During that last attack, Srna truly ran with gritted teeth, his head bobbing forward with each stride.

Fortunately, they scored.

They equalized the score!

In the 88th minute, both teams made their final substitutions simultaneously.

Manchester City continued to strengthen their attack.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, further intensified their defense!

With one man down, a draw was enough!

They would teach Manchester City a good lesson when they returned to home.

Real Madrid defended their goal stubbornly, and Manchester City couldn't break through. Time passed little by little.

Finally, the full match ended.

The 2012/2013 Champions League group stage, second round: Manchester City 2:2 Real Madrid!

This match was full of ups and downs.

With Real Madrid's lead, Manchester City's comeback, and then Real Madrid's dramatic equalizer, it was truly spectacular.

Suker only had one assist in this match.

But he made a huge contribution to both goals, arguably the best performance of the entire match.

"In this match, your performance once again amazed everyone. What is your assessment of this match?"

Suker faced the camera and said, "I don't care about the score right now. It's over. I should go check on my teammates."

Suker hastily ended the interview. The reporters also knew that Suker was concerned about Kaka's injury.

After Suker returned to the locker room, he immediately sought out Faria.

Faria was on the phone, apparently receiving feedback from the hospital.

"Okay! I understand!"

Faria finished speaking and hung up the phone. Then, he looked at Suker and sighed, "Unfortunately, Kaka might be out for a while."

Suker frowned. "Is the injury very serious?"

"He needs surgery!" Faria pointed to his knee and said, "Meniscus injury."

Suker pursed his lips. This was not good news.

Meniscus injury is a common problem in football, usually caused by excessive exercise and overly intense movements.

Although Kaka had reduced his sprinting frequency, many of his movements were inherently very hard on his knees.

Kaka returned to the team; he would go back to Spain for surgery.

Although Real Madrid drew the second round, the news of Kaka's injury spread rapidly.

After Alonso left, Real Madrid's midfield would have to rely on Kaka.

But at this critical juncture, Kaka got injured.

Coupled with Real Madrid's previously poor team atmosphere, this made everyone worried about Real Madrid this season.

However, Suker couldn't give Kaka much support; injuries are something one can only overcome on their own.

As for the future, that also depended on Kaka's recovery status.

After the Champions League match, Suker and Srna also set off to return to Croatia.

They were going to play in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.

In these qualifiers, they were in Group A.

Group A: Croatia, Belgium, Serbia, Scotland, Wales, North Macedonia.

The pressure to qualify from Group A this time was very high.

Belgium had already risen.

The team included Vermaelen, Vincent Kompany, Vertonghen, Hazard, Benteke, and Dembele.

Of course, they had not yet reached the level of Belgium's golden generation, but they were still threatening enough.

Scotland, needless to say, due to the Premier League, their own strength was not weak.

Wales had Bale, and currently, they also showed signs of rising.

Serbia and Croatia—when these two National Teams meet, it might replicate the fiery Balkan Derby!

It could be said that this group stage had significant quality.

The pressure to qualify was naturally also very high.