Raul's goal seemed to ignite FC Schalke 04's comeback spirit. From this moment onward, Barcelona's players suddenly found themselves under pressure, while the previously lifeless Schalke squad regained their fighting morale.
Schalke's defenders gritted their teeth, throwing everything into each defensive challenge. After every successful tackle, the entire team launched frenzied counterattacks.
In the 61st minute, Messi attempted another trademark dribble through his favored right flank corridor. However, Su - boosted by his Wind-treading Combat Boots special effect - tracked Messi relentlessly. With Smits' assistance, they forced Messi to abandon his breakthrough and pass back to Xavi.
Xavi regrouped the attack before delivering a lofted pass to Villa, who had made a sudden forward run. But Neuer, alert in goal, rushed out to intercept the ball before Villa could control it.
Schalke immediately countered. Neuer hurled the ball toward Su. In that instant, both Xavi and Iniesta quickly closed Su down, while Pedro retreated from the left flank, attempting to form a three-man containment.
Su received the ball, pushed it wide with his right foot, and instantly accelerated, trying to burst through the trio. However, the experienced Xavi stuck out his right foot first, tripping Su to the ground.
The referee blew his whistle, but then came the shocking decision. Despite committing such an obvious tactical foul, Xavi received only a verbal warning - no yellow card was shown.
Magath, who had been restraining himself on the sidelines, finally exploded. "Damn! No card for that foul?? Is the referee fucking blind?" he roared toward the pitch.
Assuming the referee couldn't hear him from across the field, Magath was stunned when the fourth official relayed his comments directly to the referee via headset. The consequence was immediate - the game's first red card was shown, with the referee sprinting over to dismiss Magath from the technical area.
"This is outrageous! The referee's sent off Magath instead!"
"Magath was clearly upset with the referee's decision regarding Xavi's foul, but sending him off seems excessive..."
"In the 65th minute, FC Schalke 04 suffered a major setback!"
Wang, commentating live, grew visibly irritated as Magath received his marching orders.
It was obvious Su had been about to launch a rapid counterattack. With Su's speed and both Raul and Vardy pushing forward in the attacking third, this could have been a dangerous opportunity.
While Xavi's foul wasn't brutal, it was clearly a tactical foul to stop the attack - the kind that typically warrants at least a yellow card.
"Su was clearly impeded there! The referee's decision is questionable! However, slow-motion replays show Magath merely vented his frustration toward the pitch. We can't be certain exactly what was said!"
"Judging by his lip movements, he was probably sending regards to the referee's family!"
Ahem!
Wang immediately regretted his off-the-cuff remark upon realizing this was a live sports broadcast.
On the pitch, Magath's angry cursing had little effect beyond stirring up the Veltins-Arena crowd. UEFA officials promptly escorted the furious manager to the stands, triggering a wave of furious booing.
In the North Stand, Ann Carr angrily hurled her trampled bag toward the attacking third, screaming "The referee's an idiot!" Her outburst sparked a rain of projectiles - phones, hats, belts, even steel-ringed cups - all aimed at Barcelona's goal below.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Fortunately, Veltins-Arena's notorious history with pyrotechnics meant the North Stand was protected by heavy wire fencing, sparing Valdés from the barrage.
"BOOOO!!!"
"BOOOO!!!"
Other sections of the stadium limited their protests to thunderous boos rather than throwing objects. The referee remained unmoved, simply pointing toward Barcelona's goal to restart play.
Truthfully, Magath's dismissal changed little for Su. As per Magath's tactical instructions: "Get the ball to Su" remained the team's guiding principle.
But the team's rising morale was suddenly deflated by the red card incident.
On the sidelines, Hughes - though only given a few minutes' notice - finally got his chance to step up. However, this was a Champions League semi-final against Barcelona. Quickly adapting, Hughes fixed a steely gaze on Su from the technical area.
His instruction was simple: get the damn ball to Su!
He was still learning from the great Magath, though the finer tactical details and execution methods hadn't been fully imparted yet.
In the 67th minute, Su took a free kick from Schalke's defensive half. The ball traveled over half the pitch, landing perfectly in front of Barcelona's penalty area - right at the feet of a sprinting Raul!
But facing the defensive duo of Puyol and Piqué, Raul had no chance to turn and shoot. Forced to improvise, he laid the ball back for the advancing Hao!
"Hao!!!"
"Hao meets it first time with a shot!!!"
"Oh!!!"
"The connection wasn't clean - the ball sails high into the stands!"
"Hao's confidence has clearly grown, though his long-range shooting still needs refinement!"
Barcelona restarted play. Valdés launched a long goal kick toward midfield where Su and Xavi contested the aerial duel.
This time, Su finally overpowered Xavi using his height advantage. However, his poor heading ability saw him accidentally nod the ball out of play when trying to find Hao.
Embarrassed, Su raised a hand apologetically toward Hao.
"That was overhit by Su!"
"Seems heading isn't his strong suit!"
"Though he may not need to practice headers much!"
"Since he takes all the corners and free kicks anyway!"
[Fan comments scroll across screen:]
-Haha, Su can head the ball, just not well - more of a "small header" than a "big header"!
-I'm an exchange student in Germany. Actually, Su's most famous there not for his football skills... wait no, his skills ARE famous... ugh! Anyway, his "heading" is very famous! You see his name in all the entertainment magazines!
-What kind of "heading"? (I'm a girl, don't understand)
-Don't worry upstairs, it's just wordplay about headers - serious or not!
Barcelona's throw-in.
The match resumed.
With their lead intact, Barcelona began their trademark possession game.
For Bar?a now, keeping the ball meant victory was inevitable...
But the team's rising morale was suddenly deflated by the red card incident.
On the sidelines, Hughes - though only given a few minutes' notice - finally got his chance to step up. However, this was a Champions League semi-final against Barcelona. Quickly adapting, Hughes fixed a steely gaze on Su from the technical area.
His instruction was simple: get the damn ball to Su!
He was still learning from the great Magath, though the finer tactical details and execution methods hadn't been fully imparted yet.
In the 67th minute, Su took a free kick from Schalke's defensive half. The ball traveled over half the pitch, landing perfectly in front of Barcelona's penalty area - right at the feet of a sprinting Raul!
But facing the defensive duo of Puyol and Piqué, Raul had no chance to turn and shoot. Forced to improvise, he laid the ball back for the advancing Hao!
"Hao!!!"
"Hao meets it first time with a shot!!!"
"Oh!!!"
"The connection wasn't clean - the ball sails high into the stands!"
"Hao's confidence has clearly grown, though his long-range shooting still needs refinement!"
Barcelona restarted play. Valdés launched a long goal kick toward midfield where Su and Xavi contested the aerial duel.
This time, Su finally overpowered Xavi using his height advantage. However, his poor heading ability saw him accidentally nod the ball out of play when trying to find Hao.
Embarrassed, Su raised a hand apologetically toward Hao.
"That was overhit by Su!"
"Seems heading isn't his strong suit!"
"Though he may not need to practice headers much!"
"Since he takes all the corners and free kicks anyway!"
[Fan comments scroll across screen:]
-Haha, Su can head the ball, just not well - more of a "small header" than a "big header"!
-I'm an exchange student in Germany. Actually, Su's most famous there not for his football skills... wait no, his skills ARE famous... ugh! Anyway, his "heading" is very famous! You see his name in all the entertainment magazines!
-What kind of "heading"? (I'm a girl, don't understand)
-Don't worry upstairs, it's just wordplay about headers - serious or not!
Barcelona's throw-in.
The match resumed.
With their lead intact, Barcelona began their trademark possession game.
For Bar?a now, keeping the ball meant victory was inevitable...
