"Suker goes for the shot directly! The ball brushes past the post!"
Commentator Aldo Serena shook his head: "Suker was a bit too impatient. He should have taken a touch to steady himself before shooting! Or maybe feint and get past the defender."
On the pitch, Suker stomped lightly in frustration.
Maybe he'd gotten too used to playing as an attacking midfielder, but now that he was moved up to the striker position, everything felt off.
Less time on the ball, shorter windows to adjust, and even narrower shooting angles.
All these were testing every aspect of Suk's ability.
Especially his finishing — Suker wouldn't say he was elite, but he wasn't bad either.
However, as a striker, without the "dribbling chaos" that disrupted the defense beforehand, his shooting flaws became more apparent.
What a striker needs most is the ability to deliver the finishing blow.
Suker couldn't say he lacked it entirely, but he was certainly limited.
He specialized in toe-pokes and curling shots.
But he couldn't always rely on poking the ball with his toe, nor could he constantly pull out to the edge of the box to curl it in.
"Keep going!"
Suker shouted.
Despite a few failed attempts, his fighting spirit remained high.
He felt like he was gradually getting used to the role.
And he genuinely wanted to play in that position.
Kaká made another cross from the wing.
Suker leapt up.
Compared to the opposing center-backs, Suker was definitely on the shorter side.
But short players have their own tricks — namely, jumping earlier.
Suker timed his leap perfectly and used his arms to shield and suppress the defender, preventing him from jumping.
Under those conditions, Suker managed to head the ball.
Bang!!
"Damn it!"
Suker cursed loudly.
The ball hit the opposing goalkeeper's chest and rolled out toward the right side of the penalty area.
Inzaghi pounced and easily tapped it in.
36th minute — Inzaghi scored again with a typical poacher's goal, putting AC Milan ahead.
Watching the restart from the sidelines, Ancelotti chuckled and said:
"Suker's instincts in front of goal are pretty sharp, but his finishing still has holes, which explains the current situation. If he doesn't have enough space to run…"
Suddenly, Ancelotti fell silent.
He saw Suker pulling out of the penalty area — no longer stubbornly staying pinned to the defenders.
With that movement, Suker gained some freedom to operate.
"Kaká! Send it here!"
Kaká passed the ball immediately.
Suker received it, made a half-turn, and flicked the ball gently with the tip of his toe.
The ball sailed over the defense and dropped right in front of Inzaghi.
And with that kind of chance, Inzaghi would never miss.
He sprinted forward to chase the ball.
"Pass it back!" Suker called out from behind.
Inzaghi ignored him.
Suk shouted angrily: "If you don't pass it back, I'm never feeding you again!"
Hearing that, Inzaghi hesitated. The shooting angle had already been closed down.
Inzaghi passed it back toward Suker at an angle.
Suker dragged the ball, dodged a defender's challenge, and immediately shot with his left foot.
The goalkeeper's view was blocked by defenders, so he couldn't see Suker's shooting motion — and the ball was already in the net.
"GOAL!!!! Suker!!!!!!——"
"Beautiful feint, slipped past the center-back, left-footed strike!"
"AC Milan scores their second!"
After scoring, Suker sprinted toward the corner flag to celebrate.
Thirty minutes of frustration — finally relieved!
Halftime
Ancelotti approached Suker.
"Understand now?"
Suker nodded. "Yeah, I get it."
Ancelotti smiled: "Your finishing has some gaps — that's why I didn't start you as a striker. But if you can shore up that weakness, I don't mind using you there. Of course, don't feel down about this match. You're going to keep growing."
Suker nodded again.
He wasn't disappointed at all.
In fact, he was more fired up than ever.
Suker now understood his own shortcomings — and where he needed to improve.
Right now, what Suker needed most was a comprehensive finishing upgrade!
At the very least, a platinum-level shooting card.
Black cards were great, sure — but they didn't match the efficiency expected from a top club.
Which meant: the Champions League just became even more important.
Final 10 Minutes
AC Milan made a substitution.
Suker off, Shevchenko on.
Shevchenko had been out for two weeks with an injury, and Ancelotti wanted to give him time to ease back in.
While Shevchenko was on the field, Suker watched him with complete focus.
His positioning.His decision-making in front of goal.How he reacted to different types of passes…
As one of the best strikers at the time, Shevchenko was a perfect role model.
As for Inzaghi — that guy was pure talent.You couldn't learn what he did.
Aside from his instinct, his first touches and finishing were world-class — not really useful as a reference.
Full-time: AC Milan 2–0 away win.
Shevchenko had a few dangerous shots, but didn't score.
Still, he looked sharp — ready for the next match.
After the Match
Suker walked down the players' tunnel.
As expected, the chubby kid Justin was waiting.
"Suker! Suker!"
Justin waved wildly.
Suker said goodbye to Kaká and walked over.
"You really don't give up, do you?" Suker muttered, tossing his jersey to Justin.
Justin eagerly caught it, grinning: "Rowling is going to be so happy!"
"Freakin' simp," Suker teased.
Justin turned to leave, then suddenly looked back: "Good luck in the next match!"
Suker waved him off: "Just don't come back as my ballboy."
He muttered to himself.
This kid always got a shirt every time — he couldn't tell if he was being taken advantage of or not.
Back in the Locker Room
As Suker was changing, Inzaghi came over.
"I've got two tickets to the Milan Fashion Show — want to go?"
Suker looked at him in surprise.
This guy wasn't being stingy for once?
The truth was, Inzaghi felt like his relationship with Suker had cooled recently.
The most obvious sign? Suker was focusing on his own shots, not passing to him.
As a striker who depended heavily on Suker's form, that wasn't good.
"When is it?" Suker asked.
Inzaghi: "Tonight!"
"I'm in."
Suker kept it short.
Evening
Suker dressed up properly.
After all, it was a fashion show — he couldn't show up in shorts.
He wore a casual suit picked by Inzaghi.
Blue jeans, a clean white crew-neck shirt, and a black blazer on top.
The cuffs were rolled up to reveal a sports-style Omega watch on his wrist.
"You bought that?" Inzaghi asked, sitting in the car.
Suker waved it off: "Sponsorship."
Once in the car, Inzaghi sped off toward the venue.
This year's Milan Fashion Show was held at the airport.
Suker had no idea why the organizers chose that location.
It was his first time at a fashion show.
One section of the airport had been blocked off at night — only ticketed or invited guests were allowed in.
Inzaghi flashed the tickets and led Suk in.
The setup was minimal.
Aside from the flashy runway, the rest of the area was cluttered with wires.
There were five rows of seats on each side of the runway.
Inzaghi wasn't stingy — he had booked front-row center seats, great view.
Not long after they sat, the lights dimmed.
"It's starting?" Suker asked excitedly.
Inzaghi smiled: "The Milan Fashion Show is one of the Big Four. These are all new-season pieces from top luxury brands!"
Suker turned his head, confused: "Clothes? What clothes?"
Inzaghi was also momentarily stunned.
"If it's not clothes, what do you think a fashion show is about?"
Suker realized he had completely misunderstood.
Completely and utterly wrong!
The Milan Fashion Show was a high-fashion runway — models showing off the latest outfits from top designers.
But Suker had been picturing women in tiny tops and short shorts, with big wings on their backs — like some Victoria's Secret nonsense!
Suker rested his chin in his hand, watching models walk back and forth — until he was dizzy.
Inzaghi, on the other hand, was thrilled, pointing excitedly at the stage.
"Look! That's Gisele Bündchen — she's the hottest supermodel right now!"
Gisele Bündchen — the world's number-one supermodel. Even Suker had heard of her.
Wearing a black dress, she had an aura that commanded attention.
Tall and flawless proportions.
Black tight pants hugged her long legs — each step worth $450,000.
No kidding — that was Gisele's current modeling fee.
In front of her, Suker was just a broke guy!
Suker turned to Inzaghi: "You've got no shot."
Inzaghi blinked. "Why not?"
Suker didn't even bother explaining.
Gisele had just dumped fellow playboy Leonardo DiCaprio — there's no way she'd go for someone even less picky like Inzaghi.
For the entire show, Suker sat like a fish out of water.
No real interest at all.
Inzaghi, on the other hand, seemed glued to the stage — hard to tell if he was admiring the clothes or had X-ray vision.
"Let's go!"
As soon as the show ended, Suker was ready to leave.
Inzaghi grinned: "Go where? There's an after-party!"
And just like that, Suker was dragged along again.