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Chapter 231 - Chapter 231: Header on Goal

"Pirlo stands at the penalty spot. The penalty was earned thanks to Suker—can Pirlo..."

Before the commentator could finish, Pirlo had already stepped up to take the kick.

He didn't hesitate for even a second.

The ball swept toward the left side, and PSV Eindhoven's goalkeeper Gomes dived in that direction.

"Gomes! He got a hand on it!! Gomes… No!! There's still—Inzaghi!!"

After saving the shot, Gomes didn't have time to recover before Inzaghi was already there, poking the ball with the tip of his boot.

The ball followed through and flew into the goal.

"Inzaghi scores on the rebound! A goal in both the league and Champions League! AC Milan's ghostly striker continues his insane scoring spree!"

Pirlo let out a long breath.

When the keeper made the save, he was nearly scared to death.

Thankfully, they had a poacher like Inzaghi.

That said—how the heck did that guy end up on the left side?

Suker stood behind Inzaghi, wearing a rather gloomy expression.

If it hadn't been for Inzaghi, that rebound might have been his.

But somehow, Inzaghi just mysteriously drifted to the left and popped up in the perfect spot to score—again.

Just like that match against Juventus in the league.

Inzaghi's goals always felt unexplainable!

Still, AC Milan had gotten the goal.

Suker and the others were ecstatic nonetheless!

"It feels like ever since Suker joined, Inzaghi's goals have become even more inexplicable!"

The assistant coach shook his head in amazement.

With Inzaghi's killer instinct in front of goal, his goals always seemed odd.

But there's no denying—he scores.

And for a striker, goals are the most important stat.

Coach Ancelotti also shook his head slightly. He couldn't figure out the chemistry between those two either.

Anyway, the messier the game, the more favorable it was for AC Milan.

One Inzaghi was already enough to fish in troubled waters.

Now they had Suker, who stirred the water up to begin with.

PSV conceded.

That made coach Hiddink feel immense pressure.

He hadn't expected to beat AC Milan at San Siro, but he had hoped to at least draw—to gain an edge in the group.

But everything so far had gone against his plan.

Back on the pitch, when the ball was passed to Suker, he didn't even consider dribbling.

After drawing the defense toward the left side, he instantly switched the ball.

It was a waist-high pass, and the ball landed precisely at Kaká's feet.

"What precision from Suker," praised commentator Aldo Serena.

Suker's passes might not always be safe, but the precision was always top-tier—rarely intercepted.

Whether it was a short pass, long ball, or his signature rainbow pass.

Suker's passing was the key to AC Milan's stable buildup play.

"Hit it!"

After making the pass, Suker shouted loudly.

At the same time, he made a sprint toward the center.

Seeing Suker charging in, Inzaghi wasn't happy about it, but still reluctantly drifted left to clear space.

He had no choice!

Suker held a higher tactical status.

Inzaghi wore the number 9, sure, but that was sentiment.

Milan's internal reports often joked: "You got the number 9 jersey, but give the position to Suker."

Inzaghi knew full well—he wasn't in top form, and Suker outranked him tactically. Yielding space was the right call!

Suker burst into the penalty area, holding off the defenders, eyes fixed on Kaká on the flank.

Kaká kept switching directions—South Korean fullback Lee Young-Pyo was clearly overwhelmed.

"Suker!"

Suddenly, Kaká shouted and whipped in a cross.

Suker turned to look at the goal, then quickly stepped two paces back.

In that instant, he shook off the defender.

Then, using one foot to push off, he jumped.

Suker didn't jump especially high, but it was enough.

The ball flew toward him.

His eyes locked on the ball. The moment it connected with his forehead—he snapped his neck.

"Suker!! Header on goal!! Whoa!! He can do headers too?!"

Suker redirected the ball with his forehead into the near post.

In that moment, joy bloomed in his chest.

It felt even better than a regular goal.

"I finally scored with a header!!"

"WAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

Suker screamed as he dashed toward the corner flag.

His whole face was flushed with excitement.

Inzaghi stared wide-eyed at Suk's back.

Suker scored with a header?

"SUKER!! GOAL! GOAL! HEADER!! It's the first time we've seen Suk score with his head!"

With the crowd roaring, Suker slid on his knees toward the corner flag.

Then he leaped over the advertisement board, lying on the rail.

Seeing Suker this close, the Milan fans lost it.

They rushed toward him.

Some rubbed his head. Others slapped his back in encouragement.

Suker was still yelling excitedly.

"WAAAH! I'm a freaking genius!!! Hahahahaha!!"

The Milan fans were overjoyed.

More people started to crowd around.

Suk was so pumped he tried to climb into the stands.

But Maldini grabbed him back.

Suker was halfway over the rail.

Maldini was pulling with all his might.

"Let me go, captain!"

"Get back here!" Maldini pulled so hard he nearly tore Suker's shirt.

Finally, Gattuso joined in. Together, they dragged Suker back from the fence.

Maldini pressed him down and pushed him toward midfield.

Gattuso kicked Suker in the butt.

At that moment, the section where Suker had been hanging over was packed with fans. More were gathering.

If Suker had actually jumped in, the consequences would've been serious.

Smack!

Maldini gave Suker a rare slap on the back of the head, scolding him:

"Calm down, will you?!"

He knew Suker was thrilled—but you can't just climb into the stands!

That's dangerous!

Suk rubbed the back of his head. He knew Maldini was looking out for him.

Gattuso chimed in with a smirk:

"Got smacked, huh?"

Then punched Suker in the stomach.

"Cool it, will ya."

Suker retaliated with a kick.

The three bickered all the way back to midfield.

Back in their half, Suker felt great.

His first ever header goal!

"Kaká's pass was perfect!"

He gave Kaká a thumbs-up.

Kaká's cross was spot-on—they were totally on the same wavelength.

Kaká smiled and nodded.

He knew Suk didn't have much of an edge in aerial duels, so he deliberately passed a bit farther from the goal.

As expected, Suk dropped back slightly and contested the header.

And it worked.

38th minute, AC Milan leads PSV Eindhoven 2–0.

Momentum was firmly in Milan's favor.

And Milan's performance this game was unexpectedly outstanding.

As one of the Dutch big three, PSV was strong—but against Milan, they were crumbling under pressure.

The first half had passed in a daze for them.

In the second half, the teams switched sides.

Milan began to control the game.

With the lead, they slowed the tempo.

57th minute, AC Milan made a substitution.

Suker off, Rui Costa on.

Suker had scored a goal—he was satisfied.

Now sitting on the bench, he relaxed and watched the game.

When the camera zoomed in on him, he waved and smiled.

His cheerful demeanor made commentator Aldo Serena chuckle:

"This little rascal..."

Suker was chilling.

The game was under control.

Milan's defense remained solid.

PSV had little hope of equalizing—it was almost impossible.

Even though Suk was off, Kaká remained on the pitch.

Kaká continued to torment PSV's defense.

They didn't dare press forward recklessly.

Now, PSV's best bet was just to defend and maybe steal a goal—everything else would have to wait until the return leg at home.

Milan played steadily.

As the clock ticked toward 90 minutes, the match was almost over.

"PSV couldn't hold back Milan's offense—even just the first half was enough for Milan to score."

"With Suker on the field, Milan's offense is a deadly spear. Once he's subbed off, Milan switches to solid chain defense to hold their lead."

"This AC Milan is drastically different—balanced in both attack and defense."

"Suker's presence allows Pirlo and the midfield to focus on organizing and defending. That prevents Milan from being exposed after pushing forward."

"That's why they're always the first to take the lead!"

"We're in the final moments now..."

The referee blew the final whistle.

AC Milan 2–0 PSV Eindhoven.

They secured their third straight Champions League group-stage win!

AC Milan now topped their group.

And their dominant performance sent a warning to future opponents.

This AC Milan looked flawless.

It felt like they had reached their peak form.

Last year's Milan was dangerous, sure—but not this terrifying.

Now, this team had no weaknesses.

Balanced squad, great form, and flawless tactical execution—

A serious threat to any Champions League contender!

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