Luck isn't the same as momentum or morale.
Every footballer knows morale is something you can feel—something that can be influenced and shifted through certain actions.
But luck? That's something far more mysterious.
No one knows how to control it, yet it undeniably plays a decisive role in countless matches.
By scoring, Zidane showed that he and France had the upper hand in luck, putting psychological pressure on Su Hang and the Spanish team.
Su Hang let out a strange smile and suddenly stomped his foot.
"Zizou, did you forget? That old book on signs and fate I gave you—don't tell me you've stopped using it. By my command!"
Zidane frowned.
"I know that phrase. What are you doing? Casting a curse?"
Su Hang shrugged.
"Where we come from, we call it spellcasting."
Zidane retorted,
"If curses actually worked, Spain wouldn't have made it to the final in the first place."
Su Hang countered,
"If spells don't work, how did we win the treble this season?"
Zidane: Uh…
Su Hang had genuinely thrown Zidane off.
After all, no Real Madrid player thought at the start of the season that the team would end up winning so many trophies.
A chaotic team with nothing going for it—
That's one of football's iron rules.
But Real Madrid had clearly broken that rule this season.
If you claimed there was some special force at work, Zidane might just believe you.
Europe has always been full of football superstitions, and in France—where diverse cultural traditions mix—stories about charms, rituals, and "football magic" spread easily in the dressing room.
Right, Pogba?
So yes—this France squad is actually very superstitious.
Take their coach Domenech, for example. He's the number one astrology-obsessed manager in football.
During this World Cup, the media even exposed that his call-ups and lineups were based on zodiac signs.
Pires was excluded from the national team because of it.
In the 35th minute, Xavi's through ball was intercepted by Makélélé.
Makélélé passed to Zidane, who turned and hit a diagonal ball into space.
Vieira made the run, controlled the pass, and charged toward the box.
As one of the most complete Defensive Midfielders in the world, Vieira excelled not just in defense but also in buildup and attack.
He received the ball, did a simple pull-back feint, and completely sent the recovering Su Hang the wrong way.
Then Vieira slipped a pass toward Henry.
Henry held off Marchena and unleashed a world-class shot—
But Casillas, in incredible form, produced a god-tier save to deny the goal.
French fans were ecstatic.
Vieira had just embarrassed Su Hang.
Moments like these—when a "defensive" player dribbles past someone—always create a buzz.
Zidane seized the chance to strike Su Hang's psyche again, while reassuring himself in the process:
"Oh? Looks like your little mystic routine isn't worth a damn."
"Maybe they don't work abroad?"
It wasn't just Zidane—fans were also fired up by Vieira's brilliant move.
A flustered Su Hang was destined to become a recurring background prop in Vieira's future dribbling highlight reels.
But Su Hang didn't bother arguing.
Anyone who understood the game knew he had completed his assignment: delay Vieira.
That's why Puyol had time to close him down, forcing Vieira to pass.
And once Puyol stepped out, Marchena immediately locked onto Henry.
Sure, letting Marchena handle Henry one-on-one wasn't ideal—
but allowing Vieira to dribble all the way to the edge of the box would have been far more dangerous.
The speaker meant nothing by it, but the listener took it personally.
Vieira, standing nearby, had overheard the whole exchange.
And considering how players in the France squad often joked about charms, rituals, and "football magic"—something the Pogba brothers loved to play up—how could Vieira not feel a tiny shiver of doubt?
So in the 42nd minute, when Vieira faced Su Hang dropping deep to receive the ball on the right, he was clearly more tense than before.
"Su Hang—Stepovers! Oh, that bizarre stepover again!"
"He's too fast!"
"Vieira hasn't shifted his center of gravity—Su Hang can't fool him."
"Ball tap left—no, right! Su Hang's lightning-fast motion completely fakes out Vieira!"
On-screen, Su Hang and Vieira collided head-on.
After a brief standoff, they clashed—and instantly separated.
Vieira went crashing to the ground.
Su Hang tapped the ball through the gap along the channel, sliced into the box, and fired from a tight angle.
The ball hit the side netting, narrowly missing the target.
"Oh no!"
Before Su Hang could even regret the slightly mistimed shot, he heard someone groaning in frustration behind him.
He turned around and saw Vieira on the ground, clutching his ankle in agony.
This was…
The Electro-Shock Step-over special…
The Ankle Terminator.
"Fuck!" Vieira pounded the turf—he already knew it was bad.
The French team doctor rushed in, examined him briefly, and showed a helpless expression.
Vieira had been injured earlier in the season. Though he returned quickly, it left a psychological shadow.
He avoided using one foot, causing the other to take on extra load—
and this time, the overused foot finally gave out.
The good news: it wasn't a reinjury and wouldn't affect his long-term career.
The bad news: he was absolutely done for this match.
Domenech, speechless on the sideline, brought on Defensive Midfielder Alou Diarra.
Zidane ran a hand over his bald head, suddenly sensing trouble.
At that moment, France's momentum shifted.
If earlier they truly had an invincible mindset—never once believing they could lose—
now that certainty began to crack.
It would show in every touch, every dribble, every Aerial Duel, every shot…
in every part of their play.
This round of spell warfare left both casters unharmed—
but the bystander Vieira was taken out.
Which is why we always say:
Don't eavesdrop on other people's conversations.
It brings misfortune.
...
The referee blew twice, ending the first half.
Three goals had been scored in the span of ten minutes.
France led 2–1, but strangely, their advantage now felt smaller than before kickoff.
Their defensive pillar Vieira had been tricked, had his ankle injured, and was forced off the field.
During halftime, broadcasters across the world analyzed Su Hang's bizarre "Electro-Shock Step-over."
Some technique-focused commentators argued it had almost no skill or deception—just raw acceleration, nothing worth praising.
Even Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo had far smoother, more fluid moves than Su Hang.
But others, who cared about effectiveness, believed it was a brilliant, signature dribbling technique—
one that demanded exceptional physical attributes from both the user and the defender,
with terrifying ankle-breaking potential.
They predicted it would become one of Su Hang's trademark skills.
Cristiano Ronaldo: ???
Indeed—
in terms of stiffness, Ronaldo was nowhere near Su Hang.