In the end, Aragonés let Simon talk him around.
Albelda came on from the bench.
Fabregas missed out on the 2006 World Cup final, leaving Iniesta the unexpected beneficiary.
"Oh! Spain has sent on Albelda—this clearly means they want to drag the match into extra time."
"Given the fitness situation, France must score before regulation ends if they want to beat Spain. Otherwise, things will only get worse for them."
Everyone understood what Spain's adjustment meant.
France immediately used their final substitution as well.
Wiltord replaced Malouda.
It was a like-for-like change, and as one of Arsenal's Three Musketeers, Wiltord had great chemistry with Henry.
Plus he was coming on fresh. This change undoubtedly strengthened France's attack.
One shored up the defense; the other doubled down on attack.
With the score still 3–3, the two sides made drastically different substitutions and tactical choices.
...
In the 83rd minute, Su Hang received a pass in the center, but he didn't drop back.
Spain had already tightened their shape, circulating the ball in their own half and almost no longer stepping into French territory.
But just like earlier—when France were up by two goals yet Malouda, Henry, and Ribéry still pushed forward for more—
Su Hang was also the type to "ignore the manager's tactics."
The moment he received the ball, he flicked it ahead and surged forward, trying to take on Makélélé head-on.
But the former best Defensive Midfielder in the world earned that reputation for a reason. Makélélé used positioning and anticipation to stay glued to him, refusing to give up an inch.
Just as Su Hang looked about to lose the ball, the "Endurance Engine" activated, giving him a 10% stamina boost.
He drove his legs harder, shouldered Makélélé aside, and regained control.
But Ribéry came charging in again.
Even though Su Hang had run him ragged earlier—and even made him vomit—he actually felt better afterward.
Su Hang suddenly found himself caught between the two of them.
Ribéry rammed straight into him, aiming to body him off the ball.
But by sheer coincidence, the hit triggered the "Collision Immunity" effect from "Drogba's Beastly Charge."
Makélélé instantly slid in, cleanly poking the ball away.
A master-class close-quarters tackle.
Normally, even a clean slide like that would disrupt Su Hang's balance—forcing a stumble or jump and causing a turnover.
But during "Collision Immunity," Su Hang's running motion stayed completely stable.
Free of Makélélé's constraint, he bumped into Ribéry, used the impact as leverage, and exploded forward with a sudden second burst of acceleration.
From the stands, it looked as if Su Hang had been delayed by Makélélé, then trapped by both Makélélé and Ribéry—about to lose the ball—
when suddenly one French player collapsed, the other bounced off, and Su Hang burst free like a dragon diving into the sea.
"He pokes it ahead and accelerates! Su Hang's speed is surging!"
"Thuram steps out! Very decisive!"
The camera zoomed in on the ball as both Thuram and Su Hang accelerated toward it.
"This is Thuram—his decisiveness and defensive reading are elite," Sky Sports commentator Queiroz analyzed. "This wasn't a reckless charge."
"Su Hang has repeatedly pushed the ball ahead before chasing it—especially obvious in this second half."
"Thuram has clearly figured out Su Hang's dribbling pattern."
"This technique lets a player reach top speed quickly. For pace players who aren't great with the ball at their feet, it's extremely valuable."
"Su Hang's top speed isn't exceptional, but his explosiveness is excellent. Without the ball, he might even accelerate faster than Ribéry!"
"And at high speed, he only needs tiny feints to beat defenders."
"He used this same method to beat Sagnol earlier."
"Kaká at AC Milan is the master of this dribbling style. Of course, Kaká's technique differs from Su Hang's."
"Kaká uses small, subtle touches—simple but ingenious. Su Hang's style is built around his own limitations: a method tailored to his strengths."
Su Hang: ???
Kaká: I'm flattered!
Cristiano Ronaldo: Now you know how I feel?
"Of course," Queiroz continued, "the weakness of this dribbling style is that the player keeps the ball far away. If defenders step up early, it's easy to steal."
"That's exactly what Thuram was targeting."
But even as he spoke, Thuram's expression changed.
Faster.
Su Hang was getting faster.
Thuram and Su Hang locked eyes—and instantly understood each other's thoughts.
A cold sweat ran down Thuram's back.
I've been tricked.
Su Hang, you cunning brat.
He could have gone faster earlier—he slowed down just to bait me out!
Sure enough—
Based on their earlier pace, Thuram should've reached the ball first.
But Su Hang suddenly detonated with a second acceleration, closing the gap at impossible speed.
From the stands, his acceleration looked absurd.
Compared to Su Hang, Makélélé scrambling after recovering from his slide, Ribéry chasing after being bumped aside, and Thuram sprinting toward the ball—
all three looked like they were jogging.
This wasn't Su Hang's speed.
This was Bale's speed.
Thud!
Su Hang reached the ball first and poked it forward.
It moved too fast for Thuram to intervene.
As a world-class defender, Thuram knew the rule: if the ball gets past, the man cannot.
Behind him there was nothing but the goalkeeper—and given Barthez's save rate against Su Hang that day, it might as well have been an open net.
Barthez: WHAT THE HELL?!
Thud!
Thuram launched into a slide tackle—an obvious red-card challenge.
Su Hang saw it coming and jumped clear.
But once Thuram committed, his legendary decisiveness wouldn't let him pull out halfway.
He reached up with a desperate arm—
a forbidden "Hand of God"—
dragging Su Hang straight out of the air.
Better I go to hell than let you become a legend today!
Thump!
Su Hang slammed into the turf.
Beep!
The referee blew furiously.
Zidane tried to intervene, but the referee shoved him aside, refusing to hear a single French protest.
He hadn't even reached Thuram when he already pulled out the red card.
"Oh! Red card!"
"The referee sends off Thuram!"
"Absolutely the right decision—but the timing is brutal!"
"In the 83rd minute, France is down to ten men. Whether this goes to extra time or not, the situation is dire for France!"
"Spanish fans erupt, chanting Su Hang's name."
"If Zidane has been France's unquestioned commander today, then Su Hang has been Spain's unstoppable spearpoint!"
"Vieira, Ribéry, Diarra, Makélélé, Sagnol, Thuram… no matter who or how many he faced, no one could stop Su Hang."
"The French backline, praised before the match as an iron fortress, has collapsed into a Maginot Line—utterly useless!"
On the touchline, Domenech finally lost it.
He didn't even bother hiding from Spain or the media, roaring in frustration:
"I told you! Players with Mercury in retrograde shouldn't be on the pitch!"
"Thuram's Mercury is in retrograde today too!"
...
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