Su Dong's Counterattack

Neuer had been keeping a close eye on the ball's movement.

From Beckham to Pato, he had stayed alert the entire time.

Pato charged straight toward Bayern's penalty area with the ball, drawing the defenders' attention before passing it to Ronaldinho on the left.

Neuer also adjusted his positioning in time, ready to guard against Ronaldinho's sudden attack.

The Brazilian superstar faced Lahm with the ball. His initial series of moves was flawless. The key came when he entered Lahm's defensive zone: first, he feinted toward the byline, tricking Lahm into losing his balance, then suddenly came to a dead stop.

That abrupt pause exposed a gap in Lahm's defense.

Ronaldinho suddenly dragged the ball back, then swung his right leg and fired straight for the far corner.

The whole sequence happened quickly, but it was still within Neuer's capabilities. The moment he saw Ronaldinho strike, he reacted with incredible speed, diving sideways and trying to catch the ball.

In theory, a shot like that, made with a small swing of the leg, wouldn't have much power, so he should have been able to hold it.

The facts proved that Ronaldinho's shot indeed lacked much force. The ball wasn't especially fast, and Neuer really did get to it.

But the instant he touched the ball, his expression suddenly changed in alarm.

The ball was spinning fiercely. He couldn't hold on at all, and it slipped free.

The ball escaped Neuer's control and bounced away, while Pato, who had originally been near the edge of the penalty area, seemed to have anticipated it. He charged straight toward the goal, hoping to pounce on the rebound.

Neuer felt as if he had fallen into an icy pit. He reacted at once, dropping to the ground and reaching out again to grab the