The Biggest Suspense

The moment the referee blew the final whistle, the Real Madrid players, who had been waiting on the sidelines, all charged onto the pitch.

More than eighty thousand fans throughout the Bernabéu Stadium rose from their seats and roared themselves hoarse in celebration.

The scoreboard displayed the final score: Real Madrid had crushed Lyon four-nil.

With a five-one aggregate score over the two legs, Real Madrid had eliminated Lyon and smoothly advanced to the Champions League quarterfinals!

This was the first time in six years that Real Madrid had successfully broken through the Round of 16. They had finally shattered the shame of the Champions League Round of 16 curse, leaving every Real Madrid player and fan thoroughly exhilarated and deeply moved.

Raul had worked desperately to score during the final half hour, but in the end, he had failed to get his wish. Even so, when the whistle sounded, he still cheered wildly for the team he loved.

There was also Guti, who had been brought on by Benitez when the team had all but secured victory.

The team captain and Team Vice-Captain had both experienced the Galácticos era. They had witnessed Real Madrid's hardships over the past six years, but they had also been the ones to hold up the club's backbone during its most difficult period.

Since Hierro had left in 2003, Raul had always been the team captain.

During the Galácticos era, with the arrivals of superstars such as Figo, Zidane, and Ronaldo, Raul's position kept changing. As a shadow striker renowned for his agility, he had even been forced to play as a defensive midfielder. Yet Real Madrid's captain had never complained about it publicly.

Over the years, he had fallen from the team's spiritual core to a regular starter, and then gradually to a