From the ensuing corner kick, Sporting Lisbon did not attack the goal directly.
Heading was not this team's strong suit.
Kai glanced at Cristiano Ronaldo's simple, straightforward attempt to attack the near post with a header and couldn't help complaining inwardly.
But it was understandable.
The soul of heading lies in movement, but its foundation lies in physical strength.
At this stage, Ronaldo's physique was not stronger than his opponents', and he had no advantage in aerial duels.
More importantly, he didn't yet see headers as a scoring weapon and was still obsessed with attacking with his feet.
He still needed plenty of time to develop his arsenal.
Instead, Viktoria Plzeň used this corner kick to secure the second ball and attempted to launch a counterattack.
But their attack died at the very first stage.
Kai cleanly destroyed the ball with a beautiful tackle.
At this point, the physical condition of most players on the pitch had dropped below the red line.
Their key movements unconsciously slowed down.
Kai's tackles became easier as a result.
In just five minutes, he completed two steals and one interception.
His defensive statistics suddenly exploded.
Helping Sporting Lisbon suppress Plzeň's counterattack.
84th minute.
After Kai received the ball in midfield, he pulled it behind his supporting foot, deceiving the onrushing defender. With wind under his boots, he burst forward, completing a high-quality carry.
"Wow! It's hard to believe that Kai, who is only thirteen years old, can still complete a high-speed advance at this stage of the match!"
"The instant acceleration he just showed is almost the same as Chris, who is already close to physical exhaustion!"
"This kid's endurance is terrifying!"
"Pass! Kai plays the ball to Chris, who cuts inside before Plzeň's centre-back can arrive!"
"Chris… one-touch return! A wall pass!"
"Kai… another wall pass! Incredible chemistry between Kai and Chris! Two consecutive one-twos, and Chris has completely shaken off all defenders! He carries the ball into the penalty area! Chris—"
"Down! Chris goes down in the box! Plzeň's centre-back hooks his leg from behind!"
"Penalty! The referee doesn't hesitate! The red dot is given! Viktoria Plzeň are in danger!"
"Chris has won a game-changing penalty for Sporting Lisbon!"
"If this penalty is converted, Sporting Lisbon will likely defeat Plzeň and claim their first victory in the UEFA Youth League! Their points will rise from one to four!"
"With two rounds still to play, they would retain a glimmer of hope for qualification!"
There was no doubt who would take the penalty.
Cristiano Ronaldo stood over the spot and took a deep breath.
The muscles on his face were stiff, even twitching slightly.
His eyes wavered.
This was completely different from the Ronaldo who would later take penalties with ice-cold composure.
No one is born with a big heart.
What people are born with is just a lack of fear.
True composure is built from countless successes and failures.
With this penalty, Ronaldo paid his first tuition fee in a major tournament.
His shot was saved by Petr Čech.
Čech completely guessed the direction and made a god-tier save.
"Oh my God! Čech has saved Chris's penalty!"
"Incredible! Absolutely incredible!"
"Čech is undoubtedly the strongest goalkeeper I've ever seen in the UEFA Youth League!"
"Look at him raising his arms and roaring—his presence has completely crushed Chris!"
"Chris covers his face. He's missed his moment to become the hero."
"You can even hear disappointed comments from the stands through the broadcast!"
"Indeed, judging from today's performance, Chris is still far from becoming the next Simão. His dribbling is a bit stiff, and his vision, overall awareness, passing, and tactical movement are not mature enough."
"His two greatest weapons—speed and shooting—weren't very effective today."
"Perhaps he's just a Simão 3.0 forced out by Sporting Lisbon? In comparison, I believe Ricardo Quaresma, who plays at a higher age group, is the true future of Sporting Lisbon!"
The commentary cut straight to Quaresma, allowing many viewers to finally recognize this even more talented prospect.
On the pitch, Kai walked over and patted Ronaldo on the shoulder, reminding him that the match wasn't over yet.
Ronaldo nodded reluctantly, but his form clearly didn't recover.
From the next corner kick, Sporting Lisbon opted for a tactical routine.
After several passes, the ball reached Ronaldo, who had drifted out of the box.
Cristiano Ronaldo attempted a head-on breakthrough.
His eyes were red.
He wanted to prove himself.
Prove it with something spectacular.
Boom!
Against multiple defenders, a solo run was clearly unrealistic.
After beating the first man, the ball slipped out of his control and was stolen by a Plzeň player.
This time, Plzeň successfully launched a counterattack.
Sporting Lisbon tried to recover defensively, but most players couldn't keep up with the speed of the play.
"Beautiful through ball! A perfect pass from the Plzeň midfielder!"
"Plzeň's striker is through—one on one!"
"Wait! Who's chasing him down? Chris?"
"No! It's Kai!"
Boom!
Just as Plzeň's forward was about to shoot one-on-one, Kai sprinted all the way back from the front line, slid in, and tackled the ball away at the last moment.
The ball smashed into his calf, flew high into the air, and was then gathered by Sporting Lisbon's goalkeeper.
"Oh! What a pity! If the Plzeň striker had shot even half a second earlier, that would've been a goal!"
"I don't think anyone expected that the player who stopped this chance would be Kai—the youngest player on the pitch!"
"His performance today has been outstanding. He shows leadership qualities that no one else on this team possesses!"
"If Čech built an iron wall in front of Plzeň's goal today, then Kai was the moving wall for Sporting Lisbon!"
"The two of them completely dominated the match and destroyed most of the opponent's scoring chances!"
"If Kai were older and taller, he would already be hunted by countless clubs. If he maintains this attitude, he could become an outstanding engine-type midfielder in the future!"
Sporting Lisbon's teammates finally regrouped.
The match was nearing its end.
They were about to record their fourth winless match in this Youth Champions League.
Even so, after receiving the ball, Kai still chose to pass to Ronaldo.
He believed in him.
But Ronaldo disappointed Kai.
He chose to pass the ball backward.
He couldn't make a sudden move anymore—and didn't dare to.
Ten seconds later, the ball came back to Ronaldo.
Ronaldo lifted his foot, glanced at the defender in front of him, and passed backward again.
Fifteen seconds later, the ball rolled from Kai's feet to Ronaldo once more.
At this moment, everyone realized—
Kai and Ronaldo were competing.
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