Another center back beside him stared at Kai with complete focus.
Kai nudged the ball and slightly changed direction.
The opponent seized the opening and stepped in, initiating physical contact with Kai.
When a center back defends a smaller player, all he needs to do is press into the upper body.
In this kind of situation, even if the opponent falls, the referee will probably not call a defensive foul.
boom!
Kai staggered.
Savage Clash activated once again!
But the football still didn't completely leave his control.
On the contrary, the confident center back hadn't expected such a strong recoil, causing his reaction to slow by half a beat.
boom!
Using the momentum of his stumble, Kai adjusted on the fly and unleashed a sweeping shot.
How could the goalkeeper possibly expect Kai to still get a shot off in that situation?
That alone proved the collision from his own center back hadn't destroyed Kai's balance. Was his physical resistance really this insane?
Whoosh!
The football slammed into the net.
"Gaaa! Kai! Kai finally breaks the deadlock for the team!"
"Drogba's wall-pass was simple but incredibly effective. It looks clumsy, but it's brilliantly practical!"
"Compared to Ibrahimović's flashy but ineffective style in the first half, Drogba's directness clearly suits Sporting Lisbon better."
"Oh! Kai rushes to the corner flag and pulls off a beautiful knee-slide celebration!"
"He rarely uses such a simple celebration!"
"Wait... this... why are there three lines where Kai slid? A normal knee-slide should only leave two marks, right?"
For a moment, the fans fell into deep contemplation.
Then a female fan was the first to snap out of it.
"Oh my God! Could it be…"
"I think I finally understand why Hathaway is chasing Kai!"
"Isn't this... way too early? Kai is only fifteen years old!"
"Well... if he matured early, fifteen is probably enough."
"Uh... but do you guys really think Kai looks like he matured early?"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Only Drogba, who had just provided the assist, looked thoughtful.
Why did it feel like he had lost something important?
Sixty-seven minutes.
Leiria tried to resist and carefully organized an attack.
Unfortunately, Matthäus was still Matthäus. The veteran used a beautiful defensive feint to fool the opposing passer, then slipped behind the forward to complete the interception.
boom!
Matthäus didn't hesitate and immediately launched a long pass to start a counterattack.
The most important defensive piece in this team was Matthäus, followed by Deschamps and Kai.
Cristiano Ronaldo exploded down the left wing with the ball, carried it into the attacking third, then decisively cut inside.
On the way, he spotted Viana in an even better position.
Ronaldo laid the ball off to Viana, then surged forward through the middle.
Together with Drogba, the two ghosts knocked on the gates of hell.
Viana threaded a clever pass behind the defense.
A pass you could both see and execute.
Quaresma charged in and squared the ball across goal.
Drogba missed the first touch.
Ronaldo arrived just in time and "stepped" the football into the net.
"Two to zero! Matthäus started the counterattack, Viana orchestrated the attack, Quaresma delivered the cross, and Ronaldo scored with an aerial toe-poke! What an incredible sequence!"
"This is the spark of genius!"
Ibrahimović listened angrily from the bench.
Whipping the corpse again?
What the hell does "this is genius" mean?
Isn't it just a pull and a tap-in?
After the goal, Triguera made bold substitutions.
Pepe and Paulo Bento came on for Matthäus and Deschamps.
This was also Bento's first appearance of the season, one of the leftovers from Portugal's golden generation.
And, worthy of the future godfather of Korean football, Bento contributed a sliding tackle and a failed interception less than five minutes after coming on.
Pepe then flew into a challenge to stop the opponent, earning not only a yellow card but also gifting them a dangerous free kick.
Leiria scored from the set piece and pulled one back.
That instantly fired up the Leiria fans.
There was still hope!
Triguera looked speechless on the sideline.
Bento was basically a discount version of Deschamps, except without the passing ability.
Pepe was a stretched-out but bankrupt version of Matthäus. Matthäus roamed to plug gaps and cover weaknesses. Pepe roamed around like he was tearing down the east wall to patch the west wall, leaving holes everywhere.
The issue wasn't mobility.
It was defensive experience.
Eighty-one minutes.
Leiria continued pressing forward.
Fonte blocked the passing lane while Terry stepped up to win the ball. The two combined to complete the interception.
Terry passed to the retreating Viana.
Viana quickly switched the ball to Kai.
Kai carried the ball forward. After encountering pressure, he pretended to pass to Quaresma, only to fake it, turn, and play a left-footed pass to Ronaldo charging down the left side.
Ronaldo took two touches and immediately whipped in a cross.
Drogba rose inside the penalty area and smashed a powerful header toward goal. He was absolutely desperate to score.
But sometimes, hitting the ball too hard is also a mistake.
The football smashed against the crossbar and bounced back to the edge of the penalty area.
Kai, charging in from deep, drew back his bow like he was preparing a left-footed thunderbolt.
But after a quick glance, he realized there was no proper shooting lane inside the box.
boom!
Kai lightly nudged the ball sideways with his left foot.
The football traveled across the face of the penalty area on a line parallel to the goal.
Quaresma rushed in and volleyed it with the outside of his right boot!
Pulled by Kai's fake long shot, several defenders froze in place.
Quaresma faced a stationary wall of defenders. All he needed was a bit of luck—or his magical technique.
boom!
The football curled with a bizarre arc, full of suddenness, before crashing into the net.
At that moment, Drogba covered his head in disbelief.
I can't even score a damn header from point-blank range, but your ridiculous outside-foot shot actually goes in?
God really is unfair.
There's supposedly a stone of luck somewhere in the world, but Quaresma must've stolen the whole damn thing.
"Three to one! Kai's pass was brilliant, but Quaresma's finish was even better! This is Sporting Lisbon's number one star! Quaresma's outside-of-the-foot technique is simply perfect!"
"The Sporting Lisbon players celebrate together. Afterward, Ronaldo spreads his arms and seems to be saying something to Drogba. He probably feels Drogba wasted his wonderful assist."
"It really is a shame. Ronaldo rarely delivers crosses like that, yet he still didn't get the assist. I wonder if he's pissed off."
Stoppage time.
Drogba was brought down inside the penalty area and won a penalty kick.
Drogba stared eagerly at the football. There was no doubt he wanted to take it himself.
Kai saw exactly what Drogba was thinking and took the initiative to say, "Drogba, I know how badly you want to score. If this penalty belonged to me, I'd let you take it."
"But…"
As he spoke, Kai stretched out his hand.
After being reminded, Drogba reacted and reluctantly handed over the ball.
Kai then turned around and passed the football to Quaresma.
After Jardel's departure, the team's first-choice penalty taker was obviously top star Quaresma.
But this simple exchange made many people realize that the true leader of this team might actually be… Brother Kai?
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