"Here we go again!"
"Crescent-shaped low-driven through-ball!!"
"How is this possible? The curve, the spin!"
"Can a human even pass like this?!"
The commentary box at Mestalla Stadium erupted in shocked exclamations!
The Spanish media on site were stunned.
It was the first time they had witnessed such an exaggerated and terrifying pass in person.
Kai's powerful curved through-ball traced an exaggerated C-shape on the pitch.
The ball seemed to draw a circle on the grass,
passing between Valencia's defenders at an impossibly sharp angle,
carrying intense spin, easily piercing Valencia's entire side defense,
and flying into Arsenal's attacking front.
Valencia fans in the stadium clasped their heads in disbelief.
"What is this?!"
On the pitch, Arsenal's left flank attack saw Van Persie and Walcott's runs overlap.
But they quickly adjusted on the fly.
Van Persie received the ball in front of him,
while Walcott executed a cross-over switch,
cutting into the central area of the pitch.
Meanwhile, Gervinho at the far side quickly slanted into the box.
What made the Valencia fans utterly despair
was that after Kai delivered this jaw-dropping curved through-ball,
he also shook off Parejo and cut into the central lane.
Arsenal rapidly formed a 4-on-3 attack in the final third!
Valencia's defense in front of the box was helpless.
Parejo raced back desperately,
but as at the opening,
Kai's speed far exceeded the imagination of the Valencia midfield powerhouse.
On the left wing,
Van Persie, having drawn the ball wide,
struck a decisive left-footed arching pass!
Walcott surged forward,
executing a clever between-the-legs flick.
Gervinho on the far post and Kai cutting through the middle
instantly formed a double-pronged attack on goal.
On the sideline, Emery broke into a cold sweat.
Valencia's box was in utter chaos!
Then, a moment that made Mestalla roar again occurred.
Kai, first to reach the ball's landing spot,
did not shoot directly,
but faked a swing with his thigh—
a fake shot disguised as a pass.
A Valencia defender inside the box had already gone airborne to block.
By the time he realized it was a pass, it was too late.
A delicately executed, short-range through-ball inside the box!
Gervinho raced forward two steps!
Facing Valencia goalkeeper Guaita rushing out,
Gervinho calmly executed another small-range horizontal pass.
The ball landed at Walcott, who was tightly marked by Mathieu.
He struck it with the instep,
and Kai surged forward!
A hammer-like strike!
A shot that instantly pierced the already exposed Valencia goal!
What looked like a chaotic scramble
was in fact a smooth, flowing sequence of passes inside the box.
In just a few seconds,
Valencia's box had become a playground for Arsenal's front attackers.
In an instant, Mestalla erupted in a deafening roar!
Valencia fans clasped their heads in terror,
unable to believe what they were witnessing.
Meanwhile, Arsenal fans in the away stand waved their arms wildly,
jumping from their seats,
cheering furiously at the pitch.
"GOALLLLL!!"
"Another goal!"
"3–0!!"
"This is terrifying! What is happening?!"
"A terrifying low-driven curved through-ball! Is Kai even human? The curve of this pass is completely unscientific! It tore through Valencia's entire backline!"
"And after this, Valencia's box has become the backyard for Arsenal's attackers!"
"These Gunner players are practically toying with Valencia's defense!"
"Inside the tight space of the box, they've basically passed the ball straight into the net!"
"This is real passing and moving! No, it's passing and cutting—the classic Arsenal style!"
The Valencia home commentators were stunned.
The entire commentary box was shaking with disbelief.
Kai's hammer-like strike had scored Arsenal's third goal of the match!
And it was just over thirty minutes into the game.
The Valencia stands were dead silent,
the Spanish fans clasping their heads in incredible disbelief.
Eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
In just thirty minutes, they had been blasted for three goals.
Valencia, one of the so-called "big three" of this era's La Liga,
even against powerhouses like Barcelona and Real Madrid,
would never have conceded three goals in such a short time!
The first half wasn't even over yet.
At Mestalla, this famous La Liga temple,
they had already suffered three away goals at the hands of Arsenal!
A desperate and terrifying thought swept through every Valencia fan's mind:
at this rate, tonight would be a home disaster!
In contrast to the silent Valencia stands,
Arsenal's away fans exploded in deafening cheers,
unceasing in their excitement.
3–0!
One of La Liga's so-called "big three"?
This is all they can do!
"Trying to play possession against our Gunner king? That's suicide!"
"Let the Valencia fans see what true possession football looks like!"
"Every pass in our passing and cutting has a purpose; at the very least, it moves forward! The old-school Spanish possession is no different from just passing backward!"
The Arsenal stands erupted in cheers.
Wenger on the sideline applauded in admiration.
Fluid, seamless, and visually stunning!
The Arsenal attack, led by Kai, was a true feast for the eyes.
Arsenal players huddled together in celebration,
while the fans once again shouted Kai's name.
Valencia players remained silent,
and Emery on the sideline let his hands drop naturally,
his whole body appearing stunned and immobilized.
Facing Kai-led Arsenal tonight,
this Valencia coach was completely powerless,
feeling dominated from head to toe.
Valencia's possession style, inherited under Barcelona's influence,
was entirely exposed before Kai.
Normally, a possession-based team
would dominate control of the ball on the pitch.
But so far, the possession ratio was 60:40,
with Arsenal even leading!
This left Emery dazed.
Possession, perfected by the Dream Trio Barcelona,
once dominated La Liga and Europe,
but tonight, against this Arsenal,
Valencia had no ability to fight back.
Was possession really in decline?
Or was Kai truly the nemesis of possession football?
After more than a year, returning to Spanish football,
Kai led Arsenal to force these self-important La Liga teams to realize:
La Liga may claim to be the center of European football,
but tonight they would feel the impact of the Premier League champions.
Under the night sky,
Mestalla erupted in intense commotion.
After Arsenal's players celebrated wildly on the sideline,
they returned to their half.
With only thirty minutes elapsed,
Valencia at home had already suffered a crushing blow.
The match restarted at the center circle.
Through the desperate eyes of Valencia fans,
Arsenal nearly scored again before halftime.
Kai's diagonal long pass reached the middle of the box.
Van Persie's shot was denied by the post at Mestalla.
The Arsenal striker clutched his head in frustration,
while the home fans were utterly hopeless.
Valencia's possession-based tactics
against this lightning-fast, dual-phase Arsenal
were like throwing themselves into a trap.
For possession teams, the hardest thing is losing control of the ball.
Kai's all-around performance in attack and defense
sent shivers down Valencia fans' spines.
They had never seen such a player in La Liga.
The perfect blend of extreme attack and ferocious defense—
he was practically an alien.
As the halftime whistle blew,
the home stands were completely silent.
Mestalla, regarded by Valencia fans as a La Liga temple,
had tonight become a sanctuary for Arsenal fans to cheer freely.
.~~----------------------
Unfortunately, I've decided to pause this novel. Chapter 230 will be the last chapter to be uploaded. Thank You !