Inside the halftime locker room
Emery was pacing anxiously,
and the Valencia coaching staff was utterly frazzled.
Parejo, Piatti, Soldado—
a few of Valencia's top stars—sat in the locker room, silent and tense.
Some of them were products of Real Madrid's youth academy,
others were teen prodigies who shone brightly in the Youth World Cup years ago,
and Soldado himself was even a former Real Madrid striker.
On Valencia's backline, Mathieu and Alba were highly renowned.
Rumor had it that Barcelona had shown some interest in these two defenders,
possibly hoping to bring them to Camp Nou.
Yet despite all the accolades and top-tier players,
tonight's Valencia was being obliterated at the speed of light.
As the first La Liga team to face Kai-led Arsenal this season,
Valencia's performance tonight had completely shattered outside expectations.
Being one of La Liga's big three,
they were helpless against an English Premier League side for the entire first half.
"No matter what, we cannot allow the scoreline to get any worse in the second half!"
"When Kai has the ball, at least three players must press him.
We can't let the disadvantage of away goals widen further!"
Emery's face was grim.
Against this terrifying Arsenal, he had already conceded three away goals in just one half.
The severity of the situation left the Valencia coach seeing no glimmer of hope.
As the second half began,
the Mestalla home stands saw Valencia fans clenching their fists,
their expressions tense and conflicted.
Could a miracle happen?
At the start of the second half,
there was indeed a brief moment of hope.
Valencia's midfield and forward lines played a fairly decent sequence of passes.
But after this series of exchanges,
the connection between midfield and attack ultimately failed to materialize.
The ball was quickly intercepted by Arsenal.
The Valencia fans shook their heads in frustration.
Possession football was not entirely obsolete in this era.
However, compared with the past,
successful possession now relies heavily on a team having a top-tier explosive player.
Otherwise, possession often degenerates into passing backward in some area of the pitch,
rarely generating direct threats on goal.
At this moment, Valencia's lineup lacked such an explosive presence.
Against Arsenal's relentless and frantic pressing,
Valencia's tactics looked even more desperate.
Kai, on defense, was like a man among ghosts.
He ripped apart Valencia's midfield and forward connections,
shattering the entire Bat Army's central line into pieces.
At the 71st minute,
Valencia fans were hit hard once again!
Another ferocious interception after Arsenal's pressing in the mid-to-back area.
With his God's-eye perspective,
Kai predicted perfectly.
A slick side tackle
blocked the pass between Parejo and Alba on the flank.
Amid the stunned gasps from the stands,
Kai immediately swept the ball powerfully,
sending a line-drive pass hugging the sideline.
The ball screamed down Arsenal's left flank.
Walcott took off in full stride!
Arsenal's classic wing-to-center combination this season—both flanks flying—
once again appeared in the view of the spectators!
This time, Walcott didn't just blindly dribble straight to Valencia's baseline.
Before Kai made the through pass, he had already intercepted the ball,
cutting off Alba's receiving space on this side.
This flank through ball was played before Alba could recover,
easily piercing Valencia's entire flank defense!
Walcott was completely unmarked during the break.
"Fall back! Damn it, fall back!"
Emery on the sideline furrowed his brow, shouting hysterically.
Walcott carried the ball into the left-flank rib area,
glanced toward the center of the pitch—
Van Persie and Kai were one in front of the other, forming a forward insertion pattern.
Walcott decisively flicked the ball with the arch of his foot
toward the center!
Mathieu in Valencia's penalty area didn't dare slack off, immediately stepping out of the box.
Van Persie, facing Mathieu, used the back of his heel to tap the ball back.
Kai received it in front of him like he had eyes in the back of his head.
He smoothly created a body-to-body confrontation with the recovering Parejo.
The Valencia fans were stunned.
Technique, strength, every aspect flawless.
This terrifying monster was only 17 years old?
After pushing Parejo aside by a few body lengths,
Kai angled the ball forward, charging into the box.
Mathieu, marking Van Persie, immediately pivoted and lunged at Kai.
Meanwhile, Diaby, the other Valencia defender in the box, stood firmly in front of the goalkeeper,
becoming the final barrier.
Valencia fans' eyes widened!
Facing Mathieu's fierce pressing,
Kai's feet were light and nimble.
A small-range shoulder feint,
then a quick flick with the outside of his left foot,
and as Mathieu's balance shifted,
Kai used the inside of his left foot to hook the ball back!
The stadium erupted in gasps.
Valencia fans held their heads in disbelief.
What was that?!
In just half a second, he had completed three feints!
In an instant,
Mathieu, a tall defender already off-balance, had no idea what to do.
His feet slipped, and he fell to the ground.
Emery on the sideline went blank at the sight.
Amid the deafening roar of the crowd,
Kai charged straight into the box after dribbling past Mathieu.
Facing the last Valencia defender, Diaby,
Kai's gaze suddenly shifted toward Van Persie at the far post.
His thigh swung up sharply,
his calf quickly followed through.
Diaby, guarding the box, was completely thrown off.
He instinctively kept an eye on Van Persie at the far post,
but everything Kai did was still a feint!
This time, it was a fake to a pass, real shot—
aiming far, hitting near!
By the time Diaby realized it,
his closing down had already missed the best timing.
A powerful shot!
Once again, the ball thundered into Valencia's penalty area.
Valencia's goalkeeper Guaita, deceived by Kai's previous feints,
froze in place, unable to make any save.
Whack!
The crisp sound of the net resounded through Valencia's box.
The ball smashed the goal, lifting the net high!
In an instant,
Mestalla erupted.
Arsenal fans in the away stands stormed to the railing,
their roars and cheers exploding into the night sky!
4:0!!
Hat-trick!!
The passionate cheers and shouts swept across the stadium.
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I plan to upload 30 more chapters here and end the story. Thanks for your support from the start