Unlike Ronaldo, who was full of excitement and confidence, Kai, fresh off an assist, wasn't performing as spectacularly on the field.
His passing was conservative, and he rarely clung to the ball.
Because his current stats were relatively low, he had to maximize his strengths and avoid exposing his weaknesses.
But his arms were strong, allowing him to push away defenders and slip into gaps, securing possession repeatedly.
This was contradictory.
To outsiders, he seemed like a cautious midfielder, wasting opportunities. He received good balls but rarely did anything beyond passing back. His style looked unflattering.
As the saying goes, if you always walk by the river, your shoes won't get wet.
Eighty-three minutes.
Kai received a pass, was double-teamed, and the ball was intercepted by Amorim.
Amorim then played a through ball, Ronaldo cut inside without the ball, received it, and used the advantage to beat Fonte.
Boom!
Cristiano Ronaldo shot toward the goal.
The ball hit the net cleanly.
Ronaldo immediately turned and rushed toward Kai, eager to show his old rival his dominance.
But halfway through, the referee blew the whistle and signaled that the goal was invalid.
"Oh! The referee ruled the goal came after a foul, so it doesn't count."
"It was Amorim! He fouled Kai during the steal. His arm hit Kai's face during the challenge."
"Kai was too short. Amorim had no intention of hitting him, but his arm was at just the wrong height."
"As I said earlier, there's a big flaw in Kai's style. He's too cautious—whether passing or running. He's wasted opportunities today, and there's a penalty for that."
"They're worried he'll lose the ball again. This time Amorim fouled, but the referee can't call a foul every time."
"Meanwhile, Chris is on fire today. His feet are scorching. He almost completed his fourth goal."
The game continued.
Eighty-six minutes.
Figo's center Almeida scored with a header, but the linesman flagged offside. The goal was invalid again.
Almeida vented his frustration by angrily kicking the turf. Though he had assisted earlier, as a striker, he wanted to score himself. The one who scores is the hero.
Eighty-nine minutes.
The Panthers were awarded a corner kick.
After it was taken, Almeida and Veloso tried to surround Fonte. Fonte, affected, didn't jump. Almeida pushed the ball away, making an excellent defensive play.
Outside the penalty area, Kai, not involved in the aerial duel, sprinted and finally controlled the ball near the sideline.
But he knew someone was beside him—an opponent much faster than him.
So instead of moving immediately to accelerate, Kai pulled the ball back, controlling it under his feet.
Boom!
Kai was tackled to the ground, and the ball rolled out of bounds.
If he had moved the ball forward too quickly, it would have been intercepted. By holding it, he kept the ball in his control.
The opponent wasn't careless either. After knocking Kai down, he reached out and helped him up, preventing injury.
It was Cristiano Ronaldo!
A textbook forward defensive play. If he hadn't intervened, Kai could have adjusted and created a scoring chance.
Ronaldo paid the price, though—the referee came over, showed him a yellow card, and awarded a free kick to the Panthers.
Ronaldo was nonchalant.
The Panthers took a tactical free kick, but just after two passes, Amorim cleared it out of bounds again.
The Figo team's defensive pressure was fierce.
But this sideline throw was exactly what Kai wanted.
"Fonte!" Kai called.
Fonte, walking back, looked at Kai holding the ball and immediately moved into the penalty area.
He understood.
Grenade serve!
Everyone in the stadium knew what was coming next.
"The same trick won't work twice," Ronaldo said to Kai, tracking Fonte.
Though not as tall as Fonte, Ronaldo could still jump impressively.
Kai thought about where the ball would land when a burning sensation hit the back of his head.
He turned—and almost went blind.
The sun was blazing this afternoon.
The sun?
Kai's eyes lit up. He signaled Fonte to move slightly. Fonte understood and shifted from inside the small penalty area to just outside it.
Kai took a running start and threw the "grenade."
The ball once again soared into Figo's penalty area—a true aerial bomb.
Fonte leapt high—but with Ronaldo in front, Almeida beside him, and Veloso behind, he couldn't reach it.
But sharp-eyed spectators noticed something: the ball wasn't aimed at Fonte.
"This is… a later point!" Guardiola was the first to realize.
"The goalkeeper and most defenders were pulled by Fonte!" Rui Costa's eyes lit up.
"Is he going to throw the ball directly into the goal? Is this basketball?" Jader mocked. "Football doesn't allow that. He's wasting a chance."
"Only the center can waste opportunities, not others. He's obviously not a standard midfielder!"
Guardiola rolled his eyes but had no time to argue.
As mentioned, if a player's behavior seems unreasonable, it's usually because you lack their full information.
Kai was gambling. But what was he betting on?
Recalling Kai turning his head earlier, Guardiola turned, only to be blinded by the sun.
He shook his head in disbelief.
"The sun! He's betting on the sun!" Guardiola exclaimed.
Figo's goalkeeper Bruno Valle hurried back—and made a flying save.
He moved fast, but the sun blinded him. In the white glare, his fingers touched the ball… and it slipped.
He fell heavily to the ground.
The crowd erupted.
"Oh my God! Oh my God! The ball went in!"
"Is this real? Kai threw the sideline ball straight into the goal!"
"Normally, this would be invalid—the sideline ball can't directly score!"
"But Valle touched it! He touched it!"
"Sure enough! The referee confirmed the goal! An own goal! Valle's save backfired!"
"If he hadn't touched it, the team wouldn't have conceded."
"Incredible! The creator of this goal is Kai again!"
"His performance is controversial, but the result is undeniable. A substitute assist and an own goal—he tied the score!"
"I don't know if he'll become a star, but he's definitely a lucky player!"
Now, both sides were level. Would it go to a penalty shootout?
In this tournament, overtime was skipped due to youth players' stamina. A tie after regular time went straight to penalties.
The tension was palpable.
The camera zoomed in on Kai.
Could they keep a clean sheet in the final minutes?
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