"There's nothing wrong with Spain retreating to defend. Even Gabi's challenge was, at most, just like removing a single brick from a city wall."
"But who would've thought that this brick would become Kai's perfect path forward?"
"Gabi's move was clearly meant to stop the play and maybe even earn a red card situation. But he didn't get the red, and he couldn't stop Kai either. There are only two or three minutes left now, and the match is probably heading to extra time."
"Oh! What's wrong with Pepe Reina? Reina seems to be in pain!"
"The Spanish team doctor has entered the field. This reminds people of Kai's terrifying shot earlier in the UEFA Youth League this season."
"At that time, the opposing goalkeeper blocked Kai's shot, but not only did he fail to stop the goal—his palm was fractured."
"That's the thing about Kai. His long-range shooting isn't always stable, but when it really matters, you can always trust him."
"Substitution! Reina is being replaced!"
"It looks like Reina's hand isn't seriously injured, but his wrist may be sprained. Bringing on Víctor Valdés is the safer option. Valdés' shot-stopping ability is no worse than Reina's."
"With him in goal, Spain's defense hasn't weakened at all. In fact, Spain is the only team in this European Youth Championship with two starting-level goalkeepers. Their depth in this position is even stronger than the host team, Czech Republic."
"Valdés has finished warming up, comes on as a substitute, and relays the coach's tactical instructions to the players. Spain will probably push harder during extra time."
"After all, as the stronger side, if the game goes to a penalty shootout, it's actually a disadvantage for them."
Then the match restarted.
Spain suddenly began passing aggressively, completely unlike their earlier conservative play.
They wanted to launch one last attack before full time.
But their pass was intercepted by Miguel Veloso, who made a crucial defensive play.
Portugal immediately pushed forward.
If Spain wanted a final attack, Portugal wanted one too.
There was less than a minute left.
Veloso passed the ball to Kai.
Kai immediately flicked it to the retreating Ricardo Quaresma, then sprinted forward himself.
Quaresma was quickly pressured and passed the ball back to Veloso.
Veloso didn't hesitate.
He simply launched a long ball straight toward the Spanish penalty area.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lorenzo rushed toward Spain's defensive line.
Kai followed from behind, sprinting diagonally toward the landing point.
He looked like the player most likely to reach the ball.
But Gabi had been watching Kai the entire time.
He followed him closely toward the edge of the penalty area.
Anyone else could get through—
but not Kai.
However, Gabi had underestimated Kai's stamina and speed at this point in the match.
Gabi had been involved in far too many physical battles today.
To his shock, he realized—
he couldn't keep up with Kai anymore.
Kai rushed toward the top of the penalty area as the ball began dropping near the edge of the box.
From that distance, even if Valdés rushed out, he might not reach the ball.
And Valdés had only just come onto the pitch. He hadn't fully adjusted to the rhythm of the game yet.
For a moment, he hesitated.
At that critical moment—
Gabi could only do one thing.
He kicked Kai from behind.
Yes.
A classic martial-arts move.
Straight out of a Bruce Lee movie.
Kai suddenly felt a force slam into his back.
But at that exact moment, he was already jumping.
Instead of stopping him—
the force propelled him forward.
Kai kicked his legs upward and leapt into the air.
Like a carp leaping over the Dragon Gate.
At the same time, Valdés rushed out and punched toward the ball, just like Superman flying through the air.
BOOM!
BOOM!
Kai's head struck the ball first.
Valdés' fist smashed directly into Kai's head.
The two collided violently.
And the ball…
flew straight into the goal.
Three seconds of silence.
Then the entire Strahov Stadium exploded.
"GOOOOAL!"
"GOOOOAL!!"
"GOOOOAL!!!"
"Three–two! Kai scores twice in three minutes and helps Portugal turn the game around against Spain!"
"Unbelievable!"
"Kai is unstoppable!"
"Caesar has returned! Spain, tremble!"
On the pitch, Portuguese players rushed toward Kai in celebration.
But the celebration quickly stopped.
Because Kai was lying on the grass—
his left hand clutching his waist,
his right hand holding his head.
He wasn't moving.
The replay of Kai's goal appeared repeatedly on the big screen.
Gabi's kick from behind was almost identical to Bosingwa's earlier flying kick.
The referee immediately showed Gabi a red card and sent him off.
Meanwhile, Valdés' flying punch hadn't hit the ball at all—
it had smashed directly into Kai's head.
He received a yellow card.
Even though it wasn't intentional, hitting an opponent like that was still a foul.
And judging by the replay…
that punch was not light.
Of course, Valdés himself, who struggled to get up from the ground, looked miserable too.
Sure, he punched Kai—
but his hand hurt like hell.
And when Kai's body slammed into him mid-air, that iron-like impact nearly knocked Valdés' internal organs out.
He was also a victim of that collision.
"Team doctor! Team doctor!" Cristiano Ronaldo shouted urgently.
The medical staff rushed onto the field.
After a quick check, most of Kai's injuries looked painful but not too serious.
Still, Kai insisted on a more thorough examination.
In the end, the team doctor simply called for the stretcher.
The whole process wasted quite a bit of time.
But when the stretcher arrived, Kai suddenly said he could walk.
With the help of the doctor, he slowly walked toward the sideline.
The crowd erupted in applause.
Everyone was clapping for him.
Well…
everyone except the Spanish fans.
On the pitch, lost time can't always be fully added back.
This is why players delay the game.
If they waste 30 seconds, the referee might only add 10 seconds later.
Because interruptions are technically still part of game time.
After Spain kicked off again, Kai returned to the field.
The match wasn't over yet.
Spain probably had less than one minute remaining.
Everything looked stable now.
But years later, both Pep Guardiola and Spanish youth coach Ginés Meléndez would watch this match over and over again.
Because the game was incredibly educational.
From beginning to end, both teams made the correct tactical decisions—yet still got the wrong results.
That's the meaning of the famous saying:
"The ball is round."
This match was the perfect explanation of it.
After the restart, Spain suddenly launched an incredible sequence of passing and possession.
Twenty-two consecutive passes.
Without interruption.
From the backline…
to the midfield…
slowly advancing forward.
One mistake would've ended the attack.
But Spain's technical level was terrifying.
Andrés Iniesta, the midfield core, participated in eight of those passes.
And finally—
the ball returned to his feet.
At the top of Portugal's penalty area.
Iniesta controlled the ball.
No one was marking him.
This was his moment.
The chance to become Spain's hero. ⚽🔥
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