36th minute.
Maniche cut inside with the ball but was pushed down by Altino, who rushed in and failed to win it cleanly.
This was a normal physical challenge. At most, Altino would be called for a foul—no card.
This kind of play is common: stop the opponent's advance or prevent them from receiving the ball.
Maniche got up furious and started arguing with Altino again.
Altino, on the other hand, was getting more and more into it. He puffed out his chest like, "Come on, hit me if you've got the balls!"
The referee rushed over again, warning both players to calm down, and gave Altino a serious second warning.
One more move like that, and the cards would start flying.
Altino nodded obediently again.
39th minute.
Altino and Maniche were jostling for position off the ball, bumping into each other.
While giving Maniche a slight elbow, Altino leaned in and whispered:
"Has anyone told you your long hair is… beautiful?"
Now, most men don't take kindly to being called "beautiful."
Maniche snapped.
"You're fucking disgusting! I'll wreck your whole damn family!"
He couldn't take it anymore.
With a burst of force, he shoved Altino away, then turned and lunged like a tiger—knocking Altino to the ground and raising his fist to punch him.
But Altino was ready.
He drove his knee upward into Maniche's abdomen—
Flipping him straight over!
The whole sequence stunned everyone.
What is this, WWE?
Players from both sides rushed in to separate them.
Of course, a few insults were exchanged along the way.
This time, the referee didn't hesitate.
Yellow card for Altino.
Yellow card for Maniche.
And he glared at the rest of the players with the cards in hand—
Step in, and you're getting one too.
That shut things down immediately.
But Benfica's players were furious.
Maniche had already been booked earlier.
Two yellows—
One red.
Maniche was sent off!
João Pinto protested, arguing that Altino should be sent off as well.
But according to the linesman, Altino's actions were within normal defensive behavior.
Maybe he said something—but that's hard to prove.
Meanwhile, Maniche's reaction was excessive.
If Altino hadn't reacted quickly, he would've taken a full punch to the face.
Punching on the pitch?
That's taken very seriously.
The referee warned Altino one last time:
Commit another foul, no matter the situation, and you're gone.
Don't try to outplay the referee with your experience.
This time, Altino behaved.
Because the task given to him by Triguera—
Had already been perfectly completed.
Honestly, when Altino first heard it, he thought it was impossible.
This kind of provocation is common. At most, you might draw a yellow card from someone hot-headed.
But a red card?
Almost impossible.
Unless…
Your opponent is Maniche.
A guy like him honestly shouldn't be playing as a forward.
Forwards take constant physical contact from defenders—you have to endure fouls.
With that kind of temper, it's hard not to explode.
Defenders, on the other hand, usually dish out the dirty tricks—they're less likely to get angry.
Unless…
You're marking someone like Neymar.
That kind of player can piss you off with every touch—make you lose your mind.
But overall, provoking attackers is far more effective than the other way around.
"He really is a great defender—with that kind of mentality," Triguera muttered.
"Altino? He made the Portuguese League Best XI in his early years," the assistant coach replied.
"No… I mean Maniche," Triguera said calmly.
After Maniche was sent off, Benfica were down to ten men.
They had no choice but to drop deep and defend.
The momentum shifted instantly.
Now, Moreirense had control of the ball.
42nd minute.
Cristiano Ronaldo once again beat Okunowo, reached the edge of the penalty area, and cut the ball back with an inverted triangle pass.
Kai struck it first time!
The shot deflected off Feliciano and hit the post.
Moreirense were getting closer and closer to a goal.
45th minute.
Alex advanced down the right but found no good option, so he passed back to Emerson.
Emerson switched it to Kai, letting him reset the attack.
The pass was slightly under-hit—too slow.
Benfica midfielder Kandaurov saw his chance and rushed in to steal.
Kai turned half-sideways, using his body to shield the ball.
He wasn't the skinny kid he used to be.
After some strength training, his core had improved significantly.
One touch. Turn.
Kai spun past Kandaurov and drove straight through the middle.
Facing Andrade at the edge of the box—
Kai suddenly stepped on the ball and started a bicycle move.
Fast.
Extremely fast.
Just like that electric "shock bicycle" he messed up in the last match.
That clip had gone viral.
Even Andrade looked a bit wary.
But this time—
Kai didn't fuck it up.
Even though the move itself wasn't very deceptive, Kai suddenly pushed the ball to the right.
The ball rolled diagonally into the right side of the penalty area.
"Oh no! Kai's bicycle looked stiff as hell again! Even though he didn't fall, that touch was too heavy!"
"Unless he's faster than Andrade, he's losing this ball!"
"And Feliciano is already closer—he should reach it first!"
"Kai… wait—did he pass?"
"Kai's acceleration is insane! He just ate Andrade alive!"
"That move—"
Boom!
The ball flew toward Benfica's goal!
At the same time, Kai, chasing the ball, collided heavily with Feliciano.
It felt like hitting a wall.
He was thrown backward, hit the ground, rolled several times, and curled up in pain.
But immediately—
He forced his eyes open and looked toward the goal.
The net was shaking.
The ball was inside.
"GOAL! Kai scores!"
"This is our Caesar!"
"2–1! Moreirense pull one back!"
"And they still have nearly 50 minutes to find the equalizer!"
Moreirense's players erupted in celebration.
And the Sporting Lisbon fans in the stands?
They were going absolutely insane.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
I upload 2 chapters daily on Patreon!
There are 190+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
📢 Check out my new Naruto fanfic!
[One Piece: Pirate Chat Group]