When Kai appeared on the Wahaha team, many players were dumbfounded.
"Mind if I join you?"
That pure Mandarin instantly won over the whole dressing room.
On the pitch, if a rookie says that to you, you'd tell him to get lost.
But if a master says it, you'd happily welcome him — maybe even let him pick his position first.
So in the second half, Kai became Wahaha's central midfielder.
On Sporting Lisbon's side, a substitute midfielder came on.
This change made the fans curious.
But no one was optimistic about Wahaha.
Because a team's strength can't be decided by just one player.
The only one who felt things might change was Triguera.
Because he knew Sporting Lisbon had a big problem —
They had no true midfield core.
Once Sergio left, their midfield turned into reinforced concrete. Hard, but brainless. No commander.
And right winger Marcelino was extremely attack-minded, constantly demanding the ball.
That indirectly squeezed Ronaldo's space.
If Ronaldo has a 30% chance and Marcelino has 70%, any normal midfielder would pass to Marcelino.
But Kai wouldn't.
For Kai, Marcelino only gets the ball if his chance reaches 80%.
And once Ronaldo's chance hits 50%, Marcelino doesn't even get considered unless he's facing an empty net.
Because after all the complicated math,
50% Ronaldo is far better than 90% Marcelino.
…
Second half kicks off.
Wahaha start with the ball, Sporting Lisbon press high.
"Zhao Peng, here, give it to me — don't panic. If you can pass, don't just boot it long… Chen Tao, stay back a bit, don't rush forward… Hao Junmin, drop deeper, I need support…"
Kai kept giving orders naturally, like he had always belonged to this team.
Language helped a lot.
Under Kai's command, Wahaha controlled possession for six whole minutes.
Something they never managed in the first half.
As possession grew, their confidence grew too.
Each player's style and understanding of the game slowly came alive.
Hao Junmin shifted into a wide-midfielder role and adapted well.
Right back Wu Xudong pushed very high, almost level with him, extremely aggressive.
Beep!
Kai was fouled by Veloso while shielding the ball. Free kick.
Veloso stepped back and apologized.
I came here to help you… didn't expect I'd be playing against you.
Boom!
Kai took a quick free kick with zero hesitation and sent it to Wu Xudong on the right.
"Run!" Kai roared.
Like a prairie wolf unleashed, Wu Xudong exploded forward.
A gray whirlwind.
Sporting's left back Araújo tried to chase, but couldn't keep up at all.
He lunged into a sliding tackle.
Missed.
Boom!
Wu Xudong crossed with no pressure.
But the cross quality wasn't great.
Gao Lin lost the aerial duel.
The ball flew out of the box.
Semedo controlled it immediately.
"Careful!" Ronaldo shouted.
Then —
The ball was stabbed away by Kai, who had been lurking behind Semedo.
Black Panther steal!
Boom!
Kai unleashed a furious shot from the edge of the box!
Whoosh!
Goalkeeper Pilar glared at him bitterly.
"One–four! Wahaha finally score!"
"The scorer was… Sporting Lisbon's Kai… uh…"
"Besides the goal, Wu Xudong was excellent in that attack."
"Actually, the whole team improved."
"The key is they can hold the ball now! Is it tactics, or is it Kai's influence?"
"Hard to say. Kai's passes look simple, but they keep the rhythm flowing."
Play resumes.
Wahaha shift into a 4-4-2.
Hao Junmin becomes a true right midfielder.
Up front: Gao Lin for height, Yu Shihao for pace.
Cristiano Ronaldo found it easy dealing with Hao Junmin and Wu Xudong.
Hao Junmin practically disappeared defensively.
Wu Xudong's defense wasn't great either — even his speed only barely matched Ronaldo.
But Ronaldo isn't just fast.
His dribbling is elite.
Boom!
Ronaldo cut inside and fired.
Shao Jiawei slid bravely to block.
The ball bounced to Zeng Cheng.
Zeng Cheng caught it and immediately threw to Kai.
Kai extended his arm and shoved away Lourenço, who tried to steal it.
Lourenço fell.
No foul — Kai's small frame made it look harmless.
Kai launched a long ball to Yu Shihao sprinting down the left.
Yu Shihao controlled cleanly and challenged Duarte.
Duarte retreated, waiting for backup.
No space.
He passed back to Kai.
Kai chipped the ball toward Gao Lin.
Gao Lin shot under pressure from Ângelo.
Ball sails into the sky.
Too rushed.
Sporting Lisbon countered several times.
Most chances fell to Marcelino.
For a moment, it looked like Marcelino was their main attacker.
Ronaldo was heavily marked.
Marcelino got chances — but wasted most of them.
Especially against Zhao Peng, Wahaha's strongest defender.
67th minute.
Hao Junmin and Wu Xudong combined on the wing.
Wu Xudong was fouled by Araújo.
Yellow card.
Great free-kick position — almost like a corner.
Hao Junmin took it.
Feng Xiaoting and Zhao Peng pushed up.
Boom!
Beautiful arc.
Everyone jumped.
Ball drifted to the back post.
Yu Shihao sneaked in for a shot.
Clearly a rehearsed set piece.
But Veloso stretched his leg and blocked it.
Ball ricocheted into the crowd.
Ronaldo stretched.
Missed.
Gao Lin touched it — immediately poked away.
Ball falls to Kai.
Three legs stab toward him.
Boom!
Fried meatballs!
Kai slips between Ângelo and Semedo and bursts into the box.
Boom!
Another fried meatballs!
He beats Manuel and shrugs off Ângelo chasing him.
Boom!
Touch and accelerate!
Kai and the ball break free instantly, entering the six-yard box.
Pilar rushes out.
Normally, Pilar would reach it first.
Wait — how is Kai faster?!
Boom!
Kai slides and shoots.
Gets the shot off first.
The ball nutmegs Pilar.
Rolls over the line.
"GOAL!!! Two–four!"
"Wahaha score twice in a row!"
"Kai completes a hat trick!"
"This game is insane!"
"It's like the ball is glued to his feet!"
"Two fried meatballs through the crowd — like nobody's there!"
"And that sliding finish through the keeper's legs!"
"That's pure art!"
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