Maxa stood on the sidelines with a solemn expression.
This was completely different from what he had imagined.
How did the Wahaha team suddenly transform like this?
Are Kai's thighs really that thick?
But Cristiano Ronaldo's thighs are thick too — so why did Sporting Lisbon collapse the moment they lost Kai?
Triguera watched quietly from the side and said nothing.
Without an engine, even if your Gundam has the best weapons, it still can't move.
And worse, instead of using your strongest weapon, you keep swinging some random hatchet.
Kai's importance to Sporting Lisbon U15 was never just "a player."
He was half the team.
This squad could survive without Cristiano Ronaldo.
But it could no longer survive without Kai.
73rd minute.
Gao Lin dropped deep to receive the ball, then passed to Yu Shihao.
Yu Shihao laid it back to Kai at the top.
Kai opened his legs and threaded a pass to Wu Xudong charging down the right.
Wu Xudong whipped in a cross.
Gao Lin headed it and forced a corner.
Hao Junmin took the corner.
Gao Lin flicked it at the near post, changing the trajectory.
In the chaos inside the box, Feng Xiaoting got a touch.
The ball went straight into the net.
Three–four!
Wahaha had scored three in a row!
79th minute.
Veloso intercepted in the backcourt and immediately drove forward.
Cristiano Ronaldo exploded into space, muscled past Feng Xiaoting, and stormed straight through —
A thousand-mile solo run.
Goal.
Five–three!
Hat trick!
85th minute.
Kai controlled the ball outside the box.
Drag-back.
Fried meatballs.
Surrounded by three Sporting players, yet he still didn't lose possession.
Finally, the experienced Semedo simply dragged him down.
But before falling, Kai slipped out a pass.
Everyone's eyes were on Kai.
But Yu Shihao had already anticipated it.
He burst forward and smashed it home.
Four–five!
Wahaha clung to the scoreline.
Kai now had three goals and three assists.
A double hat trick.
But he shoved away the teammates trying to celebrate, sprinted into the goal, grabbed the ball, and ran back to midfield.
He signaled everyone —
Don't celebrate. Don't give up. We're not done yet.
That attitude irritated his former teammates.
After kickoff, Sporting Lisbon threw away all restraint and started playing rough.
It's a friendly anyway — who gives a damn.
Maxa was furious.
But he couldn't control them.
A shepherd can't manage a flock that's lost its leader.
90th minute.
Marcelino blasted over the bar.
Goal kick.
Zeng Cheng passed short to Shao Jiawei.
Shao Jiawei scanned the field.
Kai dropped deep to receive.
Sporting defenders immediately marked Kai tightly and prepared to press.
Midfield and forwards all pushed up.
Shao Jiawei quickly passed to Feng Xiaoting.
Boom!
Facing the press, Feng Xiaoting showed his academy composure.
Instead of forcing it to Kai, he launched a long ball to Hao Junmin on the right.
Hao Junmin controlled smoothly and accelerated down the wing.
Wu Xudong sprinted up from the back to overlap.
"Cut inside!" Kai shouted, charging forward through the middle himself.
Wu Xudong instantly changed his route, ditching the touchline and slicing inside through the half-space.
Even without the ball, he created a passing lane.
Hao Junmin slipped it to him just before Araújo closed down.
Wu Xudong laid it back to Kai.
After receiving, Kai raised his left hand and pointed toward Yu Shihao on the left.
Manuel immediately grabbed Yu Shihao's jersey.
Ângelo also shifted over, blocking Gao Lin.
Boom!
The ball flew out —
Not left.
Outside-of-the-foot pass!
Wu Xudong should've dropped back after passing.
But he was red-eyed, still charging forward on instinct.
He slipped behind Ângelo unnoticed.
Kai had been looking for him all along.
Wu Xudong received inside the box.
Bad first touch.
Pilar rushed out.
Ângelo dove in.
No time to adjust.
Wu Xudong just chased the ball and smashed it with everything he had.
Boom!
The ball rocketed into the roof of the net.
Pure violence.
Five–five!
Wahaha equalized!
Final score: 5–5.
Both the result and the match itself were absurd.
Maxa went to the bathroom and made a phone call.
Only now did he finally understand his own weight.
Braga?
Forget it.
I'm not going. Not going.
Cristiano Ronaldo was extremely dissatisfied.
His performance had been excellent, yet he still couldn't carry the team to victory.
He couldn't figure out what went wrong.
After the match, Triguera prepared scouting reports for every Wahaha player and planned to send them back to China.
Yu Shihao —
Can play winger, fast striker, shadow forward. Good potential. But he must choose a clear direction.
Speed winger? Technical winger? Poacher?
Without focus, he'll end up average at everything.
He's not a once-in-a-generation genius.
Wu Xudong —
Blazing pace. Natural attacking instincts. Former winger turned right back due to rough technique.
If he maximizes his speed advantage, he can become very distinctive.
Gao Lin —
Classic target man. Strong in duels, good hold-up play. Shooting average. Limited ceiling.
Hao Junmin —
Smart player. Good speed, passing, shooting, control. Vice-core of the team. Potential to become the attacking core.
Shao Jiawei —
Solid defender with excellent defensive instincts. But fundamentals are rough. Passing and control need work.
Profile similar to an English centre-back.
Feng Xiaoting —
Higher potential. Better technique. More balanced overall. Slightly weaker defensively than Shao Jiawei.
Chen Tao —
Defensive midfielder. Huge stamina, wide coverage, good long passes, smart positioning. Can swing between DM and centre-back.
These evaluations didn't fully match this match's performance.
For example, Chen Tao had been completely bullied by Kai today.
Objectively, none of Wahaha's defenders really held up.
But Triguera saw things others couldn't.
He saw talent players themselves hadn't discovered yet.
The reason he wrote so many reports was simple —
Some of these kids were worth gambling on.
"Kay, do you think it's possible if we try to sign these players?"
Hearing Triguera's question on the phone, Kai's heart pounded.
His "Kai Family Army" plan was finally taking its first step.
But his reply was calm:
"Not optimistic."
He wanted Triguera to succeed.
But he also knew the reality back home all too well.
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