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Chapter 90 - Chapter 90: I'm Exhausted (

"Hitzlsperger simply cannot keep up with Kai!"

"This kind of overtaking move is something we usually only see on the wings, but Kai just did it while cutting in from the half-space. Hardly anyone dares to take big touches in that area because it's always crowded with defenders!"

"But the crazy part is that even though Kai pushed the ball so far ahead, there were no Bayern defenders near it at all!"

"Cristiano Ronaldo is cutting in from the right — he's calling for the ball!"

"Lorenzo is arriving on the left too — he wants it as well!"

Calling for the ball?

Robben had plenty of labels.

Deadly left-wing dribbler.

Serial one-on-one bottler.

Member of the famous "Three Sticks."

And most famously…

Selfish.

With the buffs from "Robben's Socks" and "Fried Iniesta Dumplings," why the hell would Kai pass?

Bang!

Two meters from the ball, Kai already started adjusting his steps.

His intention to shoot wasn't hidden at all.

Everyone knew what he was about to do.

A curling shot.

The ball flew from the right side of the penalty area, bending toward the far corner.

The angle was even wider than his previous goal.

But the curve?

Even nastier.

Swish!

Top corner.

Net shaking.

Kai immediately turned and sprinted toward the corner flag, roaring in celebration.

Cristiano Ronaldo was already jogging over, waiting.

The camera captured two teenagers in green and white leaping high into the air, spinning one hundred and eighty degrees before landing.

"Siuuuuu!"

"Three–two! Sporting Lisbon takes the lead again!"

"Kai beats Hitzlsperger one-on-one and scores another world-class goal!"

"So sharp! Hitzlsperger looked stiff as a wooden post in front of him!"

"That nutmeg was pure genius!"

"How confident do you have to be to push the ball that far in the middle of the pitch? He actually believed he could outrun Hitzlsperger!"

"Maybe that's exactly why he scored — because nobody else would've dared to play it like that!"

"Now Bayern doesn't have much time left. Including stoppage time, maybe ten minutes at most!"

Sporting Lisbon celebrated like crazy.

Meanwhile, Bayern players were furious, constantly complaining to the referee.

They accused Sporting of time-wasting.

Eventually, the referee urged Kai and the others back into position.

Play resumed.

This time, Sporting parked the bus completely.

Everyone dropped deep.

No more risks.

Against this iron-wall defense, Bayern had no choice but to fire from distance.

Schweinsteiger shot.

Hitzlsperger shot.

Lahm shot.

The most dangerous chance came from Schweinsteiger.

But Veloso blocked it, and the rebound smashed off the post.

Time ticked away.

88th minute.

Schweinsteiger passed wide to the overlapping Lahm.

Lahm shaped to go down the wing.

Bang!

No.

He didn't.

He suddenly chipped the ball straight into the box.

Schweinsteiger, who had just passed, had already sprinted into the area.

He reached it first and smashed a low ball across goal before Semedo could react.

Chaos in the six-yard box.

Bodies everywhere.

A Bayern striker stabbed it home.

Three–three.

Bayern equalized at the death.

"GOAL!"

"Lahm! Schweinsteiger! Pure brilliance!"

"This is why I say Lahm will definitely make Bayern's first team in the future! That creativity is rare for a German player!"

"Schweinsteiger's run was perfect! The delivery was precise!"

"This match is probably heading to extra time!"

Five minutes later, the whistle blew.

Extra time.

Kai's sweat slowed.

Then stopped.

His body had nothing left to give.

97th minute.

His pass lacked power and was intercepted by Hitzlsperger.

Instant counter.

Bayern won a corner.

Schweinsteiger delivered.

Hitzlsperger rose high—

Header.

Bang!

Crossbar.

Sporting survived.

100th minute.

The camera caught Kai standing almost still for three straight minutes.

Barely moving.

Bayern fans immediately started booing.

Sporting fans felt their hearts sink.

"Kai's finished. His fitness must be gone."

"He relies on smart movement and constant running to avoid defenders. In pure strength or physical duels, he's at a disadvantage."

"He hasn't moved because he literally can't run anymore."

"For youth players, extra time is brutal. Their bodies just aren't built for 120 minutes."

"Both teams look tired, but Kai is the most obvious. He looks like he can barely stand."

"Coach Marques should substitute him. If something happens…"

At the extra-time break, Marques asked:

"Do you want to come off?"

Kai shook his head.

"If I leave now… I won't accept it."

Marques frowned.

"Let him stay," Cristiano Ronaldo stepped forward. "We train like this all the time. He recovers fast."

In the end, Marques let Kai continue.

The commentators immediately criticized him.

"The coach hesitated. That's a mistake."

"In a senior match, fine — keep him."

"But this is youth football! Player health should come first!"

"Kai really looks done! He's so thin! What if he just collapses?!"

The crowd's emotions exploded.

Online and in the stands, people started blaming Marques.

The so-called "non-stick pan" coach finally caught some heat he couldn't dodge.

But Kai wasn't as bad as everyone thought.

Ronaldo was half right.

Usually, after exhausting himself, Kai recovered quickly thanks to "functional drinks" and "Donglong Special Drink."

But those only worked during training.

Not during matches.

(Though apparently they worked great in nightclubs.)

So yes — he was exhausted.

Completely empty.

But because he trained himself into this "depletion state" so often, his body had adapted.

He was used to suffering like this.

His recovery during exhaustion was actually better than most players.

Not talent.

Just experience.

Pure stubborn conditioning.

In terms of surviving physical exhaustion…

Kai might even outlast the future super defensive midfielder, N'Golo Kanté.

Kanté: ???

Kanté: Wait… I get tired?

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