Violante thought for a moment, then nodded.
"We can try it. Ronaldo, Almeida, Quaresma, Viana — come here."
The coaching staff quickly designed a set of aerial tactics.
Viana and Ricardo Quaresma were instructed to deliver crosses aimed primarily at Almeida.
Almeida would attack the first contact.
If he became entangled with defenders, Cristiano Ronaldo would crash the same zone, forming a double aerial threat.
Two targets.
One defensive line.
Let's see which one breaks first.
Second Half
But as soon as play resumed, Poland adjusted.
They still parked the bus, but now assigned a dedicated marker to shadow Quaresma — whom they considered Portugal's biggest threat.
Quaresma struggled to even receive the ball.
The crossing plan nearly died before it began.
Switch flanks?
Not easy.
As an attacking midfielder, Hugo Viana had to rotate wide with Ronaldo if he wanted to deliver from deep.
Ronaldo could handle that.
Viana? Not really.
He wasn't fast. He relied on technique, not pace.
Getting to the byline was already difficult. Delivering quality crosses under pressure was even harder.
In the end, Ronaldo became the primary wide outlet.
56th minute —
Viana fed Ronaldo. Ronaldo beat his man and crossed.
Overhit.
Violante's heart sank.
62nd minute —
Another Ronaldo cross.
Better.
But still not sharp enough. Cleared early.
66th minute —
Ronaldo's cross was blocked. Poland countered.
Thankfully, José Fonte stepped in with a crucial interception.
Portugal's players began to grow frustrated.
Poland sat deep, conserving energy, growing more confident by the minute.
The commentators analyzed:
"Portugal are in trouble. Their crossers are restricted — there's no space."
"The double attacking-midfield system offers variety, but against a fully defensive block, it loses impact."
"Almeida can't dominate the box alone. Ronaldo must attack the same zone."
"Viana needs to do more to free Ronaldo instead of forcing him wide every time."
70th Minute
Portugal continued pushing left with little effect.
The ball rolled back to Raul Meireles.
Meireles spotted Kai's run and played a sharp pass.
Kai surged forward from the right half-space. Instead of forcing a dribble, he quickly laid it off to Quaresma and immediately sprinted into the penalty area.
Quaresma cut inside from the wing.
At the same time, Kai suddenly veered right, slipped out of the box, and sprinted toward the touchline.
Poland's defenders collapsed toward Quaresma — some pressing, some covering, some blocking shooting lanes.
Quaresma knew he wouldn't break through.
But from the corner of his eye, he saw Kai ghosting wide.
Instant understanding.
The Polish full-back raised his arm, screaming for offside.
But Kai was level with the last defender — right in front of the assistant referee.
Onside.
Boom!
Kai delivered the cross first time — no adjustment.
The ball arced beautifully, curving beyond the near-post defender before dipping viciously.
Almeida barely even jumped.
It was as if the ball was searching for his head.
Thud!
A powerful close-range header.
The Polish goalkeeper had no chance.
"GOAL!"
"Portugal equalize!"
"Almeida scores off the bench!"
"But ninety percent of the credit belongs to Kai!"
"That cross was outrageous!"
"The precision reminds people of David Beckham, Manchester United's superstar who just completed a historic treble!"
"Different technique — same devastating result!"
"As we know, Beckham has spoken highly of Kai. The two were photographed together during the Champions League celebrations."
1–1.
When Poland led, Portugal looked hopeless.
At 1–1?
Momentum had completely shifted.
A draw would eliminate Poland.
Even four points likely wouldn't make them one of the best runners-up.
Poland had no choice.
They had to attack.
And that was exactly what Portugal wanted.
74th Minute
Poland's defensive shape began to loosen.
Kai repeated his earlier movement, attacking the right half-space and dragging defenders out of position.
Right-back José Bosingwa overlapped into acres of space and delivered a dangerous cross.
Corner to Portugal.
The offensive storm had begun.
81st Minute
Ronaldo made a series of explosive dribbles on the left but found no shooting angle. He passed back to Viana.
Everyone expected Viana to cut inside and shoot.
Instead, he instantly switched play to Kai on the right, who had rotated with Quaresma.
Kai faked a cross.
The Polish left-back bit hard and slid past him.
Kai nudged the ball inward with his left foot, entering the edge of the penalty area.
Facing a defender, he performed quick left-foot touches, disrupted the defender's rhythm —
Then nutmegged him cleanly.
A perfect crotch pass.
"Here!" Quaresma shouted, bursting into the box.
Give it to him, and he could blast near post or curl far post with the outside of his boot.
The Polish center-back shifted toward Quaresma.
But before their weight fully transferred—
The ball was already gone.
Miles away from Quaresma.
A lifted cross to the far zone.
"Cristiano Ronaldo!"
Ronaldo exploded into motion inside the penalty area.
No defender reacted in time.
He leapt high.
Uncontested.
Header.
GOAL!
2–1!
Portugal complete the comeback!
Another header!
Replays showed that a Polish defender had a chance to challenge Ronaldo—
But Almeida blocked him perfectly.
A textbook pick-and-roll in football terms.
Still, the decisive moment belonged to Kai.
That disguised cross under immense pressure.
Cold.
Precise.
Lethal.
Poland's bus had finally been smashed open.
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