"Think about it — if that pass wasn't good, would Ricardo Quaresma complain? The probability is pretty high."
"As the tallest player on the pitch, Hugo Almeida has a very obvious height advantage. As long as his teammates deliver good crosses, he will always be the first aerial threat."
After that goal, Poland had no way out.
They pushed forward and launched a full attack.
85th minute.
Kai's "power-bank stamina" kicked in.
He sprinted forward and launched a sliding tackle from distance, completing a long interception.
The ball had been nearly three meters away from him.
It was an unconventional defensive move. At this stage of the game, many players didn't even have the strength left to slide tackle.
But Kai did.
The moment he won the ball, Cristiano Ronaldo, Hugo Viana, and Quaresma all burst forward like three arrows shot from a bow.
Kai threaded a through pass, accurately finding Viana, who was slightly behind.
Ronaldo immediately made an off-ball diagonal run, cutting from Viana's left side to his right.
This movement blocked the Polish defender from rushing at Viana.
Without even looking up, Viana delivered a curling pass.
The ball traveled from left to right and perfectly found Quaresma on the right side of the penalty area.
One-on-one!
Facing the charging goalkeeper, Quaresma calmly struck the ball with his instep.
The shot was deceptive and clinical.
3–1!
Portugal extended the lead.
The game was basically decided.
Poland's momentum collapsed instantly.
They were eliminated.
Just one round earlier, they had been sitting at the top of the standings.
In a single round-robin group stage, the margin for error is brutally small.
90th minute.
Even though defeat was inevitable, Poland continued attacking until the final whistle.
They maintained pressure outside Portugal's penalty area and controlled the ball for nearly four minutes.
But Portugal's defense remained solid.
The final Polish pass was intercepted by José Fonte.
Fonte passed to Raul Meireles.
Once again, Portugal surged forward.
Even Viana joined the attack.
Normally he wouldn't do that, because he needed to balance offense and defense.
But now he trusted Kai to handle the transition.
And that trust was justified.
Meireles passed the ball to Kai, then moved away to create space for him.
But there were very few passing options.
The Polish players, unable to retreat in time, surrounded Kai in the midfield, trying to steal the ball.
All Kai could see were Polish shirts.
He pulled the ball with his right foot, used his arm to shield the opponent, and spun 180 degrees.
Before the defender could poke the ball away, Kai dragged it backward with his heel.
A messy — but effective — Marseille turn.
Two more Polish players rushed in.
Kai lowered his body and repeatedly slapped away their attempts to grab him.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
A chaotic slalom appeared right there in the European Youth Championship.
Boom!
Kai spun free and suddenly accelerated, bursting out of the siege.
No one expected that.
Even Meireles had already started running backward, preparing for the next defensive phase.
But Kai was already gone.
After breaking free, he didn't continue dribbling.
He didn't need to.
Several Portuguese players in red and green were sprinting ahead.
Kai launched a long pass forward.
Ronaldo received it on the left. If he shot, it would almost certainly be a one-on-one.
But Ronaldo didn't chase personal glory.
Instead, he passed the ball across to Viana charging through the center.
Viana raised his foot.
The Polish goalkeeper dived.
At the last moment, Viana twisted his ankle and faked the shot, sliding the ball to the right.
Quaresma arrived.
Easy tap-in.
4–1!
Portugal crushed Poland with a dominant victory.
"Quaresma scores twice! Viana has two assists and a goal! And Kai delivers two assists in consecutive matches!"
"This goal sequence — from Kai to Cristiano Ronaldo to Viana to Quaresma — is another classic Lisbon connection!"
"They truly are the Four Elites of Lisbon. Even though they come from different age groups, their shared Sporting Lisbon background allows them to understand each other instantly."
"In this environment, even Ronaldo has learned to pass the ball!"
Ronaldo was stunned.
Was that… supposed to be a compliment?
Meireles, who had passed the ball to Kai earlier in the play, was also confused.
Wait… why didn't my pass count? Why did the attack suddenly start with Kai? Is it because I wasn't standing high enough?
Fonte in the back line looked even more awkward.
Should they rename the group the Lisbon Five?
After all, José Fonte also came through the Sporting CP youth system.
The final score remained 4–1.
Kai provided two assists and initiated two other attacks, earning Man of the Match.
In another match played simultaneously, the Czech team scored twice after trailing 0–1 and ultimately defeated Switzerland.
As a result, both Portugal and the host Czech Republic finished with two wins and one draw, tied at seven points.
However, Portugal had a much better goal difference.
They advanced to the European Youth Championship quarterfinals as group winners.
The Czech team also pleased the home crowd.
With seven points, they became the best runner-up among the groups and also advanced to the quarterfinals.
The tournament had officially entered the knockout stage.
After the match, the media exploded with headlines.
"Poland injures Portugal's starting striker — Portugal may become a soft target in the quarterfinals!"
"Five goals in two games! Quaresma is on fire and confident about reaching the semifinals!"
"Two assists in consecutive matches! Coach Violante's double-attacking-midfielder tactic succeeds — young midfielder Kai becomes Portugal's new core!"
"One goal and three assists! Viana plays like a true general. Alongside Andres Iniesta, he is the most eye-catching midfielder in the tournament!"
"Goals in consecutive matches! Youngster Cristiano Ronaldo shows stable and explosive form!"
"720-degree spin! Kai's pirouette may look ugly, but it's ridiculously effective!"
"Born striker! Helder Postiga's injury may have revealed Portugal's new solution — is Almeida the answer at center-forward?"
News about Portugal flooded the media.
But other teams also drew attention.
Spain's Fernando Torres and Iniesta dazzled fans with brilliant performances.
After the Netherlands won their match, people even began comparing the "Four Young Talents of the Netherlands" with Portugal's "Four Elites of Lisbon."
The debate between the two groups became a hot topic.
Individually, Quaresma was widely considered the strongest player.
But in terms of overall talent and depth, many believed the Dutch quartet had the advantage.
External debates continued.
Inside Portugal's camp, there was also internal discussion.
For example, Postiga wanted to return to the team as soon as possible.
His family claimed:
"Postiga's injury is minor. He can return to the squad at any time!"
However, during a press interview the next day, Violante gave the exact opposite answer.
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