The Portuguese team was forced to use their final substitution.
Amorim came on as a substitute.
He also brought Violante's tactical instructions with him.
The team changed formation.
Cristiano Ronaldo remained in the center-forward position.
Meireles and Quaresma played as the left and right midfielders respectively.
Kai played alone as the attacking midfielder.
Amorim and Veloso formed a double defensive midfield pivot.
The team further strengthened its defense.
Veloso closely marked Van der Vaart, while Amorim was responsible for tracking Robben.
85th minute
Van der Vaart dribbled past Veloso in midfield.
The two had faced each other too many times.
Van der Vaart had gradually figured out Veloso's defensive rhythm.
His attacking talent was clearly superior to Veloso's defensive ability.
Veloso was only a fringe player for the national team.
But Van der Vaart was a core player.
However, Amorim arrived in time and brought Van der Vaart down.
Amorim received a yellow card for the foul.
This also became the last real chance either side had to score in regular time.
"Alright, the six minutes of stoppage time are over. The referee blows the whistle, and the match goes into extra time."
"Three–three! Portugal and the Netherlands have delivered a fantastic game."
"The Dutch team fully demonstrated how terrifying four players seeking revenge can be. It almost reminds people of the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West."
White Dragon Horse: ???
"And the Portuguese team showed incredible iron will in their pursuit of victory."
"In terms of pure strength, the Dutch team might now be stronger than Portugal."
"But in terms of determination, Portugal is actually stronger. After all, they sacrificed two key teammates one after another!"
"As an old Chinese saying goes—when teammates sacrifice themselves to the heavens, the team's power becomes boundless!"
"But even if Portugal advances, it will be difficult for them to go further in this European Youth Championship. They have already lost two key players."
"So from a competitive standpoint, it might actually be better for the Dutch team to advance."
"The camera is now showing the stands. Fans from both sides look very tense."
"Wait… why does the camera keep focusing on this beautiful woman?"
"The director even switched to picture-in-picture. Ronaldo, who was drinking water, just patted Kai and pointed toward the big screen."
"This beauty and Kai… oh! It's her!"
"Ladies and gentlemen watching at home, this is exciting news! We just received confirmation that the woman appearing on the big screen is the rising American actress Anne Hathaway."
"There have previously been rumors that she and Kai were dating. Kai once publicly denied it, but Hathaway never responded."
"But now it seems Kai may have fooled us! Hathaway even came to the stadium to cheer him on. How can he still claim there's nothing between them?"
As the commentator spoke, cheers began spreading through the stadium.
"Hathaway!"
"Hathaway!"
"Hathaway!"
Clearly, many fans were already aware of the rumored relationship.
On the big screen, Hathaway's face turned redder and redder.
Eventually, even her ears and neck were completely flushed.
Ronaldo nudged Kai with a teasing look.
Kai followed the direction of the big screen and finally spotted Hathaway in the stands.
He nodded toward her.
A simple gesture of thanks for coming to support him.
Hathaway's face turned even redder.
Beside her, Matala kept shaking her head.
Had anyone in the entire crew ever seen Hathaway this shy before?
She had definitely fallen in love.
Completely.
Director Marshall nodded repeatedly.
The tickets had not been wasted.
He almost wished Hathaway could stay in this state while filming the next scenes.
That kind of genuine shyness and sweetness was better than any acting.
"Kai! You have to give it everything!" Violante encouraged him.
"As someone who's been through it before, let me tell you something."
"It's okay to lose the match."
"But you must never lose in front of the girl you love!"
"Otherwise you might lose more than the game."
"You might lose her too."
Kai smiled awkwardly.
Love?
Where the hell did that come from?
She's just my sister—
No, wait.
Just a friend.
Hell, we barely even know each other!
Extra time began.
But the camera kept showing Hathaway in the stands.
Because of that, this overtime period—which should have been full of tension—somehow felt filled with pink romantic bubbles.
Even fans from both sides began smiling inexplicably.
You had to admit—
Shipping couples was a powerful force of production.
Even in football.
Right, Capello?
96th minute
Veloso stole the ball from Van der Vaart.
Van der Vaart's stamina had clearly begun to drop.
But Robben immediately fouled Veloso, preventing the counterattack.
Robben received a yellow card.
Taking advantage of the stoppage, the Dutch coach substituted Van der Vaart.
The coach had learned from Ajax's earlier mistake.
The national team had a deeper bench.
Replacing Van der Vaart would not destroy the Dutch team's combat strength.
98th minute
Robben cut inside repeatedly from the right wing before unleashing a shot.
The ball smashed against the post.
The entire Dutch team collapsed in frustration.
After the shot, Robben lay on the ground, gasping heavily.
His stamina was gone.
If he had just a little more energy left—
That shot would definitely have gone in.
The Dutch coach quickly substituted Robben as well.
As Robben left the pitch, he looked toward Kai unwillingly.
How the hell was this guy still running?
And it even looked like he was running faster than everyone else.
Kai smiled faintly.
Unlimited stamina?
No problem.
Energy drink? Nah.
I've got a power bank.
Gradually, the match began shifting into Portugal's rhythm.
Kai's passing frequency increased significantly.
102nd minute
Kai passed the ball to right-back Bosingwa.
Bosingwa quickly found Quaresma.
Quaresma's stamina was also fading, so he slowed the play and held the ball.
Kai made a diagonal run, sprinting from Quaresma's left side toward the right wing.
Quaresma passed the ball to Kai before drifting slowly toward the inside channel.
Sneijder immediately stepped up to confront Kai.
He refused to give Kai any space.
Because he knew something very clearly.
Kai was just as dangerous as he was.
In critical moments, you couldn't relax for even a second.
Kai pulled the ball behind his standing foot and adjusted his body.
Now he faced Sneijder head-on.
The ball rested in front of him.
Kai's right foot repeatedly stepped over the ball.
But he never touched it.
Stepovers.
Fake after fake.
Sneijder remained calm, unmoving like a mountain.
His eyes were locked on the ball.
Dragging out the duel would benefit the Netherlands.
Boom!
Three seconds later—
Kai suddenly stabbed the ball forward with his right foot and exploded into motion.
His left foot followed instantly.
Fried Meatball!
The ball rolled forward.
Sneijder immediately turned and grabbed Kai with one hand, trying to slow him down.
But the next moment—
His arm was violently dragged forward.
He couldn't hold him.
Kai's speed and strength were terrifying.
"Breakthrough! Kai challenges Sneijder from the wing and beats him purely with speed!"
"Why is he so fast?!"
"Heitinga is coming!"
"Three defenders now! And Sneijder is still pulling from behind!"
"The Dutch team is triple-teaming Kai!"
"Cristiano Ronaldo has found space inside the penalty area!"
"Quaresma is also open in the half-space!"
"But Kai has no clear passing lane!"
"He's surrounded!"
"Is he going to lose the ball?"
"No! Not yet!"
"Is that a Marseille turn?! Kai spins repeatedly to shield the ball!"
"The physical battle is intense!"
Boom!
After a wild 720-degree spin, Kai flicked the ball forward.
The ball slipped through Heitinga's legs.
It rolled straight toward the edge of the penalty area.
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