October 15th.
The Portuguese national team, led by Luís Figo, drew with Azerbaijan and secured qualification for the European Championship as second in their group.
The whole country celebrated.
A year ago, the entire world was playing in the World Cup—but Portugal wasn't even there.
Back then, Figo had sworn at the Diamond Generation Invitational that he would lead Portugal to the European Championship.
And now—he had done it.
The King of Portugal had taken another step forward.
The Golden Generation was finally about to translate their youth-level brilliance into success on the senior stage.
While expectations for the national team soared, attention also shifted to the new youth generation.
Could players like Ricardo Quaresma, Hugo Viana, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kai, Raúl Meireles, and Hugo Almeida dominate youth competitions—and then rise to join Figo in the future?
October 19th.
Sporting CP U17 faced league leaders San Romano U17 away from home.
A tough opponent.
Triguera made no changes to the lineup, sticking with the previous system. A possession-based team needed stability to build chemistry.
Even substitutes were expected to follow fixed rotations.
Right from kickoff, both sides clashed fiercely.
That was normal.
What wasn't normal… came in the 3rd minute.
Kai launched a long pass from deep.
Kai (formerly Wu Xudong) sprinted down the right, controlled the ball under pressure, then cut inside toward the box.
Yu Shihao charged into the penalty area, raising his hand for the pass.
Kai feinted a cross—
Then shot from a tight angle!
The goalkeeper got a touch, but the ball still slipped into the net.
1–0!
"WHAT A GOAL!"
"No one expected that decision!"
"Everyone thought he'd pass—but he went for it himself!"
"That's football. It may look unreasonable—but if it goes in, it's genius!"
In previous matches, Sporting CP had been stable but often slow starters.
And Kai, despite his pace, had seemed restrained in the possession system.
Now, Triguera clearly adjusted—blending speed with control to unleash players like Kai.
But after the goal…
Sporting CP turned shamelessly pragmatic.
For nearly 60 minutes, neither side produced meaningful shots.
San Romano players grew increasingly frustrated.
They couldn't get the ball at all.
It was suffocating.
68th minute.
Kai sensed the opponent was nearing their breaking point—and made his move.
Yu Shihao drifted right, linking with Kai.
Quick passes pulled defenders out of position.
Then—
Kai, the slowest among them, suddenly surged forward.
The defenders were dragged away.
He cut along the edge of the box—
BOOM!
A vicious low cross blasted across goal.
The first defender missed it.
The second could intercept—but hesitated, afraid of an own goal.
He let it pass.
Big mistake.
Behind him—
Hao Junmin arrived unmarked.
Tap-in.
2–0!
That pass wasn't just a pass.
It was a trap.
Either you score an own goal…
Or we score.
Pick your poison.
71st minute.
Left flank attack stalled.
Hao Junmin passed back to Kai.
Kai turned and pointed at Duarte—still behind midfield—gesturing him forward.
Then—
Without even looking—
BOOM!
A no-look lofted pass into the box!
Left side.
Veloso, who hadn't tracked back, suddenly burst forward.
One-on-one.
BOOM!
Goal.
3–0!
"GOAL! Veloso finally scores!"
"Kai now has a HAT-TRICK OF ASSISTS!"
"That was pure chemistry—Kai and Veloso tearing apart the defense!"
73rd minute.
San Romano restarted—
Immediately pressed.
Panic.
Kai intercepted in the final third.
He drove forward.
Yu Shihao ran centrally, dragging defenders.
All defenders collapsed into the box.
Then—
Kai cut it back.
Perfect inverted triangle.
Kai arrived at the top of the box.
Calm.
Clean.
BOOM!
4–0!
"Beautiful!"
"The playmaker scores too!"
"Kai bakes the cake—and eats it himself!"
Within just five minutes…
Three goals.
Total destruction.
"This attacking burst is terrifying."
"But what's scarier…"
"They can also control possession for long stretches."
"And still explode when it matters."
"After beating San Romano, who in this region can even challenge them?"
From the stands—
Even away fans started chanting:
"CAESAR! CAESAR! CAESAR!"
Kai.
Their emperor.
76th minute.
Kai suddenly dropped to the ground.
Cramp in his right leg.
As a wide midfielder, he had been running non-stop—from one end of the pitch to the other.
Defending. Attacking. Sprinting.
Even a damn warhorse would struggle with that workload.
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