Then Coach Marques made a substitution.
Marcelino came off.
Kai moved to the right wing.
Putting a natural right-back into a winger's role was a clear signal:
Strengthen the defense.
Because just moments earlier, Marques had received shocking news.
Benfica were leading Camares.
If the scorelines held…
Everything would change.
81st Minute
Sérgio Organista and Igor began controlling the midfield with quick combinations.
Igor dribbled aggressively and won a dangerous free kick at the edge of the box.
He stepped up to take it himself.
Boom!
The ball cleared the wall beautifully.
Clang!
Unlucky.
It smashed against the crossbar and bounced straight down.
Pilar reacted instantly, throwing up his right hand to punch it away.
But the ball had too much spin. The rebound off the bar was awkward and vicious.
Instead of flying out, it dropped back into the six-yard box.
Chaos.
Bodies collided.
Boots swung.
And in the scramble, the towering Almeida used his height to stab the ball into the net—barely even needing to jump.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Veloso, and several others immediately threw up their hands.
Offside!
But the assistant referee stood firm.
Onside.
Pilar, still on the ground, slammed his fist into the grass in frustration.
He had almost secured it.
2–2.
Conceding after the 80th minute crushed morale.
Many Sporting players subconsciously accepted the draw.
But while jogging back, Kai noticed something strange.
People were moving around near the players' tunnel.
Stadium staff.
Officials in formal attire.
Someone carrying a large box.
Kai frowned.
He glanced toward the bench. Toward the stands.
Several people were staring at their phones instead of the pitch.
His mind started calculating.
Eight points… seven… seven… zero…
If we win, we go to eleven.
Porto stays on seven.
If Benfica beat Camares…
Camares stay on seven.
Four points clear.
One round remaining.
His heart skipped.
Champion.
If they won this match, Sporting CP U15 would clinch the league title one round early.
"Champion!" Kai roared.
The Sporting players looked at him, confused.
It wasn't that their math was bad.
It was that nobody had seriously believed Benfica could beat Camares.
Everyone thought this was a three-team war.
They hadn't realized there was a sudden-death scenario tonight.
Under extreme circumstances—
The champion could be decided right now.
"Champion!" Kai clenched his fists and screamed toward the sky.
"If we win, we're champions!"
Understanding dawned.
One by one, the Sporting players began shouting.
"Champion!"
"Champion!"
"Champion!"
The commentators were stunned.
"What's happening? Porto just equalized—why are Sporting celebrating?"
"Oh my God! Benfica are leading Camares by two goals! It's real!"
"If Sporting win here, they clinch the Portuguese U15 title tonight!"
"And sources say officials from the Portuguese Football Federation have already brought the trophy to this stadium—ready to award it if a champion emerges!"
"But Porto's equalizer may have ruined that plan. The suspense could go to next week—"
Final Minutes
From the 82nd minute onward, the match turned savage.
Sporting went insane.
Wave after wave of attack.
They wanted it.
They wanted the title.
Porto pressed just as ferociously.
You want to win the league in our house?
Dream on.
Beat you tonight—and maybe we steal it next week.
84th minute.
Kai launched a long ball.
Ronaldo fought through contact but couldn't reach it. Goal kick.
86th minute.
Porto countered brilliantly.
Almeida dropped deep, slipped a through ball to Igor.
Igor shot.
Less than half a meter wide.
88th minute.
Kai sprayed another diagonal.
On the right flank, Kai burst forward like a man possessed.
Fresh legs. Endless stamina.
He whipped in a cross.
Blocked.
Corner.
Kai stepped up to take it.
Almeida rose above Ronaldo and cleared it powerfully.
The ball fell to Semedo outside the box.
No time to hesitate. He shifted it left to Araujo.
Porto smelled blood.
They pressed hard.
A counter now could kill Sporting.
Araujo didn't dare hold it. He passed backward to Miguel Veloso, who was retreating toward midfield.
Every Sporting player was sprinting back.
Except one.
Kai suddenly spun around.
At the same moment, Veloso shifted the ball laterally and launched a long, looping pass back into Porto's penalty area.
Veloso's passing vision was operating at 200%.
Kai sliced through defenders like a slippery eel.
No one caught him.
It became a one-on-one.
But—
The angle was awkward.
Veloso had passed from the left side.
The ball arced toward the right side of the box.
Kai had sprinted from right to left.
Their paths intersected once.
And Kai had overrun slightly.
The ball was behind him.
Porto goalkeeper Vale was barely two meters away.
No chance to turn.
If the ball dropped, Vale would clear it.
Only one option remained.
Hit it in the air.
Now.
Boom.
Kai's upper body pitched forward.
He twisted sideways.
Head down.
Legs kicked upward.
His left heel flicked the ball midair.
The trajectory changed instantly.
The goalkeeper froze.
The ball looped over him—
And dropped into the far corner.
Scorpion kick.
Van der Vaart style.
Silence—
Then explosion.
"AHHHHH!!!"
Kai saw it cross the line while still rolling on the grass.
He popped up in one motion.
Ripped off his shirt.
Sprint to the corner flag.
Wind tore through his hair.
Youth. Wild. Unstoppable.
"Champion! Sporting are champions!"
He hurled the jersey into the sky.
Hands on hips.
Chest out.
Back arched.
No muscles—but in that moment, he looked like a god.
Cristiano Ronaldo arrived first.
He grabbed a nearby reporter's camera without asking and spun it toward Kai.
"Kai! That was insane! From the brink of a draw to the championship! That's a miracle! A miracle!"
Kai grabbed the camera, laughing wildly.
"A miracle? No!"
"This is just the beginning!"
"This is just setting sail!"
"It's not over!"
"Our journey is just starting, brother!"
He held the camera with one hand.
Ronaldo leaned in.
Behind them, every Sporting player gathered—even Pilar sprinted upfield to join.
"Everyone!" Kai shouted.
"After me!"
"One! Two! Three!"
"The Miracle of Lisbon—"
"SETS SAIL!!!"
Green and white shirts piled together in madness.
A timeless image was born.
Meanwhile—
The poor reporter whose camera had been hijacked stood frozen between excitement and panic.
You idiots…
At least turn it on.
If you're going to steal it—
Record it properly!
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