Iniesta had already "killed" Portugal once in this match.
This time he—
Boom!
Kai slid to the ground and tackled the ball.
Iniesta fell with him.
The ball was knocked away by Kai before Iniesta could shoot.
The referee's whistle immediately sounded.
Red card.
Kai had been sent off.
This was already the third red card in the match.
But this time there was no chaos or fighting between the players.
Kai had been sent off—what else could Spain argue for?
Likewise, with the red card, Portugal had nothing left to complain about either.
After all, Kai already had a yellow card earlier.
In tense moments like this, sadness quickly fades away.
"Set up the wall," Kai said calmly while walking toward the tunnel, still giving instructions. "Iniesta can shoot with both feet, but from this angle he'll definitely use his right foot."
"Find the tallest players."
"Cristiano Ronaldo, you go too. Jump as high as you can."
"If possible, I'd rather sacrifice your handsome football face—second only to mine—to block this shot."
"And if I were you, I'd keep my eyes open. That way you can actually see where the damn ball is going."
Ronaldo's original sadness instantly turned into fear.
Shit!
He didn't want to stand in the wall.
Especially after José Fonte had earlier been smashed in the face by Iniesta's shot and nearly got a concussion.
Who the hell would dare try that again?
"Quaresma, lie down behind the wall to stop a low shot," Kai added.
Normally, no one in the team would dare tell Quaresma what to do.
But Quaresma simply nodded.
Then Kai slowly walked toward the players' tunnel.
He stood there with Bosingwa, who had already been sent off earlier, both of them watching the goal from the shadows near the tunnel entrance.
Portugal's wall was ready.
Ronaldo stood on the outside of it.
Iniesta stood over the ball, taking deep breaths.
The referee blew the whistle.
Iniesta began his run-up.
He raised his right foot.
Strike!
The ball soared into the air.
The curve was beautiful.
If nothing interfered, it would bend perfectly around the wall.
A textbook free kick.
But—
BOOM!
The ball smashed straight into Ronaldo's face.
Then it flew out of bounds.
Ronaldo collapsed onto the grass the moment he landed.
His ears were ringing.
His vision turned completely white.
To him, only a moment had passed.
But in reality, he lay on the ground for over a minute.
The Portuguese players were stunned.
Even Iniesta, the man who had taken the shot, looked deeply worried. For the first time, he didn't care about the result of the match.
He definitely didn't want to accidentally kill someone.
In the slow-motion replay, everything was crystal clear.
The moment the Portuguese wall jumped, almost everyone instinctively closed their eyes.
Everyone except Cristiano Ronaldo.
For a split second, his eyes did blur.
But then he seemed to remember Kai's words.
He forced his eyelids open and saw the ball curving around his head.
He tilted his head to the left—
and barely blocked the shot.
Blood immediately began pouring from his nose.
His left eye swelled rapidly.
But after regaining consciousness, Ronaldo quickly completed a concussion test.
He was fine.
He could continue playing.
Mikel Arteta took the resulting corner kick.
But Angelo headed the ball clear out of the penalty area.
The referee's whistle blew loudly.
The match was over.
"AHHHHH!!!"
Kai and Bosingwa burst out of the players' tunnel.
Together with the substitutes, they rushed toward the pitch.
Everyone hugged each other, shouting and crying in excitement.
Ricardo Quaresma was already a professional-level star.
He had once thought that a youth tournament like the European U16 Championship wouldn't move him that much.
But standing on top of Europe now…
he still cried.
Because he knew this championship would become one of the most unforgettable memories of his life.
Not just because of the trophy—
but because of these teammates.
Nearby, the Spanish U16 players lowered their heads one by one.
Ever since Kai scored that insane comeback goal, they had already sensed something bad was coming.
But when reality finally arrived…
it still hurt too much to accept.
The whole match felt like a dream.
"Champions! Portugal are the champions!"
"They are the strongest national team in this age group!"
"Every single player on this team is extraordinary!"
"They defeated the powerful Spanish side!"
"They even crushed Spain's famous possession football!"
"This spirit of the weak defeating the strong—this fighting spirit and relentless determination—is the best inspiration for Portuguese football!"
"If the senior Portuguese national team—currently struggling in the UEFA Euro qualifiers—can learn from the spirit of this U16 squad, they will definitely qualify for next year's European Championship!"
"Portugal U16 has set the tone for Portuguese football!"
"Let's congratulate them!"
"Congratulations to Kai, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ricardo Quaresma, and the entire Portuguese team!"
The stadium erupted.
Kai scored two goals, received one yellow card and one red card, and was still named Man of the Match.
Soon he entered the media interview zone.
Behind him, UEFA officials were already preparing the podium for the award ceremony.
Compared to the UEFA Youth League, the European Youth Championship carried far greater influence.
A reporter approached him.
Reporter: "Kai, you've just won the championship. What would you like to say?"
Kai: "There's a lot I want to say. First, thanks to my teammates, our coaches, and every member of the staff."
"Thanks to our fans, and to everyone who has supported us."
"Thanks to Hathaway, thanks to The Princess Diaries, thanks to Record, thanks to Sports Weekly, and thanks to the Chinese fans who support me from thousands of miles away…"
The reporter smiled.
Reporter: "You just completed an incredible comeback."
"It's hard not to think of the Champions League final that just ended recently. Under your guidance, Manchester United scored two goals in one minute to defeat Bayern Munich."
"And today, you scored twice in three minutes. If we exclude the time when Reina was substituted, your two goals also came within about one minute."
"Is this some kind of destiny?"
Kai shook his head.
"I wouldn't call it destiny."
"I simply put into practice what I taught David Beckham, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, and Teddy Sheringham from the sidelines."
The reporters froze.
What the hell… this guy is pretending like a god.
Kai laughed.
"Alright, alright—that was a joke."
"Manchester United, Ronaldo, and I have always encouraged each other."
"The idea of the Treble started as a casual prediction."
"But after the media repeated it again and again…"
"A lie told too many times can eventually become reality."
"That's the power of belief."
"I said before that Sporting Lisbon U15 and Manchester United were the two strongest teams this year."
"The only reason we had one trophy less than a Treble winner was simply because we played one fewer tournament."
"Many people said I was bragging."
"But now we've won this championship."
"I wouldn't say the European Youth Championship is as prestigious as the European Championship…"
"But for players our age, it's definitely more valuable than the FA Cup."
"So let's say Manchester United got lucky."
"And now they're finally forced to compete with Sporting Lisbon U15 and Portugal U16."
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