So… a large part of social anxiety comes from not being good enough. If you're good, you can cure it.
Of course, some social anxiety has nothing to do with ability. That kind is incurable—no saving it.
85th minute.
Okunowo, the Barcelona reject who had been bullied by Cristiano Ronaldo all game, finally showed a glimpse of La Masia quality. Not by diving, but by using delicate footwork to beat Ronaldo and Serafim, then sending the ball to João Pinto.
Pinto had space to shoot, but instead distributed the ball again with a precise through pass.
A perfectly timed diagonal run!
Sabri, the speed demon on the left wing, made a sharp run, received the ball in the box, and fired a shot!
The ball went wide of the far post.
Missed!
Not enough curl!
Sabri immediately dropped to his knees, clutching his head in disbelief.
If that had been Nuno Gomes or João Pinto, it would've been a guaranteed goal.
Sabri's finishing ability clearly wasn't there yet.
88th minute.
Benfica left-back Jorge Ribeiro pushed forward as well.
Even with one man down, they still had attacking power.
This shift also exposed a flaw in Heynckes' tactics.
Can't control the ball with ten men?
So what? You can still attack.
But instead, Heynckes had his team sit back for most of the game, handing Moreirense's average wingers a perfect stage to shine.
Ribeiro whipped in a cross from the flank.
Pinto was well-positioned in the box.
But just as the ball reached him, Killop stretched his head in from behind and cleared it out.
Moreirense's defensive line was tall, while Pinto was only 1.73 meters. No matter how good his positioning was, winning headers against giants was tough.
Even someone like Lionel Messi, with godlike ball control, has only scored 26 headers in his career—while scoring over 60 direct free kicks.
Macedo controlled the clearance and immediately found Kai.
After receiving the ball, Kai didn't cut inside. Instead, he advanced down the right flank.
He avoided the crowded center, and with Ribeiro caught upfield, the path was wide open.
This move was powered by his "Robben-style" instincts.
Only when Kai reached the attacking third did defenders close him down.
But Kai danced on the ball—four quick stepovers in a row.
A simple move, yet extremely deceptive.
When the defender hesitated, unable to commit, Kai slipped the ball through his legs with his left foot and burst past—classic Robben-style penetration.
Cristiano Ronaldo: Can't he dribble like me for once?
"Kai suddenly shoots with his left foot from the right side of the box!"
"A high-quality strike!"
"But Benfica goalkeeper Santos makes a brilliant save!"
Cristiano Ronaldo rushed in and collected the rebound, but couldn't turn to shoot.
He feinted twice with his shoulders, then passed it back to Anderson near the edge of the box.
Perfect setup.
Anderson struck immediately.
But Benfica center-back Giare blocked it with his back.
The ball popped high into the air—toward Ronaldo.
At that moment, with his back to goal, countless shooting options flashed through Ronaldo's mind. His striker instinct ignited.
"Cristiano Ronaldo leans into the defender… his body tilts back… is this… a bicycle kick?!"
BOOM!
He attempted an overhead kick.
…And completely fucked it up.
The ball didn't go toward goal at all—it flew toward Kai on the right side of the box.
Trigla covered his forehead on the sidelines.
"What the hell are you doing going for a bicycle there?"
Lose your sense of direction just because you're upside down?
Kai saw the ball flying toward him.
No hesitation.
He raised his left leg high, leaned his body to the right—
And struck a volley!
BOOM!
The moment the ball left his foot, Kai had already raised his arms in celebration.
Because he knew—
This wasn't just any shot.
This was a Flying Immortal from Heaven!
"SHOT! Kai turns and sprints toward the corner flag to celebrate!"
"He didn't even look at the result!"
"It's in! It's in! Kai scores his second!"
"3–2! Moreirense complete the comeback against Benfica!"
"This is the 90th minute! Kai scores with his weaker left foot from outside the box!"
"He started celebrating before the ball even went in!"
"Kai leaps into the air—SIUUUUUU!"
The stadium turned into a sea of green and white.
Sporting Lisbon fans erupted like they were the ones winning.
They just love watching Benfica get screwed.
After all, their first team had lost to Benfica earlier that season.
"Incredible! A Portuguese Liga team defeats a Primeira Liga giant! Is Moreirense heading to the semi-finals of the Portuguese Cup?!"
"Moreirense make a substitution—Anderson off, defensive midfielder Cordeiro on. Anderson is completely exhausted."
"Fonte drops back into defense. This is now a 5-4-1. Moreirense must hold onto this hard-earned lead!"
Stoppage time.
Benfica went all out, launching attack after attack—but with little result.
At the very end, Sabri's pace earned them a corner.
The Benfica goalkeeper abandoned his goal and rushed into the box to join the attack, pushing the match beyond added time.
Ever since Peter Schmeichel joined a corner and helped create a goal last year, this tactic has become a last-resort standard.
If you're going to lose anyway, why stay back?
Even Ronaldo dropped into the box to defend.
Okunowo took the corner.
BOOM!
Fonte cleared it.
The ball flew out to Kai.
The referee raised the whistle to his mouth, ready to end the match.
"GOAL!" Kai suddenly shouted, half-turning as he wildly blasted the ball forward.
The referee got distracted by Kai's shout and subconsciously followed the ball—forgetting to blow the whistle.
Because… the direction looked dangerous.
Everyone watched the ball fly.
BOOM!
It bounced five meters outside the penalty arc.
BOOM!
It bounced again near the edge of the box.
BOOM!
It dropped near the penalty spot…
…and then slowed, rolling gently toward the goal line.
The entire stadium held its breath.
As if even breathing could change the ball's path.
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