Selhurst Park Stadium!
Today, something unexpected was happening in the stands.
A few "uninvited guests" appeared.
Dressed oddly, and babbling in a language the surrounding people couldn't understand.
"Are you guys speaking Spanish?"
A fan immediately picked up on it and confronted them.
They were scouts from Spain!
Crystal Palace fans instantly grew alert.
Scouts from Spain?
Coming all the way from Spain to watch an English Championship match?
Anyone with half a brain could guess their intentions!
"Don't even think about poaching our genius!"
"Are you from Real Madrid or Barcelona?"
"Spanish clubs are all stupid! Our genius was dumped on us by that brain-dead club Barcelona for just 500,000 euros!"
"All Spanish clubs are birds of a feather!"
A commotion broke out in the stands.
The two poor Spanish scouts were shoved around by angry Crystal Palace fans—
And were even kicked out of the stadium!
Security tried to intervene.
But even the security guards were fans of Kai.
Once they understood the situation,
They frowned and escorted the scouts out of the stadium!
The fans erupted in cheers!
The two Spanish scouts were on the verge of tears.
What kind of people are these?!
It's no joke calling English fans "football hooligans"!
This bizarre scene left the Chinese commentary team stunned.
Ma Fanshu covered her mouth, exclaiming, "Kai is too popular now! Crystal Palace fans treat him like a national treasure!"
In fact—
Not just the stadium security,
Even the ball boys, cleaners, cafeteria chefs—
All were die-hard fans of Kai!
They absolutely would not allow their superstar to be stolen by clubs from other leagues!
[This is killing me! This is insane! They straight-up kicked those guys out of the stadium!]
[Mess with anyone, just don't mess with English hooligan fans!]
[Kai is basically an untouchable treasure now. Treated like royalty! I bet Maradona got the same treatment at Napoli!]
[Were those two scouts really from Barça? Is Barça regretting letting him go now that Kai has burst onto the scene?]
Meanwhile—
Other "uninvited guests" in the stands had not been discovered.
A few English scouts collectively sighed in relief:
"Good thing we speak English."
One scout reassured the others:
"Don't worry. Even if we're found out by Palace fans, they won't be as rough with us as they were with the Spanish scouts."
"We work for the Professor. Who in English football would dare disrespect him?"
Another scout nodded.
"Honestly, he probably doesn't even need us to come in person. The old man could probably scout talent just by watching matches on TV!"
"Right now, he's definitely in front of his TV, watching this very match."
"But I have my doubts. That 16-year-old kid is getting more expensive by the day—rumor has it his release clause is nearly 10 million euros! Even if the Professor wants him, can Arsenal afford it?"
Elsewhere in the stands—
Fan Sijing sat in the audience, eyes fixed with anticipation on the player tunnel.
Next to her sat another man who clearly didn't look like a local.
His name tag read: Jorge Mendes.
Mendes had flown in from Portugal specifically today.
Someone recently recommended a young player to him.
He came to assess whether this player was worthy of becoming one of his many superstar clients.
If so, he'd act immediately to sign him.
"An English Championship match with a Premier League-level home atmosphere?!"
"Who are the fans chanting for in unison?"
Mendes was intrigued.
Fan Sijing beamed with pride.
"Of course it's for Kai! He's the flag-bearer of Crystal Palace now. The fans adore him!"
Mendes suddenly understood.
He looked around—
Noticed everyone nearby was wearing the same No. 10 jersey!
Then—
At the moment Kai walked out of the player tunnel with his teammates—
The stadium exploded!
"KAI!!"
"KAI!!"
The crowd's chants echoed in the sky above the pitch!
"See? Everyone here treats him like a treasure!"
"He's just amazing!"
Fan Sijing waved her arms excitedly.
Watching this awe-inspiring scene,
Mendes was increasingly fascinated.
"What a magical kid… If I'm not mistaken, he's only 16.
To win over the notoriously hard-to-please English fans at that age—
It's practically a miracle!"
At the same time,
Kai had no idea about all these mini-dramas in the stands.
On the pitch—
The match had already begun!
Burnley's head coach stood on the sideline, looking grim, eyes glued to the field.
Right from the start, Burnley was under immense pressure.
Mostly mental pressure.
Thanks to Palace's recent winning streak, the home atmosphere had become downright terrifying.
Though the stadium only held 30,000—
Its intensity rivaled that of the 60,000–70,000-seat giants!
Burnley's players looked a little dazed.
Is this really the Championship? Or the Premier League?
It felt like they were at Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge, or the Emirates!
How could a small club like Crystal Palace have such cohesion?!
But soon—
After getting used to the grass and air—
Burnley adjusted to the hostile environment.
They were a relegated Premier League side, after all.
Last season, they played against the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal!
Those stadiums were even scarier!
"Burnley started slow—but they've quickly adapted to the rhythm!"
"Pressing! Aggressive pressing! Big movements! That's Burnley's style!"
"In English football, Burnley's known as the 'Martial Arts Team'!"
On the pitch—
Similar to Leeds United's style,
Burnley emphasized high pressing, with one major difference:
They played dirty.
Burnley had the most red cards this season in the Championship.
Fans who knew them well described their style as—
A mix of English rugby and MMA!
Their tactics were simple and brutal.
Relying on physical duels, nonstop running, and fierce pressing—
They struck fear into every team they faced!
Even Bielsa would've called their mad-dog tactics "impressive."
Their pressure was even more relentless than Leeds!
24th minute!
After a round of bulldozing attacks, Burnley scored first!
In a Crystal Palace build-up from the back—
Clyne was a bit slow in releasing the ball on the flank.
Burnley's fullback surged up, twisted his hips, and sneakily drove his pelvis into Clyne's waist.
A subtle foul—
But enough to knock Clyne off balance and send the ball out of bounds.
Clyne grimaced, holding his waist and signaling to the ref.
The home crowd erupted in furious boos!
Burnley's fullback ignored it, surged forward with the ball,
And sent a cross into the middle.
Burnley's striker, Jay Rodriguez, had been waiting—
And buried it with a clean finish!
0–1!
Burnley struck first on the road!
The Crystal Palace defenders held their heads in frustration.
Rodriguez celebrated with a flashy knee-slide.
The stadium roared with deafening boos!
Palace fans cursed in rage—furious that Burnley's dirty tactics had paid off.
They leapt from their seats, shouting at the referee.
Burnley's manager, thrilled, raised his fist and turned to sit calmly on the bench.
"This is how we play!
I've studied this Crystal Palace team closely.
Their whole spine relies on that No. 10 midfielder.
Everyone else is average.
High pressing and full-on attack—they won't survive it!"
He sat smugly, feeling the game was under his control.
From the stands, scattered boos could be heard.
But unlike in the past, Crystal Palace fans weren't harshly criticizing their own players after the goal.
Instead, their hopeful eyes all turned toward the young man with black hair on the pitch.
They chose to trust their Eagle King!
Kai stood near the center circle, hands on his hips,
Staring down the Burnley players.
This Burnley team—
More aggressive than Leeds, but much slower at repositioning.
Their tactics were just a wild brawl,
Trying to suffocate opponents with overwhelming pressure.
All-out attack?
Kai's eyes sharpened.
Then let's do it.
Time to rack up those assists!