Ibrahimović had also dropped back into his own half, helping to set up the defensive wall.
Every fan who had followed Arsenal this season knew one thing:
Although Kai possessed godlike technique,
when it came to set pieces, he almost always went for direct shots on goal.
That had become the unspoken consensus.
Abbiati had studied Kai's technical abilities thoroughly before tonight—
especially his free-kick shooting style.
In the eyes of the Milan goalkeeper, his own teammate Pirlo was a free-kick master too,
but Pirlo's style was light and elegant,
favoring curved, floating shots—
the falling leaf technique.
But Kai?
He was fierce and domineering!
Nearly all of his free kicks were thunderous cannonballs!
At the edge of the penalty area,
both teams finished setting up the wall.
On the away side of the stands, Milan fans looked tense.
"We can't concede again."
"We absolutely can't afford another goal!"
If the gap widened any further,
Milan would fall into the same helpless position they had in the first leg of the Champions League—
dominated by Arsenal from start to finish!
Over 60,000 pairs of eyes
were now locked on Kai, standing behind the ball.
It was a free kick from the left-center zone, a bit closer to the middle.
Not an ideal angle—
neither the near post nor far post looked comfortable to target.
Rosický and Arteta stood beside Kai.
The referee blew the whistle.
The players in the wall began jostling and pushing.
Rosický gave the ball a gentle nudge.
Kai began his run-up!
Just as his right foot was about to strike the ball—
The Milan wall leapt high,
instinctively trying to use their bodies
to block the fierce free kick they expected was coming.
But!
What happened next caught everyone completely off guard.
Kai didn't strike the lower part of the ball like he usually did for a rising shot.
This time, he smashed the center of the ball with the instep of his right foot!
The ball shot low, hugging the grass—
like a missile skimming the surface—
blazing beneath the leaping Milan wall,
screaming straight for the bottom-left corner of the goal!
A low-driven strike—an explosive ground shot!
The Emirates erupted in a deafening mix of gasps and wild cheers!
On the sideline, Allegri instinctively clutched his head in disbelief.
Abbiati's face twisted in terror!
But by the time he realized the shot was low—
it was already too late!
His body's defensive stance had been too high.
The Milan wall, in jumping, had even partially blocked his view.
By the time he saw the ball zip under the wall and curve into the bottom corner—
he was frozen on the goal line, unable to react in time!
Thwack!
A crisp sound as the ball hit the back of the net.
The net bulged and sprang upward from the force!
Instantly!
A roaring wave of cheers erupted across the entire stadium!
GOALLLLLLLLLLL!!!
The commentator screamed in a frenzy,
dragging out the word "GOAL" until he was almost breathless,
collapsing over his microphone.
"Unbelievable! Absolutely amazing!!"
"A pinpoint, low-driven bomb! The ball stayed on the ground and blasted into the unreachable bottom corner!"
"It's 2–0!!!"
"Celebrate, Gunners!"
"Applaud and cheer—for the King of the Emirates!!"
Arsenal fans were completely overwhelmed with excitement!
After Kai smashed in that world-class low strike,
the atmosphere between the Arsenal and Milan stands turned into fire and ice once more.
Wild celebration on one side—
total silence on the other.
"Gunner King!"
"Gunner King!!"
Arsenal supporters chanted with abandon.
Every Gunners fan was thrilled beyond belief.
Magnificent!
Their leader—
their young captain—
played with such imagination and audacity!
Every decision Kai made on the pitch
left people utterly stunned!
On the sidelines, Wenger clapped furiously,
beaming with pride under the flashing lights of media cameras.
When Kai ran toward the sideline,
Wenger extended his arm for a powerful high-five!
Kai then spread his arms wide,
facing the stands—
and his teammates rushed toward him,
each one leaping onto their captain in celebration!
Meanwhile, another scene that the media loved to see unfolded—
inside the Milan penalty area,
Abbiati and Nesta were arguing again.
This time, Abbiati didn't just silently endure it.
Years of frustration finally erupted between them!
"Damn it! Don't even think about blaming that one entirely on me!"
"You guys jumping like that blocked my view!"
"If I'd seen the ball, I could've gone down in time to save it!"
Nesta and Abate stood there with frustration written all over their faces,
hands raised in helplessness.
"What the hell are you talking about?! You're the one who directed us on how to set up the wall! Now you want to push all the blame onto us?!"
Chaos filled the Milan penalty box.
Reporters from Gazzetta dello Sport, watching pitchside, were visibly disappointed.
Facing Kai's Arsenal,
Milan had now suffered two straight Champions League matches plagued by internal conflicts!
Once this match ended, what would the world's media say about Milan?
On the sideline, Allegri's face had turned dark as iron.
He turned away and stormed back into the dugout.
The Milan manager had run out of cards to play.
For months now, they had obsessively studied Kai and this terrifying Arsenal team.
To say that the results had been useless would be an understatement—
it had done absolutely nothing.
Thirty minutes into the first half,
Milan were down 0–2 again!
Allegri saw no hope.
This kind of despair—
no other team in Serie A had ever made him feel it.
Not even the other two champions they had faced in this season's UCL group:
Borussia Dortmund and Ajax.
Against them, Milan still held their ground—trading blows as equals.
But against Kai's Arsenal?
All they could do…
was cover their heads and brace for impact!
At midfield, Pirlo stood silently, saying nothing.
As the waves of Arsenal cheers echoed through the stadium,
the Gunners earned a corner kick in the closing moments of the first half.
Kai stood at the corner flag, raised a hand in signal,
and whipped a curved ball high into the box.
Inside the penalty area, Van Dijk soared into the air—
towering over Ibrahimović—
and smashed a header into the net!
The Emirates erupted once again!
Cheers and applause filled the air with excitement!
The fans were ecstatic to see the incredible potential of this young Dutch center-back,
who had only joined Arsenal this season!
Van Dijk sprinted toward Kai in celebration!
This was his first goal of the season since joining Arsenal!
The frenzy swept through the crowd like wildfire!
Halftime score: 3–0!
In the Milan stands, there was almost total silence.
Even the die-hard away fans who had traveled far refused to leave early—
but their expressions were grim and anguished.
They watched in silence, eyes full of pain and helplessness.
Halftime – 15-minute break
Suddenly, the London media broke a story that sent a new wave of excitement surging through the entire stadium:
Arsenal captain Kai, with 2 goals and 1 assist in the first half,
now has 11 Champions League goals this season!
He was now just one goal away
from tying the all-time single-season UCL record of 12 goals,
set by Van Nistelrooy in the 2002–03 season!
The Emirates exploded in celebration once more!
Arsenal fans erupted in thunderous chants!
Many supporters were stunned, bowing in admiration!
Even the Milan media were terrified.
If Kai could match the Champions League scoring record
in just four matches…
Dear God.
It was just as terrifying as how he had already matched or broken the Premier League single-season scoring record in only 14 matches!
Second Half Begins
Switching sides and resuming play—
another scene that drove nearly 60,000 Arsenal fans into a frenzy began to unfold!
Amid a midfield scramble,
the ball was last touched out of bounds by Van Bommel.
Arteta took several steps back behind the touchline—
and suddenly rushed forward, launching a long, powerful throw-in toward the center!
Kai locked out Pirlo with clever positioning,
cushioned the ball with his thigh,
then popped it up with the tip of his boot—
a brilliant little flick to get past Van Bommel, who was closing in.
A smooth touch to push the ball forward—
And then, just outside the box, standing at the arc—
He unleashed one of his trademark long-range rockets!
The ball launched off the ground—
a golden trajectory screaming like thunder through the air!
It roared through the space between Abbiati's gloves,
and smashed into the top-right corner of the net!
In that instant—
The entire Emirates exploded in a deafening, earthquake-like cheer!
After scoring, Kai leapt into the air,
clenched his fists, and roared in triumph!
His 12th goal of the Champions League!
"KING OF THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE!!"
"KING OF THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE!!"
Fans on the stands screamed madly, chanting over and over!
Beneath the North London night sky,
the wild roar of joy surged across the pitch like a tidal wave.
~~----------------------
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