"CD! CD! CD!"
Some fans began shouting the name of the "CD connection" that the commentator had just made up.
It seemed to confirm that Ronaldo and Kai had an incredible understanding.
The two exchanged passes several times after that, each one creating real threats.
In the 19th minute, Ronaldo found Kai cutting inside with the ball.
Kai's continuous shot was astonishing.
The football nearly knocked all the pigeons out of the sky.
This also proved that his opening goal had been intentional—or at least, not entirely blind. His shooting skills were not perfect, but his instinct was deadly.
After the ball flew into the stands, Kai sheepishly waved to Ronaldo and gave a thumbs-up.
A forward who loves praise will never be disliked.
Ronaldo didn't say much.
This amazed the teammates. If anyone else had attempted such a shot, Ronaldo might have chewed them out.
Love in football, it seems, is unfair. Some players never get it, while others are showered with it.
In fact, Kai's shot was mostly a test.
He wanted to see if there were any loopholes in the system, whether the "Panther Hunt" could be triggered if a teammate passed the ball.
The results proved there was no shortcut—it required a change of possession.
39th minute.
Ronaldo struck the ball from the outside of the left side of the penalty area.
Powerful… sinking…
But Qatar Sports' goalkeeper managed a critical save, stopping the ball at the bottom line.
Sporting Lisbon earned a corner kick.
Ronaldo actively moved into the box, extremely alert.
Boom!
Lisbon's No. 10 took the corner.
Ronaldo jumped high, but failed to win the header.
Qatar Sports' central defender, at 1.76 meters, out-jumped Ronaldo and cleared the ball from the box.
Andoua, who had been part of the aerial challenge but didn't jump, ran after the loose ball.
But Kai, already outside the penalty area, was faster. The ball flew directly toward him.
"Kai's in a great position. He should control it easily!"
"Oops! The ball's a bit high. It won't be easy to control!"
"Andoua is rushing in. Kai has no extra time!"
"Any contact now and there's a high chance Kai will lose possession."
"Andoua is signaling his forwards to sprint. He's confident he'll grab the ball!"
As the ball fell, Andoua suddenly stopped two meters in front of Kai.
Whenever Kai stops the ball, it naturally bounces toward Andoua.
This ball was tough to control, landing near Kai's chest.
For youth players, such a chest stop is nearly two meters of margin.
Andoua tried to create a psychological trap, pretending he could intercept, pressuring Kai to make a mistake.
Not clever enough.
Maxa sighed. If a taller player—around 1.8 meters—had received the ball, a direct volley would have been possible.
But Kai had only one solution.
Everyone watched in stunned silence.
Chest stop!
Kai controlled the ball with his chest.
A slight backward lean absorbed all the force, perfectly dropping the ball in front of him.
At that moment, Kai's ball control—number 63 in the academy—was on full display.
A masterclass stop.
Andoua miscalculated.
He realized he'd lost the chance to intercept and quickly expanded his defensive area, ready to challenge any pass into the box.
Boom!
A loud crack echoed.
Before the ball even touched the ground, Kai volleyed it.
Flying past Andoua, again leaving the defenders frozen—just like his first goal.
No one had time to react.
Everyone expected Kai to stop the ball, look for a passing opportunity, or loft it into the box.
But he didn't wait. He volleyed.
Whoosh!
The ball rocketed into the net, sending white waves of netting into the air.
Players were stunned, vision blurred, unable to process what had just happened.
Everyone searched for the "initiator."
Kai had already sprinted to the corner flag.
Ronaldo immediately realized who scored, sprinted, and caught up to Kai.
Kai circled his fingers. Ronaldo nodded.
Then, the two jumped together, spun 180 degrees in midair, and landed perfectly.
"Siuuuuuuuuu!"
Only then did the commentator react.
"Perfect volley!"
"This shot is earth-shattering!"
"Everyone said Kai couldn't shoot, and now he scores such a magnificent goal!"
"Two world-class goals in one match! Both could be contenders for best goal of the round!"
"Kai seems to thrive on difficult, almost impossible goals."
"Let's congratulate him—this is his second goal in the U15 League!"
"Three-nil! Sporting Lisbon is practically winning this game already!"
"Qatar Sports has been completely dismantled!"
During halftime, Maxa couldn't be happier.
A special note about youth games: there are rarely comebacks. Winning or losing is usually by a big margin.
Young players' mentality is unstable. Downwind shots? Great. Headwind shots? Often disaster.
Sporting Lisbon had struggled this season, but Ronaldo had become a superstar by continuously scoring and leading the team—even when trailing.
Trailing three-nil? Ronaldo still urged the team, grabbing the ball and challenging the defense over and over.
He already ranked fifth among the league's total scorers. For a team near the bottom, this was incredible.
And this ranking was across all five ABCDE regions, not just Lisbon's area.
"Play smart in the second half. Follow my arrangements," Maxa said, pointing to Jiang Shan.
The Qatar Sports coach had clearly put in more effort than the lazy Maxa.
At the start of the second half, Kai immediately felt their double-teaming.
Not just Andoua—but another midfielder.
Star-level treatment.
Kai's opportunities were suddenly reduced. Sporting Lisbon's midfield became unbalanced, pushed back into their own half.
But Ronaldo had the ball.
Even if the midfield was gone, Ronaldo could still dribble into the attacking third and create danger.
66th minute.
Kai held the ball and faced Andoua's physical pressure.
Kai tilted his body, bracing against Andoua, trying to maintain balance—but he was pushed back.
At the critical moment, Kai passed forward.
He was pressed hard, but the referee let play continue—because the pass created a chance.
No one expected Kai, not known for physical duels, could pull this off.
Only Ronaldo believed and sprinted from the start.
Single sword!
Ronaldo caught the pass and ran alone.
Facing the goalkeeper, he calmly shifted side to side.
Finally, he knocked down the keeper and slotted the ball into the net.
Ronaldo scores!
Kai assisted two goals in total!
Score: 4-0 Sporting Lisbon!
Suspense: ended.
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