Sixty-first minute.
Feyenoord launched an attack from outside Sporting Lisbon's penalty area.
Van Persie's shot was blocked by the center-back and bounced high into the air.
Players from both sides rushed in to contest the loose ball.
After several changes of possession, Van Persie got to it again, but before he could make another move, the Lisbon goalkeeper seized the chance and cleared the ball toward Feyenoord's half.
When Kai in midfield faced the clearance, he didn't stop the ball to transition at all. Instead, with his back to goal, he turned and volleyed it forward in one motion, instantly accelerating the counterattack!
"Beautiful! Kai's awareness is incredible!"
"That's the fastest counter-launch I've ever seen!"
"Kai didn't waste time controlling the ball like other counterattack hubs. He directly blasted it toward the opponent's penalty area—half pass, half shot!"
"It's not accurate, but accuracy doesn't matter right now. Speed is everything! Because Sporting Lisbon have another man chasing it down, and that is… Chris!"
"Chris is lightning-fast! He's chasing the ball and has already overtaken at least two Feyenoord defenders!"
"The Feyenoord center-back is pulling Chris, but he can't hold him! Chris swings his arms free, and his jersey is about to be torn to shreds!"
"The referee signals advantage—Chris already has control of the ball, and there's only the Feyenoord goalkeeper left in front of him!"
"Continuous adjustments… step-over, scissors… lift the foot… tap the ball… he's through! Chris has beaten the goalkeeper! He really reminds people of the alien Ronaldo!"
"Push into the empty net! Beautiful!"
"After Van Persie, Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the second player to score twice in this match!"
"He helps Sporting Lisbon turn it around—3–2!"
"This goal was stunning! Kai's pass and Chris's finish were both flawless!"
Ronaldo rushed over to celebrate with Kai.
The two leapt into the air and spun 180 degrees, their jerseys clearly shown by the camera near the corner flag.
On the sidelines, Maxa jumped in excitement as well.
Because today's match was being watched by the club's top management from the VIP box.
If they won this game, Sporting Lisbon would have a real chance of advancing to the UEFA Youth League Round of 16 as second in the group!
This result would far exceed the U15 team's initial seasonal goal.
On the other side, Feyenoord's head coach looked grim.
Van Persie clenched his fists on the pitch.
This match was just as important for them.
If they won, they would secure qualification one round early.
But if they lost, they would have to fight one more decisive match.
And that extra rest was something Van Persie desperately needed—he had played too many games this season.
"Focus on their midfielder! That player is too dangerous—he's Sporting Lisbon's offensive engine!" Feyenoord's coach shouted orders, not expecting things to reach this point.
But now… there was no choice.
Bang!
Kai was knocked to the ground by a Feyenoord player.
The referee blew the whistle for a foul but didn't show a card.
It was a normal physical challenge.
Kai was simply smaller and easier to knock over.
Kai consciously began dropping deeper, almost retreating to a defensive midfield position.
This way, any opponent assigned to mark him couldn't follow too closely.
After all, sticking to him would mean voluntarily opening up a massive hole in the defense.
However, Kai dropping back also meant withdrawing from the midfield and attacking battle, leaving him unable to provide continuous support.
As a result, Feyenoord launched another wave of attacks near Sporting Lisbon's penalty area.
But Feyenoord made a fatal mistake.
That mistake was believing Kai was the only real threat.
A top midfielder can multiply a forward's threat several times over.
Limiting Kai would limit Sporting Lisbon's forwards—this logic was correct.
Without Kai, the threat of Sporting Lisbon's center-forward and right winger did drop sharply.
But the mistake was treating Ronaldo as just an ordinary striker.
In reality, even without Kai's support, Ronaldo was still above the level of this competition.
He was a young forward not inferior to Van Persie or Fernando Torres.
His poor performances in the previous European matches were purely due to poor team chemistry—not a lack of ability.
In the 69th minute, Cristiano Ronaldo received a pass from his left-back deep in his own half.
He pushed the ball forward, accelerated, burst past his marker on the outside, and in one breath completely tore through Feyenoord's flank!
Ronaldo charged all the way to the byline.
Just as everyone thought he would cross, he cut along the line and entered the penalty area.
After drawing the goalkeeper's full attention, Ronaldo delivered a lofted cross.
Sporting Lisbon's right winger nodded the ball into the empty net.
Four–two!
Sporting Lisbon struck again.
Even without Kai—
They still had Ronaldo!
"GOAL! What a pass!"
"Ninety-five percent of this goal belongs to Chris!"
"Chris has changed! He never used to pass—let alone pass after entering the box!"
"Chris has always been one of the best forwards of his age group. He had his struggles, but once he recognized his flaws, he corrected them quickly—just like now."
"A Chris who can pass is the most dangerous player on the pitch!"
"Not double-teaming Chris was Feyenoord's second biggest mistake today! The first was not marking Kai!"
Feyenoord's coach was speechless.
Facing two monsters on the opposing team, there was simply no easy solution.
All they could hope for now was that Van Persie could go one-versus-two and explode with everything he had.
The match wasn't over yet.
But for the Feyenoord players—especially those on the right side—Ronaldo had beaten all the temper out of them.
They were completely helpless.
The people more nervous than Feyenoord's players were Hugo and his group in the stands.
They were no longer making any money.
They might even have to pay compensation.
As long as the total goals didn't exceed six, they would only suffer a small loss—not total ruin.
But if another goal went in…
They would bleed badly.
That massive debt was something they couldn't afford.
All their money was borrowed.
If profit turned into loss, it would ruin lives.
In the 75th minute, Ronaldo finally helped his brother Hugo put his heart back where it belonged.
Hugo no longer had to worry about a seventh goal.
Because—
"It's Chris again! His cut inside is terrifying! This right-footed player on the left fits him perfectly!"
"Although this isn't ideal for developing his left foot and might affect his future first-team integration, it makes him a lethal killer at youth level!"
"Chris slows down on the left side of the box, lifts his foot to shoot—no! It's not a shot!"
"It's a pass! Fake shot, real pass! This one is for—"
"Kai! Kai, who's been quiet for twenty minutes, suddenly surges forward! He kept drifting, and no one knew when he arrived near the box!"
"Shoot!"
"It's in!"
"Kai scores the seventh goal of the match!"
"Chris delivers two assists and two goals—absolutely dominating the game!"
"Five–two! Sporting Lisbon have gone completely crazy!"
"The fans are roaring, shouting for one more! One more!"
Facing Cristiano Ronaldo, who looked like a god descending to earth, Van Persie felt doubt for the first time.
Did he need a partner?
He hadn't offended anyone—
So why did he have to face Ronaldo and Kai in such outrageous form?
To turn this around, he would need three more goals.
Not that he couldn't do it.
But even if he could…
It would be exhausting.
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