The moment Kai broke through, he released the ball to Santi Cazorla.
As he jogged forward, he could feel it clearly.
Lighter.
Quicker off the mark, cleaner in his stops and turns. Even his footwork felt more responsive, more precise.
It suited him.
He knew he was not complete yet. Far from it. He could beat a man, but doing it repeatedly under pressure was still a work in progress.
Still, his physicality remained a key part of his game.
Nearby, Gonzalez clicked his tongue in frustration. "Damn it… couldn't get near him."
Ouyang Fei pressed a hand to his chest, breathing heavily. "Feels like I ran into a wall."
Gonzalez glanced at him, a little surprised.
"You went straight into him? That's brave," he said, half amused. "Kai's built for the Premier League."
"Stop talking," Ouyang Fei muttered, still catching his breath. "Get back. We need to recover shape."
They both turned and sprinted back as Arsenal settled into possession again.
This time, there was no rush.
Arsenal slowed it down, moving the ball with patience, probing, testing.
Across from them, FC Basel stayed aggressive. Young, energetic, and committed to pressing high, they chased every pass, closing angles, trying to force mistakes.
They were getting closer each time.
"Not bad," Kai muttered under his breath, exchanging a glance with Cazorla. "They've got energy."
Cazorla gave a slight smile. "Plenty of it."
But energy came at a cost.
"Back," Kai called as he dropped into position behind him.
Cazorla delayed just a second, shifting the ball to shake off pressure before rolling it back.
Kai's first touch was not perfect. He adjusted quickly with short steps, opening his body and nudging the ball into space along his intended path.
He waited.
Only when the Basel press closed in did he release the pass.
Around him, the rest of Arsenal followed the same rhythm.
Two touches. Sometimes three.
Never rushed.
Basel kept running, pressing, chasing shadows, but the ball stayed just out of reach.
"Sie lassen uns umsonst arbeiten," the Swiss commentator said, tension rising in his voice.
(They're making us work for nothing.)
On the touchline, Arsène Wenger watched calmly, a faint smile on his face.
The noise from Basel's players only grew louder.
"Go, go!"
"Close him!"
"Left side!"
"Faster!"
They surged forward again and again, pressing with everything they had.
And slowly, their legs began to fade.
Ouyang Fei stopped abruptly, scanning the field. His eyes followed the ball, then his teammates, then back again.
Arsenal could move the ball faster. Everyone knew that.
So why were they not doing it?
Why the extra touch?
Why invite pressure?
His expression tightened.
"Wait… no."
It clicked.
He turned sharply and began retreating, dropping deeper into midfield while shouting to Gonzalez.
"Drop back. Now."
Gonzalez hesitated. "What? We've got them under pressure."
Ouyang Fei shook his head, pointing at him. "Look at yourself. You're already drenched."
Gonzalez wiped his forehead and froze for a second.
Too much sweat. Too early.
"They're… dragging us around?"
Ouyang Fei nodded. "They're draining us. Step by step."
Realization hit.
Gonzalez exhaled sharply. "Damn it… we walked straight into it."
He raised his arm and shouted, pulling his teammates back into shape.
"Drop. Stay compact."
They could not keep sprinting like that. Another few minutes and they would be spent.
Gradually, FC Basel eased off. The reckless pressing stopped, and the shape tightened.
Arsenal felt it immediately.
The pressure was gone.
Kai cushioned the ball under his foot, rolling it slightly to the right as he lifted his head to scan ahead.
"They've clocked it," he said quietly.
Basel had retreated.
A small smile appeared on his face.
It did not matter. The job was already done.
He slipped the ball to Santi Cazorla and pointed sharply toward Ángel Di María.
"Now. Go."
Cazorla understood straight away. His tempo changed in an instant.
Enough patience.
He dragged the ball across his body and turned as if driving through the middle, drawing defenders toward him before releasing it quickly out wide to Di María.
At the same moment, Kai, Cazorla, Alexis Sánchez, and Luis Suárez all pushed forward together, flooding into the box.
The pace of the attack jumped.
"Damn it," Susi muttered, caught off guard by the sudden shift.
Arsenal were no longer probing. They were decisive.
On the flank, Di María drove at his man.
"Stop him!" Suchy, a central defender, shouted, trying to organize the line.
But Di María kept shifting the ball, feint after feint. When the route inside closed, he did not hesitate. He opened his body and whipped in a cross.
"Pick up your men!"
Suchy turned, searching for Kai.
Too late.
Kai had already slipped behind Cazorla, timing his run perfectly. He rose above the line, meeting the ball with force.
"Clear it!"
Suchy tried to recover, but Cazorla's positioning had blocked his path.
"Ah, come on," he snapped under his breath.
Kai's header thundered toward the goal.
A sharp reaction followed.
"What a save," called Merson, his voice lifting with the moment.
Tomáš Vaclík had read it well, pushing the ball away with strong hands.
Beside him, Lee Dixon added, "He was watching Kai all the way. Good anticipation, that's top goalkeeping."
The ball dropped outside the box, and Basel broke quickly.
It reached Ouyang Fei, who took a touch before sliding it across to Gonzalez.
Gonzalez tried to drive down the wing, pushing the ball ahead of him.
Then a shout came from behind.
"Check your back!"
Ouyang Fei's voice carried urgency.
Gonzalez hesitated for a split second.
Too late.
A figure surged in from his blind side, cleanly nicking the ball away.
He stumbled forward, then turned in frustration as he saw the player already moving away in an Arsenal shirt.
"N'Golo Kanté…"
His voice carried disbelief.
Kanté kept the ball close, accelerating into space.
"Brilliant," said Paul Merson. "That's exactly what you want from him."
Lee Dixon nodded. "He reads danger early and gets there first. Simple as that."
With Kai pushing higher up the pitch, Kanté had quietly taken over the responsibility in midfield.
He did not overcomplicate it. He closed space, made the tackle, and stopped the move before it could develop.
Basel had thought the opportunity was there.
They assumed Kai would not recover in time.
They forgot about N'Golo Kanté.
Kanté glanced up briefly as he carried the ball forward.