"Beep!"
The referee blew the whistle again!
The match restarted from the center circle!
Selhurst Park erupted in a deafening roar!
Crystal Palace had equalized!
No one had seen this coming.
On the sidelines, the Norwich head coach's face turned pale.
He hadn't expected this at all before kickoff.
Crystal Palace—a team that couldn't even sell tickets just a week ago—
Had tonight managed to unleash such a terrifying home atmosphere!
The stands, packed with thirty thousand fans,
Now rivaled the noise levels of stadiums that held eighty or ninety thousand!
And at the heart of it all—
Was the 16-year-old wearing Crystal Palace's No. 10 jersey!
The boy who had been kicked out of La Masia!
The so-called "bargain bin" player dumped for just €500,000!
The one dubbed Barca's discarded "fraud"!
Norwich's head coach, Daniel, scowled.
"A draw is unacceptable… We must score in the final ten minutes!"
"Our goal this season is promotion. Against a weak side like Crystal Palace, one point is not enough. We need all three!"
Daniel's voice was resolute.
But the Norwich assistant coach beside him wore a deeply worried expression.
He was pacing back and forth, sweat pouring down as he examined the tactics board.
Meanwhile, over at the Crystal Palace bench—
Ian Holloway stood proudly on the touchline, beaming.
He had used all three substitutions—
And every single one of them was a ball-winning enforcer!
His tactical intent was clear:
He had surrounded Kai with fresh-legged midfield sweepers.
He knew that as a young player new to the Premier League, Kai's energy would drain quickly with so many physical confrontations.
Holloway was determined to clear the midfield battlefield for his prodigy!
Miller stood beside him, waving his arms toward the stands,
Rallying the home fans to pour out waves of cheers!
A thunderous chorus of support rolled in from all directions!
"Attack!"
"Attack!"
"One more! Crush those Norwich scumbags!"
"Eagle King! Lead Crystal Palace to soar!"
The fans howled wildly,
And flags bearing the emblem of the eagle flapped high above the pitch!
On the field—
Time was nearly up!
Crystal Palace's players dug in and defended with all they had!
Norwich striker Charles kept charging into the Palace defense, again and again—
But to no avail!
Not every striker can crack a "park-the-bus" defense.
Charles was decent at finishing chances,
But in the second half, without proper midfield and wing support,
He looked increasingly desperate with every move.
Still, Norwich were undeniably the stronger side on paper.
They couldn't stomach a draw.
Daniel, normally calm and composed,
Now waved his arms frantically on the sideline, signaling for one last organized push.
They would not accept being held to a draw by a relegation-tier team!
They attacked down the flanks repeatedly—
Their signature approach!
On Palace's left wing,
A Norwich fullback once again broke through.
Palace's own fullback, Clyne, drained of stamina, stumbled and couldn't keep up!
With no other choice, Clyne fouled him from behind!
"Beep!"
The referee rushed over, blew the whistle, and pointed to the spot of the foul!
Then he flashed a yellow card to Clyne!
A wave of boos erupted around the stadium!
Norwich players swarmed toward the edge of the Palace box.
This was a golden set-piece opportunity from the left flank.
A Norwich midfielder stood over the ball,
Scanning the box, analyzing his teammates' positions.
In the noisy Selhurst Park,
Many of the home fans held their breath.
It was already the final minute of stoppage time!
Just one more minute—
If Palace could hold on, they would secure a valuable point at home.
Something the fans would absolutely be happy with,
Especially against a Championship powerhouse like Norwich.
"Beep!"
The ref blew the whistle!
A Norwich midfielder faked his run-up, stepping over the ball—
Another Norwich player followed up and whipped it in with a sharp curl!
Chaos erupted in the Palace penalty area!
Bodies collided, players tumbled—
The ball floated in with an unpredictable spin,
Its trajectory wobbling wildly in mid-air!
Kaiddenly, the stands fell silent for a brief instant.
The ball's first drop point—
A black-haired figure appeared like a phantom!
Holloway's expression changed instantly—
It was Kai!
With his "God's-eye view,"
He read the drop point of the high ball with uncanny precision!
Though not great in the air himself,
His awareness was off the charts!
Among towering 6'3" English defenders,
He still managed to reach the ball first!
"Unbelievable vision!"
"Palace's new No. 10 wins the first ball! He's not rushing to clear it!"
"He's shouting—telling his teammates to move!"
All the Palace fans leapt to their feet!
Their voices caught in their throats.
They couldn't even scream,
But their eyes gleamed with a strange fire!
This—
Was a chance!
An unexpected one!
On the field—
"Vaughan!!"
Kai calmly brought the ball down and slotted it diagonally ahead!
At the same time, he roared out loud!
There was no time to hold onto the ball.
No time to dribble.
With the God's-eye view activated,
He had to send this damned ball to the perfect spot—now!
James Vaughan understood instantly!
He broke into a full sprint downfield—
His pace was electrifying!
Once a Premier League prodigy himself,
He was known for speed and positional awareness!
Norwich's defenders hadn't even reacted yet—
And Kai had already launched his pass!
The third "cruise missile" module activated!
That golden arc once again appeared!
The ball soared along a brilliant golden path,
Drawing a curve so beautiful it left fans slack-jawed!
One-on-one!!
Vaughan was through on goal!
The Norwich keeper stood on his line—
Frozen in indecision for just a moment!
But that single moment—
Sealed their fate.
"Boom!"
Vaughan charged into the box—
One swing of the leg!
The ball smashed into the net!
The net bulged sky-high!
GOALLLLLL!!
It was in!
3–2!!
A last-second comeback!
A last-minute kill!!
A moment of stunned silence—
Then Selhurst Park erupted like a volcanic explosion!
Red and blue eagle flags fluttered across the sky!
All of South London felt like it was quaking with the roar!!