Right as Kai was about to launch a long pass
that would pierce straight into United's heart—
Just as Park Ji-sung realized he wouldn't have time to slide in with a tackle,
he reached out from behind and grabbed Kai's jersey,
trying to stop the young prodigy from launching a dangerous pass!
The tug wasn't enough to pull Kai down—
but the referee blew his whistle decisively, signaling a foul!
In the stands, Manchester United fans let out a breath of relief.
Crystal Palace's counterattack had been way too efficient!
Had that long pass really gone through,
the consequences could have been unimaginable!
Up in the stands, the Korean fans cheered:
"Amazing! Our Park Ji-sung just pulled off the perfect tactical foul!
United turned a dangerous Palace counterattack
into a set-piece from a terrible position!"
They were thrilled.
After all—this free kick was at least 40 yards out from goal,
and a little too centered.
Shooting directly was out of the question.
At best, they could lob it into the box and try their luck.
To the United supporters, this was the perfect tactical solution:
No yellow card, and they defused the crisis!
Even Son Heung-min, watching from the stands, lit up:
"Park's playing style is really worth learning from!"
Park Ji-sung bumped fists with his teammates
as all of United's defenders gathered near the edge of the box.
"Before the match, no one thought Palace could give United this much trouble!"
"One quick and deadly counterattack,
and United were forced to commit a foul—
giving Palace a dangerous set-piece!"
The on-site commentators were pounding with excitement.
This match had completely defied expectations.
Before kickoff, everyone thought it would be a one-sided slaughter by United.
But reality proved otherwise!
The two sides were going toe-to-toe,
and on the grand stage of the FA Cup Final,
they were locked in a tense deadlock!
Under the watchful gaze of 100,000 fans at Wembley...
Kai stepped up behind the ball.
United's players and Palace's own had formed their respective walls at the edge of the box.
Coach Holloway's pupils contracted.
He looked at Kai, standing behind the ball—
That familiar posture made the Crystal Palace head coach's heart skip a beat!
"No way... could it be?!"
Nobody knew exactly what this young genius was thinking.
But one thing was certain:
Up to this point—
every choice he made on the pitch had never failed!
The referee blew the whistle.
And in an instant, the massive Wembley Stadium fell dead silent.
100,000 pairs of eyes locked onto the black-haired boy as he began his run-up.
Everyone's heartbeat skyrocketed.
Kai took one last glance at the goal.
He stepped forward.
Planted his standing foot.
And with a sudden twist of his thigh—
He struck!
On the sideline, Sir Alex Ferguson's fingers trembled once again!
"That's a shooting posture!!"
From over 40 yards out,
from a terrible angle—
He's actually shooting?!
Suddenly—
Ferguson remembered a Crystal Palace match from earlier in the season.
A league match where this same boy,
from nearly the same distance,
had shocked the crowd with an incredible free-kick goal!
Now, once again—
With a devastating blast,
Kai smashed the ball forward like a missile!
With a maxed-out Free Kick stat of 100,
he poured all of it into this one shot!
The ball screamed off the turf,
roaring toward the goal with unstoppable fury!
The crowd was stunned!
He really took the shot!
A free kick from over 40 yards out!
The ball carried almost no horizontal curve—
but it rose sharply in the vertical direction!
It howled through the night sky above Wembley,
soaring past the crowded United wall at the edge of the box.
Just as the United fans were about to breathe a sigh of relief,
thinking the shot was going over...
The ball suddenly dropped violently and bizarrely mid-air!
On the sideline, Ferguson froze.
"A knuckleball! A tomahawk-style knuckleball free kick!"
The ball, after soaring to its highest point,
plummeted straight down as if it were in an elevator!
In and around the United box, their players' faces changed instantly!
Before goal, Van der Sar braced himself like he was facing a missile!
But the sheer drop of the ball far exceeded his expectations!
The veteran United keeper—
so many years guarding the Red Devils' net—
sprang up instinctively from the goal line.
But…
His fingertips couldn't even graze the violently dropping ball!
Kai's free kick
tore through the night sky of Wembley—
and smashed straight into Manchester United's net!!
"GOALLLLLL!!!"
"He scored!! Amazing!!"
"2–0!!!"
"That's insane! A knuckleball free kick from hell!!"
The commentators exploded with excitement!
And all of Wembley shook with a violent wave of cheers!
The score had changed again!
2–0!!
In this FA Cup final, the match everyone was watching—
Crystal Palace had taken a two-goal lead!
Fans leapt from their seats, waving their hands wildly.
No one could have predicted such a scene!
A thunderous knuckleball from over 40 yards out—
the ball dropped like a cannon shell and smashed into the top of United's net!
Crystal Palace fans went berserk!
On the field, the Palace players swarmed together in celebration.
"That was crazy, Captain! You're unreal!"
They stared wide-eyed at their captain, bursting with excitement.
It felt like a dream!
Two goals up, in the final, at Wembley!
The entire stadium was now caught in a storm of emotion.
Palace fans roared Kai's name,
shouting with all their strength.
In this most legendary stadium of English football—
the name of a 16-year-old prodigy
echoed through the sky above 100,000 spectators!
On the opposite side, United fans were silent.
They stared in disbelief toward the pitch.
Eyes full of shock, disbelief, and even fear.
On the pitch, Park Ji-sung crouched in despair.
Even in the stands, Korean fans who had been cheering earlier were now dumbfounded.
The tactical foul they had celebrated moments ago?
It had only given Kai another perfect stage to prove himself.
A goal from 40 yards out,
and in the FA Cup final, no less!
Wembley erupted.
On the sideline, Ferguson took a deep breath.
He no longer hesitated.
He immediately called for substitutions.
United's coaching staff waved urgently,
signaling for the players who had been warming up.
Rooney, Ferdinand, and others—
all looked grimly toward the scoreboard.
They had been rested today to save energy for the Champions League final at the end of the month.
After all, this opponent was just a Championship team...
But reality proved—
They couldn't have been more wrong.
United, thinking this would be an easy FA Cup final,
were now trailing before the first half even ended!
They were at the edge of a cliff.
This was a scoreline that couldn't be accepted.
For a team like Manchester United,
whose goal this season was the historic treble,
this result was absolutely unacceptable.
In the executive box,
United's shareholders were furious.
They began furiously calling the coaching staff,
blasting them with criticism and mounting intense pressure.
Under the watch of 100,000 fans at Wembley…
United made their substitutions.
Rooney, Valencia, Ferdinand—
all entered the pitch at once!
The fans were stunned.
Ferguson had used all three substitutions at once!
Now, before them stood a Manchester United in full force!
The Red Devils that had dominated the Premier League and Champions League—
were now fully back on the field!
The crowd went absolutely wild.
Kai had single-handedly forced out the full-strength United!
Once again, Wembley was consumed by a wave of frenzied excitement.
At 0–2 down, United had no choice.
They had to launch a furious counterattack in the remaining time.
This FA Cup final—
this stormy night at Wembley—
was far from over.
~~----------------------
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