After the restart from the center circle…
Kai immediately locked onto Pirlo!
He knew that the true metronome of Milan's offense was none other than the man wearing the number 21 jersey—Andrea Pirlo.
Nearly every offensive play from the Rossoneri started at Pirlo's feet.
So Kai began applying constant pressure around him—
Cutting off his passing lanes and stifling his rhythm.
In this match, Pirlo was positioned as the deep-lying midfielder.
And Kai? He was playing Arsenal's number 10—an exact positional matchup!
With his God's-eye vision supporting him,
He was like an omniscient deity on the pitch.
While orchestrating his teammates' movements, he continued to suffocate Pirlo's passing zone.
Very quickly, after a brief surge in Milan's counteroffensive…
They ran into a deadlock!
Milan had lined up in a 4-3-1-2 formation, packing the midfield with four players.
But with Pirlo neutralized, the other three midfielders also started to struggle.
Gattuso couldn't press Kai while Kai was pressing Pirlo—
Because Kai's movement across the field was just too overwhelming!
Gattuso knew: if he got pulled away by Kai's movement,
it would open up huge gaps in Milan's defensive midfield zone.
But if he didn't mark Kai…
Then Kai would keep locking down Pirlo's passing space.
Up in the stands, Milan fans grew visibly anxious.
"Why isn't Pirlo passing the ball?"
"Because there's no good option! That Arsenal number 10 is constantly cutting off his forward lanes. If Pirlo forces a pass, it'll get intercepted. So all he can do is keep playing safe back passes!"
The crowd went silent.
Milan fans were stunned.
"Wait… that Arsenal kid is not only a midfield genius—he's also a monster on defense?!"
He had completely shut down Milan's midfield core!
On the sideline, Allegri's face was like stone.
His team couldn't break through Arsenal's pressure, and as Milan's manager,
he was starting to feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.
This was supposed to be the Serie A double winners returning to the Champions League stage…
And yet in their very first group stage match, they were already in a crisis!
On the field…
Pirlo was clearly uncomfortable.
Kai had closed off all his forward passing angles,
Forcing him to rely on frequent, protective sideways passes.
Even the fans couldn't sit still anymore.
Their revered midfield maestro—
Was being completely locked down by a young midfielder from the Premier League.
He couldn't even complete a single threatening pass!
Pirlo eventually passed back to Abate.
The Milan defender pushed it out wide.
Van Bommel received it next—
but instantly saw that Kai and Arteta were already sitting right on his return-passing lane back to Pirlo.
With no other options…
Van Bommel attempted a lofted long pass forward.
So far, Milan had failed to create any real attacking threats.
And now that they were trailing by one, the urgency was building!
This group wasn't just a "Group of Death" for Arsenal—
It was the same for Milan.
They had to win at home to lay the foundation for qualification.
Online fans were going wild:
—[Have you noticed? Pirlo looks like a completely average midfielder against Kai!]
—[Kai's game vision is unreal. He's locked Pirlo down completely. With no space to distribute the ball, Milan's attack can't get going at all!]
—[Kai is on another level! I thought this would be a passing duel between him and Pirlo, but he's shut Pirlo down entirely!]
—[So what if Milan has a legendary midfield maestro? The real king of midfield is London's Gunner!]
—[There may be many maestros in the world… but there's only one Kai!]
San Siro Stadium.
32nd minute!
Van Bommel, instead of Pirlo, attempted a hopeful long pass.
Pato dropped deep to receive it.
He successfully brought the ball down…
But as soon as he turned with it—
Kai spotted a flaw in his movement!
He immediately directed Arteta and Rosický
to cut off the support options around Gattuso and others.
Then, in the split second Van Bommel made the pass—
Kai burst forward, shaking off Pirlo behind him—
Charging straight for the falling ball!
Just as Pato turned, Kai closed in like a storm!
With a diagonal clash, he physically shoved the less imposing Pato aside—
Snatching back the ball!
The stands at San Siro instantly erupted into a deafening uproar!
Arsenal fans cheered while Milan fans gasped in shock—
Milan supporters were stunned.
"How the hell is this guy playing like this?!"
First, he exploited Pirlo's mistake and assisted a goal.
Then he shut down Pirlo's passing lanes completely.
Now, he was even teaching a lesson to the former Golden Boy—Pato!
Milan fans were slack-jawed—
"Why does it feel like that Arsenal No. 10 is everywhere on the pitch?!"
But before the Milan fans could recover—
Arsenal's counterattack was already in motion!
The moment Kai made the interception,
The entire Gunners formation responded instantly!
Van Persie sprinted into the half-space channel.
Walcott kept glancing back, reading Kai's movement as he sprinted forward along the flank.
Kai pushed the ball forward one step…
And directly dribbled past the halfway line.
With his God's-eye view fully active,
He didn't hesitate at all—positioned again near the top of the center circle—
And launched a low-driven through ball with blistering power!
The Milan fans cried out in disbelief—
"Again?!"
"Doesn't he even want to take a few more touches, or get closer to his teammates before passing?! Wouldn't that make it safer?!"
"Just how confident is he in his passing ability?!"
That second long-range pass from near the center circle…
Left the San Siro crowd in absolute shock.
It was a hard-driven ground pass, laced with spin—
Sliding across the turf in a perfect curve,
Slipping right between Zambrotta and Abate—
And arriving perfectly at Walcott's feet, who had sprinted forward along the wing!
Suddenly, Arsenal's flank attack opened wide like a floodgate!
On the sidelines, Wenger applauded non-stop.
"Kai's passing is absolutely mesmerizing!"
Walcott received the pass, cut diagonally,
And without hesitation, used his left foot to whip in a low, driven cross!
The Milan penalty area turned into a battlefield of chaos!
Nesta refused to make the same mistake again and held his position tightly—
Locking onto Van Persie at the near post.
Abate had also dropped back into the box,
And spotted Kai charging into the center!
The San Siro crowd erupted in another round of shouts!
At the front post, Van Persie controlled the driven cross with his chest—
And immediately turned to shoot with his left foot!
Goalkeeper Abbiati reacted quickly—
Leaping and managing to punch the shot out of the six-yard box with both fists!
Nesta subconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
He rushed to the ball and cleared it as far as he could.
The Milan fans in the stands had just opened their mouths to cheer—
When their expressions froze in horror!
At the exact moment Nesta cleared the ball…
Kai had already made his move, arriving perfectly at the drop point!
On the sidelines, Allegri's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
But fortunately, the drop point was far from the goal—
At least 35 yards out.
Milan's defensive line was already mostly in place.
Allegri felt confident—after all, Kai's previous dangerous passes had relied on catching Milan out of position.
Even if Kai made a good play again…
Their defensive shape should be able to handle it.
But just then—
The entire San Siro trembled!
As the ball fell,
Kai stopped it with his chest, half-turned his body, and swung his thigh up fast!
In his vision—
Three golden passing lines instantly lit up in his mind!
He quickly pulled back his calf, and with the instep of his foot—
Fired a ferocious shot!!
The Milan fans on the stands were stunned.
"What?!"
"This isn't a pass—it's a shot?!"
A thunderous long-range rocket from thirty-five yards out!
The ball flew like a roaring storm—
Sweeping back into the Milan penalty area.
On the sidelines, Allegri's eyes went wide.
Even Nesta, who had just made the clearance, froze in place!
The entire stadium burst into a deafening roar—
The sheer power of that shot was beyond anything anyone expected!
The ball tore through the air in a straight line—
Blazing through the Milan penalty area!
Abbiati couldn't even react—
He could only watch in horror as the ball screamed into the top-right corner of the net!
The net bulged high into the air!
And San Siro—
Exploded with a thunderous shockwave!!
~~----------------------
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