Under the night sky of Milan City—
San Siro Stadium erupted in deafening cheers!
In the away section, Arsenal fans jumped from their seats,
Waving their flags madly—
Another goal! Another wonder goal!
And once again, it was Kai!!
"That goal was just too beautiful!"
"GOALLLL!!!"
"My God! A nearly 40-yard long-range screamer!"
"2–0!!"
"Milan's fortress has been breached again!"
The on-site commentator was dumbfounded.
This was the Champions League, after all!
And Milan? They were the reigning Serie A double champions!
With legends like Pirlo, Gattuso, Nesta, Ibrahimović, and Pato…
But over 30 minutes into the match—
They were already trailing 0–2 at home!
Milan fans sat stunned, hands on their heads.
The Arsenal youth storm, having swept through England,
Now transitioned seamlessly into the Italian battlefield!
Kai had completely taken control of the match.
In his head-to-head clash with Milan legend Pirlo,
He was utterly dominating!
And the first half wasn't even over yet…
Arsenal had already taken a 2-goal lead against the Serie A double champions!
The entire Milan stand fell silent.
"The old era has ended—now it's the era of Kai!"
"You can call anyone a midfield maestro. He can be called one too.
But sorry—there's only one God of Midfield!"
Arsenal fans cheered with unrestrained joy!
Midfield maestro this, midfield maestro that—
In the presence of their Gun King, they were all nothing more than paper tigers!
On the sidelines, Wenger pumped his fist and roared:
"Absolutely beautiful!!"
"Every one of Kai's long-range goals is worthy of a Puskás Award!"
He couldn't stop shaking his head—
His eyes were filled with undisguised excitement.
After scoring, Kai basked in the roar of the crowd.
He once again turned toward the stands—
And made his signature celebration:
Arms wide open, as if embracing the thunderous ovation of thousands!
The fans even gave this domineering celebration a name:
"Sovereign of the Pitch!"
His teammates came rushing over, shouting in joy.
Van Persie leapt up—
And landed squarely on Kai's back.
"Captain! You have to teach me how you take those long shots!"
"Why is every single one so perfect?!"
The Arsenal players embraced each other in celebration.
While the Milan players stood in silence.
Near the center circle—
Pirlo pulled at his flowing hair in frustration.
He bent slightly, eyes fixed on the wildly celebrating Arsenal players.
This match…
He had been completely shut down by Kai!
He could no longer maintain his usual calm.
Pirlo took deep breaths repeatedly—
He had never in his entire career been marked so tightly that he couldn't even complete a single threatening pass!
Kai's presence and control on the pitch—
Was suffocating.
Inside Milan's penalty area—
Nesta and Abbiati had started arguing for the first time.
"Why didn't you come out for that shot?!"
"You had plenty of time to adjust, it was from way out!"
Conceding two goals in just over 30 minutes—
Even the usually composed and elegant Nesta was losing his cool!
Abbiati spread his hands, opened his mouth—
But had nothing to say.
Gattuso rushed over immediately to pull Nesta away.
And in the stands…
Even Milan fans were in an uproar.
Their usually calm and graceful generals, Pirlo and Nesta—
Had both been shaken to their core.
Tensions exploded across San Siro!
"Oh my God!"
"This is not a good sign!"
"Wake up, Pirlo! Nesta! You two are the core of this team—your calm is what holds this squad together!"
The Italian commentators wore pained expressions.
The two players most unlikely to falter—Pirlo and Nesta—had now both lost their composure.
Before the match, no one could have imagined Pirlo being dominated so completely in a direct duel.
The Milan fans in the stands were on edge.
And Allegri on the sideline was pacing back and forth—like an ant on a hot pan.
"Wake up, WAKE UP!"
Allegri slapped his thigh and shouted frantically toward the pitch.
One of Milan's assistants, holding the tactical board, frowned deeply.
"Boss… what if… we push Pirlo back up front? Let him play in his original attacking midfield spot?
He'll be closer to goal, might get more chances to pass…"
Allegri was about to dismiss it as nonsense.
But in this desperate situation—
He had no better options.
Already down by two goals, Milan had to change something.
He called over Ambrosini from the bench.
Milan's club captain, though currently a substitute due to a groin issue.
"You'll go on soon. When you do, tell Pirlo…"
Allegri began to make his move.
Not far away, Wenger didn't react at all.
No need to respond—Arsenal were already two goals ahead.
"Minute 35, Milan make the first substitution!"
"Ambrosini comes on for Van Bommel!"
"Wait—what? They subbed in another defensive midfielder?
That means Milan now have three defensive midfielders on the pitch?"
The live commentator looked visibly confused.
But very quickly…
With the Milan crowd anxiously watching,
Ambrosini brought Allegri's tactical shift onto the field.
Pirlo moved forward from his defensive midfield role—
Back into his original attacking midfield position, where he started his career!
"From deep-lying playmaker to No. 10?
Has the Milan coaching staff lost their minds?"
"Pirlo is a maestro at deep midfield, but as a No. 10? He's just average!"
The Arsenal fans jeered loudly.
Pirlo had been completely shut down by Kai so far.
Milan's offense had completely stalled.
So now, he was moved into a more advanced role—
A position better suited to delivering threatening final passes.
But then—
A jaw-dropping moment left Milan's coaches stunned.
As the match resumed—
Kai also shifted positions.
He dropped back from Arsenal's No. 10 role to a No. 4 defensive midfielder spot!
And once again, he was marking Pirlo directly!
Milan fans were dumbfounded.
Pirlo was known as the most successful example of an attacking midfielder turned deep-lying playmaker.
That switch had elevated him to world-class status.
But now—Arsenal's No. 10 had done the reverse?!
"Kai can also play deep?! What the hell?!"
On the sideline, Allegri felt a chill down his spine.
Last season, as he led Milan to their domestic double, he'd never once reviewed any Crystal Palace match footage—
"Why would a Serie A champion care about some English second-tier team?"
And even this season—
He had only watched a few Arsenal games before this Champions League opener—
And happened to miss the ones where Kai played as a deep-lying midfielder!
"This terrifying kid can change positions on a whim…"
"And in this game, it's clear—he's made it his mission to completely shut down Pirlo!"
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