"Can't you just make the substitution all at once?
Why do you have to change Nami first, then González?"
Time was approaching the 89th minute.
There was still another Spanish player standing on the sideline, clearly waiting to come on. It looked like Spain planned to drag out yet another substitution.
Doing this in such a critical moment was honestly disgusting.
Just moments earlier, Kai had fired a long shot, but the ball was saved by Pepe Reina.
After holding the ball for what felt like forever, Reina didn't kick it upfield. Instead, he casually rolled it to a defender.
The defender passed it to Gabi.
Gabi then dribbled the ball toward the corner flag, clearly trying to waste time.
Ricardo Quaresma couldn't take it anymore and rushed forward to steal the ball.
But Gabi was physically strong. Quaresma couldn't outmuscle him.
It was obvious that if Gabi couldn't hold the ball any longer, he would simply knock it off Quaresma to win a goal kick.
Spain, a team famous for killing the clock with clever back-heel touches and shielding, understood time-wasting better than anyone.
You might think it's shameless.
But damn it… it works.
Boom!
Suddenly, in front of everyone—
Gabi flew through the air.
The linesman beside them froze.
Players on the field and people in the stands were stunned.
Because Portuguese right-back José Bosingwa had finally lost his patience. He sprinted up from behind and kicked Gabi straight in the ass, sending him crashing to the ground.
Gabi himself was completely stunned.
The referee didn't hesitate for a second.
Red card.
Bosingwa lowered his head and walked straight toward the tunnel.
"Fuck this match," he muttered.
"I'm done playing."
Spanish players immediately rushed toward Bosingwa, furious.
But this time, Portuguese players blocked them before they could get close.
Besides, the referee had already shown the card.
And Andrés Iniesta was busy calming his teammates down.
No need to start another fight.
Spain already had the win in their pocket.
Portuguese players and fans were disappointed with the result of the match…
But strangely enough, almost all of them fully supported Bosingwa's flying kick.
Kai personally ran over and caught up with Bosingwa near the tunnel.
He patted him on the shoulder.
"We don't blame you," Kai said quietly. "You did the right thing."
Bosingwa looked into Kai's eyes and saw genuine understanding.
For a moment, he was actually a little moved.
Just then, Gabi, who had just been kicked, walked over.
"How about asking your teammate to walk a little faster when leaving the field?" he sneered. "Didn't you say you hate time-wasting?"
He had just been kicked in the ass. Of course he couldn't swallow that humiliation quietly.
He came over purely to provoke.
Kai looked at Gabi and said softly:
"Gabi… I'm really pissed off right now."
Gabi shrugged.
The gesture clearly meant: What are you going to do? Bite me?
By now, regular time had ended.
The match entered stoppage time.
Because of all the conflicts and interruptions, the referee added seven minutes.
Spain won a free kick in their own half.
This time they didn't risk anything fancy.
They simply booted the ball past the halfway line.
Portugal regained possession.
Spain immediately fell back into a deep defensive block.
Soon the ball reached the attacking third, but no Spanish player stepped forward to press.
They only defended.
Their penalty area had become a steel fortress.
Raúl Meireles couldn't find any space and passed the ball to Kai.
Kai received it calmly.
Then he began spinning the ball under his foot.
One circle.
Two circles.
Three circles.
The movement looked simple, but maintaining that balance and control while spinning repeatedly was extremely difficult.
Suddenly the Spanish fans began booing loudly.
"You're losing and still showing off?"
"You clown!"
But the next moment…
Kai started spinning again.
This time, two more circles.
Even the Portuguese fans were confused now.
Was Kai seriously planning to spin in place until stoppage time ended?
They were already down 1–2 and had one player less.
This was too negative.
But slowly, some Portuguese fans began to realize something.
Was Kai… mocking Spain's time-wasting tactics?
Yes.
That had to be it!
Negative football was destroying the beauty of the game.
It was killing the passion and love fans had for football.
"Caesar!"
One Portuguese fan suddenly shouted.
"Caesar! Caesar! Caesar!"
Soon, Portuguese supporters throughout the stadium began chanting Kai's nickname.
Spanish fans didn't understand what was happening at first.
But seeing Kai spinning like an idiot while his team was losing…
They joined in mockingly.
"Caesar! Caesar! Caesar!"
The final was held at Strahov Stadium in Prague, one of the largest stadiums ever built.
At its peak, it could theoretically hold over 200,000 spectators.
Of course, a youth final wasn't going to fill it like that.
But today there were still around 60,000 fans in attendance.
Inside Kai's head, the system suddenly activated.
[Actually, My Name Isn't Gómez] granted Kai six shooting bonuses.
[The Most Expensive Little Top in Football] granted Kai a 50% boost to technical ability for 35 seconds, along with maximum taunt value.
From a purely rational perspective, Kai spinning in place and wasting time should benefit Spain.
But anyone who has ever played football knows how it feels when someone mocks you like that on the pitch.
Even if you're winning.
Iniesta wanted to walk up and tell Kai to stop his damn spinning.
Who the hell do you think you are?
But Iniesta wasn't an impulsive person.
Even if there were flaws in his championship trophy, he could accept them.
But Gabi couldn't.
Gabi had a terrible temper.
He had already lost to Kai earlier.
Then he was flattened by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Later, when he tried to get revenge, Kai knocked him over again.
That grudge still burned.
And don't forget—he had just been kicked in the ass by Bosingwa.
Even though Bosingwa got a red card, that was the referee's punishment.
Gabi himself had never regained his pride.
Now Kai's spinning mockery finally blew the fuse.
Gabi charged straight toward Kai.
Spain's iron defense had just one tiny crack.
Bang! Bang!
Kai flicked the ball past Gabi with a quick double touch and blew right by him.
At that moment…
Kai felt something strange.
It was like he had become Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi at the same time.
Boom!
Without hesitation—
From nearly 35 meters away from goal—
Kai unleashed a shot with his right foot.
The strike was terrifying.
The ball screamed past the spot where Gabi had been standing.
Like a Tomahawk missile, it rocketed toward the goal.
Reina swore he had never seen such a brutal shot in his life.
He threw himself at the ball with everything he had.
He couldn't let Víctor Valdés laugh at him from the bench.
He had to prove he was the better goalkeeper.
Boom!
Reina got a hand to the ball.
But the next moment—
The shot didn't change direction at all.
It smashed straight into the net.
"IT'S IN! IT'S IN! IT'S IN!"
"GOAL!!!"
"Kai! Kai! What a monstrous long-range strike!"
"An unbelievable equalizer!"
"2–2! Portugal have dragged themselves back from the dead!"
"This is insane! Nothing about this match makes sense!"
"Every team that made the 'correct' tactical decision… ended up conceding a goal!"
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