In the end, Ronaldo managed to shoot just before he stumbled, but the ball flew high into the stands.
"Isn't that a foul?" Ronaldo shouted angrily as he sat on the grass.
If that same level of physical contact had been used against players his age—or even slightly older players still in youth leagues—it would definitely have been called a foul.
Ronaldo believed that the reason he didn't fall earlier wasn't because there was no foul, but because he resisted it.
The referee shouldn't ignore excessive contact just because the player stays on his feet.
But of course…
the referee ignored him.
You managed to stay up, and you're still complaining?
Ronaldo hated that logic.
Yes, he resisted—but after resisting, he had no energy left to dribble or shoot.
He still couldn't "have it both ways."
31st minute.
Gondomar finally broke through from the wing, and their full-back delivered a cross.
But their No. 9 striker got sandwiched between Fonte and Killop.
In the end, no one even touched the ball—it flew straight out of bounds on the opposite side.
40th minute.
After complaining for most of the game, Ronaldo finally received some service from Mr. Kai.
Kai moved to the left flank and combined with Ronaldo.
When Ronaldo isn't carrying the ball, it's actually much harder to contain him with physical pressure.
Either you foul him outright…
or you watch him blow past you.
For a moment, Gondomar's defenders couldn't handle him.
Ronaldo completed a beautiful pass with Kai's support.
Anderson's header hit a defender, winning a corner.
Kai took the corner.
Both Anderson and Fonte rose high—
and this time, Fonte smashed in a header.
2–0!
Moreirense scored twice largely thanks to Ronaldo's movement and threat.
But neither goal was credited to him.
Augusto already knew he had lost.
Not because of tactics—
but because of personnel.
He simply didn't have a midfielder like Kai, someone who knew how to use Ronaldo properly.
45th minute.
Kai and Ronaldo combined again.
Ronaldo made a clever off-ball run, cutting inside to drag defenders away, and Kai advanced successfully.
Kai's speed had improved a lot compared to before.
But at the professional level, that advantage shrinks—it's above average, but not elite.
Gondomar's right-back tried to use physical contact against Kai.
But Kai kept shaking his shoulders, shifting his gaze, and throwing in feints—never giving the defender a chance to engage physically.
Still, the defender remained confident.
He was slightly faster and stayed half a step ahead.
In his mind, as long as Kai crossed, he could block it easily.
Boom!
Kai swung his leg.
The defender lunged, positioning himself perfectly to block the cross—
…but the ball slipped right past him.
It was a cross.
But not a traditional one.
It was a low inverted triangle pass.
Not aimed at Anderson in the center—
but at Ronaldo, who had cut inside earlier and then slowed down.
Ronaldo received the ball on the left side of the box.
Defenders surrounded him—but all at least two meters away.
A perfect opportunity.
Ronaldo made a slight adjustment—
and unleashed a powerful shot, venting all his frustration.
The ball flew into the near corner, clipping the underside of the crossbar and rippling the net.
GOAL! Cristiano Ronaldo!
"Brilliant goal! Ronaldo finally gets his reward!"
"Kai's inverted triangle pass was world-class! The defender completely misjudged it!"
"3–0! Moreirense in complete control!"
"After beating a Primeira Liga side like Benfica, their confidence has skyrocketed!"
"The first phase of Triguera's rebuild is a success!"
Second half, 67th minute.
Ronaldo received the ball again but was immediately pressured.
He couldn't turn and eventually lost possession after being forced to the ground.
No foul.
The referee waved play on.
Ronaldo exploded and ran over to argue.
The referee stopped play—
and showed him a yellow card.
Teammates quickly dragged him away.
To be fair, the decision wasn't wrong.
The contact was heavy, but not illegal.
77th minute.
Kai and Macedo completed another interception.
Macedo passed to Kai.
With his back to goal, Kai was immediately surrounded by three Gondomar players.
He calmly laid the ball off to Emerson—
and was knocked down from behind.
The referee raised the whistle…
but didn't blow it.
Advantage.
Emerson carried the ball forward and passed it to Ronaldo on the wing.
Meanwhile, Kai forced himself back to his feet despite the pain in his thigh.
The first few steps hurt like hell—probably some capillaries bursting—but he pushed through.
Ronaldo advanced toward the defender.
He didn't want another physical battle.
He looked up—
and saw Kai charging forward.
Boom!
Ronaldo passed.
The ball was weighted perfectly for a first-time shot.
But it also created danger—
because Gondomar's center-back charged out immediately.
Kai reached the ball first.
With his left foot, he controlled it while leaning into the defender—
and spun at the same time.
A perfect Marseille turn.
The defender tried to challenge, but the moment he stretched his leg, his balance shifted.
Kai leaned into him, breaking his center of gravity.
The defender didn't fall—
but he had no chance of recovering.
Kai stepped into the top of the box.
One-on-one with the keeper.
No obstacles.
Boom!
A powerful low shot to the right!
The goalkeeper dived—
but couldn't get down in time.
The ball slipped under his arm and into the net.
4–0!
"What a performance! Kai with a goal and two assists!"
"Undoubtedly the man of the match!"
"Maybe this is the price Augusto pays for his pre-match comments!"
"Triguera, Ronaldo, and Kai have all proven him wrong!"
The crowd celebrated wildly.
Moreirense had secured a dominant victory.
Kai was named Man of the Match.
But Ronaldo…
who had one goal and one assist—
wasn't smiling.
Because deep down…
he realized something.
There was a gap between him and Kai.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
I upload 2 chapters daily on Patreon!
There are 200+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
📢 Check out my new Naruto fanfic!
[One Piece: Pirate Chat Group]