"With the score at 4–1, Gil Vicente F.C. were completely shaken. Everything their coach tried to fix at halftime had zero effect."
Morale decides everything in football.
Take the World Cup in Qatar as an example—when Brazil faced South Korea, many people thought the Korean players might go in hard, maybe even play dirty.
After all, they had that reputation.
But Brazil smashed in two goals within ten minutes.
At that moment, everyone—fans and players alike—felt the massive gap.
So big that South Korea couldn't even get dirty, let alone think about scoring.
Because playing rough only makes sense when you still believe you can win.
When hope is gone… players just lose direction.
So for the next twenty minutes, Gil Vicente basically gave up attacking.
In the first half, they had possession, they created some threat.
Second half?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
At this point, it was basically surrender.
73rd minute.
Moreirense's left-back Serafim found space and whipped in a cross.
Anderson rose for the header—deflected!
The ball hit a defender and went out for a corner.
As usual, both teams raised their hands, arguing for the decision.
The referee pointed clearly—
Corner kick.
"Ha!"
Kai clenched his fist and shouted like he'd just scored.
The Gil Vicente players looked at him like, what the hell is wrong with this guy?
He wasn't even involved in that attack.
Why the hell is he celebrating like that?
Normally, that kind of reaction comes when a defender makes a heroic block, or when an attacker fights hard to win a set piece.
But Kai?
He just showed up and celebrated anyway.
If this were another team, someone might've walked over and started an argument.
But Gil Vicente…
They said nothing.
Just like South Korea watching Brazil dance after scoring—once, twice, three times…
With every celebration, their spirit dropped lower.
From a competitive standpoint, ignoring public opinion, they could've reacted. Could've sparked something.
Even started a conflict to wake themselves up.
Not that violence is good—but sometimes, in desperate situations, it's the only way to reignite momentum.
Momentum isn't everything.
But sometimes, it decides everything.
Kai walked to the corner flag, placed the ball, and prepared to take it.
He raised two fingers.
Then delivered the cross.
BOOM!
Under the combined effect of Kai's momentum and the crushing 4–1 scoreline, Gil Vicente's defenders looked like they had sandbags tied to their legs.
No one could jump.
Meanwhile—
Kirop soared into the air like a damn rocket.
Header!
Goal!
5–1!
"I'm afraid Moreirense are far stronger than people thought!"
"Gil Vicente haven't lost by such a margin all season!"
"Just three rounds ago, they were top of the table!"
"This is unbelievable! Especially Kai—he's the complete attacking engine! That's already a hat-trick of assists today!"
"Regardless of promotion, Kai will not be playing in the second division next season!"
"I'm hearing that FC Porto are very interested in Kai and Cristiano Ronaldo. But Sporting Lisbon won't sell to a direct rival."
"Sources say FC Barcelona, FC Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Manchester United F.C., AC Milan, Juventus F.C., and S.S. Lazio are all watching them closely!"
81st minute.
Kai kept a low profile, dropping deeper and pulling defenders away, leaving control to Emerson.
Emerson organized the attack well.
Then—
BOOM!
A perfect through ball.
Ronaldo received it, beat two defenders, and smashed it in.
6–1!
Hat-trick for Ronaldo!
Two players with hat-tricks in one match.
There was no way Moreirense were losing this.
The players were buzzing now—confidence overflowing, everyone starting to show off a bit.
88th minute.
Alex on the wing started doing stepovers—one, two, three, four, five…
Even Anderson in the box looked bored.
Bro, are you dancing or playing football?
And the worst part?
Alex didn't even cross properly.
He blasted it out for a corner.
Kai took the corner.
Anderson's header—saved!
Alex followed up and smashed in the rebound.
7–1!
92nd minute.
Ronaldo faked a cut inside, then slipped a pass through.
Dangerous!
But Anderson was just a step late.
The defense cleared it out.
Kai picked it up outside the box—but couldn't shoot cleanly.
He controlled it, tried a long shot—
Blocked!
The ball deflected toward Ronaldo.
Ronaldo fired from a tight angle.
No chance, right?
The ball hit a defender and popped high into the air.
Gil Vicente's defenders boxed out Anderson and Flávio.
Another clearance—
But Kai had already charged into the box.
He jumped.
Turned.
BOOM!
The ball smashed into his back.
For a second, Kai felt like his heart got punched out of his chest.
But—
The rebound flew straight into the far corner.
Goal!!!
A back goal!
Kai himself didn't even realize he scored.
He thought someone else had headed it in.
"8–1!!! What an unbelievable scoreline!"
"Gil Vicente not only lose three points—their goal difference is destroyed! Among the top four, theirs is now the worst!"
"If it comes down to tie-breakers, they'll fall behind. Their promotion hopes are fading fast!"
"And Kai—he's completed a hat-trick of goals as well!"
"That's THREE hat-tricks in one game! One from Cristiano Ronaldo… and two from Kai—well, uh… 'two hats' here is just a figure of speech, not literal!"
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