If they lost this match and the situation worsened, they would directly lose their qualification for promotion. All their efforts throughout the season would be wasted.
On the other hand, Gil Vicente F.C., who were behind Moreirense F.C. before this round, still had a chance to fight for second place regardless of the result between Moreirense and Vizela.
The qualification situation was extremely complicated.
"Ding! It has been detected that a player on the opposing team has won the Portuguese Super League title. Your forward ability has been greatly increased!"
Kai went numb.
He had expected boosts to speed, shooting, or physicality.
But what the hell was this "poacher-forward ability"?
The classic modern forward… that would be someone like Karim Benzema, a future Real Madrid superstar.
So what exactly did this "poacher-forward" buff mean?
Taking the blame?
Playing as a pivot?
Getting your fingers injured more easily?
Or having normal communication with teammates somehow turn into accusations?
Kai didn't even want to think about it.
More importantly—he couldn't feel any difference at all.
This… was this really Cristiano Ronaldo's drop?
Beep!
The whistle blew, and the crucial Portuguese league clash began.
Compared to Gil Vicente, who had briefly been among the top three, Vizela—who had led the table for a long time—were clearly stronger.
Their midfield core had once played for Porto. Even though he had been "phased out" due to age, he had instead become more composed and influential.
Even when Kai tried to contest midfield control, he found himself at a disadvantage.
It wasn't that Kai was worse individually—but his opponent used his teammates far better than Kai used his own.
On top of that, Kai kept trying to shoot in this match.
He focused too much on attacking, which caused Moreirense to completely lose control of midfield.
The match became one-sided.
"Unbelievable! Both teams have combined for 36 shots, but still no goals!"
"We're now in the 85th minute, and both sides are getting desperate!"
"They both want to win! Yes, a draw is acceptable on paper, since it keeps their hopes alive—but the players absolutely don't want that!"
"They want promotion! They want the title! And that means winning this game!"
"Overall, Vizela have dominated. They've had 68% possession today!"
"They've taken 25 shots compared to Moreirense's 11!"
"And one key point—Kai has taken far too many shots today! Seven attempts, six of them long-range!"
"Is he overestimating his shooting ability?"
"Yes, he's scored some incredible screamers before—but today? These long shots have been poor. They're one of the main reasons Moreirense haven't scored!"
"His forward positioning, plus the counterattacks after his shots were blocked, have also put huge pressure on Moreirense's midfield!"
"This might be the worst performance Kai has had since joining Moreirense!"
"We saw something similar with Ronaldo early on when he first joined—he struggled to adapt."
"But Kai hitting his rookie wall now? In such a crucial game? Maybe the pressure has gotten to him!"
—
And honestly… that wasn't wrong.
Kai had been completely misled by that so-called "poacher-forward ability."
Today was a perfect example of how disastrous it is when a player misunderstands his own role.
What exactly is Kai good at?
Most people couldn't even answer that clearly.
He can shoot—but he's not elite at it.
He can push forward—but he's not especially fast.
He can dribble—but his success rate isn't high.
He can hold the ball—but not dominantly.
He can defend—but better at interceptions than tackles.
He can run—but sometimes his positioning is off.
He can pass—and often brilliantly—but occasionally lacks precision in the final detail.
He had too many strengths… and just as many weaknesses.
What truly made him dangerous was his football IQ, his flexibility, and his ability to exploit matchups.
He used his weaknesses to neutralize others' strengths—then used his strengths to punish their weaknesses.
That was his real weapon.
But today?
He believed his "poacher-forward ability" had boosted his shooting, positioning, physicality, and attacking instincts.
So he played like a striker.
And the result?
A complete disaster.
Bad information led to bad decisions.
Those two innocent words—"random boost"—turned from a surprise into a trap.
If he could rewind time, Kai would rather never have received that "championship trophy Cristiano Ronaldo missed" drop.
Even without it, he was sure he could have contributed far more to the team than this mess.
—
By the time he realized it…
It was too late.
Less than five minutes remained.
His teammates were exhausted. Their morale had dipped. The tactical structure had already collapsed.
They no longer had the capacity to win.
Coach Triguera signaled from the sidelines—drop back, defend, hold the score.
If they couldn't win, at least secure the draw.
One point still kept their promotion hopes alive.
—
Just as Ronaldo was preparing to fall back—
Kai stole the ball in his own half.
Boom!
A long pass.
No accuracy. No finesse.
Kai was completely drained after a full match of shooting.
But Ronaldo still sprinted like hell.
In the end, he managed to win a distant free kick for the team.
Moreirense had one last attacking opportunity.
Not as good as a corner—but compared to Kai's earlier shots, this was golden.
Considering his so-called "poacher-forward" buff, Kai told Emerson to take the free kick—
while he lurked near the penalty area like a proper striker.
…Yeah.
A complete slap in the face.
Didn't he just say he wouldn't be influenced by that stupid ability?
And now he's acting like a striker again?
Kai muttered under his breath, "Yeah, I was wrong… but I'll definitely do it again next time."
Some habits die hard.
Boom!
Emerson delivered the free kick.
The ball flew into the box—
Chaos exploded.
Kai rushed in as well, but didn't even touch the ball. Instead, he got shoved hard toward the goalpost by some dirty bastard.
He barely avoided smashing into the post and ended up tangled in the side netting.
At the same time, Vizela's goalkeeper charged out aggressively and claimed the ball.
He instantly prepared to launch a counterattack.
The Moreirense players panicked and sprinted back.
Ronaldo also rushed toward the goalkeeper, trying to disrupt the quick restart.
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