56: Seventy Minutes to Glory!

Manchester City equalized!

The Etihad Stadium instantly erupted in deafening cheers!

This was the moment every Manchester City fan had been waiting for!

The Manchester-based media at the scene rejoiced, breaking free from the gloom of falling behind.

On the sidelines, Mancini pumped his fists in triumph, finally feeling a sense of control.

On the pitch, Manchester City players swarmed around Tevez, the goal-scorer, celebrating wildly.

Yet Balotelli stood off to the side, detached from his teammates—like an outsider.

"Mario, we scored! We tied the game! Why aren't you happy?"

Kompany approached Balotelli.

Balotelli shook his head. "I want to score."

Tevez, who had just scored, looked a bit awkward.

City teammates glanced at each other, confusion in their eyes.

Kolarov, who had provided the assist, came over and said, "Don't worry, my Mario! As long as we beat Crystal Palace in this direct showdown, the Golden Boy award will be yours!"

But Balotelli was unmoved by his teammate's comfort.

His stubborn mind had only one thought right now: Score!

Kai had just scored a Maradona-style goal in front of sixty thousand fans at the Etihad.

Balotelli wanted to strike back.

His chest heaved—whether in anger or frustration, even he didn't know.

For the rest of the first half, neither team could find the net again.

But the Manchester press was delighted—they saw a clear momentum shift in City's favor.

The star-studded Blue Moon had regrouped and launched a fierce counterattack after equalizing!

Several close-range shots nearly found their way into the Crystal Palace goal!

At halftime, the score stood at 1–1.

This highly anticipated FA Cup showdown headed into a 15-minute break.

City fans at the scene roared with thunderous energy!

---

During halftime.

Raiola barged into Manchester City's dressing room, ignoring all attempts to stop him.

Mancini was visibly displeased and blocked the famous agent.

But Raiola interrupted him, eyes excitedly scanning the corner of the room—where Balotelli sat.

"Mario! In the first half—what did that 16-year-old kid from Crystal Palace say to you? A lip-reading expert just contacted me. He deciphered what that kid said to you on the field!

Did he insult your skin color? Discriminate against your background? This is perfect! This could be the final straw to crush Mendes completely! I'll blow this up in the media—the fans won't stand for that kind of behavior! There's no way that kid from Palace can win the Golden Boy after this!"

A stir rippled through the Manchester City dressing room.

None of the City players on the field were aware anything like this had happened.

All eyes turned to Balotelli.

But he wasn't swayed by the "good news" from his agent.

He slowly shook his head. "I was the one who insulted him first."

Raiola froze. "What did you say to him?"

Balotelli took a deep breath. "I mocked his Asian heritage..."

The entire dressing room fell into silence.

Balotelli might not be the brightest, but he had one redeeming quality—he didn't lie.

Raiola was on the verge of madness. If Balotelli had just insisted that Kai provoked him, they could've taken advantage of the home-field setting and spun the narrative after the match.

But Balotelli… had just admitted his own guilt.

There was no story left to spin.

Raiola stormed out of the dressing room in rage and returned to the stands.

His assistant sighed beside him:

"...His brain really doesn't work too well..."

Raiola said nothing, fuming in silence.

---

Meanwhile, in Crystal Palace's dressing room.

Kai had no idea any of that had happened off the field.

He stood at the tactics board, carefully explaining the second-half game plan to his teammates.

City's equalizer in the first half? Exactly what he'd expected.

In tens of thousands of simulations he'd run—

Every time he gave Palace the lead,

City would always tie it up soon after.

And in the vast majority of those simulations,

Once Manchester City equalized, they would launch an even stronger offensive wave in the second half.

According to Palace's current tactics and strength, they would quickly fall behind and be kicked out of the FA Cup with no suspense.

But Kai...

He was the one-in-ten-thousand solution to break that outcome!

With the crowd's momentum echoing around the stadium,

The second half began!

---

Right from the kickoff, City came out swinging!

With their star-studded midfield and attack, they launched wave after wave of pressure at Palace's goal!

In the fierce physical confrontations, City had the upper hand—

They dominated almost every duel.

Even when they lost the ball, they quickly regained control.

Palace players were hanging on by a thread.

But at that moment, every Palace player had Kai's halftime words echoing in their minds:

"In the second half, everyone work together to hold the line for 25 minutes. Drag the game to the 70th minute!"

"Leave the last 20 minutes… to me."

The players didn't fully understand what that meant.

But they grit their teeth and pressed on.

Finally, they held out the first 25 minutes of the second half through sheer willpower!

The away stands were full of anxious Crystal Palace fans.

City's attacks came in wave after wave.

Even Balotelli seemed to have awakened, launching a series of strong assaults.

On the sidelines, Holloway was pacing nervously.

Palace's defense was under extreme pressure!

68th minute!

Balotelli received a through ball from Silva—another cannon-blast shot!

The Palace goalkeeper dove to save it—

The deflected ball was eventually cleared out for a throw-in.

Palace fans gasped in unison—narrowly avoiding disaster!

The Manchester media were ecstatic.

They frantically snapped pictures of Balotelli's near-goals.

All the City journalists were now expecting their genius striker to break Palace's defense—

To win the match and lock in the Golden Boy award!

Though the score remained 1–1,

It was clear to any observer—

Palace's goal wouldn't hold out much longer.

The Palace coaching staff looked completely overwhelmed.

City's relentless attack had surpassed all expectations!

---

Manchester City throw-in.

Time passed the 70-minute mark.

In the second half, the ball possession ratio had been an overwhelming 7:3 in City's favor.

They controlled the match completely.

Kolarov launched a powerful throw-in to Tevez.

Tevez passed it back to Yaya Touré.

City's midfield began to orchestrate again.

The ball rolled to Balotelli's feet.

The once-hotheaded genius had calmed down.

This time, he didn't shoot immediately.

He faked out the Palace defender, glanced at the far post—then struck toward the near side instead!

A sharp, slicing shot that made every Palace fan break out in a cold sweat!

City fans had excitement in their eyes.

But just as the ball left Balotelli's foot,

A figure darted in from the side like a diving hawk!

Palace players saw who it was—and were shocked and overjoyed:

Kai!

It was the 70th minute!

Kai had just activated the "20-Minute God-Level Interception Card" in his mind!

He dropped from the number 10 role back into a defensive midfield position!

From this moment on,

He was going to completely take over the game,

And shatter all of Manchester City's hopes—

Of victory and of winning the Golden Boy!