72: Kai’s Roar In The Storm

After Torres scored for Chelsea,

The Blues launched another long-range attempt from outside the box.

Lampard's shot was blocked by a Crystal Palace defender and bounced out of the penalty area.

The ball fell to the feet of the advancing Ashley Cole.

Cole dribbled down the flank of Palace's box and played a sharp triangle return pass!

Torres made a ghost-like run to the near post and fired a low shot!

The ball went in again!

0:2

With less than 30 minutes gone in the first half, Crystal Palace were already two goals behind!

Chelsea fans in the stands roared and waved their arms in triumph!

Too easy!

With their full-strength squad, this match was going much smoother than the fans had expected!

Facing the FA Cup's biggest dark horse—who had just eliminated Manchester City and Tottenham—

Chelsea, with their overwhelming strength, already held a two-goal lead before the first half was over!

On the sidelines, Ancelotti casually switched to a new piece of gum, completely at ease.

He looked toward the young figure in the number 10 Crystal Palace shirt.

"Only by beating him head-on will this kind of genius truly understand how powerful Chelsea is. I bet once this match is over, that kid will tell his agent he wants to join Chelsea next season!"

Ancelotti chuckled to himself.

Up in the stands, Abramovich let out a sigh.

It seemed he wouldn't be getting the performance he was hoping for from the Palace genius tonight.

The gap in strength between the two sides was simply too large.

Even a once-in-a-generation talent couldn't bridge such a vast chasm.

Crystal Palace fans in the away stands fell into silence.

Their hearts were a mess of emotions.

The 0:2 score hung in the air above the pitch,

Dealing a heavy blow to Palace supporters.

So it's true, then?

Faced with mighty Chelsea, they really couldn't pull off another giant-killing miracle?

This match had clearly pushed Crystal Palace to the edge of the cliff.

The away stands were filled with a suffocating atmosphere.

The fans all turned their eyes toward one man on the field—Kai.

In the face of a powerful opponent, there was nothing the supporters could do.

At this moment, they could only place all of their hope once again

on their Eagle King!

On the sidelines, Holloway's hands trembled slightly.

This was the toughest match they'd encountered all season.

The opposition was just too strong—

both offensively and defensively, they seemed airtight!

In front of Palace's goal,

Their keeper, beaten twice in 30 minutes, looked utterly demoralized.

Kai appeared near his own penalty area.

He immediately stepped up and wrapped an arm around his goalkeeper's neck, offering words of comfort.

Kai knew very well:

When trailing by a large margin, what the players needed most was for him—as captain—to hold their spirits steady.

Kai walked from the goal all the way to midfield,

Offering encouragement and instructions to nearly every player.

This was not the time to surrender!

Falling two goals behind against Chelsea wasn't the end—

It couldn't be seen as a death sentence!

Kai looked toward Vaughan not far away.

"Vaughan! You scored against both Man City and Spurs.

Now facing Chelsea—are you going to back down?"

Vaughan immediately shook his head:

"Of course not! I'm still going to score—I'll break through Čech's goal!"

Kai clapped his hands, rousing the fighting spirit in every Crystal Palace player.

"We're only 30 minutes into the game! There's still plenty of time left!"

"We need to grit our teeth—this is a tough fight! Who says miracles can't happen at Stamford Bridge?"

Kai tightened the captain's armband on his sleeve.

And the look in the eyes of Palace's players began to change.

No matter what happened, their young Eagle King still stood firm!

They looked at their banner, the symbol of the team!

As long as that banner hadn't fallen—

No matter how dangerous the situation, there was no reason for them to back down!

The referee blew the whistle again.

The match restarted from the center circle.

Vaughan tapped the ball sideways and then immediately sprinted toward Chelsea's half!

Zaha made a run in the opposite direction!

The ball was passed to Kai, who took control.

Almost the moment he touched the ball—

Two Chelsea players immediately closed in!

Essien and Mikel!

Two of Chelsea's strongest, most physical midfield sweepers, launched an aggressive double-team on Kai!

This was Ancelotti's key tactic for this match.

The Italian tactical master knew very well—

That the reason this underdog Palace side had knocked out Premier League giants in the FA Cup

was because of this one unprecedented genius on the pitch.

This midfield prodigy had become the team's metronome—

Controlling and linking both attack and defense.

Ancelotti's tactic was simple:

Every time Kai touched the ball, at least two Chelsea players would close in to mark him tight—

Especially the beast-like Essien, whose top-priority target was Kai himself!

In the stands, Palace fans were filled with worry.

Even with a two-goal lead, Chelsea wasn't letting up at all.

They were committed to smothering Palace in midfield.

The fans were anxious—

If Kai was shut down by Chelsea's midfield wall,

then Palace's entire attack would be silenced!

But then came a moment no Chelsea fan expected.

Over the next dozen minutes,

Even under relentless pressure from Chelsea's midfield,

Kai showed the world exactly how a genius plays football!

With near divine-field awareness,

He spotted gaps and weak points in the formation no one else noticed.

He constantly directed his teammates,

Using smart positioning and movement to break free from the Blues' suffocating midfield trap.

Essien's tight marking was fierce—

But Kai didn't give Chelsea's midfield wall any chance.

What shocked Ancelotti even more was—

Kai, under such intense pressure, rarely passed backward!

He faced Chelsea's top-tier pressing with incredible calmness—

And his passes were almost always sideways or forward!

Ancelotti couldn't help but admire him.

"Even under pressure from Essien and Mikel,

He's still composed, still pressing forward?

That… that's a real genius!"

In the stands, Crystal Palace fans saw a ray of hope.

They stared at their number 10,

Wondering—

Could their Eagle King truly lead them to another miracle,

even against such a formidable Chelsea lineup?

They hoped—fervently, passionately—

Watching that number 10 run across the pitch once more!

Every time the team had faced a crisis,

It was this young prodigy who carried them through the storm—

Rising with wings unfurled!

41st minute—

The miracle Palace fans had hoped for… began to show its first glimmer!

A scramble in midfield—

Mikel and Ramires clashed for the ball,

Which fell unexpectedly to Clyne!

Without hesitation, Clyne passed it to Kai.

Kai turned his body as he received the ball,

And then—without even looking—fired a long lofted pass over the top!

A wave of astonishment surged through the stands!

The ball landed perfectly at the feet of Vaughan, who had made a forward run!

Chelsea's defense immediately applied pressure.

Ivanović closely marked the Palace striker.

Vaughan looked toward the center—

Kai had shaken off the marking Essien and made a diagonal run into the middle!

Vaughan sent in a strong horizontal pass toward the center!

In that instant,

Two golden lines flashed before Kai's eyes—

One pointing toward Zaha on the far side,

And the other straight toward goal!

No hesitation!

Kai would respond to this desperate situation

with a thunderous strike—

A declaration of their comeback!

Under the night sky,

Forty thousand fans at Stamford Bridge stared in tense anticipation!

On the sidelines, Ancelotti spat out his gum,

His brow furrowed.

At the edge of Chelsea's penalty area—

Kai did not choose to pass.

His foot locked,

And he struck the ball with full force!

Amid a roar of gasps from the crowd—

A rocket of a shot exploded toward Chelsea's goal like a thunderclap!

Following that golden path—

The ball blasted past Čech's outstretched fingers—

And slammed into the top corner of the net!

1:2!

Crystal Palace pulled one back!!

The game was alive again with suspense!

Stamford Bridge erupted in deafening cheers!

Crystal Palace fans went wild!

In that moment—

The Eagle King descended from the heavens!

Injecting hope once more into the hearts of every Crystal Palace supporter!

~~----------------------

To read 30 future chapters head over to patreon: 

patreon.com/Dreamer20