78: Kai’s Thunderous Cannon
This was the perfect embodiment of Arsenal's youthful storm that swept through English football!
At the Emirates Stadium—
Arsenal fans erupted in thunderous roars of passion!
Giant flags billowed through the stands!
Crystal Palace supporters in the stands began to tremble uncontrollably.
This was, without a doubt, the largest and most intense Premier League home stadium they had experienced all season.
The deafening roar of sixty thousand fans threatened to shatter the night sky over North London!
On the pitch—
Players from both sides took their positions.
Kai stretched his arms, warming up.
His eyes scanned the Arsenal lineup across the pitch.
In just two hours—
One team would emerge victorious and advance to the final!
With the sound of the referee's whistle—
The match officially began!
The crowd roared like crashing waves!
From the center circle, Van Persie tapped the ball sideways—
Bendtner hit it back with force!
The ball landed at the feet of Fabregas, who took control.
Arsenal's 4-4-2 formation pressed forward instantly!
This youthful Arsenal squad, molded by Professor Wenger, had truly become the definition of "beautiful football."
Their exquisite passing and cutting plays—
Smooth, fluid, and overwhelming.
They combined both wing and central attacks seamlessly.
Within seconds, their formation advanced with near-perfection!
Early game:
Arsenal attacked fiercely!
The dual strikers, Van Persie and Bendtner, relentlessly tore at Crystal Palace's defense.
The Gunners quickly executed a silky passing sequence!
15th minute—
After a few passes in their own half—
Rosický launched a long ball to kickstart the assault!
The ball flew toward the flank!
"The Little Tiger" Walcott sprinted down the wing at lightning speed.
His blistering pace ignited wild cheers from the Arsenal fans!
Crystal Palace's right-back Clyne tightly marked Walcott.
But Walcott, well-versed in Arsenal's tactics,
Didn't blindly charge to the byline like Gareth Bale.
Instead, he quickly passed the ball back inside.
Fabregas received and switched play to the opposite wing.
Rosický surged forward to connect and threaded a pass through!
Van Persie suddenly found space!
The Emirates exploded with deafening cheers!
On the sidelines, Holloway looked concerned.
"This Arsenal youth storm really lives up to the name…"
Their formation advanced far faster than any Premier League team Crystal Palace had faced!
Crystal Palace fans clutched the railings nervously.
In the attacking third—
Van Persie fired a powerful cross!
Bendtner, lying in wait, didn't hesitate—he struck directly!
The ball soared!
Crystal Palace's goalkeeper launched into a full-stretch dive,
barely managing to deflect it out of the box!
Gasps rang out across the stands!
But before the Palace fans could even catch their breath—
Van Persie charged in on the second ball!
He unleashed a volley without letting the ball drop!
It flew straight at the Palace goal!
The Emirates erupted—this was Van Persie's signature shot!
But the home crowd groaned in disappointment—
He couldn't keep it down.
The powerful volley soared over the bar, into the stands.
Van Persie punched the air in frustration!
The stadium rang with Arsenal fans' shouts.
Crystal Palace fans were left speechless.
"Arsenal's offense is just too fierce!"
"Should Palace have gone with a five-man backline instead of a 4-4-2?"
Their defense was clearly in danger under this pressure.
On the field, Kai calmly analyzed Arsenal's play.
This Arsenal team was different from City, Spurs, or Chelsea.
Their attack focused entirely on efficiency and cooperation.
None of the players played selfishly.
Whenever there was an opportunity, they passed without hesitation.
Wenger's influence was clear.
As the thunderous roars continued in the Emirates—
Palace's goalkeeper kicked the ball long.
Sagna won the first header for Arsenal.
The ball bounced around—
Eventually landing near midfield.
The stands buzzed with excitement—
As the two captains tangled!
With his superior vision, Kai read the play and reached the ball first,
cutting off Fabregas!
Crystal Palace fans erupted in cheers!
And as soon as Kai gained possession—
The Palace formation pressed forward in perfect sync!
Vaughan and Zaha made sharp runs!
Fabregas, gritting his teeth, tried to win the ball back immediately.
But in Kai's eyes, two golden lines appeared in an instant!
He made a split-second decision—
Swiftly evaded Fabregas and launched a powerful ground pass!
It spun violently across the pitch—
Like a surgical strike, it sliced through Arsenal's flank,
penetrating the gap behind Koscielny and Sagna!
The Emirates boiled with chaos!
On the sidelines, Wenger's eyes lit up—
"That pass… what vision!"
It came just before Arsenal's defense closed in—
Seizing an opportunity that only lasted a blink!
Wenger was shaken—
"Who in today's game dares to make passes like this—
in a match this important?"
Down the wing—
Zaha received the pass and sprinted forward with the ball!
Crystal Palace's formation surged!
Vaughan ran wide and overlapped Zaha.
Zaha slipped the ball to Vaughan.
Vaughan glanced toward the center—
And whipped in a powerful cross!
But Arsenal's backline recovered faster than expected!
Koscielny raced back and intercepted the pass!
The ball deflected off his shin and bounced high toward the corner of the box.
Crystal Palace fans gasped in disappointment—
But in the next second—
Their eyes lit up with excitement!
Kai had arrived at the perfect moment,
charging into the ball's landing zone!
Arsenal fans froze!
Their eyes locked onto the action—
Kai planted his foot firmly!
A dazzling golden line lit up before him!
Under the gaze of 60,000 spectators—
Kai reloaded and fired!
In response to Van Persie's earlier volley at Palace's goal—
Kai returned the favor with his own!
A thunderous long-range shot from over 30 yards,
from the edge of the box!
The ball flew like a rocket toward Arsenal's goal!
The Emirates quaked with a thunderous boom!
And then—
The ball screamed through the air, slicing past the outstretched hands of Szczęsny!
Straight into the back of Arsenal's net!
GOALLLL!!!
1–0!!!
Deafening cheers erupted from the Palace supporters!
A devastating cannon shot from Kai
had just blasted open the scoring in this FA Cup semi-final!
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