Chapter 92: Derby is Never Gentle  

Robinho took the ball on the left wing and dazzled Ricardinho with a mesmerizing bicycle kick before sprinting away.

Even though they were bitter rivals, the São Paulo players and fans had to secretly admire him. 

The highest praise Argentinians give to young players is calling them the "new Maradona." In Brazil, it's the "new Pele," and Robinho was considered the new Pele – not some indoor Pele on the court, but the second Pele, truly expected by many to become the king of football.

Judging from that move alone, we knew that expectation was well-founded. That rhythm and ball control made Kaká, the "new Zidane," feel ashamed.

Of course, Robinho didn't just know how to execute a bicycle kick. After passing Ricardinho, he tricked Reynaldo with a delicate nutmeg. Just as he was about to cut inside the penalty area, Reynaldo aggressively rushed in and knocked the slender man down with the ball. 

Before Robinho could get up, other Santos players rushed over and started pushing Reynaldo. Not one to back down, Reynaldo pushed back. Baptista, Ricardinho, and others soon joined the scuffle, and with the fans' jeers and cheers, the scene suddenly became heated. In contrast, Robinho fell pitifully to the ground and was ignored until Falcao pulled him up.

"Reynaldo was dissatisfied with Robinho's dribbling move and brought him down with a blatant foul. Players from both sides became entangled. Don't be surprised. This is a derby. There may be no smoke during the game, but there is often a war that produces hatred and blood."

The situation was quickly calmed down by the referee, and Reynaldo received a yellow card for the foul. However, the emotions of the players on both sides had been ignited, and various minor incidents began to occur one after another. 

Just six minutes after Reynaldo received the card, Kaká dribbled the ball in the middle. Just as he passed Santos' defensive midfielder Lucas, he was pulled from behind and fell to the ground.

The referee whistled for a foul but did not show a card. Kaká decided to take a quick free kick after the referee agreed. 

He bent down slightly, placed the ball, and as he was about to stand up, he suddenly kicked the ball out. Not only the Santos players but even Falcao, the intended target, was shocked. However, Falcao reacted quickly, immediately stepping forward to receive the ball and breaking into Santos' penalty area.

Most of the Santos players had not yet reacted and were protesting to the referee, but the few defenders facing Falcao had no time to think about this and rushed towards him.

Falcao did not choose to go head-to-head. Instead, he flicked the ball with his toes, and it sailed over the defenders' heads, falling towards the small penalty area. 

The goalkeeper decisively came out, but Fabiano suddenly appeared from the side and pushed the ball towards the far corner.

Seeing that the ball was about to go in, Santos defender Ameli suddenly slid in and cleared the ball from the goal line.

Another defender rushed over and kicked the ball out of the penalty area.

Santos fans breathed a sigh of relief, but Fabiano jumped to his feet.

"The ball went in! The ball crossed the goal line!" 

Falcao also raised his hand and shouted to the referee, "The ball went in! It crossed the line!"

The referee shook his head and started running towards São Paulo's half. The Santos players had already retrieved the ball, and it was another attack.

Fabiano was very dissatisfied and rushed out of the penalty area, running towards the referee. Kaká was about to return to defend when he saw Fabiano's yelling and menacing look and hurriedly went to stop him.

"Fabiano! Are you crazy? Calm down!"

"That goal was scored! Anyone who isn't blind knows it's a valid goal!"

"You have no say in whether the goal is scored or not. You can appeal after the game, but not now... Damn it!"

As they were talking, many TV stations broadcasting the game were still replaying Fabiano's shot. Santos had already advanced the ball into São Paulo's penalty area through two simple long passes.

Robinho passed the ball between Lugano and Belletti, then tried to run past Lugano but was knocked down by him. 

The referee rushed over, panting. 

A sharp whistle sounded.

Lugano held his head and shouted, "I didn't commit a foul!"

Robinho didn't lie on the ground pretending to be pitiful. Instead, he jumped up quickly. When he saw the referee pointing to the penalty spot, he excitedly raised his fist and waved it.

This action angered the São Paulo players. Belletti rushed over and wanted to choke him. Fortunately, Baptista had already arrived at the scene and quickly stopped him.

"Let me go, I'm going to kill him! This liar!"

"No! He kicked me!" Robinho said, "It's a foul!" 

Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, the referee first showed a yellow card to Lugano, then warned Belletti, "The referee team will judge whether it's a foul, but you'd better be honest, or else I don't mind showing you one too."

"You... umm..." Kaká came up and covered Belletti's mouth, pulling him away.

"A lot happened on the pitch. Santos got a penalty. Let's take it step by step and start with Fabiano's shot... Here it is, the ball had crossed the goal line, no doubt about it. Goal! Referee Abad disallowed São Paulo's goal! This was a misjudgment! Let's see what happened in São Paulo's penalty area afterwards... Robinho planned to pass the ball, and the ball went through, oh! Lugano's foot did hook Robinho's ankle; this is a foul..."

The São Paulo fans were going crazy. It was as if an earthquake had occurred at the Morumbi Stadium. Tens of thousands of São Paulo fans were collectively insulting Abad. All kinds of debris were thrown onto the field and were retaliated against by Santos fans squeezed into the away stands.

"The court was very chaotic. We knew that every time São Paulo played against Santos, it would not be calm, but we didn't expect it to be so heated this time. The referee had to stop the game. He was communicating with the coaches of both sides..."

"Listen, appease your fans immediately, or else I won't rule out the possibility of stopping this game immediately." Abad actually felt a little guilty, but his tone was very tough. These words were mainly aimed at Alvarez. 

Alvarez had already been furious, but the situation was stronger than others, and he had to come forward together with Kaká, pressing down his hands on the fans to signal them to calm down.

Although the two of them were very prestigious among the fans, the noise in the stands only became smaller and showed no signs of subsiding.

Alvarez also became a little nervous. 

If the game was suspended because of the home fans, the price São Paulo would have to pay would be too high, and it would not be as simple as a fine.

"Damn! Hurry! Call Kaká over!"

What the hell, luckily I have a big move!

This game will be modified based on reality. Most of the red cards, penalty kicks, provocations, etc. in the game really happened. In history, São Paulo and Santos met several times this year, and the scenes... were all exciting.

(End of chapter)