Chapter 79: The Quadruple Win

The first half ended with a score of 3:1, and the aggregate score was 6:6. Kaká performed his first career hat-trick, equalizing the score for his team.

In the dressing room, Alvarez didn't relax despite the favorable situation. Instead, he was even more cautious when setting up tactics. Previously, when they were trailing 3:5, the team could accept defeat, but now that they had equalized, they were not willing to let the championship go to someone else. Losing it at this point would be a hundred times more painful than being defeated outright.

In the second half, Kaká continued to lead the attack, and no one dared to question his ability in that position anymore. Alvarez was even considering switching to a two-striker formation for the team.

Only Kaká knew his situation. His card's effect had expired, and he couldn't afford to spend honor points on another one, so his running ability and goal-scoring instincts had returned to normal levels. Of course, he was aware of this, but others didn't know, and since running and awareness don't have any outward manifestations, no one could detect anything unless it was too blatant. Therefore, the team continued with their tactics from the first half.

Shortly after kick-off, they regained firm control of the game. Looking at the field, no one would have guessed they were a player down.

All of this was due to Kaká and Leonardo. Kaká's stellar first-half performance made Flamengo extremely wary of him, effectively pinning down half of their defense, while Leonardo's vast experience allowed him to organize Saint-Paul's midfield effectively, creating an effective suppression.

As the saying goes, "an old hand is as valuable as a treasure," and for this team composed mostly of young players, Leonardo was undoubtedly such a treasure.

It's worth mentioning that Leonardo was a Flamengo youth product, so this match held special significance for him. However, he showed no mercy, teaching his former teammates a lesson with his outstanding control and passing skills.

"Leonardo evades the defense, Kaká comes to support, he drops deep, and from their cooperation, it's not a wall pass. Kaká doesn't pass it back; instead, he breaks through..."

Kaká initially wanted to play a one-two with Leonardo, but Leonardo was marked, so he had to dribble forward himself. However, it wasn't smooth sailing, as he was stopped just inside the penalty area.

As he was about to take a shot, Leonardo's voice suddenly came from behind.

"Behind you!"

Without thinking, Kaká flicked the ball behind him with his heel and started running forward.

Leonardo had somehow already shaken off his marker and delicately chipped the ball Kaká had back-heeled, sending it over the defenders' heads and into the penalty area.

With the two defenders tugging at him, Kaká caught up to the ball and managed to get a shot off.

The ball rolled along the ground towards the goal, and the goalkeeper blocked it with his foot, allowing the defender to clear it.

Saint-Paul missed a chance to take the lead, disappointing Kaká and Leonardo.

However, their reasons for disappointment differed.

Leonardo was disappointed because their understanding wasn't quite there yet; if their combination had been a little quicker, Kaká's shot would have at least found the corner.

Kaká, on the other hand, felt the difference between being a star striker and not being one.

His positioning on that play was actually problematic. Instead of charging straight ahead after the back-heel, if he had paused briefly and rounded one of the defenders before continuing, he would have faced much less interference.

But it was all hindsight. In that split second, he lacked that awareness.

Without his goal-scoring instincts and lightning-fast runs, he was ultimately just an ordinary striker, still far from being a top-class finisher.

With Kaká's performance on the frontline no longer extraordinary, Saint-Paul's attack lost much of its threat. As time wore on, the now 32-year-old Leonardo's stamina began to wane, and Saint-Paul started showing signs of fatigue.

Alvarez immediately made an adjustment, bringing on a substitute striker.

He had originally planned to replace Leonardo with Harrison and keep Kaká up front, but Kaká's second-half performance as a striker was average at best, so he had to change his plan and move Kaká back to his more familiar attacking midfield role.

This adjustment had an immediate impact.

Kaká's style differed from Leonardo's, and as soon as he returned to the midfield, he completed a breathtaking solo run.

Without his lightning-fast bursts, I still have my dribbling abilities.

Kaká dribbled at high speed, using a slight feint to beat the first defender, then passed to Aluka before the second defender could arrive. Aluka brought the ball to the penalty area line, drew two defenders, and then played a square ball into the middle.

Kaká suddenly accelerated, shaking off Flamengo's midfielders, and unleashed a powerful strike on the ball that was about to roll past him.

This shot didn't involve any technique; it was simply a full-body strike on the bottom half of the ball. However, the ball traced a bizarre arc through the air and, to the despair of Flamengo's fans, smashed into the inside of the post before rebounding into the net.

Kaká had struck the ball with such ferocity that he staggered forward a few steps after the shot.

He thought he had skied it and had no hope, but the sudden explosion of cheers from the stands told him otherwise.

Kaká stared in disbelief at the goal, where the ball had just stopped rolling after hitting the back of the net.

"Kaká's world-class strike! They've taken the lead! When Adriano scored just six minutes into the game, we thought it was all over, but Kaká's introduction changed everything! This match has become a one-man show for him..."

Kaká was quickly engulfed by his teammates, but the game wasn't over, and after the brief celebration, play resumed.

To Kaká's surprise, Flamengo didn't descend into chaos. Although their attacks became more frantic, they still maintained structure. Unfortunately, their star striker Adriano became impatient, losing sync with his teammates and wasting two good chances with long-range efforts.

The game soon entered stoppage time, and Alvarez used his final substitution, bringing on a center-back for a winger. Kaká also dropped back to midfield, solidifying their defense.

As Cheney kicked the ball into the air, the referee's whistle sounded.

Two short blasts, followed by one long one.

The game was over.

"Saint-Paul won 4:1, and with a 7:6 aggregate score, they claimed the championship title and earned a spot in next year's Copa Libertadores."

"Liverpool won the League Cup, FA Cup, and Europa League this year, making them the biggest winners in world football so far. But now, Saint-Paul have also achieved a triple in the Rio-Saint Paul Cup, the State Championship, and the Brazilian Cup. The hero who brought Liverpool their three trophies was the English wonderkid Michael Owen, while the one who delivered Saint-Paul's three titles was Brazil's divine son, Kaká!"

If history hadn't changed, Liverpool would have added the Community Shield on August 21st and the UEFA Super Cup on August 24th, completing a quintuple, and Owen would have likely won the Ballon d'Or thanks to those five titles and the hype from the English media. However, Kaká and Baptista also won the U-20 World Cup, and they still have a chance at the Brazilian league title this year, so a quintuple is also a possibility for them.

But each person has their own destiny.

Although trophies like the League Cup and Community Shield are on par with the Rio-Saint Paul Cup and the Brazilian Cup, Saint-Paul's stature still can't compare to Liverpool's. The Brazilian commentator's attempt to put them on the same level was clearly an overstatement on Saint-Paul's part.

Of course, if the Brazilian media had enough clout, they could have promoted Kaká as Brazil's wonderkid, but they clearly lacked the means and intention. Even the "golden boy" nickname that Pato would receive later on was more due to the efforts of the Italian media.

For Kaká, all of this was secondary. The most important thing was the honor points from winning the championship.

He spent 5 points to buy the card, and he gained 5 points from the championship, so it seemed like a break-even scenario. However, this championship also earned them a spot in the Copa Libertadores, a continental tournament, so the rewards should be no less than the U-20 World Cup.

Of course, the premise is that you can win...

(End of Chapter)