Chapter 69: You Hurt Me, Yet...

Just minutes into the game, there were five shots on goal, two corner kicks, and one goal scored. Everyone thought it would be a goal-fest, and the match seemed to be heading in that direction.

Because Argentina's firepower was simply too intense.

Although Costonio ambitiously aimed to inflict serious damage on Argentina, the reality was that the Brazil team was on the defensive.

While they weren't completely overwhelmed, they were undoubtedly being dominated on the pitch.

But Costonio remained optimistic about the prospects of the match, which showed how agitated Argentina's young players had become.

Reckless shots became the norm, regardless of reason.

More experienced and composed players like Saviola and Coloccini naturally knew that their team wasn't playing well, constantly trying to calm their teammates. However, before their efforts bore fruit, Brazil nearly struck again.

Adriano aggressively challenged for the ball in the final third, and with Kaka's support, he successfully dispossessed Romagnoli. From about thirty meters out, he suddenly unleashed a long-range effort.

This shot was indeed a case of "when in doubt, take a shot," as there were only Adriano and Kaka in the attacking third at the time, with even Robert held back in their own half after a long defensive run. Meanwhile, all four Argentine defenders were in the penalty area, along with Ponce stationed on the goal line, ready to intercept.

Surprisingly, the ball headed straight for the top-right corner, leaving even Adriano himself startled.

Unfortunately, Lukes remained focused and reacted quickly, correctly anticipating the shot as soon as Adriano's foot made contact, and he pulled off a successful save.

That shot gave the Argentine players a scare, and with Pekerman's constant shouting from the sidelines, the players finally regained some composure. Both teams gradually found their rhythm, and the match returned to normal.

Costonio, who had observed everything, began to worry again.

Although they couldn't capitalize on Argentina's overcommitment, Brazil's attack was back on track.

In the 40th minute, Kaka was on the ball again.

Kaka's role as the midfield lynchpin was particularly prominent in this match.

This time, he didn't charge through the middle but intentionally chose a position closer to the right flank.

Because Maicon had joined the attack.

Through a series of quick one-twos, they bypassed two Argentine full-backs, and finally, Maicon carried the ball towards the byline, setting up another comfortable crossing opportunity.

Chaos erupted in Argentina's penalty area.

Burdisso tightly marked Adriano, Kolonic stuck to Kaka, and Cotolo was responsible for Robert.

Alka charged at Maicon, hoping to block his cross.

But Maicon's touch was deceptive, slightly feinting to draw Alka out of position before delivering a low cross into the penalty area.

It was a well-weighted pass, albeit with some pace, but accurate.

Kaka was the intended target, having already made his run to meet the ball, unaffected by Maicon's dummy.

Although young, Kolonic was experienced and maintained a subtle distance from Kaka, close enough to prevent a sudden turn but not too tight to risk conceding a foul. As long as his teammates were in position, he could attempt to dispossess Kaka.

Kaka stretched out his right foot, feinting to trap the ball, while Maicon was already sprinting towards him.

The players on the pitch immediately simulated Brazil's likely next move based on their match experience and training: Kaka would lay the ball back to Maicon, turn to shake off Kolonic's marking, and then Maicon would either chip the ball over the defense or play a through ball for Kaka to receive and either pass or shoot...

This was probably the most common approach, perhaps with minor variations, but the overall thought process should be similar. After all, with Kaka in the penalty area surrounded by defenders, his position didn't allow for a direct shot or pass, so laying the ball off to Maicon was the most correct and logical decision.

Accordingly, the opposition prepared their defensive measures, and teammates readied themselves to support.

Such is the danger of relying solely on experience.

Kaka didn't lay the ball back to Maicon as they expected. Instead, he flicked the ball with his heel, sending it through Kolonic's legs once again.

This "again" infuriated Kolonic to the point of wanting to commit murder.

As is widely known, nutmegging an opponent is considered disrespectful and often leads to conflict.

But the problem here was that anyone with eyes could see that Kaka's action was unintentional...

It was a stroke of genius, a moment of brilliance, rather than a deliberate attempt at humiliation or showboating, leaving the nutmegged player with no justification for retaliation.

Which made it even more frustrating.

Even more frustrating was the result of this heel flick.

After rolling through Kolonic's legs, the ball arrived next to Adriano, who instinctively struck it with his side-foot, a striker's natural reaction. However, caught off guard, he lost his balance and tumbled to the ground, turning what could have been a graceful side-footed shot into an ungainly grounded effort.

Instead of lifting off the ground, the ball rolled along the grass and into the net, leaving the entire stadium in stunned silence.

After falling, Adriano's vision was blocked by Burdisso in front of him, and not hearing his teammates' immediate celebrations, he thought he had scuffed the shot, angrily pounding the turf in frustration.

Burdisso turned around, looking down at the furious Adriano with a puzzled expression.

"What kind of celebration is this? Quite unique, you Brazilians sure know how to have fun."

Robert was the first to react, rushing towards Adriano...

Then it was a pile-on of celebrations...

"Adriano, Adriano, Adriano... This is the understanding between geniuses. Maicon, Kaka, and Adriano, their chemistry is perfect. Maicon's dummy, Kaka's heel flick, Adriano's grounded shot, everything looked rehearsed, each movement timed perfectly..."

Lukes frustratingly kicked the ball back out of the net and looked towards Kaka.

If he had some kind of "hatred system" or cheat code, Adriano's contribution would be worth 10 hatred points at most, while Kaka's would be at least tenfold.

Kolonic also stared at Kaka, a mix of annoyance and begrudging admiration in his eyes.

Instead of joining his teammates' celebrations, Kaka and Maicon raised their hands for a high-five before embracing tightly.

He noticed Kolonic's gaze and responded with a friendly smile.

Who knows how Kolonic interpreted that smile; Kaka simply didn't know how to react and made a casual expression.

Costonio clenched his fists tightly, repeatedly swinging them up and down by his sides, muttering under his breath.

"Brilliant, brilliant! You really are a goddamn genius! I knew you were a genius!"

Pekerman held his head in disbelief, but suddenly realizing the gesture could be misconstrued as inappropriate and might send the wrong signal, he quickly lowered his hands and rushed to the sideline, calling Kolonic over.

His captain had been deeply hurt today, and they better avoid any further issues.

(End of Chapter)