Reappeared Yesterday

# Chapter 116: Reappeared Yesterday

In the fifty-second minute, Kaka scored and Brazil tied the game again.

The match had entered a fierce stage, and the movements of both sides were becoming more aggressive. Several of England's midfielders, known for their tough style, caused a lot of trouble for Kaka and Ronaldinho. However, England had more headaches because Kaka and Ronaldinho's cooperation was becoming more and more seamless.

Kaka did not expect to be so harmonious with Ronaldinho on the field.

Both of them liked to take the ball and assault, which initially suggested a conflict in ball distribution. He once worried that Brazil's midfield would be a mess because of this, but now it seemed their dual core was not a triple German-like model but more like Xavi and Messi during Barcelona's golden era.

Kaka clearly remembered that Ronaldinho would miss the semifinals due to a red card from a foul in the second half of the game. He had specially reminded him at halftime, but the effect was not as expected because Ronaldinho's red card was not due to an intentional foul but from excessive emotional excitement during normal gameplay.

He hoped that the butterfly effect would have a benign outcome this time.

In the 63rd minute, Ronaldinho passed to Kaka, who then passed to Carlos, and Carlos missed the goal.

Seaman initially wanted to find Beckham with a long pass, but Beckham was now marked by Gilberto Silva, leaving almost no chance for the pass to be received. So, Seaman threw the ball to Ashley Cole.

This player, also a famous attacking defender, took the ball under pressure from Ronaldinho and Kleberson and crossed to find Owen.

Owen's strength lay in his sudden changes of direction while dribbling fast, which required enough space to exploit his speed advantage. Although his technical skills were good, he rarely held the ball tightly.

Lucio saw through this, so instead of immediately attacking Owen after he received the ball, he quietly stayed back.

Owen indeed kicked the ball, ready to pass to Heskey.

Lucio suddenly rushed in at that moment and tackled the ball away.

Aside from the defense, Edmilson immediately stepped forward and passed the ball to Ronaldinho.

Ronaldinho feinted, his face turned aside, but his ankle flicked, passing the ball to Kaka in the other direction.

The game was nearing its end, and it was uncertain if it would go into overtime. To save energy, Kaka did not use his trademark long strides.

Ronaldinho was caught after passing the ball, and Ronaldo had shown flashes of brilliance in this game but was otherwise ordinary. The passing space between him and Kaka was also tight, so Kaka decided to take the ball himself.

The first defender was Scholes, but he didn't touch the ball. Kaka turned around with a pull-back move to escape his interception and continued forward.

Next was Bart.

This player was strong and fast. Kaka didn't dare to use tricks like step-overs but used a simple move to burst past him.

The second defender was beaten.

Kaka was caught up by Ashley Cole, who forced him to the right. Kaka feigned a pass to Cafu but suddenly back-heeled the ball.

The third defender was out of the way.

He was now close to the penalty area.

Brazilian fans were excited, imagining Kaka single-handedly scoring a spectacular goal.

But they were thinking too much.

Campbell handed Ronaldo over to Ferdinand and suddenly rushed to attack Kaka along with Mills.

Kaka wanted to break through with a deep dribble, but the two defenders quickly closed in on him.

Mills' foot caught Kaka, causing him to fall forward.

The ball went out of play.

The referee blew his whistle and showed a yellow card to Mills.

Mills shrugged, not arguing.

"Mills has been warned with a yellow card. Kaka seems injured and hasn't stood up... The team doctors have entered the field for the third time, and Kaka is being carried off on a stretcher."

Kaka's right ankle was kicked by Mills, causing sharp pain. However, he felt it wasn't a bone injury, just one that would heal with time. So, although he was a bit nervous, he didn't panic.

The team doctor's examination confirmed his suspicion.

There was no major problem, just a sprain. He was not recommended to play again.

"What if I insist?" Kaka asked. "Will there be any lasting effects?"

"No, provided you avoid another foul like that."

Kaka nodded. "Tell the coach."

The team doctor soon reported the situation to Scolari. Scolari waved Kaka over and said, "How do you feel?"

"It hurts a bit, but I can play."

Scolari hesitated and asked the assistant coach to have Rivaldo warm up. He then patted Kaka on the shoulder. "You've done enough. Let's rest for now."

Kaka felt a bit helpless.

Reason told him Scolari was right, but emotionally, he was eager to continue fighting. Now he felt somewhat frustrated.

He accepted the head coach's arrangement but didn't immediately return to the bench. Instead, he stood on the sidelines, waiting for Ronaldinho to take a free kick.

He suddenly noticed that the free kick position seemed quite interesting.

"Kaka has stood up but isn't on the field. Rivaldo is warming up, so it seems the Brazilian team will make a substitution soon. Let's look at this free kick first. This position is on the left side of the goal, about thirty-five meters out. Ronaldinho is taking the penalty..."

The commentator's tone was calm, reflecting the general perception of this free kick. It was far from the goal. If Carlos were taking it, there might be a direct shot, but with Ronaldinho, it would most likely be a pass.

Ronaldinho himself also stretched out his left hand, signaling his teammates to run and get into position.

The Brazil team hadn't dominated headers in this game, so expectations for this ball were low.

Only Kaka thought differently.

Seeing the familiar free-kick position and Seaman's familiar stance, he couldn't help but smile.

If this is historical inertia, let it continue.

Ronaldinho approached and took the shot.

The ball flew up, not too fast, resembling a pass. But the pass was too high, flying over Seaman's head and into the goal.

The commentator was chatting casually, then suddenly exclaimed, "The ball is in! Ronaldinho's brilliant free kick! This shot didn't seem very threatening, but Seaman didn't react. The ball flew between his hands and into the net. Brazil has taken the lead!"

Everyone was momentarily stunned, except for Ronaldinho, who ran excitedly to the sidelines. He initially wanted to rush to the fans, but seeing Kaka on the sidelines, he ran over and high-fived him.

"Did you see that, Kaka? I did it!"

"I saw it. You're amazing!"

You've just retired Seaman. You're going to be a star, brother.

The players on the field and the teammates on the bench ran over. Kaka, fearing for his injured leg, stepped aside and watched his teammates celebrate.

Ronaldinho's free kick, looking like a pass, fooled England's defense and helped Brazil take the lead.

The familiar recipe and taste.

It felt like a world away.