The Second Advent

Chapter 127: The Second Advent

Rui Costa's pass seemed to open a new world for Kaka. He began to practice on the spot, but the results were worse; he also disrupted a prime opportunity.

Ancelotti was deeply dissatisfied and called him over to the sidelines, saying, "Breakthrough, Kaka! You must strengthen your breakthroughs! Don't abandon your greatest advantage!"

Kaka nodded, showing his understanding.

To be honest, he was itching to prove himself. After all, this was his first game since perfecting his fantasy footwork fusion. He wanted to see how far he could push his 93-rated dribbling skills.

In the 32nd minute, AC Milan had a goal kick. Maldini brought the ball to midfield on the right and passed to Seedorf. Seedorf then diagonally passed to Rui Costa, who had pulled to the left.

Rui Costa cleverly evaded Liberec's defensive midfielder and passed the ball to Kaka.

Kaka performed a cheeky backheel turn, leaving the defender behind.

The fans applauded this exquisite play, and the TV commentators were momentarily exhilarated.

Kaka continued his drive forward and attempted a bicycle kick in front of the second defender.

But this time, his dazzling footwork failed to deceive, and he was tackled. A hefty clearance sent the ball straight into AC Milan's penalty area.

Under Nesta's defense, Liberec's striker failed to control the ball, which was then passed back to Dida by Nesta. Dida kicked it to Maldini.

Maldini advanced with the ball and again passed diagonally to Kaka.

This time, Kaka didn't hold onto the ball but passed it to Seedorf. Seedorf swiftly transitioned and passed to Rui Costa.

Rui Costa carried the ball into the penalty area, collided with Inzaghi for a wall pass, and then passed to Shevchenko.

Shevchenko faced the goal but found it nearly blocked.

Shevchenko had no choice but to protect the ball and retreat, then passed it out of the penalty area to the right.

Kaka received the ball and moved towards the goal line.

The defender quickly closed in, trying to physically push Kaka out of bounds, but the seemingly gentle player proved surprisingly strong—unmovable.

Breaking through could be divided into technical and physical styles. The former bewildered defenders, who couldn't anticipate Kaka's next move, while the latter was predictable yet unstoppable.

Of course, Kaka's combination of physique and skill made it impossible to predict his intentions, rendering defenses powerless.

"Kaka taps the ball with his heel and turns toward the penalty area. Pass or shoot? It's a feint! And now..."

Kaka refrained from flashy maneuvers in the penalty area but outwitted defenders with clever changes of direction and body feints.

He eluded half of Liberec's four defenders and two midfielders in the penalty area before finding an angle.

Kaka took a shot.

The ball was swift but blocked by Liberec's goalkeeper, who reacted quickly.

Before Liberec could celebrate, Inzaghi dashed in like a nimble fox, snatching the ball from the goalkeeper's grasp and slotting it into the net.

3-0.

This marked the final goal of the first half. AC Milan entered halftime with a three-goal lead.

Ancelotti expressed satisfaction with the team's performance in the first half, particularly praising Inzaghi's assist for Shevchenko's goal.

The individual skills of Sheva and Jiuye as forwards were beyond doubt, but when paired together upfront, their synergy often fell short. No matter how Ancelotti adjusted, it seemed one plus one equaled less than two.

Just like England's Owen and Shearer or France's Zidane and Henry—on paper, their collaboration seemed a dream, but on the pitch, it failed to materialize.

Sometimes, such matters transcended the physical realm. Coaches saw what fans didn't, yet some issues defied resolution.

Ancelotti's satisfaction was short-lived. In the second half, the two forwards began to stymie each other.

Kaka now realized that these two giants upfront didn't quite complement each other. Individually, they were exceptional; together, they spelled trouble.

In the 63rd minute of the game, Kaka opted against passing after receiving the ball.

He had now evolved into an enhanced version of Baggio in ball breakthroughs, with room for further improvement. His physical prowess made him more than a match for any defense, even if he had initially imagined facing world-renowned steel defenses; against a Czech league team, the challenge was minimal.

"Kaka breaks through and scores! Undoubtedly one of Serie A's best in dribbling skills right now. Watching him play always evokes memories of a young Baggio... Scratch that, a fit Ronaldo..."

Ronaldo was dubbed "The Phenomenon" after an astounding goal for Barcelona against Compostela; Kaka's performance now mirrored that arrival of an extraterrestrial. The resemblance was striking.

Dribbling through midfield, Kaka bypassed a midfielder, then surged past two defenders. Their attempts to stop him were futile, and as three defenders converged...

Just when it seemed Kaka would continue his sprint inward, he suddenly slowed, swiveling through several defenders like a gymnast amid three converging defenders.

The goalkeeper moved quickly, meeting Kaka in a narrow lane before the small penalty area.

Kaka alternated his feet behind the ball, shimmying his upper body left and right to send the goalkeeper sprawling.

"GOAL! Kaka! A balletic move leaves the goalkeeper rooted and he slots the ball into the empty net. It's an alien invasion on Earth for the second time! Only this time, it's not Spain's Camp Nou but Italy's San Siro!"

"Kaka bypasses five, no, six defenders... no, add the goalkeeper, that's seven! Shades of Ronaldo's famous long-range sprint. The parallels are uncanny. Is this coincidence? Or something more? The alien invasion continues—who will stop him?"