December 4, Dragon Stadium, Porto, Portugal.

In the final round of the Champions League group stage, Real Madrid faced Porto away from home.

In the 12th minute of the match, Real Madrid launched an attack from the right flank. Di Maria and Modric attempted to break through on the right-hand side but failed and were forced to pass the ball back to Carvajal.

The young player, who had recently secured a place in the starting lineup, controlled the ball, observed the field, and then delivered a right-footed cross-field pass to the open space near the right side of the center circle.

Ramos made a forward run and passed the bouncing ball to Kaka, who had dropped deep to receive it.

The Brazilian superstar had retreated quite far. Ramos gave him a quick heads-up that the surrounding area was safe as he collected the ball.

Kaka calmly brought the ball under control and turned around. He glanced up and feinted as if he was about to dribble to the right. Modric and Di Maria both raised their hands, asking for the ball, putting Porto's defense on edge once again.

From the start, Real Madrid had been heavily focused on attacking down the right.

Even though Porto had no hopes of advancing from the group and were destined to finish bottom, they still relied on their pressing and energy.

After all, this was their home ground, and Porto didn't want to go down without a fight.

Just as Gao Shen had warned the players before the match, although Porto lacked motivation, playing at home meant they would still put up a fight. But if Real Madrid managed to score first, Porto's resistance would be greatly diminished.

Once behind, they would either push forward to attack Real Madrid in an effort to entertain the fans, or simply give up and allow Real Madrid to dominate the game.

That was why Real Madrid came out strong from the very beginning.

Kaka also gave his all in this rare appearance.

While pretending to dribble to the right and seeing Porto's defense already under pressure, Kaka suddenly delivered a cheeky flick with the inside of his foot. But instead of passing it to a teammate on the right, he switched the play to the left side of the penalty area.

It was an unexpected pass, but the speed and execution were perfect.

Almost simultaneously, Ronaldo broke free from Argentine defender Otamendi, beat the offside trap, and burst into Porto's box.

Kaka's pass landed right in front of Ronaldo, with goalkeeper Helton rushing out to close him down. At the crucial moment, the Portuguese forward chipped the ball over Helton, raced past him, and calmly slotted it into the empty net from just outside the six-yard box.

1-0!

Amid the cheers of the home fans, Ronaldo ran to the sidelines and celebrated his goal in front of his hometown crowd.

…

On the sidelines, Gao Shen applauded and cheered the brilliant goal.

It was a crucial moment.

And a stunning play.

"Kaka is playing like a true midfield orchestrator tonight," Gao Shen said, clearly pleased with Kaka's performance.

Zidane and Hierro both nodded in agreement. Having played in midfield themselves, they knew exactly what Gao Shen meant.

Kaka had rarely ventured into advanced positions so far in the match. Instead, he had been staying deeper and feeding balls to his teammates.

Although he no longer possessed the pace or explosiveness he once had, his vision and technique were still there.

That earlier pass was proof of it.

It looked like the ball was heading to the right, but then he effortlessly sent a lightning-fast pass with a low arc straight to the left, right where Ronaldo needed it.

Benzema didn't even react, but Ronaldo got there in time.

That was a link-up between two superstars.

"The defense is still a bit lacking," Hierro said with a touch of regret.

With Kaka's current passing and playmaking abilities, he couldn't really replace someone like Kroos or Modric in midfield, but he could definitely be a rotation player or a substitute.

The issue was that Kaka's body was fragile, and his defensive contribution was weak, which made his role within Real Madrid somewhat awkward.

Midfielders like Kroos, Modric, and Verratti were all capable of defending well. But with Kaka's defensive shortcomings, it forced Real Madrid to increase their defensive support in midfield.

Like in tonight's game, Modric wasn't pushing too far forward, and Carvajal was also told to limit his overlaps. Gao Shen had deployed a midfield trio of Kaka, Modric, and Xabi Alonso.

Kroos had played a demanding game recently, so Gao Shen rested him for this match.

Kaka was brought in because of his composure and intelligence in critical moments, along with his big-match experience.

As a former top star, Kaka could still make an impact when it mattered.

But Gao Shen was in a tough spot.

If Kaka were a few years younger or had better defensive skills, Gao Shen would absolutely keep him in the squad.

If his salary wasn't so high, Gao Shen would be happy to keep him even as a bench player.

But the reality was frustrating.

He was no longer young, lacked defensive skills, and had a high salary. What could Gao Shen do?

Although neither Gao Shen, Kaka, nor the Real Madrid management had said anything publicly, everyone understood what was going on.

This was likely Kaka's last season at Real Madrid.

Gao Shen could empathize with Kaka's mindset. He didn't want to leave the club with regrets, especially not with the embarrassment of failing to qualify from the group stage.

For a former top superstar, that would be unbearable.

Even if he had to leave, he wanted to do so as a champion.

…

Before the match, Gao Shen had instructed Carlos Vargas and the rest of the staff that no one was allowed to mention the result of the other match until theirs was finished.

That was the result of Dortmund hosting Manchester City.

The goal was to create a better atmosphere for the players.

At the very least, they wouldn't be distracted by thoughts of group qualification.

As Gao Shen said before the match, do your best to beat Porto and score as many goals as possible.

Whether they continued in the Champions League or dropped to the Europa League...

"We accept it!"

"I swear right here, even if we drop to the Europa League, I'll lead you to win the title!"

"And next season, we'll storm through the Champions League and wipe away the shame!"

His bold words deeply inspired the players.

Even if they had to play in the Europa League, they would accept it.

What could they do? They were just unlucky.

They simply weren't better than Manchester City.

…

Only three minutes after Ronaldo's goal, Real Madrid launched another attack.

After Porto moved into Real Madrid's half, James Rodriguez tried to dribble forward, but Modric slid in and tackled him, winning the ball cleanly.

The Croatian midfielder got up quickly, dribbled forward, looked up, and sent a diagonal through ball behind Porto's defensive line on the right.

Benzema made a diagonal run to the right, reached the ball first, and drove into the penalty area. Facing the recovering center-back and goalkeeper, he squared the ball to the left near the penalty spot.

Ronaldo sprinted in and easily tapped the ball into the net, 2-0!

With a two-goal cushion, Real Madrid didn't let up.

Porto also started playing with more aggression.

Just as Gao Shen predicted, the home side began to press harder after conceding twice in quick succession, abandoning defensive stability.

This was typical for a home team.

They had already come this far. Why stay cautious?

Rather than getting booed by their fans, they might as well go all out and make it entertaining.

With that in mind, Porto began launching wave after wave of attacks.

In the 31st minute, Real Madrid intercepted the ball again in midfield.

Xabi Alonso won possession and quickly exchanged passes with Kaka, who had his back to goal, then passed the ball to Modric. The Croatian turned with the ball, shook off Fernando, and played a chipped ball behind the defense.

Di Maria burst into the right side of the box, controlled the ball, and calmly placed it into the far corner, scoring again.

3-0!

Real Madrid's quick counters were devastating, especially the tight midfield link-ups.

During halftime, Gao Shen praised the team's first-half performance and encouraged them to keep it up.

Especially Kaka.

Gao Shen thought he was playing a bit too cautiously in the first half.

"We're already 3-0 up. Kaka, spread your wings and enjoy yourself. Treat this like your personal stage."

Kaka was deeply moved by Gao Shen's encouragement, and the other players also supported him.

Ronaldo, Benzema, and Di Maria all urged Kaka to get more involved in attack.

"Don't worry, we've got your back," Modric said with a smile.

Before the second half began, as usual, Gao Shen hugged each player before they returned to the pitch. When it was Kaka's turn, he hugged Gao Shen tightly and whispered, "Thank you, boss!"

"Repay me with a goal," Gao Shen said with a smile.

No one expected that just three minutes into the second half, Real Madrid got a goal kick. It was quickly launched to the front line, but Porto midfielder Fernando headed it back.

Ramos intercepted the ball and passed it to Xabi Alonso, who then played it forward to Ronaldo, who had dropped deep.

Ronaldo controlled the ball, turned inside, and passed it to Kaka.

Kaka adjusted his position and then used his trademark dribbling rhythm and footwork. His pace was slower than before, but Fernando still struggled to dispossess him.

Using his body to shield the ball, Kaka pushed forward to the edge of the penalty area and suddenly unleashed a long-range shot.

The whole action was smooth and elegant, with a strange sense of beauty. The ball flew with incredible speed, just like his earlier pass.

The ball tore through Porto's defense and slammed into the net past Helton.

"Wow!!!!"

"What a strike!"

"Kaka scores!!!"

"The Brazilian lets fly with a sudden long-range shot and finds the back of the net! 4-0!"

"My God, what a goal that was!"

After scoring, Kaka sprinted off the pitch in celebration.

Ronaldo and his teammates rushed over to celebrate with him.

The Brazilian hugged each of his teammates, and as he returned to the pitch, he ran to the visitors' bench and embraced head coach Gao Shen to thank him for the encouragement.

At that moment, Gao Shen was still stunned.

This is what a superstar looks like.

All it takes is a little sunlight, and he shines.

(To be continued.)