While managing Manchester United from the sidelines, Sir Alex Ferguson kept a close eye on the performance of the super genius from the opposing team.
On the other side—
Holloway stood tall at the edge of the pitch.
The roaring momentum inside Wembley surged like waves.
This magnificent atmosphere filled the Crystal Palace manager with intense emotion.
He knew—this was Kai's final match leading Crystal Palace this season!
Whether they could pull off another miracle…
Whether they could topple the mighty Manchester United…
As a member of the coaching staff, Holloway would give it everything he had, rousing the tens of thousands of Palace fans on-site—
Pouring all their trust and love into their superstar!
"Peeeep!"
The referee's whistle blew loud and clear!
The FA Cup Final, watched by millions, had officially begun!
Wembley erupted in deafening cheers!
After the pre-match coin toss, Crystal Palace won the right to kick off!
—
From the center circle—
Vaughan started the match with a kick,
Then turned immediately and sprinted full-speed toward United's half!
Zaha gently returned the ball with the inside of his foot.
Kai received it and surged forward—
Dribbling straight across the halfway line!
Crystal Palace's formation instantly pressed forward!
The stands roared in shock!
Both teams had lined up in 4-4-2 formations.
4-4-2—one of Sir Alex Ferguson's all-time favorite systems,
And also the formation United had used throughout their glory days in Europe.
As for Crystal Palace, this was the formation Kai himself had helped install mid-season.
It was this formation that allowed Palace to charge through both the Championship and the FA Cup, defeating stronger opponents at every turn!
From the opening seconds—
Crystal Palace, with the kickoff advantage, shocked every fan watching!
Against the mighty Manchester United, they dared to go on the attack!?
United's defenders quickly dropped back.
But Palace's offense pushed in with a momentum none of the United stars expected!
If you wanted to seize the advantage against a powerful team—
There was only one way:
Strike fast, strike hard, catch them off guard!
This opening press, which Palace had practiced tens of thousands of times in training, was now being executed in live combat under the gaze of 100,000 spectators!
On the sideline, Sir Alex Ferguson's calm expression flickered slightly.
—
At midfield—
As Crystal Palace's formation surged forward, Park Ji-sung charged toward Kai, trying to intercept.
But this version of Kai—
His ball control, physicality, and more had all surpassed the 80-point mark!
Park Ji-sung's pressing did nothing to slow him down.
With full vision, Kai delivered a stunning long pass straight toward the edge of the penalty area!
The stadium exploded in shouts!
It was an incredibly accurate long ball—
Right to Vaughan's head as he ran forward!
United's iron defense reacted instantly!
Chris Smalling, starting in place of Ferdinand, charged out of the box.
But Vaughan didn't try to control the ball—
Instead, he met it in stride, and with a strong header—
Nodded it diagonally backward!
The ball dropped toward the top of the box!
Carrick and Evra rushed up to clear it!
But before they could reach it—
One figure was already charging under the falling ball!
Kai!
Fans who regularly watched Chelsea matches were stunned!
This attack from Kai and Vaughan mirrored Lampard and Drogba at their peak!
Though Vaughan wasn't tall, he had acted as a makeshift "pivot" in the final third—
Nodding the ball toward the top of the box!
Kai burst in from behind!
A golden shooting path flashed before his eyes!
Without even stopping the ball—
He struck it in one motion with a long-range shot!
"BOOM!!"
In the vast Wembley Stadium—
A thunderous roar exploded into the air!
Just 20 seconds into the match—
In front of 100,000 stunned fans—
The ball sliced clean through United's box!
With unstoppable force, it shot past Van der Sar's outstretched hands—
And slammed into the top corner of Manchester United's goal!
After a brief stunned silence—
The stadium erupted into an earth-shattering celebration!
GOALLLLLL!!!
The ball was in!
The score was now—
1:0!!
Fans clutched their heads in disbelief!
They looked at the match timer—
The game had only been going for 20 seconds!
What had just happened!?
Crystal Palace's seemingly reckless all-out press had pushed them into United's danger zone in under 20 seconds.
Vaughan served as the pivot—
Headed the long ball toward the top of the box.
Kai surged forward and fired a thunderous shot!
Van der Sar had no chance.
Crystal Palace had taken the lead!
The Crystal Palace stands erupted, cheers rolling in like tidal waves!
After the goal, Kai pumped his fists in the air—
Then slid on his knees toward the fans in celebration!
His teammates roared and rushed over to embrace him!
This was the FA Cup Final—
And in this final watched by millions…
He scored within 20 seconds to break Manchester United's defense!
"Kai!!"
"Eagle King! Eagle King!!"
Crystal Palace fans went wild!
—
On the sideline, Ferguson's finger trembled slightly.
He frowned, looking toward the pitch in disbelief.
The team he prided himself on—
The Premier League champions—
Had conceded just 20 seconds into the final!
The media couldn't resist—
They rubbed salt into the wound:
"This is the fastest goal in FA Cup Final history!"
Kai, the super genius of Crystal Palace, had broken the record previously held by Everton, who had scored in the 25th second against Chelsea in last year's final!
The United stands burst into chaotic noise.
No one had expected this!
One of United's assistant coaches rushed over, face tense:
"Boss, what do we do? Should we change tactics?"
This season, Manchester United had competed on all fronts and kept winning—
They had already secured the Premier League title, and had reached both the FA Cup and Champions League finals.
Now, they were aiming to reclaim the historic Treble for the Red Devils!
Ferguson took a deep breath.
"Tell Rooney and the others to warm up!"
"Maybe I was wrong from the start—
Against a team led by that kind of genius,
We must send in our full-strength squad!"
Under the London night sky—
A stunning sight played out for fans worldwide!
United's unused starters—
Not even a minute into the match—
Began warming up on the sidelines!
The fans were shocked.
This was the pressure that Kai—the super genius of Crystal Palace—
Had put on even mighty Manchester United!
And with Crystal Palace rewriting the scoreboard in just 20 seconds—
This FA Cup Final, watched by the world—
Had already exploded into a historic climax!
~~----------------------
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