Chapter 42

While Rong Guang continued his special training, São Paulo also welcomed the final round of the Rio-São Paulo Championship regular season.

Currently, São Paulo ranks fourth with 23 points. According to the tournament rules, the top four teams in the regular season can advance to the semi-finals, but this ranking is not secure.

Because the points gap with nearby teams is not significant.

The third-ranked São Caetano has 24 points.

The fifth-ranked Santos and the sixth-ranked Vasco da Gama are tied with São Paulo, all with 23 points.

They rank below São Paulo only because of a slightly worse goal difference.

The seventh-ranked Botafogo has 22 points.

The eighth-ranked Paulista and Botafogo are also tied with 22 points.

The ninth-ranked Portuguesa has 20 points.

From third to ninth place, seven teams have the potential to overturn the rankings in the final round and secure a semi-final spot.

Considering there are only 16 teams in the Rio-São Paulo Championship this year...

This means nearly half of the teams are still in contention, showing how intense the competition is.

Only the top two teams, Corinthians and Palmeiras, have already secured their semi-final spots.

Oswaldo, who took over São Paulo mid-season, set the goal of reaching the semi-finals, which is the minimum requirement. If he fails, he will have to leave.

Oswaldo naturally does not want this to happen. In this final round, São Paulo can only win.

Even a draw might see them being pushed out of the top four by other teams.

In the final round, São Paulo will face Santos away.

This is a direct confrontation between the fourth and fifth-ranked teams. If São Paulo can defeat Santos, they will definitely secure a semi-final spot.

But if they lose to Santos... they will say goodbye to the semi-finals.

For São Paulo, playing away against Santos is not easy.

Although Santos has been in decline since the departure of Pelé, they have recently risen again due to the emergence of young talents.

In the current Santos team, two young players stand out: forward Robinho and midfielder Diego.

Diego made his debut for Santos in the Rio-São Paulo Championship at the age of 16 and is now a regular starter.

Robinho, who is slightly older than Diego, was already a starter for Santos at the start of this season's Rio-São Paulo Championship.

With Robinho and Diego leading the way, Santos is now experiencing a youth revolution.

Defeating this team away is no easy task.

Oswaldo is banking on the front three of Kaka, Ricardinho, and Luis Fabiano to lead the attack.

As for Rong Guang... being included in the 18-man squad when the first team is fully available is already a significant achievement.

In fact, the media were surprised that Rong Guang could still make the 18-man squad.

They don't understand why others are not better than Rong Guang.

Any player in the São Paulo first team would probably be more qualified to be in the squad than Rong Guang, right?

Why is Rong Guang still in the squad?

At the pre-match press conference, a journalist questioned Rong Guang's inclusion in the 18-man squad.

"Why is it still Rong?"

Grayson, sitting in his seat, did not ask this question because he thought it was unnecessary to keep harping on Rong Guang.

However, he was still happy to see other journalists targeting Rong Guang.

He smiled at Oswaldo, eager to hear the coach's response.

"Choosing who to include in the squad is based on my considerations. I cannot tell you how I consider it, as it is a tactical decision. I can only say that who makes the 18-man squad depends more on their performance in training. Rong has always been the most dedicated and hardworking player in the team. His inclusion in the squad is well-deserved and without any issues."

Oswaldo's response was unexpectedly strong.

If it weren't for the fact that Rong Guang and Oswaldo look nothing alike, the journalists might have suspected that Rong Guang was Oswaldo's illegitimate child...

Being in the squad for every match, regardless of performance. Even after three consecutive poor performances, why is he still in the squad?

Grayson snorted after hearing Oswaldo's response.

This answer is as good as saying nothing.

Don't kid yourself, what tactical arrangement can a rookie who has been thoroughly studied have?

This excuse is too weak!

※※※

"Kaka—!! Kaka!"

Commentator Galvão Bueno elongated his voice and roared, "Bueno Alert" sounded again.

In his roar, Kaka, wearing the number 8 jersey of São Paulo, pointed to the sky and ran to the sideline.

He was celebrating his goal.

Just now, he scored a powerful long-range shot that broke through Santos' defense.

His goal helped São Paulo reverse the score, leading Santos 2-1!

"Kaka's beautiful long-range shot! This is his specialty! São Paulo has reversed the score away from home! If São Paulo wins this match, they will secure a top-four finish in the regular season and advance to the semi-finals! Santos is now in a desperate situation! In the remaining 25 minutes, they must score two goals..."

The São Paulo fans in the stands were cheering and jumping with joy.

Korei was among them.

She and her friends screamed and shouted Kaka's name.

Some even shed tears of excitement.

"Kaka is amazing! São Paulo can only rely on him!"

Korei also screamed, "I love you, Kaka!!"

In the media stands, Grayson spread his hands to his colleagues and said, "See, this is a genius! A true genius!"

He used the words Godo used to describe Rong Guang, clearly still harboring resentment over the Rong Guang issue, not as easy to let go as he said.

※※※

"In the previous match, Kaka contributed an assist in his first start after recovering from injury. In this match, he has one assist and one goal... his form is excellent! As Scolari is about to announce the final 23-man squad for the World Cup in Japan and South Korea, this performance is a good sign!"

Not only the commentator Cafure, but also the coaches of São Paulo share this view.

"Kaka's form is really good... after two consecutive injuries, I didn't expect him to recover so quickly..." In the São Paulo coaching box, after celebrating the goal, the coaches also had the mood to chat about other topics.

This match was too tense, and São Paulo had been trailing, so they were fully focused on the game.

Mauro smiled, "We should thank Rong."

"Thank Rong?" The other coaches were puzzled by Mauro's statement.

"Because of Rong, Kaka has been more dedicated and hardworking in training, and his fighting spirit is also stronger. He probably doesn't want to be really beaten by Rong..." Mauro said.

The other coaches were stunned—Kaka actually saw Rong Guang as a threat?

They all knew about Rong Guang's goal to beat Kaka.

But they didn't think Rong Guang could really threaten Kaka, as the gap between them was too large. One is a prodigy who entered São Paulo's youth team at the age of 8 and led the youth team to win the São Paulo State Youth Cup, while the other is a rookie who only started playing football at 16 years and 4 months...

Rong Guang surpassing Kaka? There's a zero percent chance!

But what they didn't care about, Kaka seemed to take very seriously.

"But maybe it's just because he wants to be selected for the Brazilian national team to participate in the World Cup?" Someone offered a different opinion.

Oswaldo nodded, "Of course, that's also a reason."

"I knew it... the World Cup is a huge attraction for Kaka. His hard work is definitely to catch Scolari's attention..." The other coaches were happy to find a reasonable explanation for Kaka's excellent form, and they even felt relieved.

Mauro smiled but did not argue further on this issue.

The offensive coach Rocha did not join the debate; he just stared at the field, seemingly deep in thought.

※※※

The relaxed atmosphere in the São Paulo coaching box quickly disappeared as the match resumed.

Everyone was focused on the field, their expressions serious, with no time for idle chatter.

Because Santos, forced to the brink by Kaka's long-range shot, used their home advantage to launch a more intense attack.

They must score two goals in the remaining time.

Time was running out.

Santos' attack pressed São Paulo so hard that they couldn't even lift their heads, and they had to retreat to defend to avoid conceding a goal.

A draw would be meaningless for São Paulo; they must win!

So they cannot afford to concede a single goal!

Coach Oswaldo stood by the sideline the entire time, never returning to the coaching box.

※※※

Korei and her friends clenched their fists and tensed their bodies, watching the field.

They did not want São Paulo to be held to a draw or lose to Santos away from home.

That would mean the end of São Paulo's Rio-São Paulo Championship journey. They wanted to see more of Kaka's matches and hoped São Paulo would advance to the final and lift the trophy.

But for ten minutes, São Paulo was under constant pressure from Santos, and at the most extreme moments, the ball couldn't even cross the halfway line!

Santos surrounded São Paulo's penalty area, bombarding it as if every attack would result in a goal, making São Paulo fans nervous.

The São Paulo fans in the stands let out constant gasps of shock.

Then they were quickly drowned out by the loud cheers of the Santos fans.

※※※

"Diego's brilliant pass! Robinho! He's into the penalty area... shot—!"

São Paulo's captain, Ceni, was in the right position and caught Robinho's shot in his arms. The Santos fans' cheers abruptly stopped.

"We can't continue like this; we must attack!" Ceni, holding the ball, got up from the ground and shouted at his teammates.

He was worried that if Santos continued to attack, his goal would eventually be breached.

Although if Santos equalized, they might not secure a semi-final spot.

But for São Paulo, a draw is also meaningless.

There's a risk that Santos, seeing no hope, might drag São Paulo down with them.

So they must change this passive situation.

He saw Kaka running diagonally from the top of the penalty area to the right wing, where Santos' defense was weaker, making it a good option to attack the front.

At the same time, Kaka was looking back at him, signaling with his eyes: Pass me the ball, captain!

Ceni quickly threw the ball with all his strength, "Kaka—!"

He pinned his hopes for a counterattack on this young man who runs like the wind.

※※※

"Kaka received the ball!"

Bueno shouted.

Seeing Kaka receive the ball, the São Paulo fans in the stands, especially the female fans, let out screams.

Korei almost screamed hysterically, "Go, Kaka!!"

They all hoped Kaka could use his outstanding individual skills to change the one-sided situation on the field.

Kaka is São Paulo's only hope!

Luis Fabiano, seeing Kaka receive the ball, also ran hard from the back to the center of the field, creating a counterattack opportunity for São Paulo!

But just as he ran two steps and looked back to see where Kaka was, he saw Kaka being tackled by Santos' defensive midfielder Renato (who later played for the Sevilla team that won the UEFA Cup twice) and the ball went out of bounds!

※※※

"Damn!! Don't hurt my Kaka!"

"You hurt Kaka!"

"This is a foul! How dare you! Defend properly!"

Korei and her friends exclaimed in shock.

But the referee did not support their judgment.

He blew the whistle and signaled for a throw-in by Santos!

※※※

"Not a foul! Renato made a clean and accurate tackle on the ball, which then hit Kaka's leg and went out of bounds... What bad luck! São Paulo can't even cross the halfway line! If this continues, São Paulo will eventually concede a goal! The situation is very critical for São Paulo, who are only leading by one goal!"

Kaka got up from the ground, spreading his hands in frustration, thinking this should have been a foul or a throw-in for São Paulo.

But the referee's decision was completely against São Paulo.

He panted heavily as he returned to the field, not even checking if he was injured by Renato...

The sprint, though only ten meters, had already made him feel tired. He had been on the field for 75 minutes!

His stamina was almost depleted.

Now he was relying solely on his willpower.

He opened his mouth wide, breathing like a fish out of water, drenched in sweat!

Finally, Coach Oswaldo walked back from the sideline and said to his assistant coach Mauro, "Mauro, get Rong to warm up!"