Lisbon, Estádio José Alvalade — 23 minutes in
Kai stood near the halfway line, his lungs heaving, fingers brushing sweat from his brow. He had just scored a missed a long range shot that came off the post. Sporting were still in the lead, taking the aggregate to 2–1 in Sporting's favor. The roars from the ultras still echoed through the ground like thunder trapped in concrete.
In the VIP box, club legends nodded in approval. BT Sport's commentary was glowing, and even the Portuguese broadcasters were losing composure:
"Two assists in both legs now for the American. I would not be surprised if he even scores, this guy is crazy like that. Kai Alexander ladies and gentlemen, the future of football is here!"
But AC Milan weren't out yet.
25' – The Rossoneri fought back like wounded lions. Leão picked up the ball near the halfway line and exploded forward, brushing off Inácio with a burst of power. His low strike from the angle whistled past the far post.
26' – The next minute, Loftus-Cheek found Fofana near the edge of the box. The Frenchman spun sharply, wrong-footed Morita, and blasted a shot—Adán dove at full stretch, parrying it wide.
Commentator:
"Sporting may be ahead, but Milan are clawing their way back into this."
30' – Kai dropped deeper now, tracking runs and plugging midfield gaps. He pressed relentlessly, even winning a throw-in off anyone tasked to mark him with a clever shoulder dips, body feints and step overs.
The match had turned fiery—each 50/50 was met with full-force commitment. And Milan, wounded but not dead, surged with renewed purpose.
35' – Milan pulled one back.
It started with Bennacer recovering the ball in midfield and threading a precise pass through the lines. Fofana received, took one touch, then sprayed it wide left to Leão. He danced past Diomande with a low cross arrowing toward the penalty spot.
Christian Pulisic, ghosting into space, met it with perfection. A smooth left-footed side-foot finish into the far corner.
Goal. AC Milan 1 – Sporting 1. (Agg. 2–2)
Commentator (BT Sport):
"And it's the American connection again! Christian Pulisic with a clinical finish! This is turning into an American showcase!"
The camera caught Pulisic's celebration—two fingers raised to the sky as he pointed toward the stands, then gave a brief nod. A subtle salute to Kai, maybe.
On the touchline, Sporting's coach Rui Borgas clapped his hands furiously. "Wake up! Don't let them build momentum!"
38'–45' – The remainder of the half turned into trench warfare. Every blade of grass contested. Pulisic drove the tempo, combining with Leão and Loftus-Cheek. Kai, backtracking constantly, flung himself into interceptions, made key passes, but was also fouled more than once.
Milan had smelled blood, and their fans—thousands who'd traveled from Italy—raised the noise. But Sporting's core held.
43' – Fábio Silva nearly restored the one-goal cushion with a header from a Pedro Gonçalves cross. Maignan saved at full stretch.
45' + 2 – The whistle blew. The first half ended with a flurry of shoves and furious stares as players walked off. No punches thrown—but war was in the air.
Halftime: Lisbon & The World Reacts
As players headed down the tunnel, social media erupted like a volcano.
On Twitter (X), #KaiAlexander trended worldwide.
@DOUE_10: "He's magic, this guy. I can't wait to play with him next season. @K_Alex11"
Desire Doué, recovering in France, tweeted it with a photo of himself watching the game in PSG training gear.
@UnitedFaithful: "We messed up not signing him. Don't care. Sell Sancho, buy Kai."
@ForçaBarça_21: "He's got that Iniesta in him. Why the hell didn't we get him?"
@AllOrNothingCity: "Our midfield against this guy in the quarters? Pep better cook something magical."
The PSG fanbase, wounded from their 2–0 loss to Bayern that night before and hoping for a better showing this week, were divided. Some praised Kai. Others dragged the club's management for letting him go:
"We let him walk to Portugal… and now we're out. Masterclass from Luis Enrique."
Sports outlets rolled out halftime specials. BT Sport ran a highlight reel titled "Kai: Composure & Chaos." ESPN FC's Shaka Hislop called him "the breakout star of the UCL knockouts."
Even Cristiano Ronaldo, watching from Riyadh, posted a rare Insta story with a flame emoji and Kai's name. It was simple. But it was loud.
Sporting Dressing Room — The Shift
The players filed in, sweat-soaked and silent. Rui Borgas didn't yell. He waited until every seat was filled.
Then he pointed at the tactics board.
"We shift now," he said. "Second half, Milan will go for broke. We go smarter."
He looked at Kai.
"You drop into midfield. We go to a 4–2–3–1, but you have freedom. They're keying on you out wide. Now they chase shadows."
Kai nodded, eyes burning with purpose.
"No matter what happens out there," Rui said, voice rising, "We don't defend the lead—we go for the kill."
The players nodded. Morita patted Kai on the back. Pedro Gonçalves slapped his own face twice to fire himself up. The room buzzed with raw electricity.
As they stood to leave, the assistant coach turned to Kai and added quietly, "They're saying you're the future of American football. Time to show them you're already the present."
Kai smiled. "They haven't seen anything yet."
Tunnel — Second Half Incoming
Back in the tunnel, Kai rolled his neck side to side. Milan's players looked focused, grim. Pulisic gave him a respectful nod. Kai nodded back.
In that brief moment, two American stars acknowledged each other—not as countrymen, but as rivals in battle.
The referee blew his whistle. Both sides walked back onto the pitch.
As the lights of the Estádio José Alvalade blazed overhead, the fans rose again. Fireworks cracked outside. The Champions League anthem echoed once more, just before kickoff.
If Sporting held this lead, they'd face Manchester City in the quarterfinals.
But if Milan struck again, chaos could erupt.
Kai looked around the pitch, exhaled, and muttered under his breath, "Let's finish this."
And with that, the second half began.