Chapter 125: Night of the Massacre

Trigueros’ long pass found Dai Zhiwei, who had perfectly timed his run to beat the offside trap. After receiving expert training from Teppei Kisugi via the "Captain Tsubasa" system, his ability to lurk behind the defensive line was now nearly on par with the legendary "man who lives on the offside line," Filippo Inzaghi.

By the time Dai had dribbled the ball into the CSKA Moscow penalty area, their two center-backs were only just scrambling to turn and chase him down from the edge of the box. The fragility of the CSKA defense in this match was due to their three-man backline.

The cheers at the Estadio de la Cerámica reached a crescendo. The "Yellow Submarine" fans rose from their seats, anticipating a goal. Akinfeev opted to charge out as Dai approached the ball, reaching him just as he entered the box. Facing the advancing goalkeeper, Dai flicked his ankle, sending the ball through Akinfeev’s legs.

"Oh no!"

Akinfeev lunged in a desperate attempt to intercept, but the ball cheekily nutmegged him and rolled into the net.

3-0!

It was a scoreline few fans had anticipated, and it was only the first half! The crowd surged toward the front of the stands; some overly excited fans even climbed down to storm the pitch to embrace Dai, who was performing his signature gun-blowing celebration.

Less than a minute after CSKA restarted the game from the center circle, the referee blew the whistle for halftime.

At the start of the second half, Villarreal made an adjustment: Trigueros was replaced by the returning Roberto Soriano. Clearly, manager Escribá felt the match was already won and wanted to give the long-sidelined Soriano some much-needed rhythm.

Dai Zhiwei was in excellent form. He acted as the coordinate point for Villarreal’s long balls, serving as a beacon in the CSKA half that allowed his teammates to launch wave after wave of attacks.

"Captain!" Dai signaled to Bruno for the ball. Kuchaev immediately rushed over to block the passing lane, but Bruno bypassed Dai, lofting a long ball behind left-back Vasin. Dai spun, leaving Kuchaev in his wake. Just as Vasin leaped to head the ball out, a whirlwind swept past him—Cheryshev had surged behind him to snatch the ball away.

Cheryshev exploited the gap on the left flank, having time to adjust before crossing. In the center, Pato muscled Alexei Berezutski aside and connected with a beautiful diving header, sending the ball toward the far corner of the goal. Akinfeev roared as he parried the powerful header, but the ball rebounded back into the six-yard box. In the ensuing scramble, the ball somehow ended up in the net.

As fans searched for the final touch, a figure in a yellow Villarreal jersey sprinted out of the box—it was Dai Zhiwei, already on a brace. The stadium screen replayed the goal: as Pato headed the ball, everyone had crowded the front of the goal. When the ball rebounded, Dai, despite being hauled and pulled by a CSKA defender, managed to stretch out his right leg, kneeing the ball into the net.

4-0!

"Oh! Look at that, look at that! It’s our best forward, Dai Zhiwei!" The Villarreal fans sang their adapted anthem with fervor.

The CSKA manager stood on the sidelines, speechless. Villarreal’s players were in peak form—a sight rarely seen even once a season—and unfortunately for him, it was happening today. With this goal, Dai had completed his hat-trick. He ran to the sideline to perform his trademark celebration, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Facing a team completely rattled by Villarreal, how wide would the final margin be? With half an hour left, no one could predict.

In the 12th minute of the second half, as fans wondered if the slaughter would continue, Dos Santos made it 5-0. Following a quick counterattack, Dos Santos cut past Vasily Berezutski and unleashed a powerful strike into the top corner, leaving Akinfeev helpless.

"Vasily! Stop being so reckless!" Akinfeev shouted. Vasily had made mistake after mistake, becoming a glaring liability.

"How many do you think they’ll score? Ten?" the commentator asked. The guest analyst laughed, "If they keep this up, anything is possible. And don't forget, they have the in-form Dai Zhiwei. He’s only 22, yet his threat is second only to Ronaldo and Messi. Can you imagine the potential?"

Just then, Musacchio intercepted a CSKA attack and launched a long ball to Pato. Realizing he couldn't win the header, Pato flicked it toward his strike partner. Dai judged the landing perfectly, beating Alexei Berezutski to the ball and exploding forward with thunderous strides.

With Dos Santos and Cheryshev sprinting alongside him, the three Villarreal speedsters charged into the open space like racecars.

"Three-on-three! My god, their speed is immense!" the commentator roared.

Dai performed a step-over, leaving Alexei Berezutski helpless. As the defense tightened, Dai suddenly accelerated, darting past a sliding tackle and firing a thunderous shot that grazed the keeper's fingertips and rattled in off the underside of the crossbar.

"Goooooooooooooal! A hat-trick plus one! Dai Zhiwei has four!" 6-0!

Dai didn't do his gun-blowing celebration this time; instead, he held up four fingers to the camera. It was his first career four-goal haul and his seventh of the Champions League campaign.

"Whoo!" Dai stood before the camera, posing with his arms crossed, radiating supreme confidence.

The Villarreal fans were ecstatic. With this goal, Dai had surged to the top of the Champions League scoring charts. It was perfect.

Before the excitement faded, more joy arrived. Taking advantage of a disoriented CSKA defense, Dos Santos slipped a pass through that deceived Kuchaev. Dai drew the keeper and defenders toward him, then cleverly dummied the ball, allowing Cheryshev to storm into the box and fire home. 7-0!

With ten minutes remaining, Dai was subbed off for Bakambu to a standing ovation. Everyone knew who the architect of this slaughter was. Despite being a substitute, Bakambu was hungry. Following a series of intricate passes, the ball fell to Bakambu inside the box. Amidst a chaotic scramble with Alexei Berezutski and Kuchaev, Bakambu poked the ball into the net.

8-0!

Villarreal had slaughtered CSKA Moscow with a staggering scoreline. It was the biggest win of Escribá’s tenure and a new club record for margin of victory in European competition. Everyone knew this night of slaughter would be the talk of the football world, and Dai Zhiwei, with his four goals, would be the center of it all.