Capítulo 17: Smashing Face and Flying Shovel
### Chapter 17: Smashing Face and Flying Shovel
This scene was truly terrifying.
Rocha didn't even know what was happening; he was blown away by the blast of Quaresma's throw, losing consciousness mid-air before crashing heavily to the ground.
Around the players, at that moment, a single thought crossed their minds—Quaresma had killed someone!
On the court, it's common to be hit by the ball. Most of the time, it hurts but it's bearable. However, if it's serious, a slight concussion is usually unavoidable.
Although, strictly speaking, Quaresma's throw isn't as powerful as a kick, the problem was that the distance between Quaresma and Rocha was too close. The initial kinetic energy caused significant damage, making it inevitable that Rocha would be seriously hurt.
It was basically the same as being punched.
Anyway, now that Rocha was lying unconscious on the ground, almost foaming at the mouth, Quaresma felt relieved.
Quaresma knew that Rocha wasn't dead and likely didn't have any serious injuries, but it was akin to giving the other guy a punch—this was the lesson he wanted to teach Rocha.
"Got a foul mouth? Then shut up!"
"You don't shut up? I have a thousand ways to make you!"
The referee stopped the game and ran over to check on Rocha's miserable state, allowing the team doctor onto the field. Meanwhile, he glanced at the casual Quaresma standing nearby and couldn't help but shiver.
"Vengeful!"
This was clearly Quaresma's revenge!
The Benfica players, who quickly responded, ran over. Some checked on Rocha, while others angrily approached Quaresma. Regardless of what had happened between Rocha and Quaresma, they were determined to stand by Rocha.
Quaresma made an innocent expression, spreading his palms to indicate that it was unintentional—it was just an accident.
"This can't be my fault; who made him stand so close!"
The Porto players naturally couldn't allow Quaresma to be at a disadvantage. They gathered around to protect him, pushing away the Benfica players who tried to rush over.
The field had already turned chaotic, with another large-scale conflict seemingly imminent.
But at this time, team doctors and stretchers entered the field. Benfica players temporarily put aside their desire to confront Quaresma, focusing instead on Rocha's condition—they didn't want anything bad to happen to their teammate.
The referee looked at Quaresma, utterly speechless and helpless.
How was he supposed to rule on this?
Intentional injury?
Sending off Quaresma?
Although he thought Quaresma was intentional, Quaresma had disguised it too well. Using a gymnastic forward somersault to throw the ball, Quaresma could claim he had no control over the direction after the flip. Totally justified.
This was a bit of a nightmare.
After some thought, the referee shook his head helplessly and walked away.
This was something for the Portuguese Football Association to handle.
After the initial shock, fans began laughing heartily. They had just witnessed a funny scene unprecedented in world football.
A somersault throw-in was impressive enough. Who knew how Quaresma came up with it—had he done gymnastics before playing football?
What's even more bizarre is that this strange ball hit Rocha's face directly, almost knocking him out. Slow-motion replays showed Rocha's face clearly deforming upon impact...
Well, this game had gotten interesting!
Benfica's players continued glaring at Quaresma as Rocha was lifted off the field, but with his teammates protecting him well, they couldn't get to Quaresma.
"How did Rocha irritate you to make you seek such ruthless revenge?" Pepe asked Quaresma curiously.
"Yeah, you went to great lengths, even using a forward flip throw-in just to smash Rocha's face. Isn't that a bit too much?"
"He insulted my mother! And was racist!" Quaresma said expressionlessly. By this time, his anger had almost subsided.
"No wonder!" Pepe's expression instantly turned furious, as if he had transformed.
"Alright, let me handle the rest. I'll take care of that bastard!" Pepe walked away without looking back, like someone on a mission.
Quaresma didn't stop Pepe. To him, this was a brotherly gesture. No need to refuse. Pepe didn't intend to kill Rocha—just to be a bit more aggressive in defense, like stepping hard on his feet or elbowing him subtly, causing pain without any real recourse.
Meanwhile, Rocha slowly woke up on the sidelines, roused by the blood flowing from his nose!
There was no existential crisis like, "Who am I? Where am I from? Where am I going?" After all, getting hit in the face doesn't turn one into a philosopher!
In his memory, he seemed to be blown up by a cannonball, his face a mess!
Had war broken out?
But as his consciousness and memory gradually returned, he realized he had been hit by Quaresma's throw!
He felt like crying without tears. What was this all about?
Had he known this would happen, he wouldn't have provoked Quaresma!
Not only had Quaresma humiliated him during the game, but now he had been violently knocked out by Quaresma. Clearly, Quaresma was special!
After confirming he didn't have any major injuries, Rocha returned to the field. Though his head still felt dizzy and both nostrils were clogged with hemostatic cotton, he could continue playing.
But what he didn't know was that worse was yet to come.
Porto got another throw-in, and seeing Quaresma about to take it, Rocha was so scared he ran far away, abandoning any thought of defending against Quaresma.
Watching this funny scene, fans couldn't help but laugh. Rocha couldn't keep up—where had his courage to confront Quaresma gone?
This was like a small, aggressive dog barking at a bigger one, but once the big dog was free, the small one quickly turned docile.
Well, that small dog had turned into a puppy!
Quaresma considered whether to make a throw-in again and aim for Rocha, who looked unscathed—this time, he wouldn't aim for the face but somewhere more painful.
But some people are more direct and violent than Quaresma. This person was Pepe.
Rocha assisted in an attack, and Quaresma couldn't stop him. Just before he could act, Pepe came flying in with a massive sliding tackle, taking out Rocha.
Quaresma saw clearly that Rocha's ankles had been deformed by the tackle!
Pepe!
Monk Pepe was on the loose!
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