Chapter 101: Chapter 100: The True Master Emerges (Seventh Update, All Additional Updates from Alliance Hierarch Ou Tianming are in Place!)
Sneijder watched everything as he chased back, speechless.
It’s been said many times, C. Ronaldo doesn’t have a pass button.
Why still bother guarding against Wu Xudong’s shooting possibility?
C. Ronaldo simply wouldn’t pass to Wu Xudong.
Against a super shooter like C. Ronaldo, you can’t stop him unless you go to the extreme.
If you can guard against him alone, you have to strive to do so.
Don’t get greedy!
"They’ve caught up! Sporting Lisbon has caught up!"
"Three to three! This is unbelievable!"
"Sporting Lisbon has scored two goals in six minutes!"
"C. Ronaldo has completed a hat-trick! Today he’s like a god descended!"
"His double-ghost knocking with Wu Xudong is too lethal, Ajax’s goalkeeper simply can’t choose."
"Of course, the counter-attack long pass from Manuel is also very important."
"This long pass wasn’t of high quality, but it doesn’t matter. Any team’s forward line, having two super sprinters like C. Ronaldo and Wu Xudong, doesn’t need to consider the accuracy of the passes."
"For these two super sprinters, timing is more important than precision! Just the right timing can turn all long passes into perfect assists!"
Sneijder watched as Deng Kai rushed past him to celebrate with C. Ronaldo, Wu Xudong, Lorenzo, and others.
He suddenly understood something.
It wasn’t about understanding whether Sporting Lisbon needed a card-playing hand.
But about why Deng Kai had locked eyes with him before and why Deng Kai had fiercely called for the ball and ran in front of Sneijder’s defensive zone before the counter-attack.
Because he was luring Sneijder out.
If Sneijder hadn’t come out then, his position would have been in the path of C. Ronaldo’s off-the-ball cutting-in.
Although Sneijder couldn’t catch up to C. Ronaldo, didn’t he know how to pull and grapple?
He had a chance to stop C. Ronaldo’s attack!
He was played like a fiddle!
For the first time, Sneijder felt the midfield pressure from the opposing team.
Although the two hadn’t had many direct encounters previously, they had been pitting their teams against each other for several rounds already.
The current situation was unfavorable for Sneijder.
Van der Vaart had already been taken off.
On the other side, C. Ronaldo still had fighting power.
And another Inner Mongolia fast horse had been brought on.
He had to take up arms and join the battle himself!
Sneijder organized his thoughts and began to instruct his teammates on some subtle changes in their playing method.
The eighty-second minute.
Sneijder personally advanced to help create opportunities for his team.
Sporting Lisbon was already having a hard time with one Van der Vaart, and Sneijder’s advance was too unexpected.
But after Sneijder passed the ball, Deng Kai slid tackled him to the ground.
Sneijder got up, angrily gesturing with his hands, walked towards Deng Kai, bumped him with his body, and when Deng Kai came over, he pressed his forehead against Deng Kai’s.
The main referee immediately came over to separate the two and then gave Deng Kai a yellow card.
This was for the slide tackle.
Sneijder expressed his dissatisfaction, believing that it should have been a red card offense.
Deng Kai’s pupils shrank as he came back to his senses.
Fuck!
Sneijder was trying to get him a red card!
Sometimes an action that warrants a yellow card can be turned into a red if the injured party seems dire enough or angry enough to influence the referee’s decision.
On the other hand, Sneijder was also deliberately provoking Deng Kai just now.
His bump wasn’t enough to warrant a card, but if Deng Kai had retaliated, then he might have received a yellow card.
Realizing all this, Deng Kai instantly lost his anger and even took the opportunity to smile at Sneijder.
If Sneijder was resorting to such measures, it meant he was truly in a hurry, worried that they were going to lose.
This indicated that the balance of victory had tipped towards Sporting Lisbon.
Sneijder’s expression darkened, he knew Deng Kai had seen through his intentions, but he had to pretend to be composed.
The 87th minute.
Actively participating in the defense, Wu Xudong directly snatched the ball from the opponent and then passed it to Deng Kai.
As Deng Kai received the ball, he used his arm to fend off the harassing Sneijder.
Sneijder had intended to use his physical advantage to suppress Deng Kai, but he hadn’t expected Deng Kai’s arm strength to be so formidable, holding him off.
Bang!
Deng Kai launched a long pass for a counterattack.
Ronaldo, having received the ball and surrounded by opponents, ultimately relied on his outstanding skills to create a throw-in (by kicking the ball off an opponent’s foot).
Deng Kai executed a grenade-like throw-in, and Lorenzo’s header narrowly missed the goal.
Sporting Lisbon’s offense had clearly intensified during this period, seizing the initiative.
The 89th minute.
After receiving the ball, Deng Kai faced Sneijder’s challenge—a deep-fried dough stick.
Seeing that Deng Kai was going to get past, Sneijder could only lift his leg and trip Deng Kai.
The chief referee blew the whistle, showing Sneijder a yellow card.
After Deng Kai got up, he gave Sneijder a wink.
Sneijder was close to exploding with anger.
But common sense told him not to retaliate with his hands, as that would play right into their hands.
The two young midfield masters each displayed their tricks, employing every dirty and clean tactic, with the tension escalating.
The 90th minute.
Sporting Lisbon took a tactical free kick, with Deng Kai controlling the ball in midfield.
Van der Vaart, who had conserved some energy by walking around the pitch for a good part of the match, rushed up hoping to snatch the ball.
However, Deng Kai, with a simple Backheel Drag, glided past Van der Vaart, who after charging past didn’t even have the energy to brake and turn around quickly enough to chase—he was simply too exhausted.
But Sneijder timed his approach perfectly, charging at Deng Kai after Van der Vaart.
Having just performed a technical move, Deng Kai was unable to dodge his charge.
However... Bang, bang!
After dragging the ball out, Deng Kai powered up under his feet, chased after the ball, and executed another deep-fried dough stick.
Sneijder’s pupils dilated with shock!
He’s sped up!
Deng Kai’s speed had increased!
Why?
Sneijder knew he was about to be outmaneuvered.
He immediately turned his jab at the ball into a sliding tackle, spreading his arms wide, doing his utmost to enlarge his body and trip Deng Kai to the ground.
The chief referee put the whistle in his mouth.
This was undoubtedly a foul.
But the chief referee did not blow the whistle immediately, because Deng Kai had scrambled up from the ground, rushing towards the ball, and regained control of it.
By then, Ajax’s fullback had already come over.
A stumbling Deng Kai performed another deep-fried dough stick.
"Over here..."
His teammates had already charged once in the penalty area, and now they were poised for a second strike.
"From this distance, Deng Kai can pass the ball directly. He is very adept at threading a through ball or lobbing a pass to the back post from this position," commented the commentator, believing Deng Kai should pass the ball now.
But Deng Kai, having triggered the deep-fried dough stick effect twice, noticed that his teammates in the penalty area were tightly marked.
Instead of passing, he opted to try a long shot.
His shot now had a fourfold boost from "deep-fried dough stick + half a second deep-fried dough stick + Mediocre Winger Schweinsteiger + Black Panther Hunt."
Black Panther Hunt was triggered when Sneijder tripped Deng Kai, causing Deng Kai to lose possession of the ball, then Deng Kai recovering the ball.
With so many boosts, Deng Kai was fully capable of executing a high-quality long shot.
Moreover, the boost from Black Panther Hunt was about to expire; if he didn’t take the shot now, it would be too late.
Bang!
No hesitation—he went for it!
From at least thirty meters out, Deng Kai took a long shot at the goal.
