Chapter 103: Chapter 102 The Battle for the Crown Begins (9th Update)
"Ajax Announces Diagnostic Results, U15 Squad Goalkeeper Suffers Palm Fracture!"
"Deathly Heavy Cannon! Caesar of Portugal Unleashes Three Consecutive Long-Range Shots, On Par With Professional Adult Footballers!"
"From Football Emperor to Mighty Cannon, From Beckenbauer to Matthaus, Is Deng Kai ’Downgrading’?"
"Ajax Midfield Twin Stars Score from Free Kicks but Fail to Stop Sporting Lisbon’s Twin Stars’ Header and Volley!"
"Master Deng Kai Emerges! No Suspense for the Foremost Midfielder of the ’85 Generation, How Many from the ’83 Generation Can Compete?"
"Ajax Centre-Back Heitinga: After I Blocked His Long-Shot with My Shin, I Was Extremely Worried, I Felt an Intense Pain in My Knee, I Thought My Leg Was Broken!"
"From 0-3 to 4-3! Lisbon Sporting U15 Coach Maxa Reveals How They Did It!"
"Maxa: The Heroes of the Match Were the Players, the Greatest Hero Was Deng Kai, He Was the One Who Came Up with the Tactical Changes. The Only Thing I Did Was Let the Steeds Run Wild on the Prairie!"
"Personality Profile: The Story of Maxa, The Rising Portuguese Coach, and His Two Thoroughbreds!"
"Dutch Youth Training Annihilated, Sporting Lisbon Claims the Throne of European Youth Training?"
"Feyenoord, Groningen, Ajax... Deng Kai and Ronaldo Have Become the Bane of the Netherlands!"
"U19 Championship Preview! Portugal, Qualifying Last, Has a Good Chance to Be in the Same Group as the Netherlands! Will Ronaldo and Deng Kai Be Called Up?"
"Sporting Lisbon Reaches Champions League Final with Eyes on the Trophy... Youth Champions League is Still Champions League!"
The post-match news coverage of this game was far more extensive than before.
As always, the finals of any sporting event are hugely captivating, not to mention this being one of UEFA’s official competitions.
Two reports stood out amongst the rest.
One was on the third page of this issue of The Sun Newspaper.
As is well known, The Sun Newspaper’s third page typically features half-nude photos of buxom ladies.
But this time, The Sun Newspaper learned to edit images.
To the left was still their page three girl, posing as if struck, while to the right was a high-definition image of Deng Kai’s powerful strike.
It appeared as though the page three girl’s pose was a reaction to Deng Kai’s shot.
Previously, English fans only had a solo act to watch, but now there was a male lead, talk about immersion!
It is reported that sales for this issue of The Sun Newspaper broke previous records.
The other article that drew attention came from the "Jiang Yunzhu" column in the Record Report.
The piece, accompanied by photos, chronicled Deng Kai’s visit to the hospital after the match to see the Ajax U15 goalkeeper.
Deng Kai expressed his apologies to the other party.
The other party accepted Deng Kai’s apology, showing understanding and wishing Deng Kai good luck in the Youth Champions League final.
There were no hard feelings between them.
Many praised Deng Kai’s actions since it was completely unnecessary for him to do so.
No one would blame Deng Kai, as it was evident he did not intend to hurt anyone.
After all, it was the football that caused the injury.
Many people even became fans of Deng Kai because of this "Deathly Heavy Cannon," viewing the goal as one of his highlights.
However, Deng Kai expressed in both the post-match interview and Jiang Yunzhu’s exclusive interview, "I do not wish to bring up this shot again. The goal was important for me and my team, but I do not want something like this to happen again."
"I believe, like me, no one wants to see any accidents related to personal safety on the pitch."
"I cannot use someone else’s pain as proof of my achievements."
"I hope that when the media make their summaries, they do not include this goal, at least not for the next few years. The psyche of underage players needs protection, and I hope the media and UEFA can give me a positive response on this matter."
Deng Kai was sincere in his words.
But at the same time, he had an ulterior motive hidden.
For instance, he did not want to be labeled a "Deathly Heavy Cannon" at this stage of his career because he normally couldn’t make such forceful shots.
Such situations were too rare.
Deng Kai’s remarks were mature and wise, as if he was not a minor player at all.
His behavior earned him even more praise.
Even the defeated Ajax duo had no choice but to praise Deng Kai in front of the media.
Van der Vaart: "You can’t tell that his body contains such immense energy; he is an excellent midfielder. He’s also a good person, and I hope to face him again in the future."
It was clear that Van der Vaart wasn’t entirely convinced.
Being an excellent midfielder is a compliment to others, but Van der Vaart considered himself a top midfielder, a midfield master, a genius of the field, which is much stronger than just being excellent.
Different interviews, however, presented a contrast between Sneijder and Van der Vaart.
Because Sneijder was the only player on the Ajax U15 side who had seen through Deng Kai’s layout and objectives during the match.
Therefore, he was more aware that Deng Kai’s excellence was not just manifested in his dribbling skills.
But that seemed to be all that Van der Vaart noticed.
Sneijder: "Deng Kai may not be the strongest player I’ve encountered. In terms of dribbling and ball control, Van der Vaart is much better than him. In terms of dribbling ability and speed, Robben is clearly superior. In terms of shooting and threatening the goal, Fan Peixi has nearly reached perfection."
"Even his teammate Ronaldo, I believe, is considered more dangerous in the pre-match analyses of various teams."
"But he has an incredible ability to change the course of the game."
"His intelligence, temperament, resilience, and capability have achieved a terrifying unity. Theoretically, such a situation only occurs in mature players at the golden stage of their career."
"I too hope to face him again, but only after I’ve become stronger."
...
April twenty-first.
An earth-shattering match took place.
In the real Champions League semi-final, during the second leg between Manchester United and Juventus.
Yin Zhaji of Juventus took just eleven minutes to score twice, leading his team to a two-nil lead at home against Manchester United.
They were halfway into the final.
But just before the end of the first half, Beckham made his mark with quick succession.
First, he delivered a corner kick, the curling assist met Keane’s head to claw back one goal.
Then a headed lay-off found Cole, who then sent a beautiful cross that Yorke headed into the goal, netting another to equate the scoreline.
In the second half, Yorke and Cole double-teamed the net, scoring the winning goal to complete an incredible reversal at three to two.
They pulled Juventus out of the Champions League final door and walked in themselves.
After the match, Ferguson, in an interview, sounded the trumpet for the championship: "As Deng Kai said, we are becoming the first treble winners of the five major leagues!"
This statement caused a sensation and lit the fire of passion among Manchester United fans.
Meanwhile, in the other Champions League semi-final, Shevchenko’s Dynamo Kyiv tied Bayern three to three in the first leg but sadly lost one-nil in the second leg, falling short of a complete upset.
Even so, with Shevchenko scoring ten goals in this Champions League season, he is very likely to become this year’s top scorer.
Thus, the two teams heading to the Champions League final this year are... Manchester United and Bayern!
And this, just as Deng Kai had said!
"Five months ago, when I heard that young man say ’Manchester United and Bayern are Champions League final-level teams, they will make it into the Champions League final,’ I laughed in disdain!"
"The great prophet Deng Kai! He told you the answer to the Champions League five months in advance!"
"The Premier League returns to the Champions League final, as football standards skyrocket relentlessly!"
"Forgetters across Europe, take note, we owe Deng Kai an apology!"
