Chapter 112: Chapter 111 This is the Youth Champions League Final (Request for Full Subscription)
"The players from both teams have entered the pitch. At the front for Atletico Madrid is their star player, Fernando Torres! This blonde young man is truly handsome; he reminds one of Beckham."
"Atletico is playing a 442 formation, with Torres’ strike partner being Manuel Del, who primarily takes on the role of a pivot."
"In Atletico’s midfield, the player who deserves the most attention is Gabriel Fernandez Arenas, commonly known by the fans as Gabi. His style of play is very tough, good at both attacking and defending. While he may not be as expressive as geniuses like Van der Faart, his strength is undeniable."
"Behind Gabi is Alvarado Sevilla, who also plays in the midfield. Next is Pedro Mario, the center-back whose footwork is quite skilled, reportedly very much liked by Barcelona’s scouts."
"On the Lisbon U15 side, it’s the regular lineup, with our young talent Wu Xudong sitting on the bench. He is now a regular part of the team’s rotation. It’s highly likely he’ll play in this match."
"Both teams have won their respective league championships this year; they are both teams of champions."
"In such a grand match, to some extent, the atmosphere will also affect the players’ performance and choices. Among the key players from both sides—Torres, Gabi, Ronaldo, Deng Kai—whoever adapts to this atmosphere first will give their team a greater advantage."
Peep!
The whistle blows, and the game officially starts!
Atletico Madrid is in red and white jerseys.
Lisbon Sporting is in green and white jerseys.
Lisbon Sporting kicks off.
After the kickoff, Ronaldo, Lorenzo, Marcelino—the three forwards—begin their sprinting movements.
Veloso passes back to Semedo.
Atletico players also start their routine pressing after the kickoff.
Semedo passes the football to Deng Kai.
The next moment, the whole stadium is baffled.
Because after receiving the ball, Deng Kai picks up the football with his foot and starts spinning in place, using the momentum.
The spin-top rotation!
One spin!
Two spins!
Everyone is dumbstruck.
Commentators everywhere are momentarily at a loss for words.
They’re not sure how to describe the scene.
Yet Huang Jianxiang reacts the quickest among them, saying, "We see Deng Kai using his left foot as a pivot, spinning in place with the ball on his right foot, like a compass."
"This dribbling looks simple, but it actually has some difficulty."
"However, besides showing off, it’s hard to say what practical use this move has."
Huang Jianxiang isn’t the only one who thinks this.
Many veterans in the stands share the same opinion.
"This move is really unnecessary," Keane says. "If my opponent started showing off like this at the beginning of the match, I’d break his leg!"
Scholes nods: "I believe you are indeed someone who could do such a thing."
Ronaldo, who flew back to Brazil for vacation, organized a barbecue for his family and friends, deliberately using the live broadcast of the match as background noise.
He expresses his admiration for the move: "This kind of move is very Brazilian... but the technical difficulty is too low. He should watch more of my games."
Zidane, who has begun his holiday with his family in France, is explaining to them, "He isn’t someone who gets nervous easily. This kind of high-profile skill doesn’t seem like his style, but... wait, everyone is watching him!"
A glint sparks in Zidane’s eyes.
He spots a "stall" in Atletico Madrid’s formation from the live broadcast.
Opportunity!
Of course, he isn’t sure if Deng Kai, after a 720-degree spin, could...
Bang!
He could!
Deng Kai’s actions tell Zidane that he could!
The football flies from Deng Kai’s feet in a beautiful long pass.
Only then do Atletico’s players seemingly wake from a dream.
"Block him!"
"Fuck!"
"Take him down, go tackle him!"
"He’s past!"
In the scene.
Ronaldo, like a green bolt of lightning, darted through the red web.
All the dots were "dead."
Only he was the live one.
"One-on-one! C. Ronaldo is through on goal!"
"He shoots! It’s in!"
"Lightning strike! Lisbon Athletic U15 takes the lead with one nil!"
"That’s the CD connection! The most formidable duo in all of Europe’s U15 leagues!"
"Fifteen seconds! Just fifteen seconds from the kick-off!"
"Deng Kai’s stationary spin was so discordant, it drew everyone’s attention. That made it incredibly easy for Ronaldo’s run, as Atletico Madrid’s players were distracted, completely overlooking a superstar forward like Ronaldo!"
"Bear in mind, this season Deng Kai and Ronaldo have already taken down numerous youth stars."
"The Czech’s ’Indestructible Wall’ Cech, Feyenoord’s little Robin knight Fan Peixi, Groningen’s little flying man Robben, Ajax’s midfield ’Twin Stars’ Van der Vaart and Sneijder, Bayern’s golden right-wing Lahm and Schweinsteiger... Are Atletico Madrid’s golden midfield duo Torres and Gabi next in line to be vanquished by them?"
"To be honest, when Deng Kai did that spin move which had no purpose other than provocation, I wanted to curse him out."
"But now... I can’t utter a single word of criticism."
"That was a brilliant assist; his long pass was sudden and precise!"
The dramatic goal affected the morale of both sides.
Lisbon Athletic, leading by a goal, became more composed.
And on Atletico Madrid’s side... fury!
They were first provoked by Deng Kai and then by Ronaldo’s goal.
The Atletico Madrid players began to press and attack furiously.
With a grip on Atletico Madrid’s mindset, Deng Kai decisively kept the football in his own half, using extensive running to help cope with Atletico Madrid’s pressing.
Occasionally, he’d clear the ball upfront with a big kick. Though it didn’t pose a threat, it could greatly disrupt Atletico Madrid’s attacking rhythm.
The fervor of Atletico Madrid seemed to hit a wall of cotton and didn’t cause any real damage.
The closest they came to scoring was in the 31st minute.
Gabi threaded a through ball to the forward Del, who laid it off to Torres.
The latter, shouldering Veloso, struck the post, showing the quality expected of a top forward.
Time passed.
Less than five minutes left until the end of the first half.
Lisbon Athletic initiated an attack, with a relatively high defensive line.
Ronaldo cut inside from the left flank, trying to penetrate Atletico Madrid’s penalty area.
But Atletico Madrid’s defensive personnel were numerous.
Gabi stretched out a foot and intercepted the ball.
The ball bounced deep into Atletico Madrid’s box where it was retrieved by the center-back Mario.
Deng Kai immediately charged at Mario.
"Here!" Gabi ran into space, offering Mario an option to pass.
Meanwhile, Torres near the center circle suddenly burst forward, starting a run.
Atletico Madrid on the counterattack!
However, Mario made a passing feint towards Gabi, then pivoted with the ball.
Because he saw Deng Kai.
As Deng Kai ran towards Mario to challenge for the ball, he also moved laterally, seemingly trying to block Mario’s passing lane to Gabi.
If Mario really passed the ball to Gabi, and Deng Kai suddenly went in for a sideways tackle, he could potentially intercept.
So Mario fooled Deng Kai...
Bang!
Mario’s foot felt light.
The ball flew out.
Someone had blocked Mario’s pass with their foot.
Mario looked down.
How come it was still Lisbon Athletic’s number 24 player... Deng Kai!
This... he didn’t go towards Gabi? He made a fake movement to block?
