Chapter 125: Chapter 124: The Lisbon Quartet (Please Follow)
Quaresma’s delivery was swift and incisive, a direct free-kick goal that put the team in a one-nil lead against Switzerland.
"Great pass, nice interception!" Quaresma praised Deng Kai and Ronaldo amid the celebrations.
As the leading figure of Sporting Lisbon, Quaresma was still trying to be a good big brother.
The rest of the match seemed to turn into a one-man show starring Quaresma.
Viana, who had stood out in the previous match, was now the target of Switzerland’s concerted defensive efforts.
Deng Kai, on the other hand, ended up controlling the ball more as an attacking midfielder.
Deng Kai continuously fed Quaresma the ball, helped pull defenders out of position, and switched places with Quaresma to draw the opposition wide, among other things.
Quaresma frequently created threats.
The thirty-second minute.
Switzerland attempted a counter-attack, but lost the ball under Deng Kai’s aggressive pressing.
The football was easily intercepted by Meireles.
Meireles sent a long pass into the penalty area.
Postiga out-jumped the Swiss centre-back and headed the ball back, directing it toward the right side of the penalty area.
Quaresma, making a run without the ball, received it and followed with a classic outside-of-the-foot curling shot.
The football drew a huge arc, aiming for the far corner.
But Switzerland was in luck, as the far post came to their rescue, deflecting the shot to the left side of the penalty area.
Ronaldo, also making an aggressive run inside, met the ball with a follow-up shot.
Even though Postiga also had a chance on the side.
But Ronaldo didn’t even glance at this future English Premier League flop.
Postiga spread his arms wanting to complain.
But the football responded by hitting the net.
Ronaldo succeeded with a tight-angle volley.
Postiga immediately raised his open hands, joining Ronaldo in the celebration.
Surely he wasn’t happy, but who could argue when scoring was the ultimate aim on the football pitch?
Portugal’s U16 team expanded their lead to two-nil.
This score lasted until the end of the first half.
During the halftime break, Quaresma unusually took interest in discussing the details of positional switches with Deng Kai.
In the first half, their collaboration was frequent with moments of brilliance but also missteps, necessitating further fine-tuning.
At the start of the second half, Switzerland launched a wave of pressing.
But it was all anticipated by Violante.
The Portuguese team switched to ball control mode.
Quaresma and Postiga often retreated.
The latter possessed the ability to be a pivot point.
The former’s dribbling and ball control were second to none, significantly enhancing Portugal’s midfield ball-holding capability.
Switzerland team pressed hard for ten minutes, yet their possession rate surprisingly declined.
The fifty-fifth minute.
Viana seized on the Swiss players’ Exhaustion Period after their intense running, breaking through the middle with the ball in succession.
Ronaldo played a wall-pass, helping Viana to bypass one player.
Viana took a shot from the left edge of the penalty area.
This offensive maneuver was highly threatening.
But Switzerland’s goalkeeper always offered surprises, managing to save Viana’s long shot.
Viana, Postiga, and Quaresma immediately rushed into the penalty box to fight for the ball.
The football was cleared out of the penalty area by the Swiss centre-back, though the kick was a bit weak, slow, and the ball fell to Deng Kai just outside the penalty area.
Deng Kai drew his bow and loosed an arrow, a volley from mid-air.
Empowered by Black Panther Hunt, mediocrity as a winger, and a championship plunderer’s boost, he unleashed a beautiful world-class shot.
The Swiss goalkeeper made another miraculous save.
He anticipated the direction correctly but... the football took a slight deflection in the air.
Whoosh!
The football entered the goal.
Three to zero!
Deng Kai hadn’t even reacted when Quaresma came running over from inside the penalty area to celebrate with Deng Kai, while rubbing his own behind as he ran.
Slow-motion replay.
Deng Kai’s shot had struck Quaresma’s perky rear.
Otherwise, it might have been caught by the Swiss goalkeeper.
So, it was an assist from Deng Kai, not a goal.
Quaresma completed his brace with his behind, albeit unwillingly!
It was in this moment that Quaresma began to enjoy playing football with Deng Kai even more.
Not just because of Deng Kai’s skills and high football IQ, but also for being willing to play a supporting role.
Key to Quaresma’s appreciation was his belief that Deng Kai was his lucky star.
He even managed to gift him a goal.
That was simply the most heartfelt of Lisboa e Benfica!
The seventy-first minute.
Switzerland made a substitution, replacing a midfielder with a striker, in a last-ditch attempt.
But this move virtually set Viana free.
Viana, as an attacking midfielder with higher priority than Deng Kai, delivered a performance that truly justified his status.
After drawing attention with his dribbling, he switched play with a pass that found Quaresma free on the right flank.
Seeing Postiga and Ronaldo in good positions in the box, Quaresma didn’t show off but instead delivered a beautiful cross to the younger brothers.
It was a thing of beauty.
Postiga saw the trajectory of the ball and knew it wasn’t for him, so he feinted at the near post, drawing the Swiss center backs into a jump, and missing the ball intentionally.
Ronaldo made a sudden surge at the far post and attacked with a header.
But unfortunately, he angled his head too squarely.
The football hit the Swiss goalkeeper’s leg.
Chaos ensued in front of the goal.
Nobody knew who had kicked the ball out.
In almost the same position, facing the rolling ball, Deng Kai took a long-range shot.
He was left wide open today!
If the Swiss couldn’t even keep tabs on someone as pivotal as Viana, naturally they had no energy to spare for a minor player like Deng Kai.
The football deflected off a Swiss defender and went out for a corner.
Deng Kai signaled immediately.
"Handball! Deng Kai is signaling for a handball against the opposition."
"Oh! It is indeed a handball! The referee sees it clearly, he’s pointing to the penalty spot... Penalty! Switzerland’s troubles are compounding!"
"Quaresma is having a really lucky day, he gives Deng Kai a big hug. Deng Kai has given him the chance to complete a hat-trick!"
"Goal! Four to zero! Portugal continues the glorious tradition of its golden generation, they’re simply unstoppable in youth European tournaments!"
"Quaresma with a hat-trick! I’d bet this is the easiest hat-trick of his career! An assist from Ronaldo’s free-kick, a passive butt-goal from Deng Kai, and now a penalty."
"The CD connection completely took care of the big brother today."
"Quaresma must treat the two of them to a big meal! Lisboa e Benfica’s youth training is frighteningly good; so far, nearly all goals have been created by them."
"And nearly half of the killings have been made by Viana, also from Lisboa e Benfica’s academy."
"Just imagine in the future, all four playing together in Lisboa e Benfica’s senior team. It’d be a true youth storm!"
"I’d wager that, barring any surprises, all four of them will gradually make their way into the Primeira Liga within the next three to five years."
"It’s a tremendous asset! Lisboa e Benfica has hit the jackpot! The future transfer fees for these four could easily reach thirty or forty million euros!"
Quaresma, having completed his first hat-trick for the national youth team, was overjoyed.
The fantastic four of Lisboa e Benfica embraced each other, with other players joining the celebration, creating an atmosphere of harmony.
There may have been competition among them.
But winning solves everything!
