Chapter 127: Chapter 126: The Blitz of Poland (Please Share, Please Recommend)
On the eve of the third round of group matches in the UEFA Youth League, Jerzy Dudek, Poland’s hotshot goalkeeper of the year, expressed his optimism for the Polish U16 team.
He played for the Dutch team Feyenoord and had just been honored as the best goalkeeper of the Eredivisie for the first time this season.
It has been reported that English Premier League giants Liverpool, Manchester United, and Arsenal are interested in him.
Dudek said, "The third round is the last match of the group stage, and Poland still has the possibility to advance."
"The Czech team lacks attacking power, and it will be difficult for them to take all three points against Switzerland."
"As long as Poland beats Portugal, we can qualify as the first-place team in the group."
When a reporter asked about his opinion on the Portuguese players, Dudek said, "In my opinion, there is only one best forward at this age, and that is Fan Peixi (Robin van Persie)."
"I’ve trained with him, and I even believe that in no more than three years, Fan Peixi will be able to start for Feyenoord!"
"Fan Peixi told me that Deng Kai is someone to be wary of; he doesn’t look strong, but he always manages to change the course of the match."
Regarding this interview, Portuguese rising star Ronaldo was very displeased.
Having also played in the UEFA Youth League, how come you, Fan Peixi, only remember that Deng Kai is dangerous?
What about me, Ronaldo?
How dare you disregard me?
Furious, Ronaldo practiced shooting for an hour.
Bruno Vale, who was training with him, expressed great distress and begged Pilar to take his place.
Pilar cruelly refused.
Is that so?
Now you know the pain I suffered in Sporting Lisbon’s U15 team, right?
...
The Princess Diaries film crew.
It was no secret within the crew that "Hathaway’s love affair" was known to many.
Due to the overtime caused by this affair, and for the mental health of everyone, the crew was scheduled to have some time off soon.
They were all discussing what to do during the vacation.
Some wanted to please Hathaway, asking if she wanted to watch the UEFA Youth League match on the 17th.
They also mentioned that this match was crucial, determining who would qualify from the group stage.
Czech Republic, Switzerland, Poland, and...
Before they could finish, Hathaway said she would stay on set to continue honing her acting skills.
With the leading actress speaking out, and the director’s strong stance, the others who had been clamoring for a break had no choice but to give up. They decided to postpone the vacation and finish the current segment of filming before discussing it further.
...
June 17th.
The third round of the UEFA Youth League kicked off.
Because qualification was at stake, all four teams in Portugal’s group began their matches at the same time.
To avoid any underhanded dealings.
Polish football has always focused on defense.
Their counter-attacks were a significant threat.
They were also adept at wing play and crossing.
Although their style of play was simple, in a national team environment where players were unfamiliar with each other and lacked cohesion, simple tactics often proved to be more effective.
Less than five minutes into the game,
Portugal relied on the individual abilities of their stars to establish control and an attacking position on the field.
Compared to Poland, Portugal’s play could already be considered artful football.
In the ninth minute, Quaresma’s shot flew sky-high.
In the twelfth minute, Poland launched a counter-attack, but the football was cleared by Feng Te, failing to become a genuine threat.
In the sixteenth minute, Postiga dropped back, Viana passed the ball, and then made a forward run.
The moment Postiga received the ball with his back to the goal, he was taken down from behind by a Polish player.
The opponent had aimed to poke the ball away but ended up poking Postiga’s right Achilles tendon instead.
Postiga collapsed on the spot.
After the team doctor entered the pitch for an examination, he signaled to Violante for a substitution.
Postiga was forced to leave due to injury!
Portugal lost their main striker.
Almeida, Postiga’s junior, came on as a substitute.
Almeida was taller, but his technical skills with the ball were a notch below Postiga’s, and his ability to serve as a pivotal player was also not as good.
Almeida had been on the field for less than a minute when he made a mistake.
During a cross-position pass with Quaresma, he successfully passed the football to the opposing center back.
The Polish center back launched a long ball to counterattack.
Twenty seconds later, the Polish fans in the stands burst into cheers.
Poland’s quick strike against Portugal was successful!
One to zero!
Portugal’s goalkeeper Bruno Leve wore a glum expression on his face.
The opponent’s shot wasn’t of high quality.
But the quality of the pitch was so poor, with plenty of holes and bumps on the ground.
It might not appear to be a big deal to the naked eye, but the football often took irregular bounces when it rolled.
That was why he missed the football by a whisker.
This also counted as a severe mistake on his part.
After conceding the goal, the Polish team completely pulled back.
They built an iron wall in their own penalty area.
The "eleven-zero-zero" formation—just try to intimidate us if you dare!
Moreover, their defensive actions were robust, and Portugal’s attack struggled to create any real threat for a while.
Thirty-second minute.
Quaresma and Deng Kai coordinated a move.
Deng Kai made a forward run, Quaresma pulled back with the ball, stretching the play vertically.
But the Polish midfielders, with their experienced defense, immediately followed Quaresma, sticking close to him and not giving him any space to turn and pass.
Ultimately, Quaresma was brought down by an opponent.
The principal referee awarded Portugal a free kick.
Because it was from a far position, Portugal took a tactical free kick.
The football flew into the penalty area.
Ronaldo’s run was blocked, and he couldn’t get into position, missing the football.
Almeida was suppressed by a Polish player and barely jumped, but he almost managed to head the football.
Eventually, the football flew past the goal line.
Thirty-ninth minute.
Deng Kai dropped back to the midfield position and passed the ball to Viana.
Right-back Bosingwa made a run forward.
Viana switched play and found Bosingwa.
With Quaresma cutting inside and dragging away defenders, his priority for defense was the highest.
Bosingwa gained space and crossed the ball.
In the penalty area, Almeida engaged in a fierce jockeying for position against the Polish center back and ultimately won the header.
But this header was way off the goal, and its quality was extremely poor.
Forty-fourth minute.
Portugal managed to put together a rare bit of ground passing play.
Viana showcased his ball-handling talent, drawing attention and threading a pass to the left side of the penalty area.
Ronaldo accelerated to catch up with the football and flicked it attempting to get past the opposing center back, but he fell inside the penalty area amidst his tangle with the opponent.
Portugal’s team immediately raised their hands, signaling a foul by the opponent.
The commentator excitedly stated that this might be a penalty kick.
Shockingly, however, the principal referee did not award a penalty kick; instead, he showed Ronaldo a yellow card.
He believed Ronaldo had dived to deceive him into awarding a penalty.
Ronaldo was so aggrieved that he was shaking all over, his hands and feet stone-cold despite the sweltering heat.
He could guarantee that there was contact with his leg.
Ever since he got decisively killed by Deng Kai’s diving penalty kick during the Diamond Generation Invitational, Ronaldo had started to study how to draw fouls in the penalty area.
Lately, he had made some progress.
Just when he thought he’d get to show what he’d learned, you’re telling me this was a dive?
Don’t you understand the basics of deduction?
Haven’t you ever heard of Stanislavski?
