Chapter 134: Chapter 133: The Founders Often Aren’t the Beneficiaries
"Portugal is in trouble now, having lost their aerial threat, they seem unable to mount an attack."
"Midfield battles are evenly matched, but Netherlands’ players are more aggressive defensively, making it harder for Portugal to coordinate on the ground."
"Now the teams are back on an even keel, but Netherlands definitely has the better momentum."
"Violante must make adjustments for Portugal. Lorenzo, who came on as a substitute, is far from the level of the starters, and Portugal needs a focal point up front."
The commentator’s assessment was spot on.
In fact, inside the Portugal locker room, Violante was also analyzing the issue of the attacking focal point.
Ultimately, Violante decided to take a risky move.
As the second half kicked off, all the commentators were taken aback.
"Oh! Portugal is making another substitution at the start of the midfield."
"Lorenzo, who was brought on as a substitute, is taken off, replaced by his club teammate Veloso. A defensive midfielder for a striker!"
"Ronaldo moves to the striker position; he isn’t a natural striker, but he has played one or two games as striker for his club and reportedly did well."
"While he might not have the holding ability or aerial presence of Almeida, his striking force and shooting are stronger. If Portugal plays balls over the top, Ronaldo could indeed cause trouble for the Dutch team."
"Viana moves to the left wing. This is a test for the Dutch right back, as Viana’s technical attributes are completely different from Ronaldo’s, requiring the defender to switch defensive modes."
"Meireles is shifted to the left attacking midfield, and Veloso takes the defensive midfield position Meireles held before."
"Overall, Portugal’s defensive capacity has strengthened."
"But on the offensive end, despite the seemingly good setup and minor personnel changes, many are in new positions, and it’s uncertain if they can spark something new."
In the 49th minute.
Viana plays a diagonal pass from the wing.
Ronaldo, jostled by Heitinga, causes the football to roll out for a goal kick.
In the 55th minute.
Meireles passes to Ronaldo, who loses the ball while turning with his back to goal.
His back-to-goal play needs improvement.
In the 62nd minute.
Netherlands starts to up the ante.
Robben, using individual skill, wins a throw-in on the flank.
After the throw-in, with the return pass to Sneijder, everyone expects him to switch the play to the other side and then penetrate on the ground.
Instead, Sneijder surprises everyone with a lobbing pass into the penalty area.
This is a very technically demanding through ball.
At this time, Portugal’s formation has been compressed, with not much distance between the backline and the goalkeeper.
Pass just a bit too much, and the goalkeeper grabs it.
Pass just a little short, and it falls within the central defenders’ reach.
But Sneijder manages to place the pass at that awkward spot.
Fan Peixi reacts instinctively, diving to head the ball.
Fortunately for Portugal, the central defender Feng Te is focused, risking a kick to Fan Peixi’s head to clear the ball first.
Fan Peixi hesitates at the last moment, ducking his head.
Otherwise, he might have been the first to touch the ball.
You can’t say Fan Peixi isn’t brave, just attempting such a dive is brave enough.
But often, after mustering the courage to face challenges, you find that your preparation was still insufficient.
Fearing a kick to Fan Peixi’s head, Feng Te holds back on the clearance, sending the ball out of the penalty area but not far.
Sneijder, who just made the lobbing pass, is right there.
He hits a volley, and the ball comes right back.
This is a world-class goal!
"GOAL! Sneijder! The Dutch midfield maestro Sneijder scores!"
"Netherlands officially takes the lead over Portugal!"
"They’ve truly achieved their revenge!"
"Sneijder, alongside Fan der Vaart, Robben, and Fan Peixi, has avenged their loss from the Youth Champions League!"
"The Avengers don’t need respect handed to them, they earn it with their goals!"
"Deng Kai! Are you ready to face defeat?"
The Dutch fans erupt in wild cheers.
This match is extremely tense.
Dare to mock them as a bunch of losers?
Who’s the loser now?
Up in the stands, Hathaway frowns deeply.
At this moment, she gains a deeper understanding of football.
This wasn’t playing football at all.
It was a war!
A war that couldn’t be lost!
And Deng Kai’s situation seemed far from optimistic.
He was about to lose this war.
The goal had put Ronaldo into an anxious state.
The sixty-fifth minute.
Deng Kai delivered a brilliant through pass.
But Ronaldo was offside, having started too early.
The understanding between the Lisbon Sporting twin stars weakened due to Ronaldo’s state of mind.
The sixty-eighth minute, Fan Peixi managed to draw a foul in the attacking half.
His free kick was of high quality, hitting within the frame of the goal, but Portugal’s goalkeeper Vale kept the team’s hopes alive, pushing the shot away from the goal.
The seventy-fourth minute, once again it was the sparkling Fan Peixi who earned a corner kick.
After the corner was taken, Meireles read Fan Peixi’s intentions and got ahead to flick the ball away with a header.
The attacks from both sides kept coming in waves, with no one gaining absolute initiative.
Anyone had the chance.
The eightieth minute.
Viana, after drawing the defense with dribbling on the wing, sent a long pass to Quaresma on the other side.
Quaresma combined with Deng Kai in a one-two, storming along the baseline into the penalty area.
The Portuguese fans immediately tensed up, loudly cheering Quaresma on.
Inside the box, Quaresma dazzled past an approaching defender with a deep-fried doughball move, then delivered a fierce cross.
The superstar’s ability was on full display at this moment.
This threat was entirely created by Quaresma through his own skill.
Due to the speed of the ball, the Dutch central defender who was half a step behind simply couldn’t touch the football.
Ronaldo could have reached the ball, but Heitinga’s tackle, which was more of a bear hug, kept Ronaldo and the football apart.
Heitinga had definitely committed a foul.
But he also stopped Ronaldo.
He was betting that the main referee hadn’t seen any of it.
Just as the ball seemed to slide past the goal.
Viana, who had also cut into the box without the ball, slid to the ground, reaching for the football.
In his eyes, there was only this black and white sprite.
Bang!
Clang!
In the broadcast, the football entered the net.
But the next moment, Viana violently collided with the goalpost.
He hit it sideways.
His entire body bent instantly, like a broken stick.
The players nearby heard a cracking noise.
"Medic! Quick! Medic!"
Players from both teams immediately signaled to the sideline, calling for the medics urgently, even more so than when Almeida was injured!
The Portugal team’s medic came onto the field for the second time, and then quickly called for a stretcher again.
Viana suffered a severe blow to his left hip bone and kidney, initially diagnosed with a fracture, but a worse prognosis wasn’t ruled out.
His injuries were potentially much more serious than Almeida’s!
Viana was forced to leave the game.
Portugal had leveled the score.
But they also lost a key midfielder in the process.
As Viana was carried off, his face was covered in tears.
Partly because of the pain.
But also because he knew he would never return to this field again.
His youth tournament journey was over.
He traded what was left of his tournament for Portugal to catch up with the Netherlands.
If Portugal had a miracle.
Then he was the founder of that miracle.
But founders often aren’t the ones who reap the benefits.
His age of fifteen was doomed to leave some regrets.
