Chapter 141: Chapter 140 Losing Points
"This was simply a textbook example of a defensive counter-attack! It was incredibly fast!"
"Deng Kai’s pass, Ronaldo’s run! That final move to get past the goalkeeper only highlighted this player’s nerve!"
"What on earth is happening with the German team today? Their defense seems to collapse at the slightest touch!"
"Portugal has been at a disadvantage throughout the game, they’ve only really tested the German team twice, yet Germany couldn’t withstand the tests!"
"Many people said before the match that Ronaldo couldn’t adapt to the center-forward position, but as it turns out, he has no problems at all! His impact in this tournament is almost in a league of its own!"
"He might not be enough of a pivot point, but what does a counter-attacking team need with a pivot-forward?"
A pivot-forward, essentially, came about to make up for a midfield lacking in creativity, breakthrough capability, and resilience under pressure.
Counter-attacking styles that don’t rely on midfield and teams with top-tier midfield players don’t need a pivot-forward.
They need a finisher!
And the Portuguese team fits both these descriptions.
The 14th minute.
You could tell that the German team was a bit lost, they still didn’t know where the problem lay.
They had limited Quaresma very well.
The entire right flank of Portugal could hardly pose any threat.
However, Deng Kai and Meireles managed to link up on the left, carrying the football past the midfield.
With Ribery, Portugal’s left-back, pushing up, Portugal got the chance for a cross from the by-line.
But Lahm kept pace with Ribery, and the latter, unable to find an opportunity in a one-on-one situation, had no choice but to return the ball to Meireles, who then passed it back to Deng Kai on the left.
Bang!
Deng Kai took his shot from the left.
Ronaldo tried to find space inside the penalty area.
Everyone’s focus was on Deng Kai.
Because with this cross, he surely had to find the center-forward, right?
Whoosh!
The ball didn’t fly high, but Deng Kai put a lot of power into it, the speed was fast, and it had quite a curve.
Such a pass was not conducive to header shots from the center-forward.
Instead...
"Back post! Quaresma suddenly pushes up, unguarded at the back post!"
"Quaresma shoots directly with the outside of his foot without stopping the ball! The German defenders had just started turning their heads at this point!"
"No one could stop Quaresma, his outside foot was too accurate, what a goal from a tight angle!"
"Three to zero! Is the Portuguese team really this strong?"
"Three goals in nine minutes! They’ve turned their quarter-finalist opponents, Germany, into Poland who can’t even get out of the group stage!"
"It didn’t feel like Portugal had such an easy time in the last round against the Netherlands, did it?"
"Oh! Unbelievable! Deng Kai has quietly achieved a hat trick of assists without us even realising it!"
"This feels like a fantasy! So far, he’s appeared on camera quite a few times, but he hasn’t done a lot that dazzles."
"If it weren’t for the stats reminding us, I wouldn’t even be able to tell which one is Deng Kai, which one is Amorim or Veloso; aren’t they all just doing the simple task of receiving and passing the ball?"
"Can Germany really defeat such a Portuguese team?"
"Why was the prediction for victory so one-sided before the match? Such a strong team shouldn’t be underestimated, right!"
Many commentators were baffled.
The collapse of the German team was hard to accept.
But while the fans might despair, the players cannot.
With the help of their coach and players like Lahm, Germany managed to stabilize the situation on the field by tightening their formation.
They no longer resorted to aggressive pressing across the board.
They also gave up trying to crush Portugal with a violent offensive onslaught.
They just wanted to calm down.
They let the Portuguese have the ball, and they bunkered down.
"Klinge, you stick to that Deng Kai, no matter what he does!" The German coach might have been the first to see the situation clearly; he spotted the linchpin of the Portuguese strategy.
Indeed, Portugal subsequently failed to produce any more lethal passes.
Even though Germany lost control of the ball, their situation was actually much better than before.
When they had fully recovered and adapted, that was when they fought desperately.
From this aspect, the German U16 team was at least a well-trained squad, highly proficient in executing their head coach’s tactical plans with strict discipline.
In the twenty-first minute, Meireles and Robbery successfully penetrated on the left flank.
Robbery kicked the ball for a cross.
Ronaldo’s header went awry.
The German team had a line-up of tall players, making it very difficult for Ronaldo, even if he managed to get a touch on the ball, to generate much power.
In the twenty-eighth minute, after a feint during a break on the left, Meireles passed diagonally to the charging Amorim, who took a long shot, joining the Chengji Sihan lineup, known only for its prowess with the bow and eagles.
During this period, Portugal’s offensive efforts were mainly focused on the left side, executed by Meireles.
Deng Kai, who was closely marked by the German team, had very few touches of the ball, effectively frozen out, nearly as much as the sapper Veloso.
Veloso: I advise you to speak with some respect, I am a defensive midfielder, it’s understandable if I get fewer touches of the ball. It’s quite another matter for some people who are supposed to be the core of the team to hardly touch the ball at all.
Deng Kai: ???
In the thirty-sixth minute, Quaresma broke through on the right flank and eventually won a free kick.
In the ensuing corner kick, Feng Te toppled Gerlitz, who was defending him, and was called for an offensive foul.
During this time, the Portuguese team continually besieged the German team.
The German coach held a thick stack of statistical analysis and data, ready to impart tactical adjustments during the halftime break.
Three goals behind, it seemed like a desperate situation, but Germans never fight a battle they are not sure of winning!
There’s a huge chance!
The forty-second minute.
Ronaldo, who was finding life difficult in the box, withdrew from it.
Being a center-forward is actually quite miserable.
Most of the time, you won’t even appear on camera.
But the opposing center-backs will never lose sight of you.
Most of the time, they’ll follow you, and you’ll have some physical contact.
They’ll give you a shove when you run, and a hit when you collide.
Endless minor actions, endless friction.
Ronaldo, who was never thick-skinned or thick-fleshed, couldn’t really handle it.
Once Ronaldo came out, Deng Kai immediately started his run forward, using Ronaldo’s movement to temporarily shake off Klinge, who was marking him. Ronaldo could have been successful in basketball too, as he executed a perfect pick.
Quaresma beat his man on the flank and just at the right moment saw Deng Kai’s run, lifting his foot for a cross.
Knowing that Deng Kai was not tall, he sent a low cross.
Such a ball was hard to handle, and Deng Kai was no exception.
But before Deng Kai even thought about how to deal with the ball, he was brought down by the German center-back Fink.
Fink couldn’t keep up with Deng Kai and, worried Deng Kai would connect with the cross, used hands and feet to bring him down.
The referee immediately blew the whistle.
Penalty kick!
And he gave Fink a yellow card!
The German fans were even thinking of leaving the stadium.
Three goals behind and now conceding a penalty?
Can this match even be played?
The German players immediately gathered around, arguing that it was normal physical contact and Deng Kai was diving, among other things.
But the referee wasn’t listening to any of it.
Hitzlsperger, who was notoriously short-tempered, received a yellow card warning for his excessive protestations.
He was angry!
During the Youth Champions League, at least they weren’t far behind Sporting Lisbon.
Both teams had made it to overtime.
How could it be that in just two or three months, Deng Kai and Ronaldo were slicing through the German U16 like cutting melons and vegetables?
Then Quaresma stepped up to take the penalty kick.
Bang!
"Oh! He didn’t score! The ball hit the post and bounced out!"
"Quaresma, that shouldn’t have happened!"
