Chapter 171: Chapter 170: Tough Nut to Crack
October 15th.
Portugal’s national team, led by Figo, drew with Azerbaijan and secured their place in the European Championship finals as the group runner-up ahead of schedule.
Portugal rejoiced as a nation.
A year ago, the whole world was playing in the World Cup, but Portugal couldn’t participate.
At that time, Figo had sworn at the Diamond Generation Invitational that he would lead Portugal to the European Championship.
He had done it.
Figo’s stature as Portugal’s football king had grown even further.
The Portuguese Golden Generation was finally about to translate their talent from the youth team to the national team.
While people harbored great hopes for the national team, they also turned their attention to the new youth team.
Could players like Quaresma, Viana, Ronaldo, Deng Kai, Meireles, and Almeida continue to harvest youth honors and then join Figo in the national team in the future?
October 19th.
Sporting Lisbon U17 played away against the current league leaders, Saint Romão U17.
This team was very strong.
Trigella made no changes to the starting lineup, sticking with the arrangement from the last match, as a possession-based team needed a more stable starting eleven to foster understanding among the players.
Even for substitutes, it was best to have fixed personnel entering the game at fixed times.
As soon as the match started, both sides got stuck into a fierce battle for possession.
That was normal.
But what was not normal was that in the third minute, Deng Kai launched a long pass from the backfield.
Wu Xudong sprinted down the right flank, received the football amidst a struggle, then surged past his opponent and cut inside to charge at the penalty area.
Yu Shihao made a run into the penalty area, raising his hand for the ball.
Wu Xudong feinted a pass but instead broke through and took a shot at a tight angle inside the penalty area.
The goalkeeper of Saint Romão got to the football, but in doing so, he ended up pushing it into his own goal.
Otherwise, the ball would have bounced off him and out.
"Wow! What a shot! Wu Xudong’s shooting choice was extremely audacious!"
"Everyone thought he would pass to Yu Shihao, he handled it so unexpectedly."
"That’s football for you. Some choices might seem unreasonable, but as long as they result in a goal, you can’t find fault."
"In the previous matches, although Sporting Lisbon played in an organized manner, they always seemed to be on the back foot during the opening clashes."
"At the same time, Wu Xudong, who is known for his speed, seemed somewhat underutilized in this passing and control tactic—akin to using a sledgehammer to crack a nut."
"It seems Trigella has also noticed this and is therefore trying to develop a playstyle that combines speed with ball control, to fully leverage the strengths of players like Wu Xudong."
The commentator gave a high evaluation of Sporting Lisbon’s tactical level, as after all, this was a team coached by Trigella.
There were rumors that multiple teams from the Primeira Liga and the Liga de Honra were in touch with Trigella, but he had not given a definite response yet.
But the commentator didn’t expect that after this goal, Sporting Lisbon began to play a more conservative game.
For a full sixty minutes, neither side had much of a shot on target.
The players of Saint Romão got fired up at one point.
But they really couldn’t get much of the ball.
It was terribly frustrating.
In the 68th minute,
Deng Kai noticed that the players of Saint Romão were nearly reaching their breaking point, and he decisively signaled to end the stalling.
Yu Shihao moved to the right flank, working together with Wu Xudong and Deng Kai in a small area of passing, drawing Saint Romão’s defenders.
Among the three of them, Deng Kai, the slowest, suddenly made a forward run.
Alas, Wu Xudong and Yu Shihao had already charged past, and since the defending players were dragged far out of position, they could only watch as Deng Kai continued down the penalty area’s vertical line to the end.
Bang!
Deng Kai delivered a hard and powerful cross.
The ball flew at extreme speed.
The first defender from Saint Romão couldn’t touch the football.
The second defender had a chance to intercept the ball, but he was too close to the goal; touching it might have resulted in an own goal, so he let the ball pass.
He trusted his teammates... wait, where were his teammates?
After passing the ball, the player turned his head to look, and the green-and-white jersey was particularly glaring.
Bang!
Hao Junmin made a late run, was unmarked at the far post, and accurately drove the ball into the net.
Two to zero!
Sporting Lisbon U17 extended their lead.
Deng Kai’s pass was almost like an open plot.
Either you score an own goal.
Or my teammate scores.
Take your pick.
The seventy-first minute.
Sporting Lisbon’s penetration down the left side was unsuccessful, and Hao Junmin passed the ball to Deng Kai who came up to meet it.
Deng Kai turned around and pointed at Duarte, the right-back who had not yet crossed the halfway line, seemingly calling him to push forward from behind to strengthen the attack.
Bang!
Deng Kai’s hand was still directing, but he had already released the ball.
The football was lofted directly into the left side of the penalty area.
No-look pass!
On the left side.
Veloso, who had just coordinated with Hao Junmin to penetrate down the left, didn’t return to his defensive midfield position but suddenly made a forward run.
In the penalty area on the left, Veloso received the ball.
It’s a clear chance!
Bang!
Veloso struck with his right foot, and strength brought a miracle.
The football bounced slightly and passed between the goalkeeper’s outstretched left arm and left leg.
"GOAL! Veloso scores a rare goal! It’s three to zero!"
"After scoring a hat-trick in the previous game, Deng Kai has now delivered a hat-trick of assists!"
"This was an unconventional and sudden pass-and-run combination; Veloso and Deng Kai had played together last season, and their understanding broke through St. Romain’s defense."
The seventy-third minute.
After St. Romain kicked off, they faced the feverish pressing of Sporting Lisbon’s players.
They didn’t want to clear the ball with a long kick, so in their panic, Wu Xudong managed to intercept it in the attacking third.
Wu Xudong advanced with the ball on the flank.
Yu Shihao almost simultaneously made a run, inserting himself in the center to prepare for a potential tap-in.
The defenders of St. Romain frantically tracked back, with all of them converging into the penalty area.
Only to find Wu Xudong performing a backward triangle pass.
Deng Kai, rushing over, took his shot comfortably.
A long-range effort pierced the net, marking his first goal of the match.
"Beautiful! The baker gets a taste of his own cake! Congratulations to Deng Kai!"
"Wu Xudong left such a strong impression on St. Romain previously with his goal from a very tight angle, it’s impossible to expect such a player would pass."
"St. Romain’s defenders have lost rational judgment, they overcommitted in their retreat."
"In just five minutes, Sporting Lisbon put on a crazy goal fest, scoring three times in a row!"
"This team’s goal-scoring explosiveness is too intense."
"But what’s even more terrifying is their ability to hold the ball for extended periods and to break through during intense contesting phases."
"After defeating St. Romain, I can hardly think of anyone in the region who could compete with them!"
"Caesar! Caesar! Caesar!"
Fans began chanting Deng Kai’s name.
Keep in mind, this is an away game.
In the seventy-sixth minute, Wu Xudong went down with a cramp in his right leg.
As a winger, he had almost covered from his own goal line to the opponent’s goal line, constantly getting involved in defense, tussling for the ball, and sprinting, which took a heavy toll on his stamina.
Even the tough guy from the prairie couldn’t withstand such exertion.
