Chapter 181: Chapter 180: The Lost Ronaldo, Kay Riding a Bicycle
"We need to be aggressive, with both the ball and the person, we must leave one behind!"
"Letting them make crosses, letting their attackers coordinate in our defensive zone, is already a defensive failure! It’s not waiting in the penalty area for their crosses, only considering it a failure if they get to the ball first!"
Looking at the expressions on the faces of the Morelense players, it was not hard to tell that many of them were only just understanding what Trigella meant by defense.
So that’s how it was.
No wonder the coach was so angry, because what everyone had been doing was the complete opposite of what he wanted to see.
"I know it’s hard for everyone to change their defensive habits right away. I will arrange for specialized defensive coordination and training later," Trigella continued, "In the coming matches, I won’t make it hard for everyone, there’s no need for everyone to rush out."
"Kilop, in front of your defensive area, when the opposing main attacker has the ball ready to attack, you have to rush out of the box and put enough pressure on them. You don’t necessarily have to go all out, but you must look like you’re about to, you understand defense, you should be able to do this well."
"Macedo, you need to rush out before Kilop, he is there to fill the gap you leave in defense, understand?"
"Both fullbacks, I can accept the opponent completing a cross in your defensive area. But I can’t accept you doing nothing about it!"
A series of arrangements were made.
Many players might not have fully grasped them.
For example, Macedo’s position actually required him, as a defensive midfielder, to cover for Kilop when he moved horizontally.
But in reality, when Kilop didn’t move horizontally, he needed to cover for the position Macedo had left while defending out.
If their mutual understanding wasn’t there, a vulnerability would appear in the middle, which was very dangerous.
But even so... it was still better than having no arrangement at all.
The second half began.
Penafield also made some special arrangements.
They mainly attacked Morelense’s right side, targeting Alex.
Because Alex’s defense was indeed weak, even if he held his position, he was often easily bypassed.
Fortunately, Morelense’s defense began to show aggression, not giving the opposing attackers enough time to organize.
Their crosses and lateral passes were destroyed three times in a row.
The sixty-seventh minute.
Morelense launched an attack from the left wing, and after Alex was pinned down, this became Morelense’s only breakthrough point.
However, a Ronaldo, hesitant to use fancy moves, was dispossessed by the opponent.
He had previously been taken down repeatedly by the opponent, coupled with their verbal threats, making him feel that fancy footwork was ineffective. So, this time he chose to go down on receiving the ball.
Lacking variation, the opponent naturally caught the rhythm and repeatedly took possession.
Penafield transferred the ball continuously in the midfield and backfield, delivering it to Alex’s side.
Alex, the leaky defender, was bypassed again.
The opponent made a Backward Triangle Pass.
This time Kilop and Feng Te couldn’t prevent the goal from happening.
One to two!
Penafield clawed back a goal.
Their morale surged, and their attacks became more threatening.
The seventieth minute.
Deng Kai, who had a yellow card, intercepted well in defense.
He feigned past a defender with a long kick and then stabilized the rhythm by moving the ball laterally himself, not rushing to attack.
It was only after seeing his center forward Anderson get into position that Deng Kai sent a high ball from the backfield directly to Anderson.
Anderson held off the opposing defensive midfielder, controlled the ball with his chest, and succeeded in shielding the ball with his arms raised.
Ronaldo and Flavio began to move off the ball, pulling away several defenders.
At this time, Deng Kai also moved up the field.
Anderson passed back to Deng Kai, and then moved again, ready to receive Deng Kai’s pass.
But Deng Kai, with a Marseille Turn, faced up and bypassed the charging center back.
With the defensive midfielder being pulled aside by Anderson, a huge gap appeared in front of Deng Kai.
Bang!
Deng Kai tapped the ball to accelerate, pushing forward through the middle, heading straight for the dragon’s lair.
Another center back from Penafield hurried over to defend.
Deng Kai’s feet rapidly brushed over the football as he furiously pedaled the bicycle.
In this match, what disappeared from Ronaldo had appeared on Deng Kai.
As the quantity of Deng Kai’s bicycles increased, the opponents kept falling back.
Finally, the opponents couldn’t hold back any longer.
Stretching a foot!
Bang!
After Deng Kai tapped the ball with his right foot, he was tripped by the opponent’s shin and fell forward.
"Foul! That’s definitely a foul!"
"Oh! Wait a minute! This position!"
"During Deng Kai’s bicycle kicks, it seems he already stepped into the penalty area!"
"Yes, by the time Deng Kai tapped the ball, he had already stepped into the penalty area!"
"Penalty kick! It’s a penalty kick! The referee has pulled out a yellow card! Penafield’s center back is arguing, looking very helpless!"
"But it’s no use, the referee has set his sights on this yellow card package!"
"Morelense’s first-choice penalty taker is... transferred, the second is... also transferred, the third penalty taker is Altino, but he’s sitting on the bench right now, this..."
Deng Kai, carrying the football, stood at the penalty spot with a determined look in his eyes.
Anderson, who intended to take the penalty kick, tactfully left the penalty area.
Today, Deng Kai was nearly fighting with everybody on the field.
He certainly wanted to respond to the opposition with a goal.
At the same time, he truly exhibited the performance of a midfield playmaker on the pitch, and since he earned the penalty himself, he naturally had the right to take it.
Moreover, his joint "reprimand" of his teammates with Trigella during the halftime break left a deep impression, displaying the sense of becoming a leader in the locker room.
You see, even Ronaldo, who had taken penalties more often than Deng Kai during their youth team days, isn’t doing any demanding this time, right?
Ronaldo was cursing in his mind; although he scored a goal, his overall performance indeed wasn’t great.
How could he have the audacity to demand the penalty kick from my Kai?
Wouldn’t Kai just slap him back with a backhand?
When you play well and there’s a penalty, Kai Ge naturally knows to give it to me.
When you don’t play well, and Kai Ge comes for it, that’s just how it has to be.
Ronaldo calmed his mind, realizing that Deng Kai was probably the only one he wouldn’t argue with over a penalty kick.
After all, he’d still be counting on the youngster Kai for assists in the future.
Bang!
Deng Kai’s penalty kick was unwavering, a powerful shot struck towards the right side.
Penafield’s goalkeeper thought Deng Kai was going to show off with some trickery, anticipating a cheeky Panenka-style penalty—don’t young players love such brash techniques?
So he stood in the middle without moving, only to end up kneeling with both knees on the ground, without even making an attempt to save.
Three to one!
Morelense locked in the victory!
In the eightieth minute, Trigella substituted the yet-to-speed-up Ronaldo who had just been brought down.
Even though Ronaldo didn’t perform well, he was still the most threatening player on the team. Once he gets used to the pace of the Primeira Liga, he’s definitely going to be a golden boot contender, so he cannot be easily risked for injury.
In the eighty-fifth minute, Trigella also subsitituted Deng Kai because he was carrying a yellow card. If that yellow turned into a red, it would be somewhat of a loss. Although he had only played one game, everyone had realized the fact that this team couldn’t be without Deng Kai.
As a result, in the eighty-eighth minute, Morelense, having lost their explosive presence upfront and their midfield core, conceded a goal.
