Chapter 186: Chapter 185 I Feel the Same
In the following days, the teammates started to wonder if Ronaldo was under so much pressure that he’d lost it?
Training is training, but why was he always muttering "one two three, three two one, one two one two one two one" to himself? Creepy, right?!
This was especially true for the defenders like Serafim, Alex, Kilop, and Feng Te, who often trained directly against Ronaldo.
One day, Alex couldn’t take it anymore and went to ask Deng Kai, "Kai, why is Ronaldo always reciting numbers?"
Deng Kai: "Oh? How does he recite them?"
Alex: "He says to Serafim ’one one one three, three one one one.’
Deng Kai: "That means Serafim’s defense is no good, isn’t it? Has Ronaldo been continuously outmaneuvering him with fancy moves?"
Alex, shocked: "No way! Kai, you understand Ronaldo-language! That’s really it! What about Feng Te and Kilop then? Ronaldo keeps saying ’three three three one, one three three three.’
Deng Kai: "Their defense is pretty good; it gives Ronaldo a bit of a headache. He can only rely on speed in the simplest way to get past them, and his occasional fancy moves are just to confuse them, not to break through."
Alex was in awe: "Then... what about me? When Ronaldo plays against me, he almost doesn’t make a sound. Does that mean I’m different from the others?"
Deng Kai looked at Alex as if he was an idiot: "You’re definitely different. Ronaldo thinks your defense is so bad that he doesn’t need a mnemonic to get past you. He can just do it however he wants. Didn’t he even pull off a Rainbow flick on you?"
Alex, as if struck by lightning: "Ah, that... seems like... he did Rainbow flick me... My god, how can he do that, it’s so disrespectful, he..."
Deng Kai attempted to console Alex: "It’s okay, don’t be discouraged. I’m in the same boat."
Alex felt a little better then: "But Kai, you’re an attacking midfielder after all; it’s understandable if your defense is a bit off. But my position demands a higher defensive responsibility..."
Deng Kai interrupted Alex: "No, you’ve got it wrong. What I mean is, if I needed to get past you, I’d also consider using the Rainbow flick. Your defense really makes one feel at home."
By the time Alex realized what Deng Kai had said, Deng Kai had already run off to the other side of the training field.
...
February 15th, the eighteenth round of the Primeira Liga.
Moreirense played at home against Felimund.
Emerson, recovered from injury but not yet returned, was replaced by Cordero in the holding midfielder position, forming a double pivot, with Deng Kai as the lone attacking midfielder.
The 433 formation shifted to 4213.
From the start of the game, the commentators noticed Ronaldo looked particularly relaxed.
In the seventh minute, Ronaldo didn’t rush to dribble after receiving the ball but instead pulled it back and tried to out-muscle the opponent with his body movements.
His right foot swung back and forth over the football, eventually opting for a back pass.
The right-back of Felimund looked annoyed at that moment.
Thought you were going to charge ahead, and that’s it? Just show!
In the seventh minute, Deng Kai passed to Ronaldo again, who had mostly been active on the left wing since kick off.
Ronaldo received the ball and accelerated, but when he realized he couldn’t shake off the defender, he slowed down and started a stepover, retreating the defender before passing back again.
Felimund wasn’t strong.
But their defensive players were quite strong.
In the fourteenth minute, Deng Kai passed again.
The commentator felt it was unfair for Flavio on the right.
The left side was clearly ineffective, but you only focus on the left because you get along better with Ronaldo?
This is not how a midfield maestro should play!
Bang!
Ronaldo flicked the ball forward and stormed past without any fancy footwork.
The right-back of Felimund thought he had Ronaldo under control, never expecting him to dare to bulldoze through like that.
"He’s past him! Ronaldo speeds by! Too fast!"
"Ronaldo turns this ordinary pass from Deng Kai into an absolute chance!"
"Kicks for the cross!"
"Anderson heads for the goal... It’s too high! It’s somewhat high, such a pity!"
"But I have to say, Ronaldo’s attack was incredibly beautiful!"
Anderson also found Ronaldo’s pass delightful, so he gave Ronaldo a thumbs-up.
But when Anderson turned his head, he noticed Deng Kai’s complexion was a bit darker.
Could it be that Xiao Kai felt upset because he didn’t give him a thumbs-up?
Considering Deng Kai’s status in Trigella’s heart, Anderson quickly gave Deng Kai a supplementary thumbs-up.
Deng Kai’s face turned even darker.
Oh, Anderson, who are you trying to emulate? Why follow in the footsteps of the thumbs-up striker Lukaku?
Do you harbor a dream to become the "King of Chuangzhuang" deep down?
That’s a dangerous thought!
In the 23rd minute, it was still the left flank, still Ronaldo.
He was very active, calling for the ball eagerly.
After receiving the ball, Ronaldo feinted a dribble, causing the opponent to hastily guard their position.
Ronaldo seized the opportunity to perform two fancy moves, then faced the oncoming defender and executed a flick with an inside step and an outward touch, lifting the football out.
Then Ronaldo was brought down on the spot.
The opponent was clearly coming for him.
Beep!
The referee couldn’t overlook such an obvious foul and remain indifferent.
Yellow card!
Moreover, it was a set piece in the offensive third, in a great position, almost as threatening as a corner kick.
The players hurried into Felimund’s penalty area, ready to jostle for the ball.
Deng Kai held up five fingers, and his teammates understood immediately.
Boom!
Deng Kai took the kick.
The football was low, with a swift pace.
Heading for the near post!
Ronaldo was initially in the middle, but knowing Deng Kai was aiming for the near post, he had long since started his run.
Boom!
Without hardly any jump, Ronaldo completed a header deflection.
The football found the net at the far side.
"GOAL! One to zero! The technical skill in that header was too high! That deflection was anything but simple!"
"This is the change that Trigella has brought to Morelense, the set piece tactics are an important means to score against weaker teams, and it’s never too much to work on them. But Morelense’s former coach never had any special setups, always sticking to the same option: aiming for the tall players in the middle."
"No matter how formidable the football is, when you’re lacking variety, it becomes much less terrifying."
"And don’t forget, this opportunity was created by Ronaldo himself. His performance today is very different from the last two matches; he has become more confident, more decisive!"
After the goal, Morelense strived hard to fight against the ’minnows complex’, but the situation on the field still slightly favored Felimund.
In the 36th minute, Kilop contributed a crucial interception.
Without him, the opponent would have shattered the defensive line.
In the 39th minute, Feng Te blocked the opponent’s shot with his shoulder.
Felimund’s players protested frantically, claiming it was handball, hoping the referee would award a penalty.
But the referee was sharp-eyed; the definition of the football touching the shoulder and the arm is different.
The shoulder is a valid part for striking the ball and can touch the ball; hence, if the shoulder is offside, it counts as offside.
The arm can’t touch the ball, it’s an invalid part for striking, so an arm being offside doesn’t count as offside.
