Chapter 223: Chapter 222: There’s Nothing Wrong With Self-Positioning (Rushing to the Bestseller List)
If they lost the match, the situation would become even more serious; they would directly lose their qualification for advancement, and all their efforts throughout the season would vanish into thin air.
On the other hand, Gil Vicente, who had been ranked behind Moreirense before this round, maintained the possibility of challenging for second place, regardless of the outcome between Moreirense and Vizela.
The situation for advancing was quite complicated.
"Ding! It has been detected that an opposing player has won the Portuguese Super League Championship, and your striker abilities have been greatly enhanced!"
Deng Kai was stunned.
He thought the enhancement would be something like speed, shooting, or confrontational abilities.
But what did "striker abilities" mean?
There was no doubt that the future Real Madrid star, Benzema, was a renowned "striker" in football.
What did striker abilities entail?
Taking the blame?
A pivot forward?
Fingers more prone to injury?
My interactions with teammates more likely to be perceived as extortion?
Deng Kai was completely bewildered.
Even after trying to move around, he couldn’t feel any difference in himself.
Is this... Can Ronaldo’s drop truly be effective?
Beep!
With a whistle, the key battle of the Portuguese second division unfolded.
Compared to Gil Vicente, one of the previous big three, Vizela, which had occupied the top of the leaderboard for a longer time, obviously had more strength.
Their midfield linchpin used to play for Porto and, though he was sidelined due to his age, he became more skillful as he got older.
Even when Deng Kai was competing with the opponent for midfield control, he was at a disadvantage.
It wasn’t that Deng Kai was worse than his opponent, but rather that the opponent made better use of their teammates than Deng Kai did with his.
Moreover, Deng Kai attempted to shoot from up front several times in this match, focusing too much on attacking, which caused his team to lose control over the midfield.
The match ultimately turned into a one-sided affair.
"Who would have thought, in this match, both sides took a total of thirty-six shots, yet not a single one resulted in a goal!"
"Now, the match has reached the eighty-fifth minute, and both sides are extremely anxious!"
"They all want to win, although from the result it seems, both teams can accept a draw, since it would still preserve their chances of winning the championship or advancing to the Super League."
"But for their players, a draw is the last thing they want. Because the championship they long for in their hearts, or advancing, demands that they must win this game!"
"Overall, Vizela has a big advantage today, their possession reaching sixty-eight percent, an absolute dominance."
"Vizela took twenty-five shots, far exceeding Moreirense’s eleven."
"Also, it’s particularly notable that Deng Kai took too many shots today, as high as seven! Six of those were long shots. Is he really that confident in his long-range shooting ability?"
"Although Deng Kai indeed has scored many spectacular long-range goals, judging by today’s performance, his long shots can hardly be described as top-notch! His wasteful shooting is a major reason why the team failed to score."
"His forward surges demanding the ball for shots, and the counter-attacks following his blocked shots, are key reasons why Moreirense’s midfield was heavily suppressed!"
"It could be said that this is the worst match Deng Kai has played since joining Moreirense."
"This kind of performance has happened in Ronaldo’s early games after joining a new team, where he struggled to adapt."
"But unexpectedly, Deng Kai’s rookie wall has come at this time. Could it be because the game is too crucial, so Deng Kai’s mindset is off balance?"
It must be said, Deng Kai was misled by that "striker ability".
Today, he vividly demonstrated how disastrous a player’s performance can be if they have a misconception about their role.
What is Deng Kai’s strength?
Many people are unclear.
He can take long shots, but they’re not his forte.
He can make runs, but he isn’t particularly fast.
He can dribble past defenders, but his movements and success rate are not remarkably outstanding.
He could hold the ball and contend, but his skills and ability to handle confrontations weren’t considered advantageous.
He could defend, but intercepted more than he stole.
He could run, but while he covered ground amply, timeliness was not his forte.
He could pass the ball, even exquisitely, but his grasp on precision and the finer details was always a bit fuzzy.
He had many strengths, but you could also say he had just as many weaknesses.
His strength lay in tactical thinking, adaptability, the ability to play "horses for courses," neutralizing others’ strengths with his own weaknesses and using his strengths to exploit their vulnerabilities.
He always played the strong against the weak.
But today, he thought his "ability as a striker" had greatly improved, which referred to shooting, attacking, offensive positioning, battling, being a fulcrum—all these aspects had been enhanced.
So he played in a way that brought out these characteristics.
The result was a sight for sore eyes.
Incorrect information led Deng Kai to make the wrong decisions.
The word "random" once brought him surprises; now it heralded disaster.
If he could do it over, Deng Kai would rather he had never received the "Championship Trophy that Ronaldo missed" as a star drop.
Because even without this striker boost, Deng Kai believed that based on his own capabilities, he could have provided far more help to the team than what he showed in this match.
Live and learn; Deng Kai had realized his mistake, but the realization came a little too late.
Less than five minutes remained on the clock.
The teammates’ physical stamina, morale, the tactical unfolding on the pitch—all were insufficient to support Moreirense in winning this game.
Trigella also signaled for the team to fall back and consolidate their defense.
If a win wasn’t possible, they’d settle for a draw.
Securing one point, at the very least, Moreirense could still vie for second place.
But just as Ronaldo was preparing to pull back.
Deng Kai intercepted the ball in the backfield.
Bang!
Deng Kai launched a long pass from afar.
This kick wasn’t about precision; Deng Kai himself was tired after taking wild shots all game.
But Ronaldo still sprinted with all his might, ultimately earning the team a free kick from a distant position.
Moreirense had a decent attacking opportunity.
Though not as good as a corner kick, compared to Deng Kai’s wild shooting earlier, taking this tactical free kick was indeed a better chance.
Considering the "striker" attribute he bore, Deng Kai let Emerson take the tactical free kick while he lurked awkwardly around the penalty area.
Smack in the face!
Weren’t we just saying not to let the "striker ability" affect us?
So you still think you’re a forward, huh?
To this, Deng Kai responded, "I was wrong, but I’d dare to do it again."
After all, people need to have some principles.
Bang!
Emerson took the tactical free kick.
The football soared toward the penalty area, amidst turmoil and shrieks.
Deng Kai joined the fray but didn’t touch the ball, and didn’t even know who had indecently shoved him toward the goal post.
Deng Kai narrowly avoided the post and slid into the side netting of the goal.
At the same moment, the Vizela goalkeeper took the opportunity to rush out, grabbing the ball first in his arms.
He immediately made the move to launch a quick counterattack.
Frightening the Moreirense players into hurrying back to defend.
Ronaldo too charged at the goalkeeper, looking to disrupt his kick.
