Chapter 224: Chapter 223: If we can contend for the championship, why bother considering promotion? (Please subscribe to the full version)
The goalkeeper quickly retracted his movement, successfully faking out Ronaldo.
Then, the goalkeeper turned to his right, looking behind him.
Well, there was nobody there.
Deng Kai: ???
Because the ball hit the side netting and was obscured by the post, and because the opposition had turned his head to the right, the left post where Deng Kai was positioned was almost at the very edge of his field of vision.
Unwittingly, it had become a blind spot.
By the time the Vizela goalkeeper confidently turned his head back, Deng Kai had an epiphany.
Striker’s skill!
Damn!
The whole game!
I forgot my own signature ability as the tyrannosaurus Benzema.
Dammit!
Center forward?
Pivot?
Assist?
Scoring?
Header?
Physical confrontation?
Shouldering the blame?
Stop joking!
Are those Benzema’s real jobs?
Remember, Benzema’s only real job is one thing, and that is to ruin the opposing goalkeeper!
Bayern’s Ulreich, Liverpool’s Karius, PSG’s Donnarumma, Chelsea’s Mendy... which one isn’t an elite among elites?
A few of them were on the verge of entering the world’s number one goalkeeper rankings.
Yet they were all messed up by Benzema.
Striker’s skill, my apologies.
The Vizela goalkeeper bent over to throw the football forward, while looking at his teammates who had retreated to the opposing half.
He wanted to kick the ball straight upfield to create a scoring opportunity for his team.
Vizela still had a few minutes left to breach Moreirense’s defense... Huh?
Where’s the ball?
Before everyone’s eyes, a figure darted out from the side, nudged the ball sideways and shot.
In front of the Vizela goalkeeper, a goal was completed.
The ball hit the back of the net.
Everyone present was stunned.
This...
"Deng Kai! It’s Deng Kai! Deng Kai, who could be called the culprit of this match, has redeemed himself!"
"He completed his self-redemption! He’s saved himself!"
"What a beautiful goal! He stole the ball from under the feet of the Vizela goalkeeper from behind."
"The Vizela goalkeeper signaled to the referee that Deng Kai committed a foul, but the referee pointed to the center circle, indicating the goal was valid!"
"This is indeed a valid goal. The Vizela goalkeeper had already kicked the ball out, and he completely failed to notice the Moreirense player behind him."
"He was too careless! How could he make such a low-level mistake?"
"Oh! Through the replay, we can see that Ronaldo, while contesting for the ball in the air, pushed Deng Kai to leverage himself, and Deng Kai almost hit the goal post. He dodged and went into the side netting."
"He struggled several times but couldn’t free himself, and it was at this moment that the Vizela goalkeeper checked behind him, thinking there was no one!"
"What a coincidence! If the goalkeeper had turned to his left, he would have seen Deng Kai in a glance, but as Ronaldo was coming up on his right to prevent a quick kickoff, the goalie dodged Ronaldo and then turned right."
"It’s a bit unbelievable, do you think there’s a chance Ronaldo and Deng Kai had planned this together?"
"Haha, I know this speculation is far-fetched. Judging by Deng Kai’s reaction, it doesn’t seem like they had coordinated anything. He’s currently arguing with Ronaldo, he pointed to his jersey, as if it still hurts there..."
In the end, Moreirense won the match with this "unbelievably fake goal" against the second-placed team in the league, Vizela.
After the match, the Vizela goalkeeper faced a barrage of criticism from both fans and the media.
Because of the defeat, Vizela dropped from second to fourth place in the standings, overtaken by Gil Vicente due to better head-to-head records.
Moreirense, on the other hand, secured the second spot with forty-nine points.
If it were not for the last round of matches, Moreirense would have already been promoted to the Primeira Liga.
But unfortunately... fifty-one points, forty-nine points, forty-eight points, forty-eight points... the top four in the Liga Portugal 2 standings were still close together.
In the last round, Moreirense has to face the top-ranked team Rio Ave as their direct competitor.
With the third-placed Gil Vicente and fourth-placed Vizela facing weaker opponents, they are very likely to take all three points.
Moreirense can only secure promotion by defeating Rio Ave; anything less would likely mean missing out on a top-two finish.
So far, only Rio Ave is assured of promotion.
Even if they lose, they will have fifty-one points, but Rio Ave has a goal difference advantage over Gil Vicente and a better head-to-head record against Vizela, ensuring them second place in the event of a tie on points.
And a draw would guarantee them the championship.
Such circumstances provide numerous possibilities for the last round.
The media is also making various predictions.
"Gil Vicente fears Rio Ave may play a tacit game with Moreirense!"
"Vizela hopes for both Moreirense and Gil Vicente to lose their matches!"
"Rio Ave: We take every match seriously, we have no financial difficulties!"
"Moreirense climbed to second place due to Vizela goalkeeper’s error, but will the last round against Rio Ave expose them?"
"Deng Kai scores the only goal of the match, but he’s not the best player; has he hit a rookie wall?"
"Heroism is the lifelong enemy of every midfielder. Trigella should revoke Deng Kai’s shooting rights!"
"Ronaldo gestures in frustration, Deng Kai squanders chances; has the CD finally shown cracks?"
"Disagreements between the team’s two young stars could be the main reason for Moreirense’s potential loss in the final round!"
"Deng Kai’s arrogant declaration: If we’re contending for the title, why worry about promotion? Just win and it’s done!"
The media was abuzz with speculation.
...
Meanwhile, in Trigella’s office, Deng Kai and Ronaldo, who were thought to be at odds, were present.
Jiang Yunzhu was also there.
She had obtained a lot of match information and data on Rio Ave through the Record Report.
"The strength of Rio Ave is quite strong, or to say, all the top four teams on the leaderboard are not weak," Trigella said, flipping through the data. "But what’s interesting is that each of these teams has its own distinct style."
"Vizela’s defense is strong, conceding very few goals, but their offensive capability is also not formidable. That’s why our last match against them was so tough. Other than Deng Kai finding opportunities to shoot and pose a threat at goal, it was difficult for anyone else to find good chances."
Ronaldo looked at Trigella on the side, thinking, "This... this works?"
Last round’s failures are being whitewashed?
Mr. Trigella, I thought you were different from Maxa!
If Trigella knew what Ronaldo was thinking, he would have sighed.
Of course, he is different from Maxa.
Maxa places his faith in all powerful stars, such as Deng Kai and Ronaldo.
But Trigella is firm in his belief; he only believes in Deng Kai.
"Gil Vicente has a high ceiling but a low floor. To put it bluntly, they bully the weak but fear the strong; once things go against them, they might collapse. It’s not news for them to lose by a large margin to weaker teams this season," Trigella said. "On the other hand, Rio Ave plays a stable game and has the offensive power that can deliver critical blows unexpectedly."
"If I had to pinpoint a weakness, it’s that they are a lot like us."
"They struggled in the relegation zone of the Liga Portugal last season, and now they are on the verge of promotion."
"With no significant changes in the roster, the coach’s capability and the tactical level is beyond doubt. This is why a head coach is so important."
