Chapter 229: Chapter 228 This Goal Shot Can Be Called the Best Assist of the Year (Tenth Update)
The players from Rio Ave had smelled the scent of a decisive kill and pounced toward Deng Kai.
With a flick of his left foot, Deng Kai performed a half-turn while stepping on the ball, then pulled the football back with his right foot... It was a horizontal Marseille Turn from right to left.
Audacious!
But it worked.
However, the gain was not significant.
This lateral movement, that is, brought Deng Kai a bit closer to the top of the penalty area arc, but what could he do from that position?
A lob pass?
The distance was too short, Deng Kai was close to the wall of opposing players and teammates, and this wall was near the goalkeeper.
Nothing much could come out of a lob.
Shoot?
The density of the "human wall" made up of players from both sides was so high, that upon a quick scan, Deng Kai couldn’t spot any clear path to shoot through.
Many shots taken by players seem outrageous to fans, with many missing wildly or flying high.
But fans who like watching replays can actually discover something crucial.
Most of the seemingly outrageous shots, from the player’s point of view or a relative angle, perfectly avoided the opponent defenders, finding the only path to release the football.
So, despite the miss, it was because the only path they had painstakingly found was also incorrect, not because the players’ shooting skills were outrageous.
This kind of "poor shot" is essentially different from the airplane-style shooting of the national team.
Pass back?
Injury time should be up, and if he passed back, the main referee might just blow the whistle and end the match with a two-to-two score.
Wait a minute...
It seems...
Deng Kai had already withdrawn his scanning gaze, but the image from just a moment ago reemerged in his mind.
He seemed to have seen a path.
A path... where doubt crept in through mountains and rivers, as if there were no path at all!
He touched the ball.
He bent the bow.
He nocked the arrow.
Bang!
Deng Kai unleashed a left-footed shot.
Coming from the right flank, with the blessing of Robben’s soccer socks, his left foot’s shooting technique was still reliable.
"Ronaldo!"
As Deng Kai shot, a loud shout echoed.
The football flew out.
"He shoots! Deng Kai shoots!"
"But isn’t it too off-target?"
"That ball wasn’t even within the frame of the goal!"
"He’s a right-footed player, choosing to shoot with his left foot was a mistake."
"That shot obviously didn’t wrap around the ball."
"The football is flying to the left, completely out of the goal frame!"
"The left-footed shot from the right side of the penalty area arc is already the widest coverage and most varied shooting option from that position. Missing this shot is no big deal, but if it’s not even within the goal frame, that’s outrageous!"
"And this wasn’t even one of those shots seeking an angle that grazes the post and flies out. If this ball was flying, it should be somewhere between the left corner flag area and the left post of the goal when it crosses the baseline."
"It’s not just a little off!"
In that instant, many people with some experience judging trajectories came to a conclusion.
Van Gaal was shaking his head continuously.
Deng Kai’s mental strength just wasn’t up to par.
If he couldn’t handle a goal in a promotion match, could they rely on him in key fixtures in the Primeira Liga or even in the top five European leagues in the future?
By comparison, that Iniesta in the Barça youth team was definitely interesting.
Deng Kai was far from being as exquisite as Iniesta!
Bang!
Ronaldo was almost at the very left end of the wall, with most of his body facing the goal, ready to jump up at any moment to contest for a header if Deng Kai chose to lob the pass...
But upon hearing Deng Kai’s shout, he turned his head to the right, looking toward Deng Kai.
No, he couldn’t see Deng Kai.
Because a football had come smashing over.
With a bang!
Ronaldo was struck in the head, and he fell to the ground on the spot.
Just like a paper man hit by a hammer, he went down with his feet glued to the ground.
The football had hit Ronaldo’s forehead.
As Ronaldo turned his head, the ball’s path changed with the curvature of his head.
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The football took a turn.
It curved into a less-than sign.
It brushed past the left post of the goal and shot into the net.
Everyone was dumbfounded.
What...
What was this about?
Had that been a goal?
"Ah!!!"
Deng Kai spread his arms and began to run wildly.
He ran in Ronaldo’s direction.
He ran past where Ronaldo was.
He charged towards the corner flag area.
Behind him, nearly all the Moreirense players followed suit.
They celebrated madly in the corner flag area.
Leaving only Ronaldo, lying on the penalty area grass looking up at the sky, not knowing what had happened, only feeling a heavy head, he raised his hand and rubbed it, feeling some pain.
To him, everything on the outside felt detached, silence all around.
Fans in the stands either covered their heads in disbelief or raised their arms in cheer, but strangely, they made no sound.
This silence even felt comfortable to Ronaldo.
During a match, the noise of the stadium can sometimes be a double torture, both physiological and psychological for a player.
"GOAL!!"
"GOAL, GOAL, GOAL!"
"I swear! I have never seen such a bizarre goal in my life!"
"I am on fire! I am melting!"
"This is the flash of absolute genius!"
"Deng Kai, by his own effort, with the help of his teammate Ronaldo’s head, has scored!"
"Three to two! In the final minute of injury time, Moreirense stages a last-minute victory!"
"They have reached the summit of the Portuguese league!"
"Progression! Champions! They want it all! They’ve really got it all!"
"I can’t believe such a goal could happen, my mind is filled with a hundred question marks right now, did Deng Kai conceptionize this goal all the way from the Marseille Turn?"
"This is definitely not a fluke! Deng Kai’s shooting skill may not be top-notch, but it’s certainly reliable! He has scored so many spectacular goals, even a miss wouldn’t hit Ronaldo’s head!"
"Moreover, he called out Ronaldo’s name when he took the shot! This was a cooperation! This was a conspiracy planned solely by Deng Kai, with Ronaldo collaborating involuntarily, the payoff being a bizarre goal, with the cost being hit in the head by the ball and dropping to the ground!"
"Terrifying! Spectacular!"
"This is the most beautiful goal in Europe this year! Definitely!"
On the sidelines, countless people held their heads.
The flashlights of the reporters were in full force.
What was even more terrifying was in the middle of Moreirense’s celebration, the referee sounded the whistle three times, ending the match.
Actually, the injury time was already over, and it would have been fine for the referee to blow the whistle right after the attack whether it was successful or not.
The only reason he delayed the whistle was because he had witnessed the entire process of the goal and was immersed in its incredibility.
The players from Rio Ave should have sought out the referee to argue, but they too stood still.
When your opponent scores a goal that transcends human limits, you also don’t really feel like playing anymore.
Because any other goal compared to this one seems so insignificant, so mundane and dull.
Of course, this is also related to the fact that the Rio Ave players knew that even if they lost this game, they would still be able to advance to the Primeira Liga based on their record advantage and goal difference.
Otherwise, they might have had a hysterical reaction.
