Chapter 235: Chapter 234 Violent Aesthetics (Sixteen more)
Ronaldo leaped into the air and, with a rather awkward posture, suddenly flicked his head, managing to catch up with the football and knocked it back.
Then, reacting swiftly, Anderson got to the ball before the goalkeeper and poked it into the net.
Head-ball relay!
"GOAL! Unexpected! Moreirense takes the lead first!"
"Their aggressive attack has paid off!"
"Porto has become increasingly conservative as the first half progressed, so this outcome isn’t surprising."
"Ronaldo delivers his sixth assist of the tournament, let’s congratulate him! He’s already secured the honor of Assist King of the Portugal Cup in advance!"
Deco sighed near the edge of the penalty area.
He certainly felt the change in the team’s morale; he had intended to talk to the head coach about it during the halftime break.
But it seemed he was a step too late.
Indeed, if the coach is capable enough, he could make on-the-fly tactical changes to help the team turn around their spirits.
With the coach’s bird’s-eye view, identifying the strongest player on the team is possible, and by focusing the play around them, just one or two threatening attacks can immediately shift the momentum.
Deco glanced at the coaching bench.
It has to be said, this coach really was mediocre.
Like the previous one that Sporting Lisbon had fired, Augustus was a typical old-school Portuguese coach.
Strengths? None.
Weaknesses? None, either.
Can’t Porto find a way to get a truly capable and stronger coach?
Otherwise, under the guidance of this man named Fernando Santos, Deco felt it would be difficult to win championships when the teams were evenly matched.
Don’t be fooled by the number of championships Porto has won; the team really had too great an advantage in its lineup.
Now, without Jia De’er, see how things fail to come together.
The match then entered halftime.
The situation in Porto’s locker room was almost as Deco expected. He reported the situation to the head coach, but the coach, limited by his capabilities, made some tactical adjustments that didn’t address the root problem.
Not all tactical changes are effective.
Especially when the opponent has a smart midfield commander.
As the second half began, Porto launched a series of fierce attacks again.
It seemed as though they gained the upper hand once more.
But in reality, it was merely Santos’s temporary boost of energy.
In less than ten minutes, Moreirense, under the leadership of Deng Kai, reclaimed possession, control of the field, and attack frequency.
The match was returning to the rhythm of the first half.
Deco had no choice but to expend effort early, relying on his personal ability to frequently break through and create damage.
Moreirense’s midfielder Emerson and defensive midfielder Macedo both received yellow cards in succession.
Trigella, prioritizing stability, subbed in midfielder Cordero for Macedo to maintain the quality of defense against Deco.
The seventy-first minute.
Deco and Sasso performed a wall-pass, and the ball was passed to Capucho.
Capucho returned the ball smoothly, and Deco followed up with a long shot.
This was Porto’s second prime opportunity to score throughout the game.
But unfortunately, Deco’s inconsistent shooting was evident in this shot.
The football barely cleared the crossbar.
As Deco turned and jogged back to his own half, he let out a skyward cry.
He knew he had missed a valuable opportunity.
In shooting, he still had much room for improvement.
At the seventy-fifth minute, having tasted the sweetness of quick, short passing, Sasso and Deco played another round of beautiful two-man football.
Deco passed and then made a forward run, promising himself that if he got another chance for a long shot, he would seize it this time!
Bang!
Kilop wouldn’t give Deco such a chance, intercepting ambitiously and executing a high-quality defense.
Taking advantage of the situation, Kilop passed the ball to Deng Kai.
Deng Kai avoided Sasso’s tackle with a fried dough twist, flicked the ball, and pushed for a counterattack.
Porto’s players had a decent defensive retreat, blocking the passing lane to Ronaldo from Deng Kai.
As Alex started to speed up on the flank, he was brought down by the opponent.
The head referee once again signaled advantage in play, unable to make a direct call.
This was Porto’s targeted defense.
By controlling Ronaldo and Alex, Moreirense’s counterattacks lacked strength... right?
Bang!
Down the center.
Confronted with the defense of Porto’s defensive midfielder Pex, Deng Kai suddenly flicked the football at least ten meters away.
This move stunned everyone.
Was this... a blatant open dribble past the player with the ball?
Did Deng Kai think he could outpace Pex relying solely on speed?
How could that be possible!
Did he think he was Ronaldo?
The next moment, people’s astonishment continued to grow.
Because Deng Kai indeed managed to outrun Pex in the sprint.
Pex grabbed at Deng Kai.
Deng Kai slapped back with a hand, reddening the back of Pex’s hand enormously.
Johann Cruyff’s palm stings, after all.
"He’s done it! Deng Kai beats Pex on speed! Too strong! With his increased height, Deng Kai’s speed has also greatly improved this season. He’s definitely one of the midfielders with exceptional mobility!"
Bang!
Just outside the penalty area, Deng Kai saw Ronaldo find some space and passed the ball, then positioned himself.
Pex charged from behind towards the penalty area, prioritizing the defense of Ronaldo.
But when Ronaldo received the ball and realized there was no chance after a couple of feints, he astonishingly passed it back.
Pex brushed past the football.
Bang!
From the edge of the penalty area, Deng Kai met the football with a thunderous shot.
Thanks to Deco for the rocket.
Deng Kai successfully triggered the superstar drop "Ronaldo’s a joke."
His shooting ability soared, why not take a long shot?
Although a bit far, there was virtually no interference with his shot this time.
And because Ronaldo had drawn the defenders to the left, there was almost nothing to obstruct Deng Kai’s shot path.
Pikes: Am I invisible or something???
Even Ronaldo was surprised by Deng Kai’s move, let alone anyone else.
Because Ronaldo thought that after he passed the ball back to Deng Kai, Deng Kai would attempt a direct lob into the penalty area like the previous goal.
After passing, Ronaldo also began to sprint.
Of course, if it had gone according to Ronaldo’s plan, this attack would have failed.
Because the opposition was marking Ronaldo closely.
And their goalkeeper Hilario had intentionally stepped out, precisely to prevent Deng Kai from targeting the distance between the center-back and the goalkeeper.
But a mistake compounded by another mistake, Ronaldo’s movement covered for Deng Kai.
Deng Kai unleashed a powerful shot.
The football hugged the turf, hurtling forward, kicking up countless flecks of green.
Pikes raised his leg to intercept, only to have the ball drill right underneath it.
To be honest, he would have preferred Deng Kai to act as if he were non-existent.
That way, Deng Kai might have chosen a half-volley that Pikes could have intercepted.
A Ground Cutter from outside the penalty area...such a choice of shot was outrageous!
This goal couldn’t possibly be...
Bang!
As the football approached the goalkeeper, it bounced irregularly due to the uneven turf.
Hilario went to ground to intercept, but the ball bounced just over his outstretched legs.
Whoosh!
The football hit the back of the net.
