Chapter 266: Chapter 265: The Team Gradually Hits Its Stride (Thanks for the Generous Reward from Ru Shan Ruo Shui)
Deschamps and Matthaus, seasoned players who could no longer jump as high, battled for the second ball either just outside the penalty area or near the center circle, preventing the opposition from launching counterattacks.
Deng Kai raised three fingers, then took the free-kick.
Bang!
At the edge of the penalty area, players surged into the box, leaping like carp over the dragon’s gate, fiercely contending for a header.
Among them, a robust figure rose high into the air.
Bang!
"Goal! Sporting Lisbon has scored in the 36th minute!"
"The goal was scored by the new team member, Andrea Barzagli!"
"Incredible! This player from Italy’s lower leagues has contributed the first goal of the season for Sporting Lisbon!"
"He is nineteen years old and cost only 200,000 euros, practically the cheapest player on Sporting Lisbon’s squad!"
"A year ago he was still a striker, he has the goal-scoring instinct not common among central defenders!"
"Of course, a goal from a set-piece owes a lot to the coach’s training in this regard. That’s the kind of foundation a top club should have, and we should thank Maxa."
"As for the players’ true abilities, and Trigella’s real coaching level, we have to look to the goals scored from open play!"
Good grief.
Maxa, sitting by the bench, receives rewards that come from heaven.
His laid-back posture was interpreted by the fans as being very confident in today’s match.
But in reality, the reason Maxa was so relaxed was simply that he didn’t have to puzzle over professional jargon or dialogue with Matrazzi and other head coaches anymore.
He could now lie back and relax, with tall guys to handle things if the sky were to fall.
Right, Brother Kai?
Better to finish the fight with one punch than a hundred.
In the 42nd minute, Viana found some space to advance with the help of Ronaldo drawing defenders.
He attracted the attention of the defensive midfielder and central defenders, played a through pass, Drogba beat the offside trap and hammered in a goal.
The goal was beautiful, but unfortunately... before Viana passed the ball, Drogba was already offside.
He ran a bit too early.
There’s still a significant issue with cohesion.
Drogba looked rather forlorn, he was ready to slide on his knees to celebrate.
The 45th minute.
Then Quaresma delivered a clever pass.
Quaresma, all by himself on the right wing, zipped around in circles, drawing the attention of three defenders.
Deng Kai took the opportunity to break down the wing.
Quaresma, amidst the chaos, managed to pass the football to Deng Kai.
Deng Kai crossed the ball without stopping it first.
His technique was quite elegant.
Drogba leapt high... but didn’t make contact!
The football was too fast!
Drogba had never seen such a speedy cross!
This wasn’t truly meant as a pass at all.
If the curve wasn’t all wrong, it might as well have been a direct shot at goal.
Bang!
Behind Drogba, Ronaldo, making a run without the ball, was slightly obscured by Drogba’s presence.
But his understanding with Deng Kai needs no further explanation.
He just had to stretch out his head, no need to use much force, the football struck him and then rebounded into the net.
It was a powerful header.
"Two to zero! Just before the end of the first half, Sporting Lisbon scores another!"
"This is the CD connection between Deng Kai and Ronaldo!"
"That CD from the past is back!"
Now, the dilemma was passed on to the home fans of Sporting Lisbon.
The crowd even booed Deng Kai at the start of the game.
But now... Deng Kai has already assisted twice!
Ronaldo has also scored a goal.
It seems... no worse than when Jia De’er was playing!
Scattered applause sounded.
Clearly, many fans were still holding a grudge against Deng Kai.
During half-time, Trigella didn’t say much about tactics.
The team was playing well and gradually finding its rhythm; there was no need for any other arrangements.
Even if the opponents changed their tactics, it would be no big deal.
He believed that Deng Kai could adapt and counteract, which was what mattered.
Since Trigella had made Deng Kai the focal point, even if the team’s performance was not good in the first half of the season, he would firmly delegate authority to Deng Kai.
A core player and a leading scorer are cultivated, not born from stone.
The second half.
Deng Kai indeed played freely.
The opponents also noticed his fondness for moving forward and specifically assigned someone to guard against his advances.
It seemed that Deng Kai shrank back because of this, turning from an attacking midfielder on the right to a defensive midfielder.
Meanwhile, the original defensive midfielder, Deschamps, moved to the right, effectively playing as a full-back on the right side, but his only duty was to distribute the ball, not to join the attack.
If Deng Kai moved to the left, Deschamps would return to the defensive midfield position, forming a double pivot with Deng Kai, in which case the original left defensive midfielder, Matthaus, would move to the far left, acting as the left full-back.
This repositioning by Deng Kai made the team’s wide passing game more secure, and inside the ’U’ shape, created a dynamic pivot that could form triangles with anyone, preventing the wide passing lanes from being cut off.
If Deng Kai did not continuously run from side to side, the opponents might have a chance to disrupt the wide passing game with all-out pressure.
In the 61st minute, Deng Kai suddenly sent a through ball from the right back.
Quaresma, who was stuck in their own half, shifted from a ball-playing strategy to an off-ball one, beat the offside trap successfully, accelerated to chase down the ball, and delivered a sweeping cross upon catching up.
Drogba, battling intensely for position against the opposing center-back, ended up a step behind and couldn’t reach the football even with a diving attempt.
But behind Drogba, at the far post, the team’s attacking left midfielder, Viana, was on time, almost forming a ’double ghost’ scenario at the door!
Bang!
Viana lunged, lifting his leg high to reach the ball.
Together with the ball, he flew into the opponent’s goal.
It was somewhat reminiscent of the goal he scored when he got injured during the Euro Youth Competition.
But clearly, he wasn’t going to be easily hit by the goal post again.
"Three to zero! My goodness! Has Sporting Lisbon gone mad? Viana is all the way up here!"
"This is a long pass attack directly initiated by Deng Kai from the backfield! From regular passing to this long pass, the attack suddenly accelerated!"
"Quaresma’s speed, ball control, and passing are all exquisitely subtle! Compared to Ronaldo on the left, who is lethal but also flawed, Quaresma is so comprehensive!"
Viana’s position is attacking left midfielder, but in the first half, he primarily operated in the left midfield, even dropping a bit deeper.
It was only in the second half when Deng Kai dropped back that he pushed forward.
Therefore, he was easily overlooked.
Otherwise, an attacking midfielder suddenly breaking into the box is not such a surprising move.
With Deng Kai there, and such a good setup, as long as the opponents dare to come out, Sporting Lisbon can score again.
The players of Belenenses were clearly frightened by Deng Kai’s sudden acceleration in play.
They began to retract, not daring to commit easily.
Otherwise, they risked conceding from another of Deng Kai’s long passes.
This is what is called a metronome, a gear shifter.
As the opponents fell back, the big circle defensive line started to push up, crossing the halfway line.
As a result, Sporting Lisbon’s firepower intensified.
But the space was compressed, and the threat of the passes was greatly reduced.
At this point, it more thoroughly tested the combination play in tight spaces and the individual dribbling skills of the players.
[PS: In tonight’s match, both teams had no great burden, and the play style was not overly conservative, so it turned out to be a high-scoring game. Modric, following Peach’s instructions, organized a team meeting overnight, unified the team’s mindset, established the main theme of the attack, and ultimately led Croatia to a 4-1 victory over Morocco!]
