Chapter 268: Chapter 267: Take You All Away with One Game
After Ibrahimovic scored, he raised both hands in triumph, looking invincible.
But upon seeing Deng Kai, he immediately pointed towards him; he hadn’t expected Deng Kai to provide him with a through pass, especially when Deng Kai could have taken a long shot at an undefended goal.
That was so selfless.
"Oh! A hat-trick of assists! Deng Kai has completed an assist hat-trick! From the Portuguese second division to the top flight, it seems he doesn’t need any time to adapt!"
"Previously, many people doubted Deng Kai’s ability to start in the top flight, but now... it seems he’s not just a starter; he’s like the core of this team!"
Anyone who understands football could see this.
The Sport Lisbon fans started to become restless, with many beginning to applaud.
Although they did so reluctantly, they couldn’t help but congratulate Deng Kai for playing a good game.
The anger was because Deng Kai had forced Jia De’er out, and Jia De’er was capable of leading the team to victory.
If Deng Kai could prove that the team was better off without Jia De’er, then everyone would undoubtedly cheer for Deng Kai again.
Everyone’s goal was the same, with no irreconcilable differences.
There was no need to feel that changing one’s attitude was a loss of face.
Everyone was sensible.
The eighty-first minute.
Ibrahimovic fell back.
Viana wanted to play a one-two with Ibrahimovic.
But he was closely marked.
At that moment, the ball at Ibrahimovic’s feet was actually quite dangerous because Ibrahimovic had no outlet.
Any other forward would most likely have lost the ball by now.
Even Jia De’er, at best, could fend off a defender for a moment before being surrounded by more and eventually losing the ball.
But Ibrahimovic showed his strong ball-holding ability.
With his back to the goal, he drove the ball towards the midfield and pushed away the hands of the defender behind him.
As soon as they were a little distanced, he immediately turned with the ball, dribbling sideways.
It’s well known that dribbling sideways carries great risk; losing the ball could lead to giving the opposition an excellent chance to counterattack.
Most strikers are forbidden by their teams to dribble sideways because of their rough technique and slow pace, making it too easy to be intercepted.
Another defender now approached him.
Facing a squeeze, Ibrahimovic unexpectedly pulled the ball back and nutmegged the oncoming defender.
Then he shook off the two and pushed forward with the football, rushing towards the opponent’s penalty area with a turn-and-shoot move.
After Ibrahimovic broke free, the opposing defense revealed a gap, and the central back had to step out.
Ibrahimovic seized the opportunity and passed the ball to Quaresma.
Then he sprinted forward himself, breaking into the space behind the defender who had stepped out.
Ibrahimovic, as a substitute with youth on his side, was not known for sprinting, but even so, he wouldn’t be too slow at this moment.
The central back, knowing he couldn’t keep up with Ibrahimovic, had no choice but to bring him down.
The referee blew the whistle, penalizing the foul and showing a yellow card.
This yellow card was definitely a testament to Ibrahimovic’s individual ability.
You’d understand if a guy at 175 cm played like this.
But at 195 cm, playing like this is just outrageous.
Quaresma stepped up to take the free kick, and the position was perfectly suited for him to shoot directly at goal.
Ten seconds later.
Cheers erupted from the scene.
Quaresma scored directly from the free kick!
"Six to zero! My God! Sport Lisbon has now topped the Portuguese Premier League standings! Their goal difference is just too much!"
"Trigella and Maxa have brought a new energy to this team—a youth storm is brewing!"
"Quaresma has to thank Ibrahimovic, without him there would be no free kick."
After this goal, you’d think Sport Lisbon would play more conservatively.
To avoid injuries to their own players.
But in fact, whether to step up the attack or pull back a bit when leading by a large margin depends on the situation.
If the opposing side has completely lost their spirit, then it’s okay to continue the attack.
If you voluntarily slow down the tempo at this point, it might actually awaken the opponent’s fighting spirit and increase their defensive and offensive intensity.
This is like how many people dare not resist a fierce enemy but always make excessive demands of a more approachable stronger party.
The human heart is something that requires careful consideration.
Under Deng Kai’s command, Sporting Lisbon maintained its offensive.
It wasn’t overpowering, but the continuous attacks kept Belenenses from mounting a counterattack.
Apart from wishing the match would end quickly, they had no other thoughts in their heads.
The eighty-eighth minute.
Quaresma crossed from the flank.
But the football was touched by an opponent; the cross wasn’t high enough.
Ibrahimovic couldn’t use his head, so he simply used his body to hold off the opponent and chested the ball to control it in a favorable position.
Then, before the football even touched the ground, he flicked it over with a chip.
A back-to-goal, overhead chip pass!
Ibrahimovic knew not to chip the ball too close to the goal, or else it would be collected by the opposing goalkeeper.
He deliberately sent the football to the most threatening area.
If someone were at the penalty spot, this would be...
Bang!
Deng Kai burst into the box with a leap.
He daringly headed the ball before the opposing central defenders could react.
The leaping header greatly accelerated the speed of the football, turning the header into a bullet.
Whoosh!
"GOAL!!!"
"The seventh goal!"
"Insane!"
"Seven to nil!"
"Deng Kai scored the match’s seventh goal!"
"One shot, three assists! He’s on fire!"
"This formation has entirely turned into Deng Kai’s personal show! Defense, playmaking, assists, goals— he does it all!"
"Ibrahimovic came off the bench to complete a pass and a shot; he’s definitely worth three million euros! No wonder Arsenal considered signing him!"
"Oh! Deng Kai is running towards the corner flag area!"
Under the watch of thousands, Deng Kai ran while signaling to the fans in the corner flag area.
As if he were telling the fans, "There’s enough for everyone!"
He leapt high, performing a 180-degree turn in midair.
The forty thousand plus fans in the stadium couldn’t contain themselves any longer.
Together with Deng Kai, they shouted out: "siuuuu!"
Estádio Alvalade revisited the memories of last year’s Youth Champions League.
The fans chanted Caesar’s name in a frenzy.
From this moment, the mark Jia De’er left on this team with thirty-eight goals in one year was completely cleared by Deng Kai in one match.
This batch of young Sporting Lisbon players took away the admiration of all football fans in Portugal with just one match.
After the match, Deng Kai was chosen as the player of the game.
The press was swarming; they were too curious about this brand-new team.
Reporter: "Deng Kai, did you ever think you would win this match with a staggering score of seven to nil?"
Deng Kai: "I did."
Reporter: "Yes, seeing as even you didn’t think so, can you tell us... You thought so?"
Deng Kai: "Yes, we welcome any scoreline that results in a win. Our team is very strong; it’s not just against Belenenses, even facing other strong teams, we don’t doubt our goal-scoring abilities."
Reporter: "You seem very confident. What do you think is the difference between the Primeira Liga and the second division?"
