Chapter 309: Chapter 308: It’s Seven, Not Nine
Zanetti finally poked the football out of bounds ahead of everyone else.
After Viana took the throw-in, Ronaldo held the ball and charged at Zanetti on the spot, only to have the ball poked away by a backtracking Seedorf.
Matthaus, quick to react, tripped Seedorf, committing a classic tactical foul to prevent a counterattack.
But this series of confrontations was enough for Zanetti to feel Ronaldo’s trouble.
The forty-first minute.
In the backfield, Deng Kai suddenly launched a long pass deep into the left flank.
"Ronaldo! It’s Ronaldo again! Deng Kai’s pass was clearly aimed straight for Ronaldo!"
"Zanetti was too close to the midfield when following Ronaldo, leaving a big space behind him."
"This is the second time Ronaldo has surged forward this game!"
"Zanetti is struggling to keep up!"
"He’s past him, Ronaldo cuts inside, bypassing Zanetti! No fancy footwork from Viana, just sheer speed!"
"Shooting... Ah! That shot was a bit of a stretch in terms of quality"
"Corner kick, Ronaldo has won a corner for the team."
"Just now, if Ronaldo had passed back to Viana, Viana could have passed the football to either Drogba or Quaresma, and their shooting angle would have been much better than Ronaldo’s."
"Ronaldo really isn’t that skilled at passing; as a left winger, he has played nearly thirty matches this season, yet he hasn’t managed a single assist!"
"Even Viana is having trouble leading Ronaldo. If Viana were to play with Quaresma, Viana’s goal tally this season would definitely be up by at least five or six!"
The stadium commentators obviously favored Viana.
They never considered that without Ronaldo, who is more efficient at scoring than Quaresma, Viana’s assist numbers might be even lower.
Among the crowd at the stadium were numerous scouts from various teams hidden among the Inter Milan fans.
AC Milan, Lazio, Atalanta, Parma, Fiorentina... no, not Fiorentina; they were facing a financial crisis and contemplating selling Rui Costa to overcome their fiscal difficulties.
Most of these scouts were there to watch Viana, but some were keen to see Inter Milan’s downfall.
After watching the half, many experienced scouts had the same question in their minds.
"Where did this Deng Kai come from?"
"Was it really Viana who led the team to defeat Inter Milan? Is the sports director of Inter Milan sure it’s not this Deng Kai?"
"Deng Kai is pretty impressive; though not very conspicuous and playing somewhat deeper, his style of play is very difficult to deal with!"
"Most of Lisbon’s threatening attacks so far originate from Deng Kai’s orchestrations."
"Even though the most impactful players are Viana, Ronaldo, Quaresma, and even Drogba, Deng Kai has played a significant role in almost every relevant attack."
"He knows where the football should be; his style is very sophisticated, he is the real command center."
"Deng Kai’s vision is too good. Many of his passes seem simple and natural, but upon reflection, they seem incredible; how could he see those opportunities!"
"I even feel that what Inter Milan should actually buy is Deng Kai, not Viana?"
Quite a few scouts were startled by their own thoughts.
This was preposterous.
A boy not even sixteen years old?
This very age turned them off.
For most teams, an eighteen-year-old player already seemed unreliable, good performance notwithstanding, requiring further observation.
What about a fifteen-year-old player?
These days, even lottery tickets aren’t gambled on so recklessly.
Most players don’t become key members of their team until they’re in their twenties.
In the corner flag area, Deng Kai was gesturing to his teammates, arranging the corner kick strategy.
Every move he made revealed his status on the team.
If he were just an ordinary player, he wouldn’t really be taking the initiative to arrange these things at this time, but would simply follow what was practiced during training.
It lacked a kind of proactive initiative.
Bang!
Deng Kai took the corner kick.
The penalty area was a mess of players toppling over one another.
The Internazionale Milano players had no idea who Deng Kai’s kick was meant for.
But the players from Sporting Lisbon knew because the instructions from Coach Kai were very clear.
The runs by other players were all about creating an opportunity for one man.
Bang!
Feng Te leapt high, his square head met the round football and sent it hurtling into the net.
The next moment, he sprinted towards the corner flag area, but was tackled to the ground by Drogba halfway there.
"Oh! It’s Feng Te! He’s scored!"
"This is the player’s first goal in the UEFA Europa League! And it’s against Internazionale Milano!"
"Feng Te isn’t a particularly gifted player, and this might even be the highlight of his career! He’s so lucky!"
"The key point is, he made a mistake at the start of the match, leading to Recoba’s lightning-fast goal. Now, Feng Te has redeemed himself!"
"This goal is worth its weight in gold!"
"Two to two! Sporting Lisbon has equalized the score. With this, the aggregate score of both legs is now six to five! Sporting Lisbon have overtaken Internazionale Milano and are through to the next round!"
"Are they really going to knock out Internazionale Milano at Meazza Stadium? It’s unbelievable!"
The Sporting Lisbon players celebrated wildly.
The team they had beaten was none other than Internazionale Milano!
Feng Te, nearly moved to tears, was at the bottom of the pile, reaching out his hand towards Deng Kai coming in the distance.
It was Young Master Kai who made it possible for him!
The hand signals Deng Kai gave for the corner kick not only indicated it was meant for Feng Te, but also demanded teammates to create a diversion for him.
Was this the kind of treatment a mediocre center-back like him could expect?
In terms of heading, Drogba and Barzagli were above Feng Te, their heading skills better than his.
But when Deng Kai joined in the game of human pyramids, Feng Te was doomed.
He was at the very bottom.
While pressing down on his teammate, Deng Kai questioned Ronaldo, "Can’t see it, Ronaldo? I said it was for you, but you ended up making a decoy run. It’s hard to imagine you made a pull for Feng Te’s goal."
Ronaldo was completely bewildered, "Huh? Isn’t the number nine tactic meant for Feng Te? The hand signal you gave was for me to make a pull, right? I freaking hate making runs for others, always reluctant to do it!"
Deng Kai clenched his right fist, extended his index finger and then curled it, "This is nine, I was making the sign for seven, damn it!"
The entire team was stunned.
With a pained expression, Drogba said, "So the Chinese numbers and gestures Ronaldo taught us are wrong? Ronaldo, your Chinese isn’t up to standard!"
Ronaldo shook his head, "Impossible, what I learned is the standard version! Seven is supposed to be the thumb, index finger, and middle finger pinched together!"
Deng Kai smacked his forehead, "Oh, that’s my problem. Back in my hometown of Sichuan, many people gesture seven in a way that looks a bit like nine, but not curled as much."
