Chapter 316: Chapter 315 Testing the Waters with a Cruise Missile
In the 37th minute, just under three minutes after Morelense’s goal, Deng Kai sharply caught onto Morelense’s old problem.
They cease to play football after they score.
Players massively retract.
So much so that Anderson dropped back to a position behind midfield to support his teammates.
Bang!
"Deng Kai suddenly presses forward! His position on the field has always been very broad, primarily operating as a defensive midfielder, but this time he decisively pressed forward, intercepting Morelense’s midfielder pass to Anderson at the attacking midfield position."
"Dangerous! Deng Kai plays a one-two, Viana cooperates wonderfully. Deng Kai drives the ball to the edge of Morelense’s penalty area, looking for an opportunity."
"Ronaldo and Quaresma are both making off-the-ball runs inside, and Ibrahimovic is also calling for the ball. Morelense’s back line is extremely tense, they are tightly defending..."
Bang!
Deng Kai suddenly shoots from the edge of the box, a thunderous strike.
This shot, without much pre-movement, was just a normal dribbling distance before he suddenly unleashed a shot.
Long shots are common, but Deng Kai’s long shot, from its posture to its effect, was anything but ordinary.
Because this was a "Seedorf-style cruise missile launcher"!
Clang!
Swoosh!
The football moved quickly, barely spinning in mid-air.
From low to high, it was in a state of ascension.
But because the force was so strong, it was compressed very well, meaning the football’s rising trajectory was quite slow so that by the time it flew near the goal from outside the box, it still had not gone over the crossbar.
In the end, the football hit the underside of the crossbar and ricocheted into the net.
Gomes made a high-standard save attempt, but alas, it was the work of an otherworldly long shot, and he once again became part of the backdrop.
"GOAL! Deng Kai! That was almost a clean, pulled long shot!"
"Such powerful force! The football’s flight speed isn’t especially fast, but because it’s almost not spinning, the trajectory is hard to judge."
"Deng Kai’s long shots are getting stronger and stronger, he always manages to produce these magical worldies!"
"This shot was compressed so well, any goalkeeper facing this kind of goal would be helpless."
"Two to one! Sporting Lisbon scores not three minutes after conceding a goal."
"Deng Kai knows Morelense all too well, since last season, the ten minutes following their own goal has been a dangerous time for Morelense. They’ve conceded a lot during these periods, indicating some kind of issue."
"This shortfall was only overcome during the last push of Morelense’s previous season, a result of many methods thought up by Trigella and Deng Kai. Once they left, Morelense’s old problems resurfaced."
The 43rd minute.
On the right flank, Quaresma easily makes his way to the bottom.
But Trigella is not particularly satisfied with his choice.
Quaresma shifts down a gear.
In the first half of the season, facing teams like Morelense of this caliber, why bother with crossing? Just cut inside and take a shot—that’s it!
And every time he cut inside, every time he took a shot, it was effective.
But since the second half of the season, due to fluctuating form and minor injuries, he’s now avoiding the more difficult options.
His style of play has become more rational.
But rationality also means compromise and mediocrity.
Because true geniuses are irrational.
Bang!
Quaresma sends a cross.
Ibrahimovic stands tall among the hills, heading towards the goal.
But the football hits Gomes instead.
You can’t say Gomes made a great save, but his positioning was indeed not bad.
Corner kick.
Deng Kai raised four fingers and then took the corner kick.
The football accurately found Ibrahimovic in the middle area.
Though Ibrahimovic’s header had led to the corner kick, in set pieces like corners or free kicks, it’s quite rare to target the same spot consecutively.
Yet Deng Kai defiantly chose to do the opposite, persisting in finding Ibrahimovic.
Ibrahimovic leaped again, and this time he didn’t disappoint Deng Kai’s coordination, completing a header to break through the goal!
"GOAL! Ibrahimovic scores! Three to one! Sporting Lisbon’s firepower is fully unleashed; they’ve found their comfortable style of play."
"After starting with stubborn resistance, Moreirense gradually began to falter. The turning point might have been the moment they scored!"
"Ibrahimovic rushes towards Deng Kai; they’re celebrating. Ibrahimovic is almost always a substitute in the league matches, with the Portugal Cup being his main stage, where he can start. His performance in the Portugal Cup could potentially earn him more playtime in the league and European competitions, so he cherishes it deeply."
"In the recent three Portugal Cup matches, Ibrahimovic has scored, proving his efficiency in dominating weaker teams to be very stable."
"In comparison, Drogba’s contribution to the team may be greater than that of Ibrahimovic, but when it comes to scoring goals, Drogba has always been somewhat lacking in sensation, not as efficient, and not as pleasing to the eye."
After that, the match entered the half-time break.
It was evident that Moreirense’s coach made some effort during the break.
After the start of the second half, Moreirense’s players were tackling with a bit more ferocity, probably having been scolded.
Actually, it was unnecessary.
They were a team fighting relegation; their goal was never to take points from Sporting Lisbon, a team that is either first or second in the league this season.
Perhaps it was that the coach couldn’t stand losing face, wanting to show off in front of his predecessor Trigella.
The result being three to one in the first half, he then became urgent.
In the 51st minute, Alex once again tried to beat Terry down the flank.
However, although Terry had not yet reached the level of top or first-class central defender, his talent was unquestionably immense.
Someone destined to become the premier central defender in the English Premier League definitely couldn’t be consistently beaten from start to finish in one game.
This time Terry slid to the ground early, tackling before Alex could accelerate, executing a precise interception.
Crucially, after legally bringing down Alex, Terry swiftly got up and also maintained control of the football.
Terry passed the ball to Ronaldo, who had come back.
Ronaldo carried the ball forward at speed, countering along the wing.
When met with resistance, Ronaldo chose not to attempt a forceful break through because he had felt the opponent’s aggression; he opted to pass back instead.
Viana, after receiving the ball and looking up, spotted an opportunity.
Bang!
Viana lofted a pass to the far post of the penalty area.
Quaresma cut inside off the ball.
But Quaresma’s run appeared a bit forced, and Viana’s lofted pass also lacked a bit of power.
To the average person, the run was good, the pass was good.
But to a top master’s eye, the run could have been better, and the pass fell a bit short of perfection.
This led to...
Bang!
Quaresma threw himself into a sliding shot; it was the only way he could reach the football.
At the same time, Moreirense’s central defender also leaped forward to intercept the ball.
The two players met in mid-air.
Taking advantage of his height and long legs, Moreirense’s central defender got to the ball first and cleared it.
Both men fell from the sky, crashing into each other, showing signs of great pain.
But differently, after the main referee showed no intention of issuing a card, Moreirense’s central defender got up.
Whereas Quaresma was still on the grass, clutching his abdomen and thigh.
