Chapter 32: Chapter 32 Saint Chekh
The decision by Lisbon Sporting instantly spread throughout the youth training circles in Europe.
They easily changed the venue of the European Youth Champions League, claiming the Alcochete Base’s pitch required emergency maintenance and couldn’t be used for the match.
Such behavior almost made UEFA... highly appreciative!
Just kidding!
Even for the final of the Youth Champions League, UEFA couldn’t find a venue comparable to the high standards of Estádio Alvalade.
They only found a small stadium that could hold around ten thousand spectators.
After all, they had to sell tickets, and it was nearly impossible for this kind of youth game to attract more than ten thousand spectators to the venue; fifteen thousand would be more than enough.
Accustomed to the capacity of large stadiums, ten thousand might seem small to most people.
But the reality is that the home grounds of most teams in Portugal’s top league also accommodate about ten thousand spectators.
However, this time, Lisbon Sporting had escalated the prestige of the competition.
Although Estádio Alvalade was already scheduled for major renovations, it was still one of the largest stadiums in Portugal.
Lisbon Sporting then announced that tickets for this game would be sold at a thirty percent discount and invited everyone to come and watch "little Ronaldo’s" performance!
Portuguese fans began to buy tickets in large numbers.
Mostly because they were cheap.
This also turned into the most attention-grabbing event of the Youth Champions League from the start until now.
It was expected that no other match, aside from the final, would surpass the scale and attention of this game.
This put tremendous pressure on the young players of both teams.
...
The last day of October.
The fourth round of the Youth Champions League officially kicked off.
Lisbon Sporting U15 played at home against Pilsen Victory U15.
But it was more like an away game than a home one.
The young players of Lisbon Sporting U15 had never experienced such a spectacle.
Only Deng Kai, Ronaldo, and Goalkeeper Čech had been through an event like this.
Before the match even began, the players from both sides already seemed a bit off.
They were too nervous.
Plus, with two games in a week, the players on both sides were having stamina issues.
Therefore, the first half of the match left the thirty thousand fans in attendance rather disenchanted.
Many felt they had been tricked and deceived.
They reasoned that this level of football couldn’t truly attract spectators.
It wasn’t until the thirty-fourth minute of the match that the fans finally perked up a bit.
Because Ronaldo performed an impressive feat on the flank, dribbling past two before unleashing a surprise shot from the outside of the large box!
Regrettably, Čech maintained what was probably the best form on the field, firmly grounding Ronaldo’s shot.
In the ten minutes which followed, Ronaldo had two more chances to shoot.
But one was too high.
The other was too direct, and again it was caught by Čech.
This became the biggest talking point among the fans in the stands during the halftime break.
"That goalkeeper is so strong, it feels a bit excessive!"
"He seems very mature, is he really just fifteen years old?"
"Of course not! He’s an overage player, it’s unfair for him to play in a U15 game."
"I heard he used to play ice hockey, and he chose football only after getting kicked out of the hockey team."
"It’s not just him, in fact, there are many youth players in this edition of the Youth Champions League. The teams who agreed to participate have their demands, they probably wouldn’t join such a burdensome competition if it didn’t train their core youth players."
"Goalkeeper Čech, Fan Peixi, and Quagliarella are all core youth talents for their respective teams."
"And so are Torres and Gabi from Atletico Madrid, Robben from FC Groningen, Lahm, Schweinsteiger, and Hitzlsperger from Bayern Munich, and from Ajax, Van der Vaart, Sneijder, Heitinga, Vermaelen..."
"If they perform well in this edition of the UEFA Youth League, there’s a chance they’ll be called up to the first team once they return."
"So, in fact, they already possess the abilities of professional players."
"The only exception might be Chris from Sporting Lisbon, who is truly not yet fifteen years old, but he has been devastating in the Under-15 competitions."
"However, against real professional level players, Chris is still a bit green."
"At least he didn’t perform that well in front of Čech."
"Cech’s saves are too composed. If you told me that’s the mental quality of a twenty-seven-year-old goalkeeper, I’d believe it! I’m very bullish about his future!"
Fifteen minutes later, the players from both sides returned, bringing the second half of the game to everyone.
But the offensive game from both teams still showed no improvement.
The attacking level of Pilsen Victory was quite low.
If it hadn’t been for Čech’s high-quality saves, they might have been the bottom-dwellers of the group.
The first twenty minutes of the second half almost became Čech’s personal showcase.
But starting from the seventy-fifth minute, there was a new shift on the field.
"Oh, Deng Kai is actively asking for the ball, he’s well positioned. Receiving, passing, moving, then receiving, passing, and moving again... Deng Kai’s energy is tremendous, and he gradually took control of the entire midfield."
"The midfielders from Pilsen are clearly running out of steam, they can’t keep up with Deng Kai."
"Incredible! Deng Kai currently has the highest running data on the field! Yet he continues to run tirelessly; is his stamina really that exceptional? This is quite surprising!"
"Perhaps many people are not familiar with this number twenty-four player from Sporting Lisbon U15, his name is Deng Kai, also known as ’Football Caesar.’"
"Three years ago, Deng Kai received invitations from major football clubs including Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Manchester United, but he chose to refuse. Instead, he spent three years completing his twelve-year compulsory education in Portugal."
"This year, after being accepted by the best university in Portugal, the University of Lisbon, he surprisingly returned to the football field and joined Sporting Lisbon."
"This is his first appearance in a European competition, so everyone hasn’t seen him before, but his strength shouldn’t be underestimated. Two months ago, he was excluded from the big list because he couldn’t adapt to the Under-15 competition."
"But his improvement has been too rapid. In the past two league games, he helped the team achieve their first back-to-back wins of the year with four goals and three assists."
"Now, he is the second-most threatening presence in the Sporting Lisbon team, only behind Chris."
"Pilsen apparently did some homework, as they had players marking Deng Kai from the start, preventing him from making an impact. But now, the limitations of their fitness are causing their midfield to fall apart."
"And Deng Kai... great chance! Deng Kai is dribbling in the frontcourt. After being dispossessed by a Pilsen defensive midfielder, he immediately counters and reclaims possession of the ball... he shoots!"
"Gorgeous shot! As expected from a player who scored four goals in two games, three of which were superb world-class shots. Deng Kai’s strike had tremendous power and was even more threatening than Chris’ previous two attempts!"
"This also marks the first time Čech has fumbled in this game. He could only desperately push the football over the end line, granting Sporting Lisbon a corner kick opportunity!"
Yes!
He pushed it out!
Watching Čech chastise his teammates, Deng Kai felt it was slightly surreal.
That long-range shot just now had triggered ’Black Panther Hunt.’
But... Čech actually pushed that shot out.
Such goalkeeping ability must already be on par with a starting goalkeeper in the secondary leagues, right?
What an abnormal goalkeeper!
It’s no wonder that even after a serious injury, Čech was still able to maintain a shot at being a world-class goalkeeper!
These superstars are really a cut above the average person from a young age.
But at the same time, Čech, while scolding his teammates, also looked towards Deng Kai.
His heart was churned with emotions as well.
What formidable shooting technique!
Just from the long shots outside the penalty area, this Deng Kai was stronger than Chris, Quagliarella, and even Fan Peixi!
If that last shot had to be taken again, Čech actually wasn’t sure he could save it again.
But what’s strange is that this player, whether it’s speed, skill, or physical fitness, doesn’t seem like someone capable of such ferocious shooting.
Looks can indeed be deceiving.
It seems from now on, they can’t let this person get a chance to shoot.
Hence, Čech specifically instructed his teammates on this point.
Mark Deng Kai tightly!
