Chapter 340: Chapter 339: Xavi, also known as Spain’s Deng Kai
Viana passed the football to Deng Kai, who was catching up, and then made a run himself.
Deng Kai didn’t wait for Viana to get into position and immediately made a through pass to Drogba.
Drogba, holding off Abelardo, passed the ball sideways to Quaresma.
Quaresma made a chip pass into the penalty area without stopping the ball first.
Guardiola’s mistake had left Barcelona’s defense exposed, and in their efforts to guard Drogba, their backline was in disarray.
After Quaresma’s chip, Cristiano Ronaldo on the left found himself with an enormous amount of space at the back post, completely unmarked.
Bang!
Cristiano Ronaldo controlled the ball and shot immediately, the football zooming towards the near post with precision.
It was an audacious and technically brilliant strike.
Few players dare to handle the ball like that, especially against top-tier teams.
Yet there are some players who become more liberated in such moments.
The football gave Reina no chance to save it, drilling directly into the net and stirring up a white splash.
"GOAL! Cristiano Ronaldo, it’s him again! A second goal to his name!"
"Cristiano Ronaldo helps his team draw level with Barca at home."
"Quaresma’s pass was full of ingenuity; I thought that kind of chip was something you’d only see from Deng Kai."
"It must be said, this goal owes much to Deng Kai; his tackle was razor-sharp. There he was, complaining about the main referee while repeatedly moving in front of Guardiola, showing everyone what not to do."
"When the main referee doesn’t blow the whistle, you shouldn’t be complaining. You should continue playing."
In the 55th minute, Deng Kai’s long shot was hugged by Reina.
In the 63rd minute, Simon crossed from the flank, Cruyff flicked the ball on with his head, Rivaldo rushed to where the football was, but it was too high and brushed past his scalp flying out of bounds.
The sideline displayed the substitution board, and Barca were the first to make a change.
They substituted their homegrown midfield prodigy, Xavi, for Gerard Lopez.
Then they replaced Guardiola with Cocu.
Guardiola’s expression turned dark on the spot.
He had his moments in the game, but the substitution right after losing the ball to Deng Kai’s tackle seemed to insinuate he was being made the scapegoat.
Guardiola could hardly imagine the sort of cutting and venomous words Deng Kai would send his way after the game was over.
In the 74th minute, Rivaldo, after getting past a physically drained Deschamps, lofted a through pass right to Overmars’ feet.
Overmars made a horizontal pass that was full of menace.
But Feng Te, who had an off-game, showed some mettle this time and got on the ground first to disrupt the football, kicking it out of the penalty area.
However, the ball was too fast, and Feng Te’s clearance was unusual—there was a sense that he had mishit the ball.
The football landed straight at Simon’s feet.
Simon, with his habitual feint of pulling the ball back, observed his teammates’ positions and then made a Backward Triangle Pass.
Bang!
Xavi, who had been on for ten minutes, ran up from the rear and hammered out a long-range shot.
"GOAL! Barca! It has to be Barca!"
"The young Xavi scores a crucial goal for Barca! He didn’t disappoint the coach and the fans who trusted him!"
"In fact, I think Xavi is more talented in terms of organization and skill than Gerard Lopez, and he deserves to be in the starting midfield."
"In the hearts of Spanish fans, Xavi’s status is like that of Deng Kai and Viana to Portuguese fans. He’s regarded as someone who has the potential to become a world-class midfielder!"
"As for Gerard, if he wants to continue getting a starting spot in Barca, he should voluntarily transition to defensive midfield, taking over from Guardiola. Gerard is capable; his stamina, coverage, speed are all far superior to Guardiola’s, and his slightly weaker organization and passing, compared to Guardiola, are more than adequate for the defensive midfield position."
"Guardiola’s superfluous abilities won’t enhance his performance as a defensive midfielder. He’s getting old, it’s time for him to step back."
"Three to two! Barca seems set to be today’s victors. This suggests that their next round at Lisbon will be even more challenging."
"This virtually signifies that Barcelona is the team likely to make it into the final of the UEFA Cup this year!"
After that goal, Barcelona used up their final substitution.
Luis Enrique replaced Simon.
Barcelona fans gave Simon a rousing round of applause, as his performance today had been quite impressive.
If he always played like he did today, Barcelona fans would have been won over by now, and he wouldn’t have fallen into a positional crisis or been rated as one of Barcelona’s top five most disappointing signings of the past three years.
Enrique was brought on not because he was stronger than Simon, but because Enrique, who had already transitioned from forward to center forward, could contribute more defensively.
Although it was unlikely for him to score again, he could make it difficult for Sporting Lisbon’s midfield and defense to play the ball out.
Barcelona intended to hold onto the 3-2 scoreline, not planning to commit more energy on the offensive end.
On Sporting Lisbon’s side, they also took the opportunity to make a substitution.
Pepe replaced the exhausted Deschamps.
Ibrahimovic replaced Drogba.
This substitution didn’t make sense to everyone, as they believed Drogba should have been on the field with Ibrahimovic, especially since Barcelona’s defensive line’s height was such a big bug that Sporting Lisbon wasn’t exploiting it, which was simply outrageous.
In the subsequent match, Barcelona initiated a prolonged period of ball possession, elevating their ball control to a new height.
As the match time slipped away, Sporting Lisbon’s players seemed to be getting anxious.
In the 85th minute, Deng Kai sent a long cross from the right wing to Ronaldo.
Ronaldo trapped and flicked the ball in one fluid motion, beating Rezeg but was then brought down by Rezeg.
The head referee showed Rezeg a yellow card.
Defensive pressure on Barcelona surged in that moment.
The spot where Ronaldo was brought down was decent for a direct strike, a mid-range free kick.
Quaresma, in good form, indicated that he would take the kick.
Bang!
Clang!
The Sporting Lisbon fans at the scene held their heads in disbelief one by one.
The crossbar!
The home crossbar actually helped an outsider.
What the heck!
"Oh! Quaresma’s free kick was of high quality, it bent around the wall, but unfortunately, it hit the crossbar."
"Time is running out, Sporting Lisbon are facing defeat."
"Their task will be even more challenging in the next match."
However, Ronaldo’s breakthrough and Quaresma’s free kicks still served to rattle the opponent.
Barcelona players were far less composed in their subsequent backward passes.
In the 88th minute, Pepe made a high-level interception.
Rivaldo, who treated him as Deschamps, was caught off guard.
Pepe found Viana.
Viana knocked the ball with his heel to Deng Kai and burst forward.
Deng Kai played a one-two pass with Viana.
After a couple of touches to adjust, Viana sent a through ball directly into the penalty area.
Ibrahimovic charged into the penalty area.
Abelardo and Deboer closed in on Ibrahimovic.
Ibrahimovic, strong and sturdy, and fresh off the bench, was not as slow as people might assume.
In the double-team he somehow managed to stay ahead.
Just as he was about to touch the ball, Deboer stretched out his leg from behind and hooked Ibrahimovic’s heel.
