Chapter 341: Chapter 340 Another Figo Carvalho Costa
Ibrahimovic fell to the ground at that moment.
He turned around and furiously slapped the turf.
The incident should have ended there, as the referee blew his whistle.
But then, the entire Sporting Lisbon team was enraged.
Because the referee didn’t award a penalty, but a free kick instead.
You have to understand, the place where Ibrahimovic was tripped was absolutely inside the penalty area.
This should have been a penalty kick.
"No, no, no, referee, I think you must have seen it, Ibrahimovic was fouled inside the penalty area," Deng Kai charged at the referee immediately.
But Ibrahimovic’s temper was even more fiery, he sprung up from the ground and charged at the referee: "Free kick? This damned thing is definitely a penalty! I never dive!"
At one meter ninety-five Ibrahimovic, looking fierce and formidable, and somewhat unable to stop himself, had slight physical contact with the referee.
The referee immediately pulled out a yellow card.
This turned into the Sporting Lisbon players restraining Ibrahimovic.
Because he indeed made contact with the referee, it wouldn’t be unreasonable if he received a red card.
Afterwards, the Barcelona players also joined in, protecting the referee.
Soon, the conflict was quelled, and the Sporting Lisbon players knew they couldn’t waste time.
Deng Kai and Quaresma stood in front of the football, having a brief exchange.
Then the whistle blew.
Deng Kai rushed towards the football and feinted.
Half of Barcelona’s wall jumped up.
Because they thought Deng Kai was the main free-kick taker.
Sporting Lisbon likes to do these kind of surprise attacks, Guardiola had done his research on Deng Kai, fully aware that Deng Kai always likes to handle critical plays himself, so...
Bang!
Quaresma’s right foot curled a shot, the football tracing a beautiful arc.
Swoosh!
The football curled around the wall and into the net, before Reina could make the save.
Three to three!
Sporting Lisbon has equalized with Barcelona!
"GOAL! Quaresma stands out! This is an exceptionally high-quality direct free-kick goal!"
Cheers erupted at the scene.
At this moment, just equalizing was enough to lift everyone’s spirits.
There was hardly any time left in the match.
So the Sporting Lisbon players began celebrating.
The Barcelona players were deflated, as if they had lost the match.
"It’s alright, we have three away goals," Guardiola rushed to the coaching area to console and encourage his players, and then he looked at Deng Kai.
Deng Kai just happened to see Guardiola.
Guardiola: Kai, you’ve disappointed me, I thought you were the kind of player who dares to take responsibility at crucial moments. At a moment of life and death for the team, how could you let someone else handle the football? Where is your invincible belief in yourself? You should be the one to kick it, oh no, to score.
Guardiola almost blurted out the truth without thinking.
Deng Kai: What? No way? Was this ball crucial? I never care about the scoreline of the first half. Isn’t the truly crucial match the one that’s seven days later at Camp Nou? Baldie Guardiola, Barcelona, are you ready to be knocked out?
Their eyes sparkled with more fire the more they watched each other.
In the end, they parted ways without any goodwill, not even shaking hands.
The director caught this shot, delivering excellent material for the media.
As expected, the conflict between Deng Kai and Guardiola made headlines after the match.
"Friendship between old friends shattered? Deng Kai’s interception from Guardiola leads to equalizing goal, both glare at each other after the match and part in anger!"
"Did Guardiola flip his car in front of his little fanboy? Some fans believe Guardiola’s error cost them a victory!"
"A mistake can’t hide the core role, Guardiola helps direct the first two goals with assists, making a huge contribution!"
"When asked why he didn’t exchange jerseys with Guardiola after the match, Deng Kai bluntly said it wasn’t worth anything, seemingly mocking Guardiola’s past prime!"
Of course, aside from them, many players made headlines this time around.
After all, this match could be regarded as the highest-profile match of the European Union Cup so far.
Apart from the yet-to-come final, no match has drawn more attention than this one; even Liverpool’s semi-final match wasn’t as eye-catching.
That’s because Liverpool had already beaten their opponent two-nil in the first leg, which made the upcoming suspense less significant.
"A brace! Lisbon’s 16-year-old star C. Ronaldo tops the European Union Cup scorer’s list with eleven goals! Deng Kai’s words from two years ago have come true - this really is a forward who knows how to score!"
"Ronaldo emerges spectacularly! Secures the European Union Cup Golden Boot in advance!"
"The number of goals scored doesn’t tell the whole story, the best player of this match for Lisbon is Quaresma who shares the same score as C. Ronaldo!"
"Deng Kai and Drogba provide assists, Quaresma scores and assists, earning the title of best player on the field!"
"Rivaldo dazzles with a long-distance worldie, the World Footballer and Golden Ball winner is frighteningly strong!"
"Simon finds form, dribbles past two players against his former team, and scores a critical goal! With such performance, he deserves a starting spot at Barça and his transfer fee!"
"Simon and Quaresma jointly named best on the field! Both contributed a goal and an assist! The two generations of Figo’s successors vie in beauty, not inferior to the original!"
"Barça’s rising star Xavi scores with a long shot! Here lies the hope of Spain’s midfield for the next decade! He fits the team’s starting lineup better than Gerard Lopez!"
"Rivaldo, Gerard Lopez, Xavi, this could be the perfect look for Barça’s midfield! Guardiola as a substitute would both enhance the bench strength and not affect the team’s peak combat power - the best of both worlds!"
"Quaresma makes one reminisce about Figo Carvalho Costa (why does this title seem so familiar?)"
It must be said that seeing these news items made Guardiola feel a chill in his heart.
They say when you’re gone, you’re forgotten.
He wasn’t even gone yet, and Barça’s fans were already consigning him to the bench.
Damn it.
This club had no heart at all.
Can’t I, Guardiola, play another year as a starter?
I’m only turning thirty next year, for goodness’ sake.
That bald guy close to my age is now demanding a five-year top-salary contract, and here I am basically playing child labor for you Barça, and you can’t even handle that.
Absolutely ridiculous!
Subsequently, related footage of the match also spread.
And unlike the atmosphere on site, online consensus agreed that Barça should be the ones celebrating after the match.
"I’m curious, can the players from Lisbon not count? They may both have scored three, but Barça is already ahead, those are three away goals!"
"Yeah, it makes more sense for Barça’s players to celebrate."
"Besides, this is Lisbon’s home ground. With time, location, and support on their side, a draw points to a better future for Barça."
"You fans of big clubs are really something; Lisbon managed to draw with a big club like Barça, of course, they should celebrate. Especially since it was a last-minute equalizing goal, it’s even more exciting."
"It’s also because Lisbon is a powerhouse in the Portuguese league. If it were an ordinary Portuguese team, even scoring one goal against Barça would have made them very satisfied, okay?"
