Chapter 347: Chapter 346: Getting Past Guardiola Like Crossing an Empty Morning Street
This was a very bold move.
The key to Deng Kai’s daring act was the distance between the Barca players and Xavi, providing Deng Kai with space to sprint.
The second point was that Deng Kai’s speed was already among the best among midfielders.
Especially compared to the midfielders who focus on passing and organization.
Xavi didn’t get fooled by Deng Kai’s feint with the ball, and based on the principle that the ball can get past but not the man, he reacted very quickly to block Deng Kai, allowing his defensive midfielder teammate, Guardiola, to intercept the football.
But Xavi hadn’t anticipated that Deng Kai, being about the same height as him, was considerably strong in physical confrontations.
Xavi initiated the contact, but ended up staggering himself.
Deng Kai gave a slight smile, pushed Xavi away with his hand while running, and squeezed past.
He had started physical strength training when he was only 1.65 meters tall, which even aroused envy and a secret chase by Ronaldo, but was ultimately halted.
So although it couldn’t be said that Deng Kai was an "iron top," in terms of physical confrontations, he ranked high among shorter players.
Moreover, he had Johann Cruyff’s upper body strength. With preparation, pushing Xavi away wasn’t a difficult task.
Just like that, the two shorter figures made contact and parted, Xavi stumbled while Deng Kai, after a slight decrease in speed, immediately picked it up again, racing towards the football.
This left Guardiola, who had been ready to intercept the football, in a dilemma.
He had left his defensive zone, and if he didn’t get the ball, a huge gap would be exposed behind him, which was dangerous.
He could only charge forward and compete with Deng Kai for speed.
Bang!
Guardiola took five steps in what seemed like three, stretching to his limit, and was about to poke the football away.
But a foot appeared above the ball even faster than his, pulling and nudging.
The Marseille Turn!
Deng Kai and Guardiola crossed paths, passing Guardiola was as easy as crossing an empty street in the early morning.
Guardiola could even see Deng Kai’s floating hair during the turn.
This feeling of helplessness, Deng Kai had already made him experience it during their last encounter.
Could it be that Deng Kai had become addicted and had issued himself a card?
Does he intend to bypass me every time we meet in the future?
Bang!
Deng Kai, having passed Guardiola, saw Abelardo rushing out to cover the gap left by Guardiola.
But likewise, as soon as he moved, a space opened up behind him.
Bang!
Deng Kai went for a direct lob pass.
The ball sailed over Abelardo’s head, easily finding Drogba at the top of the penalty box arc.
Drogba, leaning against the shorter center-back Deboer behind him, didn’t choose to turn forcefully because he saw a better way to deal with it.
Bang!
Without stopping the ball, Drogba knocked it straight back to Viana who was pushing forward.
Then he turned and darted forward.
Drogba, tall and muscular, completely blocked Deboer’s line of sight.
As a result, Deboer couldn’t predict Drogba’s next move.
He thought Drogba would try to turn around while using him to control the ball, but Drogba turned without the ball and raced into the penalty area.
Deboer could defend Drogba with the ball, but not without it.
Bang!
While Drogba and Deboer crossed paths, Viana on the other side sped up the football again and again, delivering a long overhead pass without stopping the ball, sending it deep into the penalty area.
Drogba was clean through!
Barcelona’s left-back Barjuan immediately raised his hand to signal Drogba offside.
But their right-back Rezeg had run low to defend against Ronaldo’s sprint, leaving Drogba onside.
What’s more, Viana’s pass was exquisite; even without Rezeg, there was a fifty percent chance of being onside at the moment the ball was played, due to Drogba and Deboer’s overlapping positions.
Bang!
Between the penalty spot and the six-yard box line, Drogba met the advancing Reina with a header, not needing to use his feet at all.
As the football took flight, Reina was landing to expand his defensive coverage.
He watched helplessly as the football flew over his head and into the back of the net.
"GOAL! Another one in! Lisbon Athletic scores two in a row!"
"Two-nil! The aggregate score is five to three! Lisbon Athletic takes a commanding lead!"
"My goodness! Could Barcelona really be eliminated at home by the dark horse Lisbon Athletic? This is unbelievable!"
"Deng Kai completely outplayed Xavi in their one-on-one! He even made a fool of Guardiola! His movements on the field are so reminiscent of Zidane, especially that Marseille Turn, so graceful!"
"Drogba’s back pass and forward run were simple yet powerful, a great show of effortless skill. Once Drogba bares his fangs, it’s a definite opportunity!"
"The midfield maestro Viana, pre-booked by Inter Milan, definitely has real quality. A simple assist from him highlights his ability to grasp fleeting moments. Inter Milan is in need of midfielders who can seize these momentary opportunities!"
"The Lisbon Athletic players gathered around Drogba, who was ecstatic. He made a heart shape with his hands; it was for his wife and children. Before, he played in the French second and third division, not regarded as an impressive player."
"But Lisbon Athletic discovered him and gave him a starting chance. Keep in mind, the Swedish talent Ibrahimovic is sitting on the bench because of him!"
"He didn’t let Lisbon Athletic down; as of now, he is the fourth in total running distance in the team. And yet, his total time on the field isn’t even in the top eight! He’s a very hard-working player!"
"What? The one who runs the most? You may not believe it, young players often have issues with endurance, but at Lisbon Athletic, the player who has run the farthest in total is indeed their youngest, Deng Kai!"
"If Drogba is a very hard-working player, then Deng Kai, who has always shouldered the team’s negative press off the field and willingly did the grunt work on the field, deserves even more recognition."
"Many people have a poor impression of Deng Kai, because of his celebrity girlfriend Hathaway, and because he befriended some superstars at a young age. Some may question if he’s opportunistic, or networking for the sake of his career, etc."
"But if you’ve ever met Deng Kai, you’ll realize he’s a player demonized by the media."
"I was fortunate to interact with Deng Kai during an interview, and although it was only for a brief five minutes, he changed my opinion of him with those five minutes."
"You might not trust my judgment, but you can trust the opinion of so many superstars in the world of football. Eusebio, Figo, Zidane, Ferguson, Beckham, Matthaus, Schmeichel, Deschamps, Guardiola, no one speaks a bad word about him!"
On the field, Guardiola cursed after conceding a goal, "Deng Kai, this little bastard, is utterly despicable! He better not expect a single signed football from me in the future!"
"Sneaky, cunning, mean, racing against wheelchair-bound and elderly players, no respect for martial ethics, utterly shameless..."
