Chapter 402: Chapter 401: I, Xiao Sa, am Kai Shao’s Seat Heater
As expected, perhaps because of his position or perhaps because he had adapted to his teammates, Ronaldo’s performance in the second half improved significantly.
He repeatedly showcased his footwork skill, going from dazzling at first to instilling fear in Dalian Shide’s defenders in less than five minutes.
Within five minutes, by a stroke of luck, Ronaldo dribbled past three defenders in a row, providing an assist for Cristiano Ronaldo.
Four to zero!
At this point, the camera panned to the VIP stands.
Several high-ranking officials from the football association and members of the national team’s coaching staff were whispering to each other, expressing high regard for Maxa’s coaching ability.
In a box that was not captured by the cameras, there were even higher-level leaders present.
Jiang Yunzhu poured tea for the other party while saying, "This isn’t the first time you’ve watched Deng Kai play. What do you think, do you dare to bet with me?"
The other party, looking at Deng Kai celebrating with Ronaldo on the screen, said, "When it comes to football stars, most people tend to mention strikers. Even the most talented midfielders are slightly less known."
"In the future, among those who are not fans, there will definitely be more people who recognize Ronaldo than Zidane."
"But no matter what, Deng Kai is of Chinese descent. If he plays domestically, the national team’s coaching staff couldn’t possibly not let him play."
"You’re bound to lose this bet."
Jiang Yunzhu shook her head, "Forget Deng Kai, even if the real Ronaldo and Zidane joined the national team, unless you show interest, they might not even get a chance to play."
The other party frowned, "You’re exaggerating."
Jiang Yunzhu, "Since the odds are so in your favor, why not bet? If you win, I can go back for the New Year next year..."
"Alright!" the other party nodded, "If you win, next year, I’ll give an explanation to all the football fans in the country!"
...
On the pitch, the game continued.
The positioning on the field was:
Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldo,
Kaka, Deng Kai, Tu Lei, Wu Xudong
Evra, Vidic, Barzagli, Maicon
Reina
The position of Wu Xudong was very satisfying to the domestic fans; he could indeed play as an attacking midfielder.
As a result, Maicon escaped the fate of being booed by the home fans.
If he dared to usurp Wu Xudong’s position, he would probably have had a tough time leaving the stadium today.
Maicon soon displayed his own features at the right-back position.
Speed, dribbling, crossing, physical confrontation, attacking awareness – all were quite excellent. Except for speed where he was a bit uneven with Wu Xudong, he was stronger in other areas.
Bang!
Maicon crossed the ball, which was headed out by a Dalian Shide player.
Deng Kai jumped up, flicked it with his heel, and Kaka followed through on the left flank with a seamless shot on goal.
GOAL!
Five to zero!
At this point, the leadership of Dalian Shide and the football association became a bit restless.
The score was already quite large, enough was enough; there was no need to widen the gap further.
Otherwise, the lively friendly match would turn into a match that ended friendships.
Perhaps they heard their plea.
In the 65th minute, Deng Kai actively requested to be substituted during a dead ball period on the field.
Huang Jianxiang was quite worried, "Deng Kai is asking to be substituted off. What’s going on? Did he encounter some physical issue?"
"It shouldn’t be. Deng Kai played quite low-key today and didn’t have any intense clashes with the opponents."
"Before leaving the field, Deng Kai found Kaka and spoke with him for a few moments."
"This must be him encouraging Kaka, because after Deng Kai leaves the field, Kaka will very likely be the one responsible for offense, returning to his most comfortable position."
"He should thank Deng Kai, or else he wouldn’t have had this opportunity."
"Oh! Deng Kai took a seat next to Trigella, which is where Maxa was. Maxa was seated there, but he just got up to give some directions from the sideline."
"It seems Deng Kai is set to share some of his in-game feelings, which might influence the starting lineup and main formation for Sporting Lisbon’s new season; that must be the task Trigella gave him."
On the sidelines, Maxa, pretending to direct, looked disdainful at Huang Jianxiang’s live commentary.
What do you mean it’s Maxa’s seat?
Lil’ Maxa was just warming the seat for Mr. Kai, ever heard of seat heating?
Also, what’s this about having a certain effect on the first team lineup and main formation?
That’s called a decisive effect!
Didn’t you see Trigella is currently reporting the relevant data of the match so far to Mr. Kai?
This time, Deng Kai was replaced by the biggest star on the field, Matthaus.
In addition, Barzagli also got subbed out, with the son of the former Benfica captain, Veloso, coming on as a substitute.
Subsequently, the team’s formation changed once again, from a 442 to a 4223.
The front line consisted of Ronaldo, C Ronaldo, and Wu Xudong.
The domestic fans saw Wu moving further forward and got so excited, the cheering was so vigorous, it left Dalian Shide shivering in the cold.
Who are you really rooting for? Do you guys even know?
Fans: The ones who don’t rip us off with money are our own people.
The two attacking midfielders, Kaka and Matthaus.
That was Viana’s position from the previous season, the core of the team’s midfield and attack.
The two defensive midfielders were Veloso and Yaya Toure.
The three center-backs were Evra, standing at 1.73 meters, Vidic at 1.91 meters, and Maicon at 1.84 meters.
So, it’s no wonder Sporting Lisbon said Evra was just making up the numbers.
If it were possible to bring a player back on after being subbed off, Evra would surely be traded back.
He was a bit of a stretch in this position, especially since Maicon had the height advantage on the other side.
This formation was Sporting Lisbon’s regular setup from last season when they won the treble.
But aside from C Ronaldo and Matthaus, there were no players from last season’s squad in the formation.
So, in theory, the performance shouldn’t be too good.
But somehow, with Ronaldo back on the left wing, he really took off.
Before this, he was playing on the right wing. He could manage, but it wasn’t comfortable.
Being capable and playing well are two different things.
On the left, Ronaldo was more like the Football Sprite back in Brazil, continuously dribbling past players, sending Dalian Shide reeling, then spreading the ball wide.
C Ronaldo and Wu Xudong were knocking on the door, with C Ronaldo drawing the fire and Wu Xudong at the far post scoring successfully.
Six to zero!
Sporting Lisbon went berserk!
Dalian Shide, seeing they were about to lose even their underpants, hastily subbed in several reserves to ease the embarrassment.
Dalian Shide: It’s not that we’re bad, mainly we’re rotating players.
This included Feng Xiaoting, who crossed paths with Deng Kai two years ago, and Dalian Shide’s talented striker Dong Fangzhuo.
Feng Xiaoting, watching from the sidelines as Wu Xudong scored, was filled with emotions.
Who could have imagined, in a mere two years, Wu Xudong, who went abroad to play in Portugal, would be on the first team of a Portuguese football powerhouse?
And him... even with a rather complete training program and domestic connections at his disposal, he had only just made it into the first team of Dalian Shide.
Between Sporting Lisbon and Dalian Shide, the difference isn’t just a treble title.
The difference is the chasm between Asian football and European football!
As most of the defenders got drawn to the flamboyantly playing Ronaldo, Kaka’s previously unnoticed forward runs started to show their power.
