Chapter 409: Chapter 408 Mourinho vs Ronaldo
At the forty-first minute.
Noticing that his opportunities to hold the ball had greatly diminished, Ronaldinho began to actively drop back to midfield to ask for the ball.
He had no ill intent, as it was a common and effective practice for a forward to retreat to get the ball when they’re not receiving it.
He wasn’t a lone striker, anyhow, so if he wanted to drop back, he simply did.
Deng Kai also cooperated with Ronaldinho and completed the positional exchange.
Guardiola seized the moment of confusion among the defenders during the handover and made a precise pass to Ronaldinho.
Facing Guardiola, with his back to the goal, Ronaldinho directly swung his leg and knocked the football to the nearby Deng Kai, then turned and started his run forward.
He instantly got past Costinha.
As he ran, he looked towards Deng Kai, waiting for Deng Kai to give him the direct... what the heck!
Where was Deng Kai’s pass?
Ah... where was the football at Deng Kai’s feet?
Was it stolen?
That was way too fast, right?
Wait a minute!
Why do I feel a cool breeze over my head?
Could that be the draught from the football flying over my head?
Then the football is...
When Ronaldinho turned his head back around, he saw Drogba charging ahead in the penalty area and heading the ball towards the goal for a one-on-one opportunity.
Bang!
This time Drogba didn’t miss his chance, and he scored his first goal in the Portugal Super Cup.
"GOAL! Drogba! That was a very easy header into the net!"
"Deng Kai’s pass was too fast! While everyone’s minds were still in the midfield, he almost sent the football directly into the goal!"
"Of course, Ronaldinho also played an important role in this. His forward run attracted Porto’s central defenders, creating the one-on-one opportunity for Drogba."
"After a twenty-minute individual show at the start, Ronaldinho has now demonstrated more of his abilities by integrating into the team."
"He can charge into the dragon’s den alone, or he can create lethal chances!"
"So far, he has created two threatening attacks and has also provided two second-to-last passes!"
"Two-nil! With the chemistry between Ronaldinho and Deng Kai, Sporting Lisbon is getting closer and closer to their fourth Championship Trophy of the year!"
Ronaldinho had a bitter smile on his face.
Damn chemistry.
Playing up to this point, if he still couldn’t catch on, then he wasn’t playing joyful football; it was purely for joy.
Deng Kai was clearly overlaying his rhythm of playing onto Ronaldinho’s.
Using his status on the team and his position on the field to isolate Ronaldinho.
Using his passing to restrict Ronaldinho to the flanks in the bottom area.
Using quick passes to leave Ronaldinho out of the core offense.
If this were Ronaldinho’s team, the rhythm being overlayed would be Deng Kai’s.
However, this was Deng Kai’s team, so... Ronaldinho finally couldn’t smile anymore.
He understood Deng Kai’s arrangements for him and no longer tried to show off individually, consciously suppressing his natural football instincts to some extent.
Deng Kai was quite pleased with the subtle changes in Ronaldinho.
He wasn’t trying to bully Ronaldinho, nor was he trying to pick on him.
Of course he knew that players needed to follow their hearts and instincts to play their best football.
But that didn’t mean a player’s style couldn’t be changed at all.
No man is perfect, every strong player has areas that need adjustment.
If you raise him solely based on the happiness of a child, then even if he ends up in prison in the future, it wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.
Ronaldinho: ???
Ronaldinho: I feel like someone is implying something about me!
The score remained unchanged as the match entered the half-time break.
Mourinho entered the locker room early; he was likely to be furious.
On Sporting Lisbon’s side, Trigella didn’t say much, everything was progressing on the right path.
As for Maxa, he made a pot of chicken soup, handed it out to everyone, and it got the young lads in the team so pumped up they were practically ready to die for the cause.
...
The second half began.
Porto’s defense greatly improved in quality, becoming more aggressive.
This was what Mourinho was best at.
In the 50th minute:
Costinha passed the ball to the advancing Paços de Ferreira, who chipped a pass to Maniche.
The young Maniche advanced, exploiting the gap left by the too far forward Evra.
Guardiola could only commit a foul, earning a yellow card while conceding a free kick in a dangerous position.
Previously a midfielder, Evra’s positional sense in the back was quite poor, often being caught out of place.
Following Deco’s astounding free kick that went straight into the goal, Porto clawed one back, reigniting the suspense in the match.
In the 55th minute:
Evra and Ronaldo took turns taking flight on the left flank, with Paços de Ferreira bringing down Deng Kai with a foul.
The main referee blew the whistle for a Sporting Lisbon free kick from a fair distance, but did not show a yellow card.
Ronaldo complained, thinking it unfair, noting that Guardiola was just carded not long ago.
Paços de Ferreira should also receive a card; their fouls were ninety percent similar.
However, the voice of Mourinho came from nearby, "Get up, you dive-loving brat! Why don’t you join the Portuguese diving team? You could win a gold medal at the Olympics!"
"What the hell did you say? I’m diving?" Ronaldo stood up and charged towards Mourinho, "Don’t think I didn’t hear you instruct Paços de Ferreira earlier, telling him to break somebody’s leg! To cripple him so he can’t run anymore!"
"You’re nothing but scum! How can you coach your players like that!"
Mourinho was unyielding, sparring head to head with Ronaldo, "Against players like you who love tricks, you need to be tough! Do you not realize how much you have gained in this game through your flailing arms, raising elbows, and pretending to fall?"
"Your first goal was gained through a foul, it should have been disallowed! My players told me in the dressing room that when you ran up to shoot, you first kicked Costa’s foot!"
Neither side would give in, escalating to a head-to-head confrontation.
Personnel from Porto’s bench immediately rushed up.
Sporting Lisbon was equally unwilling to back down.
In the end, members from both sides managed to pull their own people back.
The main referee intervened and played it even, issuing a yellow card to both Ronaldo and Mourinho.
After the confrontation ended, Guardiola shook his head and walked back to his spot; he had no fondness for a head coach like Mourinho.
It wasn’t that Mourinho told Paços de Ferreira to break Ronaldo’s leg—this was a clear misunderstanding of Mourinho’s aggressive coaching style. He merely wanted his players to be tougher and more aggressive in defense.
Paços de Ferreira understood this too.
If Mourinho really wanted dirty play, he wouldn’t be shouting it out loud.
The reason Guardiola had no fondness for Mourinho was because this coach liked to influence his players through off-field factors too much.
Look, he disturbed the mentality of Sporting Lisbon’s on-field players and got Ronaldo another yellow card.
Guardiola has always believed that the top coaches only need to adjust tactics and personnel during the game time on the pitch to secure victory.
Mourinho’s half-time adjustments for Porto were successful; he could have earned Guardiola’s respect, but he chose to give it away.
