Chapter 419: Chapter 418: The Five-Time Champion!
"Indeed, that should have been a brilliant individual performance! After shaking off Effenberge, Deng Kai could have taken two steps forward and tried a long shot without any defense! It was no different from taking a penalty kick."
"Deng Kai started his run-up, run-up... fast... without any hesitation... and he took a powerful shot!"
"It’s in!"
"Deng Kai has finally scored! Four to one! Deng Kai has killed the game!"
"One shot, three assists! He became the best player of the game once again!"
"The referee didn’t give Bayern any more time; he blew the final whistle of the match right away!"
"Let’s congratulate Sporting Lisbon; they’ve won their very first European Super Cup! This is also the only Portuguese team to win this title since Porto in 1987, within fifteen years!"
"Now, Sporting Lisbon has created a new miracle!"
"Let’s all shout their name together..."
The whole stadium chanted in unison:
"Five-time champions!"
"Five-time champions!"
"Five-time champions!"
...
The match on the field was extremely fierce.
There were three brawls, three red cards, and seven yellow cards in total.
However, after the match ended, the players from both sides were quite restrained and expressed appreciation for each other.
Kahn: "Chris is not the best young forward I’ve ever seen, but he is the most confident! And when it comes to shooting, I think he has a chance to reach world-class levels!"
Lizarazu: "Ronaldo is very talented, but Sporting Lisbon limited his performance; he fits better with a team that plays more spectacular football. Maicon is a decent right-back, and coming to Bayern, he could learn a lot more."
Scholl: "Deng Kai’s passes are hard to predict, and his passing has reached first-class level!"
Salih Hamidzic: "I appreciate Evra’s dogged spirit, although he didn’t cause me any trouble, he worked hard. A team needs some players like him, lacking in talent but extremely hard-working."
Even Effenberge, who had clashed with Deng Kai and Matthaus on the field several times, admitted: "I’m not surprised that Matthaus scored, although I don’t like him, no one knows his abilities better than I do."
"He has indeed aged, but he still can contribute to the team. That’s why I was angry when he left the team without a word in the middle of the season before last."
"He owes us a Champions League trophy!"
"As for Deng Kai, even though he is Beckenbauer’s successor, I think he’s more like a smaller version of Zidane. He’s a player who always shines in big matches, full of mystique, just like Zidane."
"Similarly, their appearances are very deceptive. Beneath their gentlemanly masks are strong bodies; their physical talent has always been underestimated by the outside world!"
Even Beckenbauer, the president of Bayern Munich, congratulated Deng Kai after the match: "Deng Kai obviously was not the strongest player last season, but he definitely won the most individual honors."
"He is lucky, which is an achievement almost all players can’t fulfill. He won the championship and MVP of every competition he participated in! He was truly the most valuable player of last season!"
The Bayern players swore that these evaluations were not communicated beforehand.
They should have been holding a grudge against Sporting Lisbon for their loss.
But the opposing team’s performance was indeed impossible to slander.
After all, truthfully speaking, with the Champions League trophy already in hand, they didn’t really place much value on the European Super Cup honor.
However, they regretted their interviews afterwards.
Considering Deng Kai’s "arrogant" performance on the field, they were very unwilling to imagine how Deng Kai would evaluate them.
Of course, he trampled over them with disdain.
What else could it be?
Deng Kai: "Kahn is certainly one of the world’s best goalkeepers, just with his gaze and aura, he can make most forwards perform poorly."
"If it wasn’t for the penalty, I never could’ve breached his defenses."
"Matthaus knows Kahn very well, so it’s not surprising that he scored."
"Drogba’s goal was filled with luck; when fate decides it’s time for Kahn to concede, there’s nothing he can do."
"As I said before the match, as the player who should’ve had the highest goal tally in Europe last season, Ronaldo is one of the few strikers who can remain unaffected by Kahn’s prowess."
"Remember, he’s not some unknown player, he’s a Golden Boot-level player who scored twelve goals in a single Europa League season! If Manchester United had been earnest enough this summer, he already would be their leading forward!"
The journalists were very satisfied with Deng Kai’s answers.
He had challenged Bayern and called out Manchester United, pulling in plenty of attention.
Journalist: "How do you rate today’s performance by Lizarazu?"
Deng Kai: "I’m not qualified to judge such a great left-back. I just hope that when I’m his age, I can have the same outstanding form and honors!"
"That would be an honor for any player!"
Journalist: "Does beating Bayern fill you with confidence for this season’s Champions League?"
Deng Kai: "We’ve always been confident. But this game is hard to compare with Champions League matches. I’ve watched Bayern’s Champions League games, and their dominance on the pitch is very strong."
"If we encounter Bayern in the Champions League, it would be very difficult to replicate today’s scoreline."
"Bayern is a great team. Matthaus has often told me there are three teams he will never regret joining."
"Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Germany’s national team!"
"Of course, I told him there’d be a fourth team... Sporting Lisbon!"
With his high emotional intelligence, Deng Kai won the friendship of the Bayern players.
Even if the relationship had been tense before, many things in this world can be reconciled.
Without any relationship, conflict is a topic.
After much conflict, reconciliation becomes the topic.
If Bayern had won, they might not have cared for the olive branch Deng Kai offered.
But in defeat, they had to accept it.
They certainly couldn’t accuse Deng Kai of destroying the ecosystem by slapping the turf, and thus undeserving of the championship, could they?
Now that Bayern had accepted Deng Kai’s peace offering, they had to make some concessions.
Such as praising Deng Kai, praising Sporting Lisbon, and so forth.
Commonly known as, reciprocal flattery.
Afterward, when journalists interviewed Matthaus and mentioned Deng Kai’s words, it sent Matthaus down memory lane, unexpectedly bringing tears to his eyes, finally spilling them during the interview.
Later, Bayern officially made amends with Matthaus, reposting on their official website the news of Sporting Lisbon’s victory over Bayern for the European Super Cup and congratulating Matthaus on his goal.
Suddenly, Matthaus became a beloved legendary player to the Bayern fans once again.
He and Bayern, at last, did not part on bad terms.
After the interview concluded, the European Super Cup awards ceremony officially commenced.
Worth mentioning is the guest presenting the "Best Player" trophy to Deng Kai was none other than the new friend of the UEFA officials—Mansour!
After the presentation, Mansour posed for a photo with Deng Kai and delivered his speech:
"I’m honored to present this award to Deng Kai, and it’s very moving to see so many stars at Maine Road Stadium."
"In addition to fans of both teams, there were also a significant number of Man City fans present."
"I believe, upon watching this match, the Man City fans must be thinking, if only our team could qualify for the European Super Cup!"
