Chapter 423: Chapter 422: That Man is Back (Seeking Monthly Pass)
Due to last season’s clash with Barcelona, Deng Kai, Pepe, and Maxa were suspended.
Among them, Maxa received the longest suspension.
As a result, he flew directly to China after the conference to join the national team’s urgent mobilization group for the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup and delivered a rousing speech as the group leader.
Suspended?
Bensa San didn’t give a damn about UEFA anymore!
I’m off to wreak havoc on FIFA.
Goodbye!
...
September 11, the first round of the UEFA Champions League group stage.
The big battle began.
PSV Eindhoven faced Galatasaray and shockingly lost the match.
The people of Turkey heralded the arrival of spring.
In another match of the group, between Sporting Lisbon and Lazio, there was no upset.
Labeled by the media as Europe’s number one team, five-time champions Sporting Lisbon were routed with four goals against them, thoroughly collapsing.
The young Yahya Touré was torn apart by Diego in the first half and was directly substituted at halftime.
It wasn’t that Trigella didn’t give him a chance, but if he wasn’t taken off, Yahya Touré’s football belief could have been destroyed.
This battle made life a lot easier for Diego, who had been in a dire situation at Lazio.
And Evra, who was outperformed by Czech legend Popovski in the same wing-back role, was also substituted by Wu Xudong during halftime.
On the attacking end, Kaka, who replaced Deng Kai as the midfield core, undoubtedly disappointed everyone.
It wasn’t just him, including the attacking trio of four—Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldo, Drogba, Ibrahimovic—all logged off against Nesta and Stam, the strongest central defence duo in Europe.
"They were defended so tightly they couldn’t even get a shot off," accurately depicted their performance in this match.
After the game, the media declared this Lazio team terrifyingly strong!
Ronaldo, during an interview, also said that he couldn’t find any way to get past the center-back duo.
Only Cristiano Ronaldo defiantly said to the media, "Next time, I will definitely score."
The Italian Republic Newspaper confirmed Cristiano Ronaldo’s statement, "Of course he can score, because by then Lazio will have already advanced as the group’s top team. As the European Bronze Boot, it’s possible for Cristiano Ronaldo to score against Lazio’s completely rotated lineup."
Il Romanista: "The five-time champions are not as strong as expected, this year is Serie A’s to dominate!"
Milan Sport Newspaper: "Many believe that Sporting Lisbon’s defeat is due to the absence of Deng Kai, but it’s hard to believe that the absence of one player could have such a significant impact. We think this reflects the gap between Portuguese football and Italian football—quite normal."
Torino Sport Newspaper: "The noise of this past summer has finally ceased, and no one’s talking in my ear about the five-time champions, not even six-time. Perhaps Sporting Lisbon should compete in the Europa League!"
Italian media launched a collective attack.
Because this summer, the Portuguese media had stolen too much of the limelight.
It made people believe that the Primeira Liga was the world’s number one league.
The further down the slope one goes, the more sensitive one becomes, and that is exactly the phase all Italian football practitioners are currently in.
Despite signs that La Liga had overtaken Serie A and the Premier League was closing the gap, Serie A has never acknowledged this fact.
Diario Sport also said after Sporting Lisbon’s defeat: "Sporting Lisbon’s Champions League qualification last season was luck-based, and they’ve now lost it this season with their ’strength’."
"The world is always like this, what’s not yours will eventually leave."
...
September 16, the fifth round of the Primeira Liga.
Sporting Lisbon, after their Champions League defeat, changed formations and tried 3232 for the first time.
Deng Kai, with two assists and two goals, turned on full firepower, leading the team to a 5-3 victory over the newly-promoted Primeira Liga team Gil Vicente.
But this game did not receive praise from the media.
Because two years ago, Deng Kai and Cristiano Ronaldo could produce such a scoreline against Gil Vicente with Moreirense.
Two years later, with Deng Kai and Cristiano Ronaldo much stronger and with far more luxurious teammates, they still conceded three goals.
Portuguese renowned media Bola Newspaper: "Undeniably, Sporting Lisbon has a luxurious attacking lineup within Portugal, which allows them to cover up some issues."
"But in top-level European competitions, when those attackers are no longer sharp, their problems are glaringly exposed."
"At the defensive midfield position, the older players lack the mobility, and the younger ones lack positional sense or are heavily one-sided. In central defence, Feng Te has obviously become the biggest weakness, and neither Evra nor Maicon playing out of position does much better than Feng Te."
"Schmeichel’s form has greatly declined compared to before the summer, and Sporting Lisbon’s backup goalkeeper Reina is too young and doesn’t inspire confidence."
"In the next round of the Champions League group stage, they are most likely still unable to achieve a victory."
September 19, the second round of the UEFA Champions League group stage.
The Bola Newspaper’s "prophecy" was fulfilled.
Sporting Lisbon’s right winger Robben was targeted for defense in this match and completely neutralized.
Kaka did better than the previous game, but still fell short of the help Deng Kai brought to the team.
Especially when he missed an open goal, nullifying all his efforts in the game.
His post-game rating, along with Robben’s, was in the bottom three of the team.
Lisbon Athletic’s best performer was Ronaldo.
In the first half, he scored by cutting in after receiving Drogba’s pass from the flank.
In the second half, Ronaldo took advantage of Guardiola’s through ball, and easily outplayed Mark Van Bommel to score his second goal.
However, for PSV Eindhoven, Kęzman’s performance, who is the successor to Van Nistelrooy, was no less impressive than Ronaldo’s, contributing one goal and one assist, both earning the highest rating of the game.
Two all, the teams shook hands and called it even.
It was a disaster for both of them.
Because both PSV Eindhoven and Lisbon Athletic had now gone two rounds without a win.
They both only had one point.
Lisbon Athletic had more losses, sitting at the bottom of the group.
Yet, the biggest surprise was Galatasaray.
The Turkish team had, surprisingly, defeated PSV Eindhoven in the first round, and then defeated the formidable Lazio in the second round.
With six points, they topped the group.
The name of the top team from the Turkish Super League resonated across Europe.
The former three-time Portuguese winners had become the main focus of the media frenzy.
...
On September 23, the sixth round of the Portuguese league.
After a formation change, Lisbon Athletic finally had a brilliant game.
They thrashed Farense six to one.
Ronaldo had a hat-trick.
Deng Kai delivered two goals and two assists for consecutive matches.
Ronaldo had two assists to add to his goal tally.
This rekindled the hopes of their fans for the Champions League.
On September 26, round three of the Champions League group stage.
Lisbon Athletic vs Galatasaray.
Ronaldo shone in this game, creating numerous threats and even won a penalty.
However, the buoyant league performer, Ronaldo found Champions League disappointment, as he missed the penalty.
In the second half, Kaka gradually adjusted to the position of the offensive core, making a splendid pass that assisted Ibrahimovic’s goal.
But soon after, while involved in defense, he accidentally scored an own goal, helping Galatasaray to level the score.
One to one, Lisbon Athletic had two points from three rounds.
They were practically out of the Champions League.
The only position they could strive for was maybe third in the group, to then join the Europa League, back where they were familiar.
Galatasaray, with seven points from three rounds, continued to dominate the top of the table, potentially securing their qualification in the next round.
Meanwhile, the match between PSV Eindhoven and Lazio was equally thrilling.
PSV Eindhoven won surprisingly, reaching four points from three matches, climbing to second in the group.
Lazio, on the other hand, lost again.
With three points from three matches, they were down to third place.
This Serie A giant seemed to have encountered sudden issues; the former European best midfielder Diego, whether in the league or in the Champions League, was underperforming, as if lost in a miniature world cup.
Aside from shining against Lisbon Athletic, he even appeared like a substitute player.
But the news following this round of matches had nothing to do with the victories or defeats of these teams.
Indeed, media across Europe didn’t report the scores or anything, instead, they unanimously released the same news:
"Suspension Over! On October 16, Deng Kai will have his Champions League debut!"
"The King Returns! Can the six-time champion maker save the team from their slump and bring them their first Champions League win this season?"
"Tremble, Champions League! Europe’s assist king returns to his throne, can Lisbon Athletic be resurrected?"
Amidst the global anticipation, that man was back!
He was light, he was electricity, he was the sole myth!
He was the mastermind behind Lisbon Athletic.
He was the shining hero amidst the five-time champions.
He was the strongest support beside Trigella.
He was the mentor and master of Deng Kai, Ronaldo, and Feng Te!
Deng Kai: ???
Why does this seem to be written about some imposter?
Could that man be...
Maxa: "Indeed, it is I!"
