Chapter 433: Chapter 432: The CD Party and the DK Party
When Peruzzi managed to deflect the football towards the side netting with his foot, the ball had actually already completely crossed the goal line.
That is precisely why Peruzzi didn’t catch the ball, but punched it out with his fists instead.
It was a smart move, yet it didn’t deceive the assistant referee’s eyes.
Afterwards, the head referee pointed to the center circle, indicating the goal was valid.
"Oh! Goal, what a brilliant goal!"
"Sporting Lisbon, the CD connection, has helped the team take a four to one lead over Lazio!"
"They’re too fierce! This Sporting Lisbon team is utterly fierce!"
"Deng Kai’s lobbed cross is like a work of art. The quality of this cross was very high, with the ball tracing a beautiful arc, as if it had the wings of an angel!"
"With one shot and two assists, he has completely dominated this game!"
"Three Champions League group matches, with three goals and four assists currently, an average contribution of 2.34 goals per game! What a terrifying efficiency!"
"Ronaldo’s diving volley is a demonstration to the Italian fans of the European Golden Shoe’s shooting prowess! A brace! Under Nesta’s defense, Ronaldo scores twice! He is the victor of today’s contentious battle!"
"Of course, we must acknowledge that Nesta’s performance today was only seventy percent as sharp as usual. That’s because he had to cover the vacuum zone behind Mendieta, and Ronaldo and Kaka frequently attacked this area."
"Lazio is at the point where they must reform or perish. If they don’t make a change, they will truly have no chance at all in this game."
Sure enough, Lazio’s coach Mancini couldn’t sit still any longer.
He substituted Salas for Simeone, shifting to a 433 formation.
By replacing a defensive midfielder with a striker, Lazio began their final desperate attempt.
But this only created bigger gaps around Mendieta.
It was purely a gamble with their fate.
As a result, both teams engaged in a brilliant yet chaotic exchange of attacks.
Everyone wanted to attack, but no one dared to play it slow; they quickly passed the ball to the forwards, with long balls flying everywhere.
In the seventy-sixth minute, the outcome of the gamble was revealed.
Under heavy pressure, Guardiola passed the ball to Kaka, who had come back to offer support.
It was a very routine pass.
But after receiving the ball, Kaka turned and flicked the ball a full ten meters away!
Which left Mendieta momentarily stunned beside him.
This...
Kaka was ten meters from the ball, Mendieta seven.
Wasn’t this just handing over possession?
But two seconds later, the whole Stadio Olimpico in Rome fell silent.
Because Kaka, like a shooting star, outpaced the desperately chasing Mendieta, touching the ball away half a step earlier.
Kaka’s sprint from zero to ten meters in roughly two seconds was so swift it was on par with professional sprinters.
The hell, is this a midfielder?
Isn’t this even faster than Maicon?
Even... Ronaldo doesn’t seem this quick!
Bang!
Kaka’s next touch again sent the ball far ahead, and with a second burst of speed, he completely left Mendieta behind.
"Kaka! So fast!"
"A direct charge! No one can stop Kaka!"
"Pan Karo moves inside, but it’s too late! He’s simply left trailing!"
"Stam rushes out!"
"Kaka flicks the ball, almost no direction change, he just bursts past Stam!"
"Nesta goes in as well!"
"Deng Kai rushes forward, two on one in the attacking third!"
"What will Kaka do? Pass! Kaka’s return gift, a selfless cross inside the box!"
"Shoot!"
"GOAL! Deng Kai! The DK connection, it’s the DK connection again!"
"Before, DK was the abbreviation for Deng Kai. But from now on, DK stands for two people! That’s Deng Kai + Kaka!"
"Five to one! I declare, Sporting Lisbon advances to the Champions League round of 16!"
"They completely blew Lazio away!"
"One shot, two assists! Kaka is one of the three best-performing players on the pitch today!"
"Two shots, two assists! Deng Kai is the best-performing player today, without equal!"
Ronaldo: ???
Ronaldo: So the three best performers just leave out the two-goal Ronaldo, huh?
In the frame, Deng Kai was seen patting Kaka on the shoulder and pointing up at the sky with one hand.
Kaka was somewhat surprised. How did Deng Kai know he liked this celebration?
So far, Kaka hadn’t shown this gesture after scoring because he felt his form wasn’t good enough yet.
Faced with Deng Kai’s invitation, Kaka didn’t refuse.
Together, they ran toward the corner flag area, almost simultaneously pointing both hands skyward and looking up to the heavens, as if communicating with God.
DK!
DK!
DK!
The fans’ voices carried through the television.
At this moment, fans of Sporting Lisbon around the world were thrilled.
After years, not only had Sporting Lisbon made it into the Champions League, but they had also progressed to the round of 16 in one fell swoop!
Perfect! The season had only started two months ago, but for the fans, it was already perfect!
They had achieved the ideal Champions League goal; now every match for them was a bonus!
"Damn cool! Young Master Kai, damn cool!" Feng Te had just come out of the player’s tunnel when he witnessed this exciting scene.
But his mind worked fast, and he quickly thought of an issue.
In the global fan club for Deng Kai, Young Master Kai’s fans were naturally the mainstream.
But there were also a few minority factions that were allowed to exist.
The largest of these was the CR faction.
But intuition told Feng Te that the DK faction might rise in popularity for a while to come.
Because the image of Kaka and Deng Kai celebrating a goal together was simply sensational.
After all, the CR faction’s influence was significant because Ronaldo was the earliest player to jump up and shout ’Siu’ with Deng Kai.
"Young Master Kai, have some tea." Feng Te handed a sports drink to Deng Kai, but in reality, it was filled with Assam milk tea.
"Let the coach enjoy it first," Deng Kai said, inspired on the spur of the moment.
Trigella, who was in the process of substituting Ibrahimovic for Drogba, felt a chill on his back as the fear of being controlled by the Alchemist, Maxa, suddenly surged within him.
The 79th minute.
After the kickoff, Popovski fought bravely, winning the team a free-kick in a very favorable position.
Lazio immediately raised the substitution board, bringing on Mihajlovic for Stankovic.
Mihajlovic was a very famous player, known primarily as the king of free kicks.
During this period in Serie A, two players managed to achieve a free-kick hat trick.
The first was Signori in the 1993-1994 season.
The second was Mihajlovic in the 1998-1999 season.
The difference between Mihajlovic and Signori was that the former’s free kicks were of extremely high quality—curve, angle, and power all excellent—while the latter relied more on sneakiness.
The reason Lazio brought on the almost thirty-three-year-old Mihajlovic was clear.
Free kicks!
Ten seconds later, a thunderous cheer went up from the stadium.
Mihajlovic, taking the free kick as a substitute, did not disappoint, showing the young players of Sporting Lisbon what it meant to live up to one’s reputation.
The free-kick flew straight into the net, changing the score to five to two.
However, this free kick seemed to be the end of Lazio’s morale on the pitch.
