Chapter 453: Chapter 452: The First Chinese Player to Appear in the Champions League
"This..."
"The ball has gone in!"
"Cole scores from his own half with a massive clearance!"
"A roar of boos emanates from the stadium! The fans of Sporting Lisbon are highly displeased with that goal!"
"What’s the referee’s decision?"
"The players of Sporting Lisbon are complaining, with Ronaldo rushing towards Cole in agitation. Yaya Touré, Guardiola, Ibrahimovic, Kaka, Barzagli—all of Sporting Lisbon’s players are crowding around."
"Surely there must be an issue with that goal, Arsenal’s player is down and has abandoned the game to gather around Deng Kai."
"Out of concern for Vieira’s condition, Deng Kai also takes the initiative to inquire about his situation and is about to offer his hand to help Vieira up."
"The big screen is showing a replay, and through this camera angle, we can see that the referee did intend to signal for a stop in play, but Parlour interrupted."
"So according to the rules of the game, play was still ongoing, and Cole’s shot is not a problem."
"But from a humanitarian perspective, what Cole did seems a bit improper. After all, it was his teammate who was writhing on the ground signaling injury..."
"The referee points to the center circle, indicating the goal stands! Three to one, Arsenal has once again extended their lead to two goals."
"This is a mistake on the part of the referee, but it’s Sporting Lisbon who will bear the consequences."
"I believe this referee will apologize to Sporting Lisbon after the match, but it will be of no help."
"In the intense knockout stage of the last sixteen, every goal is critical."
"This goal could very well be the turning point of this game."
Huang Jianxiang is livid with frustration.
But he also knows that there’s no way to recover from such a low-probability event.
"A bad call is also part of the game," this distasteful phrase continues to circulate in the football world precisely because such situations are unsolvable.
On the field, Arsenal’s side is protecting Cole, the atmosphere is tense between the two teams, but no punches are thrown.
That’s because Arsenal knows they are on a moral low ground.
"He’s still young, he’s just a kid." Vieira is negotiating with Deng Kai.
Deng Kai nods, "I understand that, but you need to see more in the way Cole treats you. Everything that just happened is out in the open."
"Your players are attacking me, the referee didn’t blow the whistle, but my teammates are all gathering here. Do you know what this means? This is the influence a core player has."
"Indeed, Sporting Lisbon is far from Arsenal in many aspects."
"But in terms of being the core of the team, a team captain, a locker room leader, and more, I surpass you greatly."
"These traits may not necessarily help Sporting Lisbon defeat Arsenal. But they can help me beat you over the course of a long career."
Vieira’s expression changes, "So are you bragging about your ranking in the Golden Ball and FIFA World Player of the Year being higher than mine, kid?"
Deng Kai shakes his head, "I’m just trying to tell you that if you don’t want to leave a place you love in an awkward situation and become enemies with those you care about, you should always keep a keen eye and work on maintaining relationships."
"Thirty is a hurdle for all players. To become a legend, you must ensure that even after thirty, you still hold a very high position in your team. You’re twenty-eight this year; do you think you can still be a regular in Arsenal after you turn thirty?"
"Or do you think you can, but when the outside world thinks you can’t, will you have the opportunity to prove yourself?"
Vieira is speechless, "Are you trying to disrupt my focus, aiming to help your team recover a goal while I’m down?"
Deng Kai walks towards the midfield laughing, "It’s already effective, isn’t it?"
Vieira is momentarily thrown off balance.
Seeking a higher position in the team is what he has been doing at both Arsenal and the French team.
But the results are hardly noticeable.
He had arrived two years earlier than Henry, but Henry’s popularity at Highbury now far surpassed that of Vieira.
Not to mention the galaxy of stars in the France team.
Additionally, there was Mr. Wenger.
Honestly, Deng Kai’s treatment at Sporting Lisbon would make many core players from other teams green with envy.
Is this playing football?
This is like being an emperor, isn’t it!
...
This minor conflict caused the players from both sides to lose their tempers somewhat.
Both teams’ tactics were slightly distorted.
No goals were scored in the following period.
However, the sight of Wu Xudong warming up on the pitch during halftime thrilled the Chinese fans.
Huang Jianxiang: "Wow! Little Wu didn’t go to the changing room! He is warming up; it seems like Trigella has given him a task. He will most likely play in the second half."
"So exciting! If Little Wu plays, he will become the first Chinese player to appear in the second stage of the UEFA Champions League group match."
"This is absolutely a huge honor!"
"The Asian Derby is about to be half complete. As for the remaining half, it’s up to the well-doing Japanese player Inamoto Junichi."
For a moment, the news of "Wu Xudong warming up to play" spread throughout the entire Chinese football scene.
Whether it was Fan Zhiyi in Dundee, Yang Chen in Frankfurt, Sun Jihai who had joined Manchester City, or Yu Shihao, Shao Jiawei, and others who sat in the stands at Estádio Alvalade, they were all incredibly excited.
In the fierce competition at the start of the season, Wu Xudong had fallen slightly behind Maicon, becoming a substitute.
Latterly, because of Ronaldo, the team changed tactics, and Maicon suddenly became a substitute himself.
Hence Wu Xudong’s chances of playing were naturally pushed even further back.
Therefore Wu Xudong only had a few opportunities to play in the league, and had not yet made a formal appearance in the Champions League.
Thus, this was a milestone moment for Chinese football.
But so many fans came with high hopes.
Only to witness a not-so-pleasant spectacle.
In the fifty-second minute.
Bogkamp delivered a beautiful through pass.
After receiving the ball on the left, Henry effortlessly outpaced Barzagli and, despite Barzagli’s desperate efforts using hands and feet, broke into the left side of the penalty area at a narrow angle and scored a goal that was unstoppable!
"This is bad! The situation Sporting Lisbon most feared has happened."
"Four to one! Arsenal leads by three goals."
"With this, they will take away three points from Lisbon, and at the very least, they will rank second in their group."
"With the second stage group matches more than halfway through, if Sporting Lisbon only has three points, it will be very difficult for them to advance to the top eight."
"The squad of this team is still a little weak, the old are old, the young are young, lacking players who are truly at their peak."
"This goal was a perfect display of Henry’s individual ability, but it was also Guardiola who got split open by the through pass!"
"Oh! The substitution board is up on the sideline, Sporting Lisbon must make adjustments."
"There are two players standing on the sideline, their adjustments are not minor."
