Chapter 455: Chapter 454 Ultimate Confrontation, Champions League Situation
Ibrahimovic danced the ball around with his feet, feinting a shot before cutting in with a quick touch.
He went past Keown, using his elbow to fend off Keown’s grabbing hands.
He followed with his left foot to push the shot...
Himan sprang up immediately and dove to the left side of the goal.
But Ibrahimovic’s foot stopped just above the football.
Another feint!
Only after Himan had fully committed to the dive did Ibrahimovic chip the ball towards the right side of the goal.
He completed the series of flashy moves just before Campbell could cover.
The ball flew past Himan’s waist and into the net.
Estádio Alvalade fell silent.
Three seconds later, the sound of drums erupted.
Ibrahimovic raised his hands high and turned to look at Wenger once more.
And Wenger finally couldn’t keep composed.
A brace!
This was the very Ibrahimovic that he couldn’t retain!
"Zlatan!"
The live commentator shouted.
"Ibrahimovic!"
The fans screamed Ibrahimovic’s name in frenzy.
The goal was just too beautiful!
Whether it was Prince’s pass, the "Wu Genghis Khan" backheel cross, or Ibrahimovic’s final dreamy footwork, it all left the crowd captivated.
This was the pinnacle combination of organization, speed, and technique.
The most complete form of a goal.
In the frame, Ibrahimovic, Wu Xudong, and Deng Kai stood together.
A right foot step over, preparing a horse stance.
Hands raised, parting the wild horse’s mane.
What followed were White Crane Spreads Wings, Brush Knee and Step Forward, ending with Lee Xiaolong’s signature provocative pose – one hand low and the other high, with the lower hand making a beckoning gesture towards the camera.
As if saying... come at me!
"Oh! These are moves from Chinese Tai Chi, a surprise gift from Ibrahimovic, Wu Xudong, and Deng Kai for the Chinese fans!"
"As everyone knows, Ibrahimovic is an enthusiastic fan of Tai Chi and believes that it greatly helps his flexibility. His dreamy footwork is inseparable from the help of Tai Chi!"
"Two to four! Sporting Lisbon has fiercely clawed back a point."
"Trigella’s ’One Star, Six Arrows’ tactic is indeed effective."
"If Arsenal doesn’t want to face so many players attacking, they need to push back, but leading teams that push forward give the trailing team the opportunity to counterattack."
"There’s no more tactics to talk about in this game. Sporting Lisbon has completely pulled Arsenal into the vortex of attack. Arsenal has no choice but to go toe-to-toe with Sporting."
"Arsenal has three gunners; their firepower is always strong. But with Ronaldo in Sporting Lisbon’s six-forward formation, it’s a European golden boot caliber killer, which really makes the final score difficult to predict!"
Huang Jianxiang was spitting with excitement.
At this moment, the "Understanding Football Emperor" live match comment section was also bustling with activity.
Despite only text commentary, it allowed fans to exchange thoughts in real time.
"Damn! Little Wu is awesome!"
"What Little Wu? You mean Brother Dong!"
"Wu Genghis Khan, okay! Isn’t this the first Champions League assist by a Chinese player?"
"So domineering! So fast! The little chicken from Arsenal couldn’t keep up with Wu Xudong at all!"
"I heard that the English media are very optimistic about Ashley Cole; he was called up to the England national team a year ago, playing in the World Cup qualifiers. Judging by his performance this season, it’s very likely he’ll go to the Korea-Japan World Cup with the team."
"Really? This level is World Cup worthy?"
"Seriously, he might end up being an important choice for the left-back position for England!"
"Damn, what’s going on in this world? No flattery or slander, I think Ashley Cole’s level is not much different from that of Wu Xudong. Yet the former has made it into the national team while Wu Xudong couldn’t even get into the national youth team at last year’s World Youth Championship. Is our national youth team’s level really that high?"
"It’s increasingly clear that Wu Xudong and the others made the right decision to stay at Sporting Lisbon."
"Back in the day, the Wahaha team members like Gao Lin, Feng Xiaoting, Zeng Cheng, and Zhao Peng who returned to China were indeed decent among their peers. But honestly, Feng Xiaoting and the others were still a fair distance from being starters in the national youth team."
"But look at Wu Xudong again, he’s even got an assist in the Champions League now. That’s a pretty big gap."
"Forget about Wu Xudong, those guys from Sporting Lisbon like Hao Junmin and Shao Jiawei, I think they wouldn’t have much problem getting into the national team."
"National team? Dream on! They’d have trouble even making it onto the provincial team. It’s all about who has the money to grease the wheels!"
While domestic fans were passionately discussing these topics,
tensions were rising again on the field.
In the 63rd minute, an actively retreating Wu Xudong took advantage of Bogkamp being distracted in his duel with Deng Kai, and with a stealthy tackle from behind, he nipped the football away, completing the steal.
The Ice Prince was furious, lunging straight at Wu Xudong.
Wu Xudong passed the ball to Deng Kai and then sprinted forward with all he had.
There’s nothing like the stamina of a man from the plains!
Bang!
But Deng Kai’s pass outpaced Wu Xudong’s run.
The football flew towards the right flank.
There, Kaka, having switched positions with Ronaldo, suddenly darted out to the right, finding space.
Ashley Cole immediately went to close down Kaka.
Kaka knocked the football behind him and then made an off-the-ball run forward.
Wu Xudong chased it up from behind, touching the ball and then cutting inside.
Cole, who had followed Kaka, was confused.
The next second, he decisively abandoned Kaka to defend against the cutting-in Wu Xudong.
Wu Xudong felt a thrill of excitement, now he didn’t need to test his passing skills, sweet!
Bang!
Wu Xudong pushed the football forward.
Kaka received the ball and immediately crossed it.
This time, Ibrahimovic, who had made an early run, darted to the near post, slightly jumped, and flicked the ball on with his head.
Campbell and Keown were sandwiching Drogba.
In the end, it was Keown who managed to head the ball out of the penalty area.
Bang!
The football shot back, hanging in the net before anyone could react.
"GOAL! Ronaldinho with a beautiful long shot to score!"
"This is a superb worldie!"
"Bogkamp and Vieira from Arsenal each scored a worldie, and now Sporting Lisbon finally returned the favor!"
"Keown’s clearance landed just at the feet of Ronaldinho, whose long shot was incredibly reliable!"
"The switching positions between Ronaldinho and Kaka is somewhat perplexing; their completely different styles make it really hard for the defenders to adjust to the other."
"Arsenal are short on defenders, so they’re always leaving someone unmarked. Last time it was Wu Xudong and Ibrahimovic; this time, Kaka and Ronaldinho."
"Who will be next?"
"Three to four! Sporting Lisbon seems to be creating a miracle!"
"There’s still plenty of time in the match. Could it be that Arsenal, who had a three-goal lead, will really be caught by Sporting Lisbon?"
"If that really happens, today’s match will definitely become an unforgettable classic in Champions League history, remembered forever by fans!"
"Will Arsenal make adjustments? No, they will not!"
"Wenger has always been criticized for poor decision-making during games, overly relying on the power of tactics and being conservative and hesitant when it comes to substitutions."
"If he had the courage of Ferguson, he would’ve won as many titles as Ferguson has by now!"
Confronted with Sporting Lisbon’s frantic scoring, Arsenal responded with calm steadiness.
From Wenger’s perspective, since it was a back-and-forth battle, after both sides have scored two... isn’t it about time for us to get one too?
