Chapter 484: Chapter 483: He’s Coming, He’s Coming!
In the ninth minute, Shi Naide advanced with the ball and threaded a direct pass through Guardiola.
The sluggish Berbatov followed the football and took a long shot without stopping the ball, sending a chill down the spine of the Sporting Lisbon fans.
Fortunately, Reina proved his worth by saving the long shot.
Berbatov’s way of playing allowed him to repeatedly hop back and forth between action and stillness, somewhat like a frontline metronome.
The advantage was its unpredictability.
However, the drawback was that his metronome could only adjust its tempo too simply.
Besides shooting rapidly, he was slow at other times, lacking more variation.
Only with a constantly changing rhythm of fast and slow, fast-fast slow-slow, nine slows one fast... could he reach his peak.
In the fourteenth minute, Matthaus showcased the original power of his brand in front of his successor.
He not only intercepted Ballack but also delivered an accurate through ball under Ballack’s pressure.
Ronaldo received the ball on the right side of the penalty area and went directly to the bottom line, taking a tight-angle shot.
The football hit the side netting, the angle not well managed.
In the twenty-second minute, Ronaldo and Tu Lei switched positions, and after an unsuccessful dribble on the right wing, he sent a long pass to the left wing to find C. Ronaldo.
C. Ronaldo cut inside past Ceberzen, but his subsequent cross was once again thwarted by Novotny.
Novotny seemed to be a center back in this five-defender formation, but he was actually a sweeper in the backfield, with a playing style that truly had the legacy of Matthaus and Beckenbauer.
Beckenbauer: ???
Matthaus: Can you not use the word "legacy"?
It feels weird!
In the twenty-fourth minute, C. Ronaldo, on the wing with the ball, played a one-two with Pepe coming up behind him, helping Pepe overlap and reach the byline.
Pepe’s cross was quite good.
But Drogba was influenced by Zivkovic and headed wide.
He Wei commented in time, "C. Ronaldo’s return is a significant boost to Sporting Lisbon’s attack, but today he mainly focuses on crossing, playing a bit more conservatively."
"His own ability to create shooting opportunities is still somewhat weak."
"His position as the second in the Champions League scorers’ list is a bit overrated."
Director: 666.
He Wei’s salary, deduct another fifty.
This series of attacking waves had the fans of both teams utterly captivated.
Outside Alvalade Stadium, Sporting Lisbon fans watching the live broadcast on four screens kept cheering, rooting for the players inside the stadium.
The home atmosphere was indeed sufficiently fired up.
But after this wave of intense but futile attacks, the huge exertion meant that the Sporting Lisbon players also had a brief period to recover their fitness.
Leverkusen took the initiative, launching frequent attacks as well.
Just one goal, and this Sporting Lisbon team would be completely dismantled; a three-goal deficit in the Champions League usually represented an insurmountable chasm.
Sporting Lisbon was now hanging on by a thread.
In the twenty-sixth minute, Ballack withstood the pressing Matthaus to make a pass to the wing.
Shi Naide carried the ball on the flank and crossed it at a 45-degree angle.
Neuville surged forward at high speed and with a beautiful leaping header beat Vidic to the ball, taking the shot.
However, his head wasn’t quite round enough, and the ball went wide.
In the twenty-eighth minute, Leverkusen’s engine, Ze Roberto, delivered a surgical direct pass from midfield, slicing open Sporting Lisbon’s defense, which was eager to attack.
The seemingly languid Berbatov sprang into action, outpacing Pepe without controlling the ball first, and took a direct shot.
But Reina had charged out early, not giving Berbatov much distance, and the latter’s shot ricocheted off Reina’s body and flew away.
Only then did Sporting Lisbon slightly pull back.
The pace of the match finally slowed down.
In the forty-first minute, Leverkusen was the first to break the deadlock.
Ze Roberto took the free kick, and his partner Ballack headed the ball into the net.
But the referee immediately blew the whistle, signaling that Ballack was offside.
As Leverkusen’s players were running back to their own half, suddenly, a roar of cheers burst from outside the stadium.
The sound grew louder and louder, so much so that it felt as if these fans were right inside the stadium.
Ze Roberto and Ballack furrowed their brows, baffled as to why Sporting Lisbon’s fans had suddenly become so excited.
On the faces of the Sporting Lisbon players on the field, smiles of relief appeared as well.
Could getting away with a close call be all they were after?
If so, there really wasn’t much to expect from this Sporting Lisbon team.
Don’t they know that even if Leverkusen doesn’t score in this match, they are still leading by two goals?
Wait a minute!
Why are they all looking in the same direction?
Leverkusen’s players turned to look at the big screen in the middle of the field.
On the sideline, Deng Kai, wearing Sporting Lisbon’s number ten jersey, was already standing at the touchline, moving his neck and ankles, including his right ankle!
This is...
"Oh! Here he comes! He really does!" Huang Jianxiang was thrilled, "Deng Kai! Deng Kai is going on!"
"He comes, he comes, he brings gifts with him! He comes, he comes, he treads on the green grass towards us!"
"My goodness! In the forty-first minute of the game, Yaya Toure was substituted off, and replacing him on the pitch is the much-anticipated absolute core of Sporting Lisbon, Deng Kai!"
"Before the match, many predicted that Deng Kai wouldn’t play, more likely to be an encouragement and comfort to his teammates."
"But we were all wrong! Deng Kai has really recovered from his injury! His right foot seems to have no serious trouble!"
"Deng Kai! The King of Alvalade has truly returned!"
He Wei didn’t understand Huang Jianxiang’s excitement.
So he’s back, so what.
Is it worth all that excitement?
As if Sporting Lisbon now has one more player than Leverkusen.
It’s not just about Deng Kai, even if Zidane were to come, He Wei still wouldn’t believe Sporting Lisbon could win.
The situation on the field was very clear; Leverkusen’s defense was doing well. If Sporting Lisbon can’t break through, they just can’t.
On the other hand, Leverkusen was also posing a serious threat on the offensive end.
He Wei predicted that the best outcome of this match would be a draw, with Leverkusen advancing to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals by a two-goal advantage in the aggregate score.
As for the worse outcomes... that might be a poorly performing Deng Kai, who rushed back from an injury, causing the team to fare worse than before, and then the team conceding one or two more goals, losing four or five goals over two legs, and being soundly knocked out.
Compared to that, the former would be better.
The latter would be far worse for both Deng Kai and Sporting Lisbon.
"Deng Kai shouldn’t have forced himself," He Wei shook his head, "Ending the season like this would be best for everyone involved. Reaching the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals would be enough to satisfy Sporting Lisbon’s staff and fans."
"Although Deng Kai is injured, his central role in the team this season has been evident, and he’s likely to be pursued by major clubs in the summer, with a good transfer fee. It’s possible for him to go to a top club."
"But now... Rushing back to play with an injury could inflict damage to his body that might affect his market value. And to play in a game that seems doomed to lose, I really don’t know what for!"
"I am really against players playing with injuries, many talented players have been ruined this way. Especially since Deng Kai’s physical talent is, at best, average in European football."
Director: "Uh, He Wei, later you need to go to finance and pay two hundred yuan."
He Wei: ???
Director: "You’ve used up your salary, and now you owe the station two hundred. If you want to commentate the second half, I suggest you charge two thousand at once, we have an activity now, charge two thousand and get an extra two hundred fifty, which is very cost-effective for an employee like you who pays to work."
