Chapter 487: Chapter 486: The Darkest Hour
Deng Kai was positioned at the right flank, the furthest back.
Five vertical lines covered the entire longitudinal space of the pitch.
Five horizontal lines, two bands, allowed the team’s attacking levels to randomly change between two and five layers.
At this moment, the countless combinations of line-ups were enough to cause the Bayer Leverkusen defenders to freeze.
Bang!
Kaka made a through pass to Drogba.
This was the most lethal passing route.
But Ballack, who had tracked back ahead of Kaka, made an amazing move.
He slid sideways, anticipating Kaka’s pass, and made a superb interception.
If Lisbon’s counterattack was a carefully designed masterpiece through rigorous practice, then Ballack’s defense was a stroke of genius.
This time, inspiration defeated perspiration.
"Ballack’s sliding tackle broke up Kaka’s pass, wait a minute, the football deflects towards Deng Kai..."
Bang!
Deng Kai met the incoming football with a powerful lob pass, sending it into the penalty area at the highest speed.
Moreover, he used the technique of instep lifting and shooting.
Making the football spin rapidly forward.
Not only did this increase the speed of the ball, but it also caused it to suddenly dip in the latter half, disrupting the defenders’ and goalkeeper’s judgment of its trajectory.
In the penalty area, Ronaldo on the left had already started cutting inside the moment Kaka made the through pass to Drogba.
The failure of Kaka’s through pass didn’t cause Ronaldo to stop, as he saw the ball deflect towards Deng Kai.
Ronaldo pressed on, the first to rush into the penalty area.
Turning his head to watch the flying football, he suddenly decelerated, adjusting his stride to prepare for the lift of his leg.
"Too soon!" He Wei spoke up, "Ronaldo has misjudged the falling point of the ball; he slowed down too early!"
"Or maybe Deng Kai has played it too deep, Ronaldo is getting ready at a position he thinks is right for shooting, but the ball will fly over his head."
Just as He Wei finished speaking, the football that was indeed expected to fly a bit further suddenly plummeted as if it hit an invisible wall.
Leverkusen’s goalkeeper, Jorg, had moved out two or three meters; he might have been able to catch the ball directly.
But the sudden drop of the ball caught him off guard, leaving him in an awkward position.
Essentially, the goalkeeper who had come out halfway.
What do you think the consequences would be?
Bang!
Ronaldo volleyed from the air, the football hitting the corner dead on!
"GOAL! Here it is! It finally arrived!"
"The eagerly awaited CD connection by the fans!"
"Deng Kai made a no-touch lob pass for the assist! Exquisite footwork!"
"Ronaldo’s aerial volley, a difficult shot! His shooting technique is unparalleled!"
"The teams now at a total score of four to two!"
"Lisbon has expanded their lead!"
"Too strong! This Lisbon’s attack is as effortless as the flowing clouds and water! They completely confounded Leverkusen!"
Fortune favors those who help themselves.
Lisbon’s momentum was an ominous sign for Leverkusen.
When a person feels that they are unlucky that day, they might indeed end up having bad luck.
The 73rd minute.
Ballack passed horizontally to Ze Roberto.
The latter delivered a brilliant through pass.
Berbatov, combining speed and slowness, outplayed Barzagli and then evaded the on-rushing goalkeeper Reina with his outstanding dribbling skills!
This was his most spectacular performance in the Champions League, without a doubt.
But then his left-footed finish from a tight angle hit the post and went out for a goal kick.
Berbatov clasped his head, unable to believe he had missed an open goal.
But Deng Kai wasn’t surprised by this.
There would even be a super highlight reel about ball control; Berbatov would frequently be featured, but his follow-up shots after his controls often didn’t hit within the frame of the goal, leaving a bit of regret.
In the realm of shooting off target, he was on par with Nu Jiao.
On the sidelines, Sporting Lisbon played another substitution card.
Ibrahimovic replaced Drogba, which was a routine substitution.
Feng Te came on for Matthaus, Pepe moved to defensive midfielder, and Feng Te took the position of center-back.
This was a tactical substitution.
Matthaus had been an absolute defensive rock today, covering a wide range of the pitch, showing glimpses of his peak form.
Both playing as midfielders, Guardiola was responsible for organizing and attacking, while Matthaus today focused solely on defense, which was physically demanding.
On the other side, Bayer Leverkusen substituted the veteran Kirsten for the left-back Prasente, shifting from a five-defender formation to a stronger offensive setup, ready for one final push.
Kirsten was also a well-known German veteran, having won the Bundesliga top scorer title three times in the ’90s and serving as the main striker for the German national team from 1992 until 2000, spending many years at Bayer Leverkusen.
Regarding substitutions, there’s really a lot of mysticism involved.
Quite a few goals and conceded goals happen within three minutes after a substitution.
In the 76th minute, Deng Kai delivered a brilliant pass to Ronaldo, who earned a free kick from a distance.
Deng Kai took the free kick.
Bang!
Deng Kai lofted the free kick into the penalty area, but the ball was cleared early by Zivkovic to the left flank.
Kaka quickly rushed to the flank, contesting the first touch.
"Here!" Deng Kai moved closer to Kaka, asking for the ball with his hand, but his eyes blinked.
Kaka got the message.
As he approached the ball, he feigned a pass back to the left toward Deng Kai, but instead, he stepped over the ball with his right foot, flicking it fiercely to the right!
He flicked the ball to the baseline!
Kaka’s marker, Lemelo, made a miscalculation and got stuck on Kaka’s left side, only to be completely thrown off by Kaka’s rightward move to the baseline.
Bang!
Kaka kicked for the cross!
From the clearance to Kaka’s ball flick and pass, it all happened in the blink of an eye; many players in the penalty area were busy jockeying for position and simply couldn’t jump in time.
Bang!
Ibrahimovic stood firm, like a towering statue, and with a flick of his head, he smashed the ball into the goal.
He didn’t even need to jump!
His height of 1.95 meters was the sole reason for the goal in that moment.
Ibrahimovic waved his hands and immediately rushed towards the corner flag area to celebrate.
The other players followed Ibrahimovic with smiles on their faces.
"GOAL! They’ve gone wild! Sporting Lisbon has been transformed, it’s all hands on deck!"
"Ibrahimovic scores three minutes after coming off the bench!"
"Five-nil! Who could have predicted this score before the game?"
"We are witnessing a truly magical game!"
"Sporting Lisbon leads by three goals, and Bayer Leverkusen is facing their darkest hour!"
Huang Jianxiang, with tearful eyes, said, "Replay the scene, Kaka looks at Deng Kai, Deng Kai winks at him... Oh! Their understanding is superb! It’s this request that gives Kaka, who seemed to have no chance, an absolute opportunity."
"Leverkusen pays the price for their excessive focus on Deng Kai! But considering that since Deng Kai came on, Sporting Lisbon has scored five goals, focusing on Deng Kai never seems too much."
He Wei shook his head at the side.
Blow!
Just blow it up!
Your Kai asks for the ball unsuccessfully but ends up achieving a great feat, right?
The camera kept shifting to Ballack and Ze Roberto.
The two stars of Leverkusen already had a hint of sorrow in their eyes.
They felt a premonition.
It seemed too difficult to turn things around.
They had become hopelessly resigned to the outcome of the match.
The two shared a glance in Deng Kai’s direction.
Conveniently, the abyss was also staring back at them.
[PS: I installed electric curtains this afternoon and only just finished writing. Doing the installation wasn’t too bad; for 700 yuan I got two sets of motors and tracks, the same as the 800-yuan sets in physical stores; curtain shops really overcharge.]
