Chapter 499: Chapter 498 Maxa Declaration
"Of course, we must not overlook Deng Kai, who provided the assist for Ronaldo."
"He completely fooled Veron one-on-one! His pass was as lethal as Ronaldo’s shot!"
"O’Shea seemed quite disappointed, constantly shaking his head, clearly dissatisfied with his own defense just now."
"Some fans may not be too familiar with O’Shea and think the young man doesn’t cut it. But at Manchester United, O’Shea is seen as a star of tomorrow in the eyes of all fans."
"During his loan spell at Bournemouth, his coach Mecca had very high praise for him."
"O’Shea’s status at Manchester United is very similar to Moutinho’s at Sporting Lisbon; both are ’Crown Prince’ figures at their clubs."
"The difference between them is, Moutinho is still very young and hasn’t started playing for the first team yet. But O’Shea has already managed to secure his footing in this world-class powerhouse!"
"Manchester United’s best decision last summer was to bring in Dutch striker Van Nistelrooy."
"But, similarly, Manchester United’s biggest regret of last summer was not bringing in both Van Nistelrooy and Ronaldo, the two super forwards, at the same time!"
"Otherwise, it wouldn’t be Arsenal occupying the top spot in the Premier League right now!"
Ronaldo and Deng Kai celebrated the goal together, and not a single person booed them at Old Trafford Stadium.
Manchester United fans have infinite expectations for this young man.
The thirty-second minute.
Beckham delivered a diagonal pass from the right flank.
Van Nistelrooy darted diagonally forward to the right to receive it.
Vidic intentionally delayed by half a step, to prevent Van Nistelrooy from dribbling past him.
However, with a bang!
Van Nistelrooy didn’t stop the ball, he just swung his leg to shoot, completing a brilliant narrow-angle attack on goal.
Whoosh!
The football hit the side net, giving Vidic and Reina a real scare.
If the angle wasn’t so tight, this could have been a goal!
Van Nistelrooy’s shooting technique is also very strong!
The thirty-fourth minute.
Manchester United maintained their siege on Sporting Lisbon.
After all, this is the Theatre of Dreams, their home ground.
Giggs zigzagged along the flank, taking on Barzagli one-on-one.
Barzagli defended impeccably, with no mistakes or openings.
But Giggs is world-class.
He created an opportunity out of nothing and delivered a sharp cross.
Scholes surged in from the back and met the cross with a Lion’s Header at the near post.
Ding!
The football struck the crossbar.
The fans in the stadium sighed in unison.
"Manchester United’s offense is fierce. They are like a tiger, and Ronaldo’s goal has awakened this beast."
"Sporting’s goal is on the brink of collapse. If this continues, it’s only a matter of time before they concede."
The thirty-sixth minute.
Manchester United launched their third threatening attack in a short period.
Scholes dropped back to collect the ball, then passed it to Beckham.
After receiving the ball, Beckham feinted slightly before unleashing his trademark curve!
An arc cut through the air above Sporting Lisbon’s penalty area.
Pepe likewise gave his utmost in defense.
But he was just a tad too close.
And that’s the terrifying thing about Beckham, you stay away, and you have no chance of blocking his pass.
You get close, and his super-wide curve pass can easily soar over you; even if you leap up, you can’t reach it.
Bang!
Van Nistelrooy soared high in the penalty area, nailing a header that smashed Reina and the ball into the net together.
It was the epitome of power and beauty!
"Ah!" Van Nistelrooy turned and raised his arms, signaling for the entire stadium to cheer.
"GOAL! Van Nistelrooy! It’s again Van Nistelrooy! The magical Van Nistelrooy!"
"This season’s best player for Manchester United has to be Van Nistelrooy without a doubt!"
"He’s always able to stand out when the team needs him. He’s carrying the current Manchester United!"
"An imposing goal!"
"The fans start singing the Van Nistelrooy song!"
"Oh! The camera cuts to Ronaldo. The director knows what he’s doing!"
"Both superstar strikers have made their contributions to the team."
"Next, can they continue to fight?"
"Seventeen-year-old Ronaldo and twenty-six-year-old Van Nistelrooy have a big age difference, but right now, they are both advancing towards the ranks of the world’s best strikers!"
"I have a feeling that the ultimate victor of this series of duels will step into the top striker ranks over the body of their opponent!"
"Ronaldo or Van Nistelrooy?"
"Van Nistelrooy!"
The fans at the scene made their choice with their voices.
In the forty-first minute, Sporting Lisbon finally launched a splendid counterattack under Manchester United’s intense pressure.
Ronaldo fell down inside the penalty area with the ball.
But the referee didn’t award a penalty.
He suspected Ronaldo of diving.
In other leagues, penalties might be given regardless of intent.
As long as you were indeed bumped by the opponent, even if you went down voluntarily, you could possibly win a penalty.
But in the Premier League—
Sorry, the level of physicality in the Premier League at that time was terrifyingly high.
Unless you fight with unyielding determination, even if you are truly brought down by the opponent, the referee would hardly give you a penalty.
And the referee of this game was from England.
He was quite lenient with his calls.
In the forty-fifth minute, it was Ronaldo again.
His breakthrough on the right side earned a free kick in a good position.
Ronaldo took the free kick himself.
Unfortunately, the football hit the wall.
There were two minutes of additional time in the first half.
In the second minute of stoppage time, Kaka and Ronaldo coordinated, cutting inside before passing to Ronaldo.
Ronaldo held off a man and passed the ball back.
Deng Kai, coming up from behind, took a long shot that was thunderous.
However, Manchester United’s goalkeeper Barthez made a world-class save.
His fingertips touched the ball, changing its trajectory.
The ball flew towards the post and bounced off.
Fans from both sides gasped, some in relief, others in disappointment.
As the referee blew the whistle, the game entered the halftime break.
All the broadcasters gave high praise to the first half of the game.
Even though the score was only one to one.
But the back and forth between the two sides made for a blood-pumping spectacle.
It was just that the defenders on both sides were performing very well—any other team would probably have conceded five or six goals by now.
Leverkusen: Who are you implying?
During halftime, Maxa was fervently pumping up the players with motivational talk.
"Warriors of Sporting Lisbon, my brothers!"
"I see in your eyes, you are as terrified as I am!"
"Maybe one day, mankind will become cowardly, abandon friends, and cut off all friendships."
"But not today!"
In the changing room, the players all lifted their heads to look at Maxa.
Had their inner fears been seen by Coach Maxa?
Yes, fear!
No one can remain calm inside the away dressing room at Old Trafford Stadium; everyone feels fear before this red behemoth.
This is the pressure the Manchester United dynasty has brought to the world!
And Maxa was trying to counter it spiritually, against the thrice consecutive Premier League champions and the first to achieve a treble in the five major leagues!
"Maybe one day, hyenas will breach the walls of humanity, leading to the extinction of humankind!"
"But not today!"
"Today we swear to fight to the death!"
"In the name of everything you hold dear, I command you to resist the enemy! My beloved warriors!"
"Fight!"
"Fight!"
"Fight!"
Maxa was spitting as he spoke.
