Chapter 501: Chapter 500 Feng Te Chooses Righteousness Over Life
In the 73rd minute.
After dispossessing Giggs, Barzagli passed the ball to Veloso, who then played a lateral pass to Deng Kai.
Deng Kai drove forward with the ball.
Veron attempted to intercept.
But Deng Kai’s Marseille Turn easily took him past Veron, and he continued his advance.
Veron lost his position too quickly, which caused some trouble for the rest of his teammates falling back.
Keane had to move laterally to block Deng Kai.
He tirelessly took up a defensive position, only to face Deng Kai’s deliberately crafted dribbling routine.
"Bicycle dribble! Deng Kai keeps doing bicycle dribbles!"
"Breaking through on the left, it’s a feint!"
"Breaking through on the right, that’s also a feint!"
"Passing! Deng Kai has fooled Keane with his move, and nutmegged a pass to Ronaldo on the right."
"Ronaldo controls the ball and takes a moment to adjust... and shoots from distance!"
"Unfortunately, that shot was just about to tear through Manchester United... Oh, the referee has blown his whistle, Keane gets a yellow card!"
"After making a fool of Keane, Deng Kai was ready to make a run forward. Keane pulled Deng Kai down, and it was an indisputable yellow card."
"Ronaldo kept an eye on Deng Kai’s position, apparently intending to play him in. So when he saw Deng Kai go down, he forcibly took a shot at goal."
"Ronaldo’s ability to adjust in the moment is still very strong indeed."
In the 77th minute.
Giggs challenged Barzagli once more.
In fact, after Manchester United got back to their traditional play, Giggs started to make aggressive runs, particularly targeting Barzagli.
Barzagli had a number of successful defenses.
But... the trouble with being a defender is that you can succeed a hundred times but you cannot afford to fail even once!
Beep!
The main referee has blown his whistle.
Barzagli took down Giggs and also received a yellow card.
Manchester United won a free-kick on the left flank.
The position was quite dangerous, because Manchester United had a weapon known as Beckham’s "bending moon".
However, after the camera gave Beckham a shot, it immediately found Pepe on the field.
The director’s use of the camera was highly skilled, indicating to the fans that, like Barzagli, Pepe would be suspended for the next game due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
A defense line missing two main central defenders.
What result can be expected from that, you might ask?
Just look at Feng Te, then at Pepe and Barzagli... It only says that the next leg is going to be really tough for Sporting Lisbon.
Their only chance almost lies in this leg.
Bang!
With Beckham’s trademark bending shot hitting the corner of the goal, Sporting Lisbon’s chances in this leg were nearly extinguished.
Two to two!
Manchester United has managed to level the score at their home ground.
And Manchester United had another advantage over Sporting Lisbon, which was having plenty of substitutions left to make.
As expected.
Ferguson didn’t give up the chance to press hard; he brought in Diego Forlan to replace Van Nistelrooy.
If Van Nistelrooy carried Manchester United in the C-League this season,
then Forlan’s lack of playtime since joining Manchester United was because Van Nistelrooy was too outstanding.
Such that Forlan didn’t get many opportunities.
Without Van Nistelrooy, with Forlan’s abilities and performance, he could possibly secure a starting position as Manchester United’s striker.
His strength was evident.
In the 79th minute.
Deng Kai passed the ball to Ronaldo who had dropped back, and Ronaldo executed a bicycle dribble before firing from a long distance.
The football veered off the goal.
Clearly, Ronaldo was in a hurry.
"Ronaldo’s mentality has always been a point of contention for the fans. He’s too anxious, never satisfied with the team’s or his own performance,"
"which can make the team lose its wisdom."
"He’s not mature enough yet; he still needs to hone his skills."
"I hope that this Champions League semi-final will settle him down. After enduring this ordeal, he might go even further in the Champions League in the future."
"Of course! As players appearing in the Champions League for the first time, Ronaldo and Deng Kai’s performance this season has been impeccable. They have demonstrated their strong leadership abilities, and their future looks bright."
The 82nd minute.
Ibrahimovic, having dropped back, also tried a long-range shot, alerting everyone to the presence of this proud forward.
Unfortunately, his attempt also flew over the goal.
In high-stakes encounters, Ibrahimovic always seemed to lack presence.
The 83rd minute.
Beckham delivered a cross that resulted in a corner kick.
Pepe blocked Beckham’s delivery with his leg and even let out an excited shout towards Beckham to boost his own morale.
This tactic is quite effective against many insecure stars.
But Beckham... sorry, in these years of Golden Ball awards and World Player of the Year rankings, Beckham has always felt underestimated.
He is in the most confident phase of his career.
Bang!
With that, the deadly corner kick was launched by the North European Beckham.
In the penalty area, players surged.
Ibrahimovic watched helplessly as the football sought out Fran’s head.
It sounds ridiculous, but that’s exactly what happened.
The corner was too accurate.
Beep!
The referee blew the whistle.
Because Fran was on the ground, clutching the back of his head.
The referee approached Ibrahimovic and pulled out a yellow card.
Ibrahimovic was explaining himself, but the referee shook his hand, indicating he wasn’t interested in hearing any excuses.
Then, the referee pointed to the penalty spot.
Old Trafford Stadium erupted in cheers.
"Penalty! The referee has awarded Manchester United a penalty!"
"What in the world happened?"
"Oh! It’s Ibrahimovic. He pushed Fran from behind, and the referee was in the perfect position to see the whole incident."
"The Swede made a huge mistake!"
"But considering Fran’s ability, if Ibrahimovic hadn’t done that, it’s likely Fran would have scored."
"You can’t say Ibrahimovic’s choice was entirely wrong. But at the very least... he didn’t handle it gracefully."
"Fran steps up to take the penalty, after a quick consultation with Keane and Giggs, who both give their consent. It seems they have great confidence in Fran’s shooting skills and mental fortitude."
Bang!
With Fran’s powerful shot.
Reina was helpless to stop it.
"GOAL!"
"Three to two! Manchester United takes the lead over Sporting Lisbon!"
"Decisive goal! This might very well be the decider!"
"Fran comes off the bench to strike at Sporting Lisbon!"
"The score finally returns to what most fans had expected from the start."
"Sporting Lisbon, after all, can’t beat the real deal, Manchester United!"
"Sporting fought valiantly this match, they gave their best. But their opponents are the all-powerful Manchester United! They should be proud of themselves!"
The home lead sent Manchester United fans into a frenzy.
They began to sing non-stop, even starting a wave within the home ground.
This buoyed the Manchester United players in the final moments, making them press Sporting Lisbon intensely.
The 88th minute.
Beckham once again delivers a pinpoint cross from the flank.
Diego Forlan rose high, and even though Sporting’s defenders paid him extra attention, he still found an opportunity.
Bang!
Forlan headed for goal.
Bang!
Feng Te leapt, extending his leg in an attempt to block Forlan’s attack with his body.
