Chapter 622: Chapter 621: The World’s Most Dominant Free Kick
The camera locked onto Deng Kai.
The last time he faced such a tough situation was... the Champions League final against Real Madrid!
But that time, Deng Kai won.
And this time...
The ninety-fifth minute, also the last minute of stoppage time.
Manchester City gained possession of the ball.
Ashley Young and Lahm, the two youngsters, were overlapping on the flank.
Wu Xudong was easily bypassed.
Gilberto Silva was guarding the rear.
Thump!
Ashley Young took the ball and directly challenged Gilberto Silva.
After a series of fancy dribbles, he kicked the football forward.
Lahm surged past Gilberto Silva and took the ball to the baseline.
Arsenal’s entire team fell back to defend.
Thump!With no teammates in the box, Lahm had no choice but to make a Backward Triangle Pass to Deng Kai.
Facing Vieira, Deng Kai stretched his leg to tackle and let the ball slip by.
Tu Lei rushed over, seizing the opportunity to shoot from the edge of the penalty area.
Thump!
Wu Xudong, who had run back, went for a desperate slide tackle from behind, fully committed to blocking the shot but inevitably brought down Tu Lei in his exhaustion.
Peep!
The main referee showed Wu Xudong the red card.
Arsenal was now a man down.
Wu Xudong silently left the field. In truth, he had acted impulsively; even if he had let Tu Lei take the long shot, it might not have gone in.
But Wu Xudong’s years at Sporting Lisbon had ingrained in him the habit of "striving for every opportunity."
That was his greatest strength aside from his speed.
Yet everyone’s hearts clenched in that instant.
Because from this position... it seemed...
"Thirty-one meters! Within Kai’s range for a direct free-kick shot! But..." Ronaldo on the sideline became tense.
But it was a stretch!
Deng Kai currently had many free-kick and shooting techniques at his disposal.
The Ground Cutter, Scholes’s falling leaf free-kick, curling free-kick, Seedorf’s cruise missile launcher, Ronaldo what’s that, and the Crescent Moon Blade!
However, thirty-one meters was slightly too far.
Even the Crescent Moon Blade could easily be saved from that distance.
Arsenal began to form a wall.
They lined up their tallest players.
Wenger also relaxed a bit.
Thirty-one meters, that’s okay.
If it had been within twenty-five meters, it would’ve been disastrous; that’s where the Crescent Moon Blade is most lethal, almost impossible to save.
But now... Himan might not be good at saving other shots, but he was spot on when it came to stopping Crescent Moon Blades outside the golden range.
Arsenal had made targeted studies of every Manchester United player.
The primary reason Arsenal had not gained the upper hand in their matches against Manchester United this season was Ronaldo’s joining the team.
While Arsenal wasn’t completely ignorant about Ronaldo, they certainly knew very little.
Indeed, the entire Premier League’s unfamiliarity with Ronaldo, Deng Kai, and other players was why they had performed so dazzlingly this season.
Next season, they might very well face the sophomore jinx.
On the field, many scenes flashed through Deng Kai’s mind.
As the match entered the final stage, his abilities had actually increased slightly.
Currently, his shooting ability was quite prominent.
His leg strength had also made significant progress during the season’s targeted training.
He scored many goals this season, not because of his core techniques or position or anything like that.
If you asked Zidane to play this way, it would be difficult for him to score over forty goals in a season.
This could only indicate that Deng Kai’s shooting skills had reached an impressive level.
Everyone says Ronaldo and Van Nistelrooy have freakishly strong shots, top five in the world.
But actually, Deng Kai... was really confident in his own shooting.
So...
Deng Kai glanced at Ronaldo.
Ronaldo understood what Deng Kai meant.
Deng Kai: I’ll teach you a move! Watch closely!
Ronaldo: Heh, Crescent Moon Blade? No good, too far!
Deng Kai: Of course not. It’s a new move, extremely powerful.
Ronaldo: Impossible, there’s no more ways to kick a free kick.
Deng Kai: That’s why I’m teaching you!
On the field, Deng Kai, holding the football, found the valve.
He placed the football firmly on the grass, ensuring that it would not roll at all.
The valve was facing his direction.
"Deng Kai is very cautious, as you can tell, he also knows this is his last chance in this match."
"The whole stadium has gone quiet, Manchester City fans are holding their breath, afraid that they might affect Deng Kai’s form."
"Arsenal fans are also not making any noise, they fear provoking Deng Kai."
"Regardless, once this kick is taken, the match will definitely be over."
"Eh? The way Deng Kai steps back after placing the football is a bit unusual. He stares at the ball, measuring each step... Six steps! Deng Kai finally retreats six steps back."
"He lifts his head to look at the goal."
Time, frozen.
Deng Kai’s arms hung by his side, slightly spread, his whole being like a war deity.
It resembles his posture after landing from a ’Siu’ celebration move.
At this moment, the whole world can feel Deng Kai’s dominance.
"Deng Kai starts his run-up!"
"On tiptoe, his running style is very unique!"
"Deng Kai swings his leg!"
"With full force!"
"This isn’t a curve free kick, it’s a powerful strike at goal!"
Bang!
The football instantly rushes towards the Arsenal wall.
But it just covers one-third of the distance.
Many knowledgeable fans start shaking their heads in despair.
Including Ronaldo.
Because the ball floated!
The football, as if not pressed down enough, flies straight up into the sky.
Although it clears the wall, it also flies way over the crossbar.
From all around the world, many people comment on this free kick:
"Ah! Deng Kai didn’t keep it down!"
"That wasn’t a good kick!"
"Deng Kai has strength, but Arsenal’s wall was too high. It made him afraid to keep the ball down, so... "
"Why didn’t he use a Beckham curve? Deng Kai clearly knows how, even though the distance is far, but it’s still better quality than this shot!"
"What a pity! This was Deng Kai’s only chance to kill Arsenal!"
"No, I never thought it was a chance. From thirty-one meters out, this free kick was never going to result in a goal."
"Better to go for a tactical free kick, give the taller players on the team a chance to try a header."
Just as the football seems about to fly twice the height of both goals.
Suddenly!
Whoosh!
The football instantly drops by two meters!
Himan, who had remained tense, is taken aback.
He knows.
Here it comes!
Danger is coming!
He just knew it wouldn’t be so simple, he just knew...
Wait a minute!
Why is it swerving so much!
Himan’s eyes aren’t deceiving him.
Because the football isn’t spinning at all.
So Himan can even see the stitches on the football clearly.
But when an object is moving at high speeds, the clearer you see it, sometimes it becomes even harder to judge other things.
Such as trajectory.
Such as speed.
Himan thinks about diving to save at what he considers the right moment.
Based on his judgment, he slightly bends his legs, preparing to spring.
But...
Whoosh!
A gust of wind rushes past him.
The white net billows.
