Chapter 725: Chapter 724: The Midfielder Who is More Like a Striker than the Striker
Deng Kai directly went around the front, performed a one-two around the ball, bypassed Garido, and left him behind.
"Deng Kai! Deng Kai has completed a beautiful breakthrough!"
"A nutmeg! Deng Kai just made Garido stop dead in his tracks!"
"Deng Kai cuts inside! His breakthrough is as sharp as if he were possessed by the likes of Ronaldo, Henry, Ribery, and Figo!"
Baraja immediately shifted his position to chase after Deng Kai.
Valencia’s center-back Ayala was also retreating, adjusting his position and keeping an eye on both Adriano and the advancing Fabregas.
Manchester City’s attack was about to arrive.
The reason it was said to be "about to" was that Manchester City’s attack actually had a tiny, hardly noticeable flaw.
And that was "waiting for people."
Manchester City’s attack required a large number of players and passes to create an absolute opportunity.
They rarely had quick attacks, unless it was a counterattack.
And if it wasn’t a counterattack, even if Ribery completed a breakthrough, they would often have to wait for the midfield players to come up, or for Maicon to make his run up the flank.
So, similarly, Deng Kai also had to wait...
Bang!
From a distance of twenty-five meters away from the goal, Deng Kai suddenly kicked while running, a powerful shot!
Baraja was still some distance away from him.
Ayala retreated further, giving Deng Kai a perfect shooting environment.
Where did Deng Kai need to wait?
This shot was earth-shattering.
It was enough to remind anyone of that Argentine war god because this was a Batistuta goal!
Swish!
The football headed straight for the far corner, hitting the mark precisely.
Canizares’ save was more than a beat too slow.
The football flew past the defender Ayala, who could have disrupted the shot if he had stretched out his leg.
But the unprepared Ayala couldn’t react at all in that moment.
The audacity of Deng Kai’s shot selection was too much.
If they had continued to dribble forward, they definitely could have created a better chance.
If chances were graded.
City wouldn’t shoot unless it was a chance of grade eight or below.
Unlike Manchester United, where Ronaldo and Van Nistelrooy took wild shots even with opportunities of grades five or six.
But this time, Deng Kai’s chance was merely grade five or six.
He...
Guardiola smiled.
A fifth or sixth-grade opportunity, other Manchester City players indeed had no authorization to fire.
But Deng Kai did.
Even if it was a chance of grade one or two, as long as Deng Kai wanted, he could take it.
On the one hand, he had this authority.
On the other hand, he also had the ability.
His exceedingly quick passes always transformed chances from grades three or four into chances of grades eight or nine.
That’s why Deng Kai’s passes were unstoppable.
They were too unpredictable!
Now, his shooting had become the same.
"GOAL!"
"One-nil! It’s Deng Kai! Deng Kai!"
"Less than ten minutes into the game, Deng Kai has scored with a thunderous long shot!"
"It’s a super goal!"
"Deng Kai effortlessly got past Garido, then scored with a long shot! He used the purest winger’s technique to break through."
"So sharp!"
"Valencia definitely underestimated Deng Kai. They should have defended him with the same vigor they use to defend against Ronaldo on the left wing!"
The stadium erupted with applause.
Blue overwhelmed white.
That sense of isolation emerged once again.
Benitez immediately furrowed his brows.
Trouble!
The worst scenario had unfolded.
Deng Kai’s goal brought back that feeling of Valencia against the world.
The Valencia players unconsciously grew tenser.
Despite Benitez urging his players to stay calm and relaxed.
But he could tell, it wasn’t working.
The thirteenth minute.
Ribery, while taking on Caboni, delivered a through ball.
Maicon, hugging the sideline, received the ball and crossed from the byline.
Crossing from the byline wasn’t an eight-grade opportunity.
But an unmarked Maicon, after adjusting and observing his teammates’ runs, delivered a cross that was definitely of an eight-grade quality.
Bang!
Marchena managed to head the ball clear a step ahead.
The fifteenth minute.
Ribery and Maicon on the right flank posed a threat once again.
In the end, an inward-cutting Ribery sent a horizontal pass.
On Valencia’s side, it was Marchena again who stepped ahead of Fabregas to clear the danger.
Fabregas, sitting on the ground, raised both hands high, signaling, "That’s not a foul?"
Marchena quickly warned Fabregas not to dive, insisting that their encounter was just normal contact.
The two of them exchanged words over it, and the main referee came over to caution Marchena.
The sixteenth minute, Ribery beat Caboni and crossed from the byline.
This time Adriano out-muscled Marchena to get a header on goal.
Unfortunately, it went high.
The nineteenth minute, Ribery once again got past Caboni and after reaching the byline, he sent a cutback pass.
Maicon from the right of the penalty area took a shot, but the football brushed past the post.
Vicente was right behind Maicon.
He was pushed back to a defensive position by Manchester City, with no chance to organize Valencia’s attack.
After Manchester City’s goal, their continuous offensive overwhelmed Valencia, nearly leaving them breathless.
The domination in the game was simply too strong!
Benitez immediately signaled to his team.
The message was... counter-attack!
But Valencia itself was also a team that could counter-attack.
They were grateful to have Real Madrid and Barcelona in La Liga.
The former, with its galaxy of stars, had strong players who could dominate anyone they played.
The latter’s tactics focused on ball control, sharing about seventy percent similarity with Manchester City.
Valencia’s victories over them to become La Liga champions included many goals scored from counter-attacks.
The twenty-fourth minute.
Valencia got their chance to counter-attack.
Marchena intercepted the ball and immediately launched a long pass.
Vicente took off down the flank, successfully receiving the ball behind Maicon’s defensive area, and continued to drive forward.
However, when he cut inside, he was shocked to find a massive shadow on his right.
"Oh! Yaya Toure’s recovery speed is too fast!"
"How can he run like that?"
"This player works so hard, his coverage is so wide, he’s the player who’s run the most in this match so far!"
Toure blocked Vicente’s path to cut inside, stretched out his long leg to hold the football, and then exerted a slight force.
Vicente was pushed down to the ground.
He raised both hands demanding a foul call.
But the main referee didn’t whistle.
Toure had controlled the ball first, and the collision was within the normal range.
The strength of a Premier League top midfielder was fully demonstrated in this defense.
If this were the Premier League, Toure might have exerted more force just now.
But he held back.
Bang!
Toure passed the ball to Thiago Silva.
The latter sent a long pass directly without even stopping the ball.
This was...
Countering Valencia’s counter!
"My goodness! Thiago Silva’s long kick was so sudden!"
"Most Valencia players are in the midfield."
"On the left! Deng Kai!"
"Deng Kai has accelerated! He cuts inside without the ball... like lightning!"
"Canizares charges out!"
"Which of the two will touch the football first?"
"It’s Deng Kai! His speed is clearly faster!"
"Deng Kai..."
Bang!
After a hot pursuit, Deng Kai, just outside the penalty area, met the ball with a first-time chip shot.
He had no chance to adjust.
For Canizares had come out.
