Chapter 747: Chapter 746: Surround Ronaldo and Release Messi
Continuous speed beating defenders!
Speed truly is king!
At this time, Carvalho was almost the last line of defense for the Portugal team.
Carvalho’s defensive ability was very strong, and his defensive awareness was good too; his defense was full of aggressiveness, with excellent speed, agility, and physicality.
One-on-one, he was the most reliable on this back line.
The two players quickly closed in on each other.
Robben started to slow down.
But there was no change in direction.
Robben charged at Carvalho, as if to say, "I’m going to get past you!"
Left, right, left, right, left... Robben kept dodging side to side.
In the end, he stabbed the ball with his left foot.
The football went straight through Carvalho’s legs.
Robben completed the cut inside from Carvalho’s left!
And Carvalho crashed to the ground.
The entire stadium gasped.
Carvalho, this season’s best defender in the Champions League, was actually outplayed by the young Robben?
This...
There was no time to be shocked, as Byer proactively charged out.
While at full conditions to kick for a shot, Robben passed the ball with a side flick.
Seconds later, the belatedly arriving Demede pushed the ball into an empty net.
The football rolled into the goal.
Byer, who was chasing back, was powerless to stop it.
"GOAL! Demede! Robben!"
"Beautiful counter-attack!"
"This is the Dutch team’s total attack and total defense tactics!"
"Little Flying Dutchman Robben is too fast; his dribbling breakthrough is equally terrifying! He’s like a mirror image of Demede!"
"That last pass just goes to show Robben’s selflessness."
"Two to zero! Could the Dutch actually be about to eliminate the hosts on Portugal’s own soil?"
"Who would have thought that despite having the world’s number one, Deng Kai, the Portugal team might stop at the quarterfinals of the European Championship."
"This is a heavy blow to the Portugal team."
"This could severely affect the public’s perception of Deng Kai."
"At least in terms of the national team, Deng Kai hasn’t delivered outstanding results."
The camera focused on Robben. There wasn’t much joy on the face of Robben, who had just assisted for the second time.
Because he hadn’t intended to pass the ball.
He preferred to take the shot himself when he had the chance.
But Advocaat had explicitly requested Robben to pass the ball more.
He didn’t allow players to go beyond their role limitations.
Otherwise, Sneijder was the best example.
Even if the Dutch team reached the final and were short on players, Sneijder would not get playing time.
And as a key player of the team, Demede had the second most shooting rights after Van Nistelrooy.
Sigh...
Robben didn’t even like to play on the left; he wanted to be on the right because that way, no one would press him to pass.
What kind of pass could his left foot deliver from the right wing?
But because of Demede, Robben had to play on the left.
In the end, the score at half-time fixed at two to zero.
The Dutch held an absolute advantage.
The fact that the entire Portugal team was suppressed was indisputable.
The score accurately reflected the situation.
...
Back in the locker room, the Portugal team decisively rolled over the whiteboard.
All the way there, Deng Kai had been reviewing the half-time data analysis that Trigella had handed over.
Combining his own feelings on the field, he pretty much had a direction in mind.
Clang, clang, clang!
Deng Kai held a marker, tapped the white notebook, and signaled for his teammates to look over.
Deco was surprised.
Because was it really not Trigella explaining the tactics?
Or Maxa.
Deng Kai was just a player, how dare he?
Just like Deco wouldn’t be able to do the same at Porto, Mourinho would never allow it.
"The left side of the Netherlands team is currently an absolute advantage; Robben is performing very well," Deng Kai pointed at Robben’s name. "His speed, dribbling, and passing are all excellent."
"He’s the player with the highest efficiency in the entire first half."
"It’s very difficult to completely suppress him."
At this point, Pepe, feeling somewhat ashamed, lowered his head.
He and Maniche were the players matched against Robben, and it was their problem that they couldn’t restrain him.
But the main problem was with Maniche.
Maniche was too fond of pushing forward.
At Porto, they focused on defense and lacked attacking methods.
The attack almost solely relied on Deco and Drogba’s individual abilities.
And Drogba’s coordination, along with Maniche’s forward runs to shoot on goal, was one of the complementary tactics.
Additionally, when Porto counterattacked, they often needed players good at advancing forward, and Maniche could also do that.
So, he suited Porto very well.
But this style of play didn’t suit the Portugal team.
Because the Portugal team wasn’t lacking in offensive talent upfront.
The Portugal team was already top-heavy.
Three forwards, two attacking midfielders, each one an offensive superstar... there was no need for Maniche to advance forward frequently anymore.
What the Portugal team needed more was a defensive midfielder who could stay back.
"For the second half, Pepe and Carvalho switch positions," Deng Kai suddenly drew a circle on Demede’s name. "Maniche and Costinha switch positions."
"Costinha’s and Carvalho’s only task is to restrict Robben. You guys stay back long-term, don’t give Robben space to sprint, that way Robben won’t easily find chances to break through."
"We will attack Demede’s side with all our strength from now on."
"Although Demede has a higher status in the Netherlands team, his performance in this World Cup hasn’t been good. There are some problems with his technique and tactics, and Serie A’s defensive philosophy has affected his offensive thinking."
"Even though he’s still very fast, his efficiency in breaking through has drastically declined over the past half-season."
"His condition is very much like that of my club teammate Ashley Young. Only standing out for not getting past people."
"So, we’ll pile on forces on Robben’s side, forcing them to give the ball rights to Demede."
"Pepe, your task is heavy."
"You must take down Demede one-on-one. Only one-on-one can ensure the Netherlands team continuously insists on giving the ball rights to Demede. Otherwise, they will definitely choose the better-performing Robben."
"And ahead of you, there’s Maniche, Deco, me; we’re all here, do you get what I mean?"
"Of course, as a Champions League-level defender, I believe you have the ability."
Pepe nodded heavily.
This was indeed a daunting task.
Singling out and freezing Demede, and hitting the spaces behind him.
Pepe was the most crucial part of Portugal’s counterattacks.
If he couldn’t hold off Demede, then Portugal would probably be finished.
Two years on, he didn’t expect Team Leader Kai to still have such trust in him.
Pepe didn’t know if he could do it.
But he had never wanted to do it as much as he did at this moment.
This is the power of belief.
The second half began.
The Netherlands team quickly noticed the problem.
The Portuguese were targeting Robben.
In the 47th minute, Robben was sandwiched by Costinha and Carvalho.
Under the targeting by a Champions League defender and defensive midfielder, Robben clearly lost possession.
It wasn’t something to be embarrassed about.
It actually proved the threat of Robben.
In the 51st minute.
With his teammates’ help, Robben managed to send out a cross, but the quality was low, and Feng Te easily headed it away.
With Feng Te’s one meter eighty-eight, Van Nistelrooy really can’t take advantage of him on aerial balls.
