Chapter 756: Chapter 755: Chelsea Could Become the Biggest Winner
And because Robinson had shifted his weight forward prematurely,
the shot almost rolled into the net from not far off his right leg.
But he was indifferent, unable to make any block on the football.
He had become a wooden post.
Bang!
The next moment,
Deng Kai, who had just finished shooting, was tackled to the ground by Terry charging in from the side.
However, Deng Kai had anticipated this and leaned his upper body to the right as he swung his right foot.
Top-heavy and light below.
When Terry tackled him, his entire body soared into the air.
His left, supporting foot hardly bore any force.
If his supporting foot had been firmly planted on the ground,
then Terry’s tackle could have broken Deng Kai’s ankle or leg.
Beep!
Before Deng Kai could get up from the ground, he heard the referee’s whistle.
He looked up.
The referee pointed to the center circle, signaling the goal was valid.
The Portugal players quickly rushed over, surrounding Terry and Deng Kai.
But Deng Kai waved them off immediately and then slowly stood up, "I’m fine, I’m fine."
Only then did the Portugal players let Terry go.
Meanwhile, the English, while Terry was surrounded, had no intention of rushing to their teammate’s aid.
Their spirit had been completely sapped by that goal.
All of them appeared listless.
If at three-nil down, the English still wanted to try and pull back the scoreline,
at five-nil, there really wasn’t anything left to play for.
Even if you had the world’s number one team in every position going up against the last team in the Premier League, they couldn’t win when trailing by five goals.
For any rational player, restarting the game was the best option.
And the only option.
The Portugal team’s medic rushed onto the field.
Dragão Stadium also became quiet for the first time since the match had started.
All Portugal fans’ hearts were in their throats.
Deng Kai absolutely must not get injured.
They really couldn’t afford to lose Deng Kai.
This was the national team’s one true god!
Three matches, three hat-tricks!
Five goals, six assists!
An average of 3.6 goals created per match!
Who else could there be!
Finally, after simple treatment, the medic left the field.
Deng Kai remained on the pitch.
The entire stadium applauded Deng Kai warmly.
The referee then immediately blew the whistle to end the first half.
Five-nil!
Portugal had secured their qualification for the final of the European Cup ahead of time!
...
During the half-time break, Trigella talked with Deng Kai for a bit.
Afterward, Deng Kai found Ronaldo and discussed the second half with him.
Deng Kai’s ankle still had a minor injury.
To be safe, he wouldn’t continue in the second half.
Deng Kai suggested letting Ronaldo rest for the second half too, to avoid injury and to ensure he could be in the best shape for the European Cup final.
Ronaldo initially didn’t want to agree because his goal tally for the tournament had just been matched by Deng Kai.
Both of them had scored five goals, tying for first place in the goalscorer standings.
If Deng Kai went off, Ronaldo would just need one or two more in the second half, and the Golden Boot would be his, right?
What?
Not score?
Don’t joke.
Given England’s performance, Ronaldo felt he could score five in the second half alone!
But in the end, Ronaldo was persuaded by Deng Kai.
Deng Kai, "If you refuse this proposal, we might consider starting Gomes or Bolaita as the main striker in the European Cup final."
Ronaldo, "Ha! I am Portugal’s strongest forward. If I don’t start in the final, even if I agree, Portugal’s fans won’t!"
Deng Kai: "So, how about you play as captain next game, and I’ll clap for you from the bench?"
Ronaldo: ...
During halftime, European media had already rushed to release various news stories.
"5-0 at halftime! Portugal proves England is in a different league with their strength!"
"Is this the Premier League All-Stars? Five goals at halftime! Portugal brutally thrashes the Premier League!"
"King! Deng Kai is the only king of the Premier League! Hat-trick dismantles England by halftime, there’s a reason why Manchester City is unbeaten and champions!"
"The one true god of Portugal! Deng Kai leads Portugal to a resounding victory after his return, completing hat-tricks in three consecutive matches is unprecedented!"
"Three games, three hat-tricks! Two assists and one goal hat-trick, capturing five goals and six assists in one fell swoop!"
"Deng Kai dominates both the goal-scoring and assist charts! First in both categories, his eyes firmly set on the Delaney Cup!"
Fifteen minutes later.
The second half began.
However, all media outlets noticed that Deng Kai and Ronaldo were sitting on the bench.
Gomes and Quaresma each took over the positions of the Portuguese duo.
Quaresma took Deng Kai’s position.
Gomes filled in for Ronaldo’s spot.
"These substitutions by Portugal are quite deliberate."
"This undoubtedly reaffirms Deng Kai and Ronaldo’s status in the team, Trigella isn’t willing to take any risks, he needs these two players fully present in the Euro final!"
"And Figo gets the opportunity to play the whole game, this is undoubtedly respect for the Portuguese legend!"
In the 65th minute, England made substitutions in a last attempt.
Robbie Fowler replaced the ineffective Rooney.
The more offensive Ashley Young replaced Gary Neville.
Gerard came on for Joe Cole.
The 76th minute.
Portugal brought on Rui Costa in place of Deco.
Suddenly, Dragão Stadium erupted in applause.
Gomes, Figo, Rui Costa, Bia... members of Portugal’s golden generation were gradually taking their last dance for the national side!
The 79th minute.
England’s young player Ashley Young was brought down at high speed, earning a free kick.
Beckham’s signature curler flashed by, leaving a scar on the Portuguese dragon, but for the dragon, that scar was next to nothing.
One to five!
England reclaimed a goal, salvaging some pride.
In the 88th minute, Portugal launched a major offensive.
Rui Costa connected with Gomes.
Gomes laid it back to Figo.
Figo delivered a cross.
Quaresma met the ball with a trivela shot, and the ball flew straight into the corner of the goal.
Six to one!
Portugal maintained a five-goal victory.
A thorough thrashing of England!
After the game, England’s players refused to comment on the match.
They disappointed the fans.
They disappointed themselves too.
They thought they had a chance to win this match.
But the result...
A semifinal appearance at the Euros wasn’t bad at all; this iteration of the England team had made significant progress, having not reached the semis of a major tournament for a long time.
But this defeat was just too ugly.
So much so that the team faced serious criticism within England.
Yet Chelsea were quite pleased with the situation.
Because they had purchased Robben early on.
Facing Portugal, Robben assisted twice, bringing despair to the Portuguese at one point.
When Chelsea bought Robben, many media outlets thought Chelsea paid too high a transfer fee and salary.
Indeed they had paid a lot.
This was Chelsea’s transfer strategy.
Splurge with money!
But after this game, the entire English team was almost driven mad by Portugal.
A bunch of Premier League stars, and none quite as threatening as Robben.
Now reconsider Robben’s value... no bias but, if Chelsea were to sell Robben now, there would be plenty of teams after him for 25 million euros.
It’s as though his market value skyrocketed by seven million euros in just three days.
This would be Chelsea’s only visible profit-making deal so far!
The nouveau riche finally struck gold.
