Chapter 79: Chapter 79: The Cut-Kai Tactic, Iron-Blooded Bodyguard
"Deng Kai has improved again!" Trigella nodded repeatedly in the stands, "It’s not just his technique, his speed, confrontational skills, and height have all improved markedly."
"He might still be considered a small player by others, but this kind of growth is significant for him."
"He’s definitely worth the club’s investment."
The executive beside him did not nod.
Trigella noticed this: "He’s not just the type of midfielder who is all skill and no substance, he can shine brightly. What sets him apart from ordinary midfielders is his ability to make that final pass or even finish!"
The executive’s pupils shrank.
What that statement meant, translated, was... Deng Kai was a player who could rack up stats.
Wingers can make a name for themselves with one speedy breakthrough.
What about midfielders?
Qualities like control, organization, and a good sense of position do not belong to "obvious" traits and cannot easily be seen by many.
If it can’t be seen, fans won’t clamor for it, and other clubs will find it hard to justify paying for such a player.
Thus, packaging a young midfielder is challenging.
Moreover, key midfield positions, central defenders, goalkeepers... these roles inherently tend to exclude young players at this time.
Throughout history, there’ve been many young vanguards, but how many young Marshals?
When the business of "packaging forwards" wasn’t even in full swing, nobody thought to settle for packaging midfielders instead.
And when midfielders weren’t touted, nobody was packaging young defenders.
The thirty-second minute.
Before Deng Kai could turn, Amorim brought him down directly.
Lately, Benfica hasn’t been giving Deng Kai any chance to control the ball upfront.
He had already been brought down three times.
Facing these restrictions, Deng Kai lost his control over the team.
In the forty-first minute, Deng Kai finally shook off his marker and sent a long pass.
But just as the football flew out, Amorim took Deng Kai down, a moment too late.
The main referee signaled an advantage to the attack and did not stop the play.
Because it was a brilliant pass!
On the right side of Sporting Lisbon’s front field, Marcelino was in an excellent position, almost on a half-breakaway.
And Lorenzo in the middle was also moving and tugging, in an equally superb position.
A two-on-one situation upfront!
The Benfica defenders had no choice but to dive at Marcelino.
If Marcelino had passed to Lorenzo at that moment, even Lorenzo’s nanny could have scored.
But Marcelino didn’t.
Bang!
"Ah! Marcelino didn’t pass; he took the shot himself!"
"Taking the shot is fine, as he had an angle, but the key is you have to score!"
"Vieirinha made a beautiful save, pressing the football right to the ground."
"Marcelino’s shot was of such poor quality, below his usual standard!"
After getting up, Vieirinha immediately passed to Pereira on the right flank.
Pereira advanced with the ball along the side.
Veloso stepped up to intercept.
Pereira chipped a pass to find Amorim.
Amorim continued to advance and then slid a through pass mid-stride.
It actually got through!
Another Benfica midfielder, Vieira received the ball at the top of the penalty box arc and shot from long range!
The football cleanly plunged into the net.
"Oh! What a world-class goal!"
"Vieira has done it! He’s helped the team level the score!"
"One to one! Benfica has been lively in this period, almost taking over the game!"
"Deng Kai must figure something out, if he keeps being restrained, the whole match is in jeopardy."
Afterwards, neither side could score again, and the match moved into the half-time break.
In the locker room.
Veloso found Deng Kai, "Kai, you need to be careful, they are employing a foul play strategy against you."
Deng Kai furrowed his brows.
He certainly felt it.
But if he shrunk back for fear of being knocked down, then the team would really be in danger.
After the start of the second half, Deng Kai remained proactive in asking for the ball and passing it, mostly with one-touch plays, but still attempting some turns.
In the fifty-sixth minute,
Veloso, after a steal, found Deng Kai.
Deng Kai finally managed to shake off Amorim, received the ball, turned around, and made a long pass without even looking!
Ronaldo successfully received the ball on the left wing and then took on Pereira, driving Pereira almost to the point of neurosis.
Eventually, Pereira indeed failed to stop Ronaldo; Ronaldo cut inside successfully.
Bang!
Ronaldo might be in a good mood today, as he didn’t dribble any further after cutting inside, choosing to pass directly instead.
And the striker, Lorenzo, who had been making great runs all day, easily received Ronaldo’s pass and shot at goal.
The football didn’t connect cleanly, and the shot was subpar in quality.
But it was this imperfection that altered the trajectory of the ball, turning it into a very tricky shot.
In the end, the football almost brushed against the goalpost as it rolled in.
"Beautiful! Two to one! Who would have thought that Lorenzo would be the one to step up this time!"
"That was an assist from Ronaldo."
"Of course, let’s not forget Deng Kai, who launched the attack, and Veloso, who won the ball possession."
"The names of Sporting Lisbon’s midfielder Veloso and striker Lorenzo are indeed quite similar, and many people tend to confuse them."
This goal directly altered the mentality of both teams.
Benfica has always been a winner; they only lost one game out of eighteen in the first half of the season.
And it was to Sporting Lisbon.
Now, entering the second phase of the North-South zone competition, they wanted to win it back with interest!
In the sixtieth minute,
Deng Kai was knocked over by Alexandre when receiving a back pass from a teammate.
Alexandre’s action was intended to knock down Deng Kai, and Deng Kai fell hard.
Veloso witnessed this "case" from the side.
Alexandre had the chance to slow down, but he chose not to.
Two minutes later, Vieira received the ball from his teammate Simon.
Bang!
Veloso went straight in with a fierce slide tackle, taking down both man and ball!
Vieira rolled on the ground, clutching his ankle and showing great pain.
However, Veloso immediately bent down to the ground and said to Vieira, "Brother, stop faking it. I’m well aware of the effects of my defense. If I wanted to injure you, you wouldn’t have the strength to roll around on the ground."
"What you did to Deng Kai today has already been overboard, you can’t play football like that. Otherwise... you know what I mean!"
Vieira was infuriated by Veloso’s words, jumping up immediately, chest bumping Veloso, and making it a sort of medical miracle.
But Vieira didn’t have Veloso’s height or build, and after bumping into him, he was the one to bounce back.
Alexandre, Amorim, Simon, and others immediately rushed over.
Deng Kai, Semedo, Ronaldo, and others also quickly joined in, and both sides looked ready to explode into conflict.
Fortunately, the referee was assertive enough to separate Vieira and Veloso and showed Veloso a yellow card for that excessive defense.
Veloso didn’t argue, but he said to the referee, "I respect and acknowledge your decision, but I think you should also pay more attention to Deng Kai, the opposition’s defensive actions are very aggressive."
The referee gestured that he didn’t need to be taught, but still took Veloso’s words into consideration.
Veloso used his yellow card to remind the referee that if he couldn’t protect the players on the field, then they would have to protect themselves... with an eye for an eye approach.
If such a situation truly occurred, it would mean a failure in officiating the game.
Therefore, if Benfica were to foul Deng Kai, the likelihood of receiving a card now greatly increased.
This tactical yellow card aimed to liberate Deng Kai, carrying significant strategic weight.
Veloso showcased his iron-guard protector attribute, reflecting his thoughtfulness and talent in the defensive midfield position.
Of course, this manner of defense also had its downsides.
That was the risk of retaliation from the opposition.
