Chapter 84: Chapter 84: Sent Off with a Red Card (Please Follow)
The 61st minute.
It’s still Wu Xudong!
He sprinted back in defense and snatched the ball from behind as Robben was preparing to cut inside.
His presence on the field effectively limited Robben’s performance!
The 72nd minute.
Groningen still couldn’t create any threat, and it was now Sporting Lisbon who began to turn the tables.
Ronaldo was consistently trying to break through on the wing, tormenting the Groningen right-back so much that his ankles could barely take it anymore.
He attracted a lot of firepower.
Bang!
Ronaldo passed the ball back to Veloso behind him and then quickly turned to make a run forward.
Veloso didn’t stop the ball but instead split the defense with a pass, sending the ball to the advancing Ronaldo.
It was a simple give-and-go, but very effective.
Ronaldo took the ball and decisively knocked it across.
The Groningen defense was completely thrown into disarray.
Lorenzo pulled the defenders away on the right side of the six-yard box.
Deng Kai surged from behind, with the ball in the penalty area and unguarded.
The Groningen goalkeeper advanced!
Deng Kai gently placed his right foot, scraping the ground, and lofted the ball with a chip shot!
The ball flew over the goalkeeper’s head toward the goal.
"GOAL! They’ve turned it around! Sporting Lisbon has taken the lead!"
"Three to two! Now the pressure is on Groningen!"
"Deng Kai’s chip was perfectly controlled; he often uses a chip pass in his games. He’s a player who often brings surprises."
"The camera finds the young Arjen Robben. The singing starts in the Groningen stands, it’s the fans’ adapted song for Robben, showing the high hopes they have for him!"
In the subsequent game, Robben kept trying, seeming to get the hang of Wu Xudong’s defense.
Wu Xudong was in great defensive form at high speeds.
But once the pace slowed, his defensive shortcomings, compared to an average fullback, were exposed.
In the 79th minute, Robben used a rather fancy dribble, completely throwing Wu Xudong off balance to the ground.
Loud applause immediately erupted in the stands.
Clearly, the Groningen fans also did not like Wu Xudong, who had for a time frozen Robben.
Then Robben cut inside and broke past Angelo, who had come over to cover.
"Robben shoots!"
"Oh! Deng Kai gets there first and pokes the ball away!"
"Robben didn’t get his foot on the ball, instead he struck Deng Kai’s back, on the right shoulder area!"
"Deng Kai clutches his right shoulder in great pain. The match is halted by the referee, who asks if Deng Kai needs the medics. Deng Kai shakes his head; he can continue."
"Robben is complaining to the referee, asserting that Deng Kai committed a foul."
"But the referee views it as a fine tackle, noting that Deng Kai had no physical contact with Robben during the entire sequence. Robben was a bit slow on the shot, perhaps wanting more power, which gave Deng Kai the chance."
"Don’t be fooled by Deng Kai’s height, which is below average among his peers; he is by no means a defensive liability. And... he seems to have grown taller since the first half of the season?"
The 83rd minute.
Groningen’s midfield launched a long ball to Robben.
But Wu Xudong marked Robben so closely that it turned into a duel for the ball in the air.
In the end, Wu Xudong’s Inner Mongolian muscular quality prevailed as he overpowered Robben to clear the ball away.
The 84th minute.
After the sideline throw by Groningen looking again for Robben, Wu Xudong, at such a close distance, naturally couldn’t prevent Robben from receiving the ball.
Upon getting the ball, Robben executed two consecutive turn feints, successfully outmaneuvering Wu Xudong.
Then Robben turned and burst forward.
Whistle!
The referee blew the whistle.
As Wu Xudong had brought Robben down.
Robben’s shirt collar was left misshapen.
Robben was furious.
The referee finally delved into his pocket, showing Wu Xudong a yellow card.
"It’s okay, you did well. If there’s a next time, you should still do the same," Deng Kai came over to encourage Wu Xudong.
Many players believe that receiving a card suggests they didn’t perform well enough.
This line of thinking could potentially hinder their performance in the remainder of the game.
Deng Kai understood the mindset of Chinese footballers all too well.
Influenced by domestic public opinion leaders, the trend of "introspection" has plagued us for decades.
"Why did you get a card?
Because you didn’t defend properly!
Why didn’t you defend properly?
Because you’re rubbish!
Why do people manage to defend without resorting to getting booked?
Getting carded just means you’re not polite, not civilized!
A yellow card is a disgrace!
A red card should mean retirement!
It’s a complete loss of face for the Chinese!
You’ve tarnished the image of Chinese people as educated, reasonable, and friendly!
You’ve impacted the big strategic game of the official image of China in the West!" and so on.
Deng Kai feared Wu Xudong would think this way, so he hastened to enlighten him.
With just a few minutes left in the game, Wu Xudong used a yellow card to interrupt one of Robben’s promising attacks, and it was absolutely worth it (Taobao remember to pay up)!
The eighty-seventh minute.
A nerve-wracking moment for the Sporting Lisbon fans arrived.
Robben, like a god descending to earth, cut in from the right flank in advance, bypassing Wu Xudong and challenging Semedo, who was filling in behind Deng Kai.
Semedo knew Robben would cut inside, but once faced with him, he couldn’t help but get dazzled by Robben’s devilish footwork.
Only at this moment did he realize how incredible Wu Xudong, who had been fooled by Robben many times before, truly was.
At least his vision was incredible.
Whoosh!
In the midst of his feint, Robben flicked the ball, and it slipped under Semedo’s legs.
He split man and ball!
Robben moved to the top right of the penalty area, making a preparatory move to shoot.
Angelo directly raised his leg to block the shot.
However, Robben’s move was a feint, and after a lateral dribble, he was ready to shoot!
Bang!
Just as the Groningen fans were anticipating Robben’s goal, Robben fell to the ground, unable to complete the shot.
He rolled on the ground in agony.
Someone had taken him down!
Boom!
The entire stadium erupted in an instant!
The fans cursed unceasingly.
The Groningen players also quickly surrounded the perpetrator, full of aggression.
"Oh! This is bad!"
"Red card! The referee directly shows Wu Xudong a red card! It was a dangerous move, and crucially, Wu Xudong didn’t even touch the ball, he just brought down Robben!"
"Such actions should not occur on the football pitch. However, we can see that Wu Xudong did hold back, he didn’t intend to hurt Robben, but he did go for the player, not letting Robben take the shot!"
"But... he stopped Robben’s attempt on goal. From that angle, Robben’s shot was almost certain."
"Really not sure how to evaluate Wu Xudong’s defense there."
Huang Jianxiang bit his tongue, wanting to say "Wu is awesome" but fearing it might be inappropriate.
But Deng Kai didn’t have such reservations. After calming the fury from the Groningen side, he found Wu Xudong and sent him off the field with these words, "You did good!"
Deng Kai was very sincere, and he also raised both hands to the few Sporting Lisbon fans in the stands, clapping above his head.
Getting the hint, the fans also began to applaud Wu Xudong.
He was a hero.
The defense was successful.
The red card was worth it.
Afterward, Robben personally took the free kick from a very favorable position.
Bang!
Robben’s free kick thudded against the head of Veloso, who leapt high into the air.
After falling to the ground, Veloso clutched his head, taking quite a while to stand up again.
Then the game entered added time.
First minute of injury time.
Groningen’s relentless offense created another dangerous opportunity.
Robben shook off Angelo and Ronaldo, who had run back to help defend from the front.
From Ronaldo’s position, it was clear that Sporting Lisbon had completely retreated into their penalty area.
Robben faced the goalkeeper with the ball!
One-on-one!
At this moment, in the mind of Sporting Lisbon’s goalkeeper Pilar, the words Deng Kai had said to him during the halftime break suddenly echoed.
"You need to watch out for Robben’s left foot, that’s where the threat is! And in a narrow-angle near the goal, he’ll more often shoot low towards the far post. That is, to his left."
"If he gets a one-on-one, remember, you must dive to his left!"
"Dive to his left!"
A spark of determination flashed in Pilar’s eyes like never before!
