Ground football: Ronaldo thought I was going to assist him

Viorante pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "We can give it a try. Um, Ronaldo, Almeida, Quaresma, Viana, come here for a second, I..."

The coaching staff then devised a specific heading tactic.

Viana and Quaresmado were asked to try crossing the ball, which was mostly aimed at Almeida.

Almeida is the main attacker.

While Almeida was entangled with the opponent, Ronaldo took the initiative to make repeated runs with Almeida, creating a double threat!

However, at the start of the second half, the Polish team changed their defensive strategy ahead of time.

They still parked buses, but they also assigned someone to keep an eye on Quaresma, whom they considered the biggest threat.

Quaresma struggled to receive the ball.

The crossing tactic was stillborn before it even began.

If one side doesn't work, try the other.

There are also problems in Viana.

As a winger/attacking midfielder, Viana needs to switch positions with Ronaldo to execute the tactic of crossing from the byline.

Cristiano Ronaldo is fine.

Viana is not a speed-based player; he relies on his technique.

It's quite difficult for him to get to the bottom.

He excels at dribbling past opponents and cutting inside after reaching the byline, but crossing from there is also challenging.

In the end, it was actually Ronaldo who had more opportunities to cross the ball.

In the 56th minute, Viana passed the ball to Ronaldo, who easily dribbled down the wing and delivered a successful cross.

The ball went wide of the goal line.

The quality of that pass sent chills down Viorante's spine.

In the 62nd minute, Cristiano Ronaldo delivered another cross.

This time it was an improvement over the previous one, and the news got out.

But it still can't be called quality.

They were cleared by the opponent at the near post.

In the 66th minute, after Ronaldo's cross was blocked, Poland launched a counter-attack.

Fonte ultimately took the initiative and completed a crucial steal.

The Portuguese players began to lose their composure.

The Polish team, having had ample rest, is getting better and better as the game progresses.

"Portugal is in trouble; they lack reliable crossers. Or rather, their crossers are all neutralized and have no room to maneuver."

"The two attacking midfielders tactic itself offers a lot of attacking variety. But when the opponent completely abandons attacking and adopts a defensive approach, the two attacking midfielders become meaningless."

"Furthermore, Almeida is struggling to contest headers alone in the penalty area; Ronaldo needs to enter the penalty area to contest them together."

"Viana should do more; he needs to free up Ronaldo instead of always having him drift to the wings and cross the ball."

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70th minute.

Portugal's attempts to exploit the left flank proved fruitless.

The ball returned to Meireles' feet.

Merrell noticed Duncan's movement and suddenly made a through pass.

Deng Kai made a forward run on the right flank, and after receiving the ball, he didn't try to get past the opponent, but instead passed the ball directly to Quaresma, and then continued to sprint into the penalty area.

Quaresma received the ball on the wing and began cutting inside.

Almost simultaneously, Deng Kai turned right from inside the penalty area and ran out of the penalty area.

Poland's defenders could therefore focus all their attention on Quaresma, with some pressing forward, some covering, and some blocking.

Quaresma knew that this cut inside was unlikely to succeed, but he saw out of the corner of his eye that Deng Kai had slipped out of the penalty area along the byline and moved to the right wing.

Quaresma immediately responded.

The Polish full-back raised his hand, indicating that Duncan was offside.

However, Deng Kai was right next to the linesman, and the linesman could see everything clearly.

The ball is not offside.

boom!

Deng Kai crossed the ball directly without any adjustments.

Multiple passing skills, including crosses from the flanks, precise crosses, De Bruyne's intuitive passes, weighted spin passes, and low passes, have been activated.

The ball had a wide arc, and after bypassing the defender at the near post, it veered sharply downwards.

Amelda didn't even jump before the ball landed on his head.

It didn't seem like he was looking for a football.

Instead, it was the football that was looking for his head.

Swish!

A close-range headbutt is incredibly powerful.

The Polish goalkeeper was unable to prevent the goal.

"Goal! A goal!"

"Almeida, who came on as a substitute, helped Portugal equalize!"

"However, 90% of the credit for this goal goes to Deng Kai, who provided the assist!"

"His crossing technique is superb! He can easily head the ball without Almeida even needing to jump."

"Almeida doesn't need to exert much force; the football itself is very powerful."

"Deng Kai's accuracy in delivering crosses is reminiscent of Beckham, Manchester United's star player who just won the treble."

"Although the two techniques are completely different, the effects are surprisingly similar."

"As far as we know, Beckham is very fond of Duncan, and they have taken many photos together at the Champions League award ceremony."

When Poland was in the lead, no one saw any hope of Portugal winning.

However, when the score was tied at 1-1, Portugal had already secured the victory.

Poland, having drawn the match, is destined to be eliminated.

Even if they manage to come in second by sheer luck, a mere four points is not enough to make them one of the two best second-place finishers and qualify for the next round.

Poland must break through.

Seventy-fourth minute.

The Polish people's squat toilets clearly have some problems.

Deng Kai used the same tactic again, making a forward run into the flank and directly disrupting Poland's defensive formation on the right side.

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Portugal's right-back Bosingwa easily made it down the wing and had a chance to cross the ball.

Poland was forced to concede a corner kick to Portugal.

Portugal's attacking storm thus began.

Eighty-first minute.

Cristiano Ronaldo made several breakthroughs on the left wing, but unable to find a shooting opportunity, he could only pass the ball back to Viana.

Everyone thought Viana would dribble and shoot, but Viana had excellent vision and instantly switched the ball to Duncan on the right, who had switched positions with Quaresma.

Deng Kai's feint with a cross sent the Polish left-back flying.

Deng Kai then dribbled the ball with his left foot towards the penalty area.

Facing the defender, Deng Kai made several touches with his left foot, eventually finding a gap in the opponent's retreating steps, and flicked the ball between the opponent's legs, completing a nutmeg dribble.

"Here!" Quaresma surged forward into the penalty area to call for the ball.

As long as the ball is in his hands, whether he shoots from a tight angle towards the near post or curls a shot with the outside of his foot into the far post, he is extremely threatening.

The Polish center-back immediately moved toward Quaresma.

But they haven't even fully taken a step; they've only just completed the shift of their center of gravity.

The football flew out.

He's nowhere near Quaresma's level.

A lob pass to the far post!

"Cristiano Ronaldo! Cristiano Ronaldo suddenly accelerates inside the penalty area, surging forward to get a header!"

"Unmarked! Cristiano Ronaldo leaps high, and there's no one to defend him!"

"Goal!"

"2-1! Portugal has come back from behind to take the lead!"

"Another header!"

"Poland's number two player had a chance to stop Ronaldo, but Almeida blocked him! Almeida set a beautiful screen for Ronaldo."

"But I have to say, the pass wasn't as good as the goal. Deng Kai's lob pass was incredibly skillful, and he was under immense pressure."

I like playing football on the ground: Ronaldo thought I was going to assist him.