Ground football: Ronaldo thought I was going to assist him

The stadium was completely full today.

More than 50,000 fans were all wearing green and white jerseys.

Ninety-nine point ninety-nine percent of the jerseys are Sporting Lisbon's.

Even with Moreirense's jersey, you can't tell the difference because they look very similar.

This match, played at Sporting Lisbon's home stadium, will also contribute to Moreirense's ticket revenue.

Sporting Lisbon wore green and white striped jerseys.

Moreirense, on the other hand, switched to their away kit, a blue jersey.

Since it's already the semi-final, Sporting Lisbon is taking this match very seriously, so they've given almost all of their starting lineups.

The three forwards, from left to right, are Kwame Ayew, Jardel, and Quaresma.

The latter two need no introduction. One is a two-time winner of the Portuguese league's Golden Boot, and it looks like he'll win another Golden Boot this year, achieving a three-peat.

One is a rising star that the team is heavily promoting.

Even Kwame Ayew was not an unknown figure.

His two nephews, Andre Ayew and Jordan Ayew, will both become strong players in the top five European leagues. They will play together for Ghana and lead the team to the World Cup in 2022.

In the first round of the group stage match against Portugal, Ghana captain Andre Ayew's team equalized the score, putting immense pressure on Portugal.

But before he could celebrate with his teammates after being substituted, Portugal took the lead, leaving André Ayew with a frozen expression, becoming one of the many faces of the Qatar World Cup.

Sporting Lisbon's midfield lineup consists of Viana, who has just recovered from injury and is still finding his form and adapting to the Portuguese league; defensive midfielder Delphine José; and versatile midfielder Pedro Alfredo Santos Barbosa.

Overshadowed by Quaresma, Viana may seem insignificant, but in fact, it was already quite remarkable that he became a starting midfielder for a Portuguese powerhouse in the same year.

Once Quaresma is sold in the summer, the club will concentrate all its resources on promoting him.

Sporting Lisbon labels him as Sporting Lisbon's own "Ruyin Costa"!

The defenders, from left to right, are George, Marcos, Roberto Luis, and Abdullah.

George's real name is very long, so I won't go into details.

Marcos transferred from PSV Eindhoven this season and has found his professional spring at Sporting Lisbon, where he was previously a substitute.

The goalkeeper is Peter Schmeichel, the Danish international who was signed by Sporting Lisbon from Manchester United this year.

He is also the player with the highest honors and skill level in this team, without exception.

Before the match, Triguera made a detailed strategic plan against Sporting Lisbon.

They drew inspiration from their match against Augusto's Gondomar, aiming to cut off Jardel's connection with the team, deny him the chance to receive the ball, and neutralize the Portuguese league's strongest center forward.

When the players from both sides enter the field.

The fans in the stadium cheered continuously, and both the players from Sporting Lisbon and Moreirense gave them enthusiastic applause.

On the one hand, in the minds of these fans, Moreirense is Sporting Lisbon's second team.

Not only are their jerseys similar, but the key is that the opposing team's star player is a youth academy player they've loaned out for training. Their relationship is very close.

On the other hand, no one believes that Moreirense will cause any trouble for Sporting Lisbon.

People tend to be friendly towards the world when they are doing well.

The fans even chanted "Ronaldo, Ronaldo" and "Kaiser, Kaiser" in a friendly manner!

This atmosphere doesn't feel like a Portuguese Cup semi-final at all.

It was more like a friendly match where the outcome was completely unimportant.

The kind of relationship where friendship comes first and competition second.

drop!

With a whistle, the competition officially began.

After a brief period of trembling for three or four minutes, the ball was regained control by Sporting Lisbon's players.

This reflects the player's overall ability, which is normal.

Morellens quickly squatted down.

If they cannot gain possession of the ball, they will adopt a defensive approach, but their defensive attitude will be aggressive, and they will actively apply pressure.

Weak, but not entirely weak.

In the fourth minute, Viana, who had recovered remarkably well, delivered a brilliant through ball, showcasing a flash of genius.

Macedo was completely overwhelmed by that pass.

Kilop tried to block the ball early, but was violently knocked aside by Jardel next to him.

As a center-back, Kirop was completely outmatched by Jardel in terms of physical strength!

Kirop is still young and plays for the national youth team. He is considered excellent because he has reached a level close to that of a center-back in the Portuguese league at a young age.

But Jardel is the highest-scoring player in the Portuguese league, a super striker!

Hitting you wasn't a piece of cake, was it?

Anyone who has played basketball knows that even the stronger, younger students have a hard time out-bumping middle-aged players on the court; it's just a mysterious phenomenon.

fortunately!

Fonte also paid enough attention to Jardel, closing in promptly and poking the ball away from Jardel's feet.

Otherwise, Jardel would have shot.

Even with such a large garrison, Jader could not be completely contained; he demonstrated his power to Morelens.

This led Moreirense to place even greater importance on him.

Macedo, the defensive midfielder, is almost becoming a center-back closely marking Jardel.

Seventh minute.

Moreirense got a hard-won attacking opportunity.

Deng Kai passed the ball to Ronaldo, who had dropped back.

After receiving the ball, Ronaldo immediately took a powerful sprint and began a 100-meter race with the opposing right-back, Abdul-Lira.

He needs to assess the strength of his opponent before deciding whether to play a 1-1-3 or a 3-3-1 formation.

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Abdullah was fast, and the two rushed from the center line into the attacking third, with Ronaldo only half a body length ahead.

His crosses are good, but his cut-in is still lacking.

This right-back is fast.

Noisy!

After slowing down slightly, Ronaldo used a backheel flick to change direction.

He faked Abdullah out of control while simultaneously cutting inside.

If you hurry, you'll gain the upper hand.

Cristiano Ronaldo charged into the penalty area and repeatedly executed stepovers against the opposing center-back.

Having already entered, Roberto Luis dared not step out carelessly.

However, Ronaldo only did a single-pass without making any further progress, and Luiz didn't seem worried.

Abdullah, who had been thrown into the air, slipped and fell, but is now getting up and rushing over to help defend.

The other defenders were also getting into position, and this kind of stepover only made Ronaldo's chances of scoring increasingly slim.

Suddenly, Ronaldo flicked the ball to his right, creating space and angle for a low-angle shot.

Louis put his hands behind his back and raised his leg, doing his best to block.

Schmeichel immediately adjusted his position to prepare for the save.

But the next moment Schmeichel realized something was wrong.

That kick was too weak; it was... a feint!

"Ronaldo shot... no, he feinted with his right foot, and then, before his right foot landed, he flicked it with his left..."

"Flavio at the far post... Flavio! Flavio heads the ball into the net at the far post! Absolutely no one noticed him! Except for Ronaldo!"

"That pass is reminiscent of Deng Kai!"

"Cristiano Ronaldo has been playing smarter and smarter in the Portuguese Second Division lately, and his short passing has gradually become more inspired."

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