Ground football: Ronaldo thought I was going to assist him

Eighty-ninth minute.

Everyone thought the game was over.

But the Brazilian prodigy captivated the entire stadium with his Porto Waltz.

He dribbled past two players in the middle and finally forced his way into the penalty area.

Fonte, like a butcher, destroyed the work of art and brought Deco down.

Yellow dot meal!

Fonte paid the price for his incompetence.

Deco even took the penalty himself and converted it with great composure.

At that moment, the entire stadium erupted in shouts—Super Deco!

Deco raised his arms high, basking in the fans' adoration, unaware of how dangerous it was to reveal his title to Deng Kai.

Three to three!

After taking the lead for several games, Porto finally equalized against Sporting Lisbon, saving face for the day.

This was also the final score of the match.

Neither side was satisfied with the result.

Deco: "We established a lead very early on, but we underestimated this Sporting Lisbon team. They are very resilient, and this was the toughest game we played this season."

Reporter: "Which players on this team do you think we need to be wary of?"

Deco: "Everyone needs to be careful. This is a team that can unleash a youth storm. Quaresma is definitely the first priority, but Viana, Ronaldo, and their forwards should not be underestimated."

Reporter: "Do you think there are any players on this team similar to you?"

Deco: "Yes, Duncan! He may not be the most dazzling one, but that's the most terrifying thing about a midfielder his age. When I was his age, I didn't care about anything but showing off. But he clearly cares more about winning, which is a very valuable quality."

The reporter relayed Deco's assessment to Deng Kai.

Deng Kai: "I'm very grateful to Deco for giving me and himself such high praise. In fact, Deco is currently better than me. We may be doing the same things on the field, but I'm far less adept than everyone sees me."

"It was a great game, and we can accept the result. It keeps us at the top of the standings, which is enough."

That's what being decent is all about.

In fact, as the absolute core players of their respective teams, Deco and Duncan are the players who are least willing to accept a draw.

But they acted with remarkable composure in front of the media.

Often, this becomes a kind of inner strength or foundation.

The fact that they weren't even angry suggests that this match didn't seem to be unexpected for Porto. Even after falling behind by two goals, they didn't seem to be helpless.

For Sporting Lisbon, even when they fall behind by two goals early on, they can still come back from two to three. So what kind of battle can't they win?

As for being tied in the end, it was just that the defense wasn't focused enough. If all else fails, wouldn't it be better to improve by eliminating the players who made mistakes?

Fonte: Huh? Optimize...?

But not all players and fans have this kind of vision.

Jardel: "The team has had some problems recently, our efficiency has been problematic! Deco and the coaching staff should seriously consider how to maximize efficiency."

These words were directed at Postiga, and were also a move to pressure the midfield maestro and the head coach.

He has the confidence to do so, partly because of his goal-scoring statistics, and partly because he has been secretly informed by the Brazilian national team coaching staff that he will be selected for the Brazilian national team squad for the World Cup qualifiers in the coming period.

In Brazil, there are only three types of players.

Ordinary players, outstanding players, and players who have been selected for the national team!

The dream that Jardel had always longed for was finally about to come true.

In contrast, Deco's selection for the Brazilian national team still seems a long way off.

Is it possible for Jardel to be polite to Deco?

Hey bro! Serve your big brother well, and if I become a key player on the national team, I can put in a good word for you. Replacing the trowel directly is a bit difficult, but working as a water cooler or something shouldn't be a problem.

This is also why Jardel is so obsessed with statistics this season.

To put it bluntly, it's still a lack of self-confidence.

He hopes to pave the way for his national team journey with more league statistics, even though he knows Brazilians won't even notice his three or five extra goals in the Portuguese league.

Humans are... truly complex.

Sometimes, we pretend we don't understand things that are obvious at a glance.

Jardel was firm, and Postiga retorted without hesitation: "We should have played more as a unit. This isn't one person's team; even if it were, it would be Deco's team!"

Compared to Jardel's aloofness towards Deco, Postiga still pays respects to him; his relationship with Deco is closer.

Now that Porto has cracked its own defenses, if they don't quickly address the issue, what kind of tactical masters are Deng Kai and Triguera?

The league is a one-season issue.

What appears to be a tiny crack now could very well become a huge hole by the end of the league season.

Sporting Lisbon's part-time spokesperson, Maxi, looked ahead to the 2002 World Cup from this year's European Championship: "I have no worries that the Portuguese team, led by excellent players such as Figo and Rui Costa, will qualify for the Japan-Korea World Cup finals."

"But I only have one concern: does this Portuguese team have enough attacking players?"

"Here, we must mention Sporting Lisbon's great club spirit and social responsibility... We have prepared Simão, Quaresma, and even Viana, Cristiano Ronaldo, and other excellent wingers for Figo's other side."

"We are building up Portugal's championship-winning squad. Today, the Portuguese winger is a strong point. Our only weakness has always been... apart from Pauleta, we lack one or even several quality center forwards who can consistently contribute goals."

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"Benfica's Nuno Gomes is doing this, and he did a good job at the European Championship. But Benfica doesn't have a tradition of center forwards. What has Porto, with their true tradition of center forwards in the Portuguese league, contributed to this national team?"

"Postiga is undoubtedly the hope of Portugal's attack, as is his junior Almeida. But if you don't hone these two excellent center forwards, they will forever remain just hopes, and never become true talents."

"You've nurtured a superstar center forward for Brazil. When Brazil wins the World Cup, will they lend the trophy to Porto? No!"

"Moreover, in my opinion, although Postiga's goal-scoring efficiency is not as high as Jardel's, he is more versatile and theoretically has greater potential!"

"I, Maxa, am speaking solely as an assistant coach dedicated to helping the Portuguese national team achieve better results in major tournaments. My words are unbiased, devoid of any self-interest, a pure and noble white lotus blooming at the pinnacle of football!"

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