Ground football: Ronaldo thought I was going to assist him

However, Sporting Lisbon's starting center forward today was Imbula, who didn't have Drogba's habit of relentlessly attacking the defense, so Sporting Lisbon couldn't find a breakthrough for the time being.

Nineteenth minute.

Sporting Lisbon faced a wave of pressing from Moreirense.

In the past nineteen minutes, Moreirense's possession rate has been less than 20%, which is simply too embarrassing. Their players have to make a run for it to save face.

But this charge gave Deng Kai an opportunity.

Deng Kai received a back pass in the defensive midfield position, and Deschamps, who was in that position, moved to the right to act as a temporary right wing-back.

boom!

After receiving the ball, Deng Kai launched a counter-attack with a long pass. He was too familiar with the pressing rhythm of Moreirense players. His pass seemed risky, but it was almost impossible for Moreirense players to intercept it.

In the middle, Yin Bu used his hands to trap the defender behind him; his physique was clearly a level above Moreirense's center-backs.

If Kilop were there, he might be able to limit Imbal, but Moreirense currently lacks a high-caliber center-back.

boom!

Yin Bu headed the ball across.

Viana swept past them, dribbling towards Moreirense's penalty area.

Moreirense's other center-back rushed over to cover.

boom!

Viana seized the opportunity and delivered a through ball into the empty penalty area.

Cristiano Ronaldo quickly shook off the left-back marking him, cut inside without the ball into the penalty area, and easily scored.

Sergio Gomez, one of Cristiano Ronaldo's friends at Moreirense and a young goalkeeper who has started to get a lot of playing time at Moreirense this year, looked speechless.

He made a desperate save, but it all happened after the goal had already been scored.

His movements slowed down.

His saves are far below what a Portuguese league starter would do.

After Moreirense created the promotion miracle, some players shone brightly, such as Duncan and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Some players have withstood the test of higher-level competitions and are becoming players of the top five leagues, such as Gillop and even Anderson and Alex in the team.

However, some players also failed miserably under the spotlight and did not deliver any interesting performances.

Gomez is one of them.

He was too young, and the opportunity came before he had enough ability, which is not always a good thing.

If he gets this opportunity again in three years, he might just become the starting goalkeeper for a Portuguese league team.

But now... he's using his performance to accelerate his return to the Portuguese second division.

However, having had such experience, he would be more sought after in the second division. As he gets older and his skills improve further, he might have the opportunity to achieve great success later in his career, return to the Portuguese league, or even move to one of the top five leagues.

This refers to players with a relatively slow growth curve, as mentioned earlier.

The curve is especially slow in the goalkeeper position.

Twenty-one-year-old Gomez, if placed in midfield or forward positions, is roughly equivalent to a fifteen or sixteen-year-old player. How could he possibly achieve any results?

Cristiano Ronaldo: ? ? ?

Deng Kai: ? ? ?

However, Moreirense has also improved compared to last year.

After conceding a goal, they did not collapse; instead, they were inspired and began to fight hard against Sporting Lisbon.

Instead of fighting for possession as they had done before, it was purely out of desperation.

In the 25th minute, Alex outmaneuvered Terry on the wing. Terry wasn't slow, but frankly, he was still a center-back.

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Alex's speed is barely top-tier in the Portuguese league; if Terry isn't given a chance to make contact, Terry will only suffer.

Unfortunately, the rest of the team didn't get into position, and Alex's cross was like Halley's Comet, coming and going without leaving a trace.

Thirty-third minute.

Alex added some wobbling this time, and then suddenly accelerated. Terry, in his attempt to catch up, pushed too hard with his feet and slipped and fell.

Alex's feint to Terry sent gasps of surprise from the Sporting Lisbon fans.

boom!

Alex crossed the ball again.

This time, Anderson didn't miss the opportunity, engaging in a fierce battle for position with Fonte inside the penalty area.

Ultimately, Anderson, relying on his understanding of Fonte, outjumped Fonte to score a header!

"Goal! Moreirense played aggressively! They delivered a very high-level performance!"

"This goal came from a link-up between Alex and Anderson, both of whom are currently attracting a lot of attention. Benfica and Porto are interested in them, and scouts from Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, Monaco and Lyon in Ligue 1 are also following them."

"These are indeed two excellent players. Last season, Moreirense won the Portuguese Second Division title, and besides the contributions of Duncan and Ronaldo, Anderson and Alex also played crucial roles!"

"Fonte needs to reflect on his actions. It's really unfair that he was outshone by his former rival. After all, his circumstances were definitely better than Anderson's."

Fonte's face was full of "mmp!"

He had to admit that playing with such talented players was really tiring.

He's been training extra with Duncan and Ronaldo, but his progress is nowhere near that of Duncan and Ronaldo. Even compared to players like Anderson, Alex, Gillop, and those in the team like Barzagli, Terry, and Pepe, Fonte's progress is really slow.

Sporting Lisbon's youth academy director even suspected that Fonte was not putting in the effort and was not training seriously.

The problem of slow progress has also been troubling Fonte.

But in the end, Maxa was a typical example of Fonte.

Maxa: "Talent comes in different levels, and you're a talented player. But you can also feel it yourself, your progress is relatively slow. Compared to those geniuses, you'll be eliminated sooner or later."

"But when God closes a door, he always opens a window."

"Your friendship with Deng Kai will be key to your position on the team for the next few years. Do you understand what I mean?"

Fonte understood perfectly.

Furthermore, they have always adhered to the principle of playing football with Deng Kai as the center and unswervingly following the path of sustainable development, and have demanded high standards of themselves in terms of four obediences and eight services.

He became Deng Kai's number one fan within the team.

No, it's the second one.

The first fan is Maxi.

So, after the goal was conceded, when Deng Kai returned to the backcourt to address his teammates, Fonte nodded repeatedly, his attitude of admitting his mistake extremely sincere: "Yes, it was my fault. I'm sorry everyone. I will definitely do my best to make up for it. Don't worry, Kai, I will never let you down again!"

Since Fonte had already made such self-criticisms, the others on the defensive line couldn't say anything more.

Even sometimes, when he calms down, Schmeichel would reflect on himself and wonder if he had overreacted to Fonte after conceding the goal. He would think he shouldn't have yelled at him.

This child may lack talent, but his attitude is really good.

As the older brother, I must be more tolerant and mentor these obedient children.

Little did people know that Fonte's self-reflection mainly stemmed from the feelings of others such as Duncan and Schmeichel, and was merely an added bonus.

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