Ground football: Ronaldo thought I was going to assist him

In the 45th minute, halftime was fast approaching.

Both sides increased the pace of the game.

Sporting Lisbon, with their even weaker physical condition, are clearly at a greater disadvantage.

Liverpool's left winger Berg passes the ball to McAllister in the middle, who then passes it forward to Heskey.

After the pass, McAllister did not continue forward, but his partner in the middle, Gerrard, began to move forward.

This is also their usual teamwork.

McAllister focused on defense while making regular passes, while the young Gerrard was mainly responsible for running, handling both offense and defense.

Heskey passed the ball back without stopping it, then turned and made a forward run to the right.

Gerrard rushed up, received the ball, and looked towards Owen on his left.

Irving feinted to the right, shaking off Fonte, and then accelerated forward and to the left.

Fonte chased after them in a disheveled manner.

The next moment, Schmeichel issued a warning and shouted, "Come back!"

boom!

Before Fonte could react, Gerrard, who was still dribbling the ball looking for a passing target, flicked the ball and unleashed a powerful long-range shot that amazed everyone.

Young people don't have many other merits, they're just reckless.

Powerful shots are very damaging to the leg that generates the force, and most players who like to shoot from a distance suffer from leg problems in their later years.

But long-range shooting is also the fastest way for young players without speed to rise to prominence.

Valverde played for Real Madrid for several years without making much of a splash, but in the first half of the 2022-2023 season, he scored eight goals and became a worthy successor to the ceremony midfielder, all thanks to his long-range shooting.

Swish!

Schmeichel tried his best to save, but Gerrard's long-range shot was tricky and had some irregular wobbling, which was beyond human control.

"Goal! It's in the bag! Liverpool's treble is secured!"

"Gerrard scored a spectacular world-class goal just five minutes after coming on!"

"He made people completely forget about Smicer!"

"Kevin Keegan's decision was absolutely correct; Gerrard definitely has the potential to become the cornerstone of England's future midfield!"

"Three-nil at halftime! Never before in UEFA Cup final history has a team with a three-goal lead failed to win the title!"

"We can congratulate Liverpool in advance! They've had a fantastic season! They've become the first team in the top five leagues to win the treble!"

"Sporting Lisbon was lucky; they had a miraculous season and at one point had a chance to become a treble winner, even more valuable than the cup treble! But unfortunately, they lacked the necessary foundation."

"Of course, these young players shouldn't be discouraged, because they have already performed exceptionally well. I believe they have all caught the attention of major clubs, and starting this summer, they will begin receiving offers from top clubs. This will be another major breakthrough in their careers!"

The commentators had already begun their summary, as if the referee had blown the final whistle, not the halftime whistle.

As the players disappeared into the players' tunnel, the camera panned to the prominent fans in the stands.

Hathaway was with the Beckhams, Matthäus's girlfriend Marin, and others, and most of them didn't look too good.

Football giants such as England manager Kevin Keegan, Barcelona's new manager Rexach, and Inter Milan president Moratti were all concerned about their respective target players, each with a different expression.

……

In the players' tunnel, Deng Kai walked at the very back. He didn't want to go into the locker room for the time being; the atmosphere there must be very gloomy, which would hinder his thinking.

He needs to organize his thoughts before he can go in and contribute to the team's changes in the second half.

Meanwhile, Liverpool's dressing room was bustling with activity.

Head coach Houllier arrived at the locker room door early, warmly high-fiving each player and offering them encouragement.

"Well done, Husky!"

"My dear Kyrie Irving, you deserve the Ballon d'Or!"

"Borg, that pass in the first half was absolutely brilliant!"

"Murphy, your impact has Sporting Lisbon thrown into disarray!"

"Babel, now you can finally get your revenge on Schmeichel!"

"Hypia, your defense was absolutely brilliant!"

Hollier's face was flushed, and his voice became increasingly rapid, but the teaching assistant next to him simply thought he was too excited.

"Gerrard! You will wear the number 10 jersey for England! I swear! I..." Houllier froze, his legs went weak, and he fell forward.

Fortunately, Gerald reacted quickly and caught Hollier: "Boss, what's wrong? Someone! Help! Help! Where's the doctor...?"

Hollier's assistant rushed out immediately, took out some nitroglycerin tablets and gave them to Hollier, and gestured to Gerald not to panic: "It's a heart attack, as long as you take the medicine in time, there won't be any major problems."

"Relax, we can handle this. Of course, some red wine would be even better; a little bit of red wine will help Hollier recover faster."

Gerrard was somewhat relieved, but he was still very nervous. His experience instilled in him a deep respect for every life.

If he could, he would give 1,000 percent of his effort to save anyone's life.

Gerrard's cousin, Jon Paul, tragically died in the Hillsborough disaster on April 15, 1989, which prompted Gerrard to turn to professional football and join Liverpool's youth academy.

This incident left him with some psychological trauma, but it was also a source of psychological motivation.

"Do you have any red wine... Excuse me, do you have any red wine here?" Gerrard asked the staff around, even walking into the players' tunnel.

Just then, Maxa was also looking for Duncan. Upon hearing Gerrard's request, he flew into a rage and turned back to the locker room.

However, Deng Kai calmly spoke with Gerrard and learned about Houllier's condition. He immediately called Matthäus from the locker room and, through Matthäus's contact, had Dortmund's sporting director bring a bottle of expensive red wine from the Westfalen box to Liverpool's locker room.

After Gerrard handed the wine to Houllier's assistant, he remembered to thank the young man from Sporting Lisbon.

When he turned around, he discovered that Lei Feng, whose real name was Deng Kai, had already left without leaving his name.

However, when Deng Kai entered his own locker room, he didn't see a group of teammates, but a pack of humiliated wolves!

Those eyes were so red, it looked like they wanted to eat someone alive.

Deng Kai: "This..."

Before Deng Kai could ask any questions, he heard Maxa's impassioned speech: "Shame! This is the greatest shame any of us have ever experienced in our lives!"

"So what if it's 3-0? Did UEFA award them a prize right away?"

"They're opening champagne at halftime! No, no, no, red wine is even more outrageous than champagne!"

"If I were you, I'd rather die on the field than be humiliated like this by them!"

"Now, tell me, what are you going to do in the second half!"

Maxa waved the coat hanger in his hand as if he were wielding a Damascus scimitar.

"Kill them! Tear them apart! Let them go to hell with the red wine!"

The atmosphere inside Sporting Lisbon's locker room was tense and competitive.

Infected by the high spirits, everyone felt less tired.

The stimulation of the body by extreme emotions at this moment exceeds normal biology.

Enraged to the extreme, but lacking physical strength, especially in the upper body, Cristiano Ronaldo punched the locker door in the dressing room, smashing it open. His already ferocious expression then became even more grotesque.

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