Ground football: Ronaldo thought I was going to assist him

The Liverpool anthem touched the hearts of the dejected Liverpool players on the field.

If the "midfield wine" ignited the passion of Sporting Lisbon's players, enabling them to overcome their physical challenges and unleash extraordinary power...

At this moment, the melody of "Never Alone" is like an ancient war song, allowing Liverpool's players to feel the power of all the players and stars in the club's history.

They are not alone!

They are not one person!

The camera panned across the stands, where current England manager and former Liverpool legend Kevin Keegan also stood up, singing "Never Walk Alone."

At this moment, the spirits of superstars like Kevin Keegan, Ian Rush, and Kenny Dalglish seemed to possess them. Liverpool players quickly lined up, preparing to kick off with heavy hearts, ready to face the final few most important minutes of the season for them!

The rain showers gradually stopped, and the dark clouds dispersed, seemingly signifying that Liverpool's gloom had passed.

With a whistle, the game resumed.

All Sporting Lisbon players, including Yin Bu, retreated to their own half.

Deng Kai directed each of his teammates to defend, giving Liverpool no chance.

Such behavior should have been met with boos from the fans.

But there were no boos.

All around us was the Liverpool anthem, playing incessantly and sending shivers down our spines.

The regular match time ended quickly.

The fourth official on the sidelines announced five minutes of added time.

Because there were more goals in the second half, there was such a long stoppage time.

Triguera immediately complained to the fourth referee, arguing that the stoppage time was too long, but it was clearly in vain.

In the second minute of stoppage time, Irving dropped back to receive the ball and outmaneuvered Bento, only to be brought down by Bento.

Bento received a yellow card.

Deng Kai and Gerrard both looked at Bento, then glanced at each other.

Alarm bells rang in Deng Kai's mind.

Bento's mobility is even worse than Deschamps', and his defensive anticipation, positional awareness, and football intelligence are not as good as Deschamps'. Liverpool can easily create opportunities by marking Bento closely.

"Mateus, move closer to Bento, I'll take over this side." Deng Kai adjusted his position, strengthening the protection behind Bento.

However, Gerrard is also communicating with his teammates.

In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Liverpool were falling further away from their first-ever cup treble.

However, Gerrard, who is not known for his dribbling skills, actually challenged Portuguese defensive midfielder Paulo Bento directly with his footwork.

boom!

Gerrard's feint didn't fool Bento, but he wasn't expecting it anyway.

He flicked the ball and then took off running, using his speed to outrun Bento.

Bento tried to pull and drag Gerrard, but ended up being pulled down by him instead.

boom!

Gerrard, who had just gotten past Bento, was sent flying into the air before he could make any other move.

Drop drop!

The referee blew his whistle wildly.

He pointed at Matthäus, who was shoveling the shovel.

The Liverpool players excitedly surrounded him.

"Matthäus! That was a crucial defensive play. Matthäus brought Gerrard down, otherwise Gerrard could have taken a long-range shot or found Owen and Fowler up front... But Matthäus is definitely going to get a card for that."

"The referee stopped the conflict and called Matthäus over; it looks like he's going to give him a card!"

"Red card! As expected! Matthäus's action definitely warrants a red card! The referee's decision was correct!"

[This is the most comprehensive and user-friendly audiobook app I've used so far. It integrates four major speech synthesis engines, offers over 100 voice options, and even supports offline reading with a powerful source-switching tool. huanyuanapp source-switching app]

"Matheus is really decisive. He didn't hesitate at all. If he had been even half a second slower, Gerrard would have been unstoppable."

"While a red card is a heavy price to pay, considering the remaining time in the game, Matthäus likely delivered a textbook example of a defensive foul!"

"Sporting Lisbon fans gave the Ballon d'Or winner a round of applause."

Liverpool fans were hurling insults, which shows they know Liverpool is the one who's really at a disadvantage.

Liverpool won a free kick in a good position, but it was a bit too far... Who will take it?

"Gerrard! Surprisingly, it's Gerrard!"

Sporting Lisbon is forming a defensive wall.

They knew nothing about Gerrard's penalty-taking habits because Gerrard was not one of Liverpool's top three free-kick takers.

This was a last-minute decision.

However, Owen soon stood behind the ball as well.

This is a two-man free-kick tactic, and Gerrard is most likely playing a covering role.

Everyone thought so.

drop!

A whistle blew.

boom!

As soon as the whistle blew, Gerrard, who was closer to the ball, swung his leg and kicked the ball to the right side of the wall.

That kick was so sudden!

Owen, a top ten contender for FIFA World Player of the Year, hasn't even made a move yet, and a mere Gerrard is already taking a free kick... This...

boom!

On the right side of the wall, Cristiano Ronaldo reacted quickly and lunged at the ball.

Gerrard didn't shoot directly, but passed the ball.

boom!

However, Robbie Fowler, with his left foot, was a step ahead and shot the ball away.

Swish!

With the defenders blocking his view, Schmeichel couldn't see the ball at all.

The football went straight into the net.

Liverpool's players charged toward the corner flag like madmen.

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!

"Goal! Goal! Goal! Liverpool! Liverpool, you'll never walk alone!"

"It's in! Oh my god!"

"Incredible! This match was absolutely incredible!"

"In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Liverpool snatched a dramatic equalizer from a free kick! The score is now 4-4!"

"If Deng Kai's direct corner kick goal was the most direct manifestation of Sporting Lisbon's youthful energy, then Gerrard's free kick was equally a flash of genius!"

"Gerrard, one goal and one assist, he's Liverpool's Beckham!"

"Of course, the most important one is Fowler! Fowler's shot was both accurate and fast! You can hardly imagine how the story would have turned out if Heskey had taken the shot!"

"Robbie Fowler! This is God's genius killer! He reminds me of Manchester United's substitute killer, the baby-faced Solskjaer, but he's much better than that baby-faced one!"

"Holler's arrangements were absolutely flawless; bringing on Gerrard and Fowler was the best decision he ever made! That's what a great manager is all about!"

"This means the game will very likely go into overtime."

"This is bad news for Sporting Lisbon because they will only be able to play with ten men in extra time. Even though they have one last substitution, the exhaustion of most of their players is irreversible."

"Sporting Lisbon's players put on a perfect second half with sheer willpower, but they couldn't possibly play a high-quality extra time."

"On the contrary, Liverpool has a complete squad and their players are in slightly better physical condition. Once it goes into extra time, UEFA can really just hand them the trophy!"

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