Ground football: Ronaldo thought I was going to assist him

Due to the conflict with Barcelona last season, Kai, Pepe, and Maxi will face suspension.

Maksa has the longest suspension.

As a result, after the conference, he flew directly to China to join the emergency mobilization group for the Chinese national football team's bid for the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, and delivered a thrilling speech as the group leader.

Suspension?

Benjamin is completely indifferent to UEFA!

I'm going to wreak havoc on FIFA.

Goodbye!

……

September 11th, the first round of the Champions League group stage.

The great war has begun.

PSV Eindhoven suffered a shock defeat against Galatasaray.

The Turks are welcoming spring.

The other pair in this group, Sporting Lisbon and Lazio, did not produce any upsets.

Sporting Lisbon, the five-time champions who were touted by the media as the best team in Europe before the match, suffered a crushing 4-0 defeat and were completely demoralized.

Youngster Yaya Touré, who started the match, was overwhelmed by Mendiego in the first half and was substituted at halftime.

It wasn't that Triguera wasn't giving him a chance; the main problem was that if he wasn't substituted, Yaya Touré's belief in football could very well be destroyed.

This victory made things much easier for Mendiego, who was in a precarious situation at Lazio.

Evra was also thoroughly outmaneuvered by Czech star Poborsky on the same flank and was substituted by Wu Xudong at midfield.

On the offensive end, Kaká, who replaced Deng Kai as the midfield core, has undoubtedly been disappointing.

Not only him, but also the team's attacking trio of four – Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Drogba, and Ibrahimovic – all fell apart in the face of Nesta and Stam, Europe's strongest center-back combination.

"They were so well contained that they didn't even have a chance to shoot" became a true reflection of their performance in this match.

After the match, the media described this Lazio team as terrifyingly strong!

In an interview, Ronaldinho also stated that he simply couldn't find any way to get past the two center-backs.

Only Cristiano Ronaldo stubbornly declared to the media, "I will definitely score in the next round."

The Italian newspaper La Repubblica affirmed Ronaldo's statement: "He was certainly capable of scoring, because Lazio had already qualified as group winners. As the European bronze boot winner, Ronaldo certainly had the ability to score against a completely reserve Lazio squad."

"The five-time champions are weaker than expected; this year belongs to Serie A!" (La Gazzetta dello Sport)

Gazzetta dello Sport: "Many people believe Sporting Lisbon lost because of the absence of Duncay, but we find it hard to believe that the absence of one person could have such a huge impact. We believe this reflects the gap between Portuguese and Italian football, which is quite normal."

Tuttosport: "The clamor of this past summer has finally subsided; no one's talking about a five-trophy or even a six-trophy haul anymore! Sporting Lisbon should probably go play in the UEFA Cup!"

Italian media launched a fierce attack.

Because this summer, Portuguese media stole too much of the traffic.

It makes people think that the Portuguese league is the best league in the world.

People who are on a downward spiral become more sensitive, and all those involved in Italian football are currently in this phase.

Despite various signs that La Liga has overtaken Serie A and the Premier League is closing the gap with Serie A, Serie A has consistently refused to acknowledge this.

Following Sporting Lisbon's loss, the newspaper "Mundo Deportivo" stated: "Sporting Lisbon's Champions League qualification, which they won by luck last season, has been squandered this season through their performance."

"That's how the world is; what doesn't belong to you will eventually leave."

……

September 16th, the fifth round of the Portuguese Super League.

Sporting Lisbon changed their formation after losing in the Champions League, trying a 3-2-3-2 formation for the first time.

Deng Kai contributed two assists and two goals, unleashing his full offensive power and leading his team to a 5-3 victory over newly promoted Portuguese league side Gil Vicente.

However, the match did not receive praise from the media.

Two years ago, when Duncan and Cristiano Ronaldo led the Portuguese second division team Moreirense against Gil Vicente, they were able to achieve a similar score.

Two years have passed, and Deng Kai and Ronaldo have become much stronger, and their teammates have become much more impressive, yet they still conceded three goals.

According to the well-known Portuguese media outlet Bora: "It is undeniable that Sporting Lisbon has a formidable attacking lineup that is considered luxurious in Portugal, which they can use to mask some of their problems."

"But when these forwards are no longer sharp in top-level European competitions, their problems are exposed one by one."

"In the defensive midfield position, the older players lack running ability, while the younger ones lack positional awareness or are severely unbalanced. Fonte has clearly become the biggest weakness in the center-back position, and neither Evra nor Maicon would be much better than Fonte if they were to fill in at center-back."

"Schmeichel's form is quite different from before the summer, but Sporting Lisbon's backup goalkeeper Reina is too young, and it's hard to have confidence in him."

"They will most likely still fail to win in the next round of the Champions League group stage."

September 19th, the second round of the Champions League group stage.

The "prophecy" in the Bora newspaper has come true.

Sporting Lisbon's right winger, Ronaldinho, was heavily marked and completely neutralized in this match.

Kaka performed better than in the last game, but he still falls far short of the help that Deng Kai has provided to the team.

In particular, that open goal not only rendered all of Kaká's efforts in the game futile.

His post-match ratings were among the bottom three in the team, alongside Ronaldinho's.

Cristiano Ronaldo was the best performer for Sporting Lisbon.

In the first half, he received a pass from Drogba on the wing and cut inside to score.

In the second half, Cristiano Ronaldo received a through ball from Guardiola and outmaneuvered Mark Van Bommel to complete his brace.

However, on PSV Eindhoven's side, Kezman, Van Nistelrooy's successor, performed no less impressively than Ronaldo, contributing a goal and an assist, and earning the highest rating of the match, just like Ronaldo.

The score was tied at 2-2, and the two sides shook hands and made peace.

This was a disaster for them all.

Because both PSV Eindhoven and Sporting Lisbon have gone two rounds without a win.

Both only have one point.

Sporting Lisbon suffered more defeats and finished bottom of the group.

But the most surprising one has to be Galatasaray.

The Turks, after defeating PSV Eindhoven in the first round, went on to defeat the seemingly invincible Lazio in the second round.

They topped the group with six points.

The name of the top team in the Turkish Super League resounds throughout Europe.

This former treble winner from Sporting Lisbon became the subject of numerous media reports.

……

September 23rd, the sixth round of the Portuguese Super League.

Sporting Lisbon finally delivered a stellar performance after changing their formation.

They thrashed Farens 6-1.

Cristiano Ronaldo wears a hat-trick.

Deng Kai scored two goals and provided two assists in consecutive matches.

Ronaldinho provided an assist for his second goal.

This has rekindled their fans' expectations for the Champions League.

September 26th, the third round of the Champions League group stage.

Sporting Lisbon vs Galatasaray.

Ronaldinho had a brilliant performance in this match, creating several threats and winning a penalty.

However, Ronaldo, who was doing well in the league, was disappointed in the Champions League, missing a penalty.

In the second half, Kaká gradually adapted to the position of the attacking core and delivered a brilliant pass, assisting Ibrahimovic to score.

But soon after, while participating in defense, he inadvertently scored an own goal, helping Galatasaray equalize the score.

The score was 1-1, with Sporting Lisbon having two points after three rounds.

They're basically out of the Champions League.

Their only chance might be to finish third in the group and qualify for the UEFA Cup, returning to the familiar arena.

Galatasaray has seven points from three rounds, continuing to occupy the top spot, and their qualification status could be determined as early as the next round.

Meanwhile, the matches between PSV Eindhoven and Lazio were equally exciting.

PSV Eindhoven pulled off a surprise victory, earning four points in three rounds and climbing to second place in their group.

Lazio lost again.

Three rounds, three points, finishing third.

This Italian Eagles team seems to have suddenly run into problems. Former European best midfielder Mendiego has been underperforming in both the league and the Champions League, and he seems lost in the mini-World Cup.

Aside from his bright moments against Sporting Lisbon, he performed almost like a substitute player.

However, the news following this round of matches had nothing to do with the wins and losses of these teams.

Even the media across Europe didn't report the score; instead, they all tacitly released the same news:

The man is back, much to the delight of fans worldwide!

He is light, he is electricity, he is the only myth!

He is the mastermind behind Sporting Lisbon.

He is a shining contributor to the five-time champions.

He was Triglav's strongest supporter.

He is the mentor and talent scout for Deng Kai, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Fonte!

Deng Kai: ? ? ?

Why does this sound like it's talking about some charlatan?

Could that man be...?

Maxa: "That's right, it's me!"

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