Ground football: Ronaldo thought I was going to assist him

This is enough to prove the strength of these two teams this season.

If it weren't for European competitions, the gap between them and the teams behind them would be even greater.

In an instant, the original three-way balance of power seemed to be turning into a two-dragon-playing-with-a-pearl situation.

Benfica was in a rather awkward position.

We agreed to secretly grow old together, but instead you went and got a hair treatment! That's so stupid!

In addition, Sporting Lisbon's Yin Bu and Wu Xudong have also been outstanding this season.

Yin Bu has eight goals and six assists, yet his efficiency ranks third in the Portuguese league, only behind Deng Kai and Deco.

Wu Xudong scored four goals and provided four assists, achieving impressive statistics, and also demonstrated excellent performance in key battles.

Because the number "four" sounds like "death" in Chinese, some fans jokingly call Wu Xudong "Tongliao Death God"!

This is easier to spread than the nickname "Lisbon Genghis Khan".

However, Deng Kai's assessment that Wu Xudong is suitable for Arsenal is somewhat puzzling!

But considering that Arsenal's full-backs are all speedy wingers, people can understand it.

Inspired by Deng Kai, Arsenal reportedly actually started to have designs on Wu Xudong.

……

The Portuguese Cup final kicked off on May 5th.

This is the last high-level match held on Portuguese soil.

The scene was crowded.

In the 25th minute, Ronaldinho dribbled past his opponent and delivered a brilliant cross. Drogba pulled back at the near post, and Ronaldo followed up with a header to score.

One to zero.

In the 32nd minute, Dunkel crossed from the wing to Drogba, who passed back to Kaká, who unleashed a long-range shot to extend the team's lead.

Two to zero.

In the 71st minute of the second half, Porto launched a counter-attack, with Deco delivering a through ball and Jardel firing a powerful shot into the net, pulling one back for Porto.

But just two minutes later, Deng Kai delivered a lob pass that assisted substitute Yin Bu to score, making it 3-1 and Porto's fate was sealed.

Mourinho was visibly disappointed on the bench, pounding his chest in frustration.

He was well aware that Porto was no match for this Sporting Lisbon team this season.

They couldn't make up for the losses they suffered in the league in the cup competition.

Perhaps at the beginning of the season, the two teams were on the same level.

But at this moment... the teams in the UEFA Cup final are indeed far inferior to the teams in the Champions League final.

However, no one could have predicted that a dramatic turn of events would occur at the very last moment of this seemingly settled match.

In the 84th minute, Jardel received a red card for a flying kick at Reina as Reina came out of his goal.

Jardel was sent off.

However, Reina was in great pain on the ground, and the team doctor's initial diagnosis suggested that he might have suffered a fracture.

Reina was then taken to the hospital for further diagnosis.

He had three ribs broken by Jardel, which will sideline him for the rest of the season and even the early part of next season.

Sporting Lisbon was furious as a result.

The team's usually mild-mannered manager, Mr. Triguera, unusually lost his temper in front of the media: "This isn't football, this is murder! Jardel wanted to murder Reina! Because Reina saved his one-on-one chance!"

Maxić further revealed the secret: "There were rumors that Real Madrid was not satisfied with their current attacking lineup and that they were interested in bringing in a powerful center forward. One of their scouts was a Brazilian player."

"Now it seems that this rumor was deliberately blown out of nowhere for Jardell to hear."

"What is this? Jardell's pledge of allegiance?"

"Of course, Real Madrid players don't need to resort to such methods; they have the confidence and ability. But we all know the club is very large, and I wonder if Florentino Pérez knew about this."

"I want everyone to pay attention to the recent personnel changes at Real Madrid. I need to see someone in Real Madrid's management held accountable because I absolutely do not believe that this is all just a coincidence."

"Furthermore, I regret to inform Jardel that Real Madrid is indeed interested in a Brazilian striker, but it will absolutely not be you."

Of course, after saying these words, Maxa had no idea what kind of trouble they would cause.

But when Kai Shao gives an order, he just needs to do it perfectly.

One stone stirs up a thousand waves.

Reina's injury has made things even worse for Sporting Lisbon, who were already considered underdogs.

As mentioned before, Schmeichel's form this season is slightly worse than last season.

He had recovered by the time he played in the series against Manchester United, but did not appear.

Part of it is because of his affection for Manchester United.

But more importantly, Reyna's form had completely surpassed Schmeichel's at that time, and playing Reyna was entirely based on considerations of his competitive level.

This shows how important Reina is to Sporting Lisbon.

A good goalkeeper may not necessarily make things happen, but a bad goalkeeper will definitely ruin things.

Goalkeeper Patricio performed exceptionally well during Portugal's victory in the 2016 European Championship series.

In the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Portugal's starting goalkeeper Diogo Costa's performance was nothing short of disastrous. His goal in Portugal's elimination match even looked somewhat childish.

A good goalkeeper makes good saves, but only goalkeepers who make spectacular saves can become truly top-class goalkeepers, because the goalkeeper position is different from other positions.

The goalkeeper is defying the odds.

Every top goalkeeper is more incredible than a top striker.

Reina has already played at a near-unbelievable level this season.

Some people have already compared him to Real Madrid's Casillas.

At the very least, his performance this season is no less than Casillas'.

Because Casillas was relegated to the bench by the team's second-choice goalkeeper Cesar Sanchez during the middle of the season, his number of appearances and performance were not better than Reina's.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!

However, Reina's injury cannot be changed.

Sporting Lisbon's goalkeeper for the Champions League final can only be Schmeichel.

Jardel faced unanimous resistance from the Portuguese fans.

This made him consider leaving the Portuguese league.

The fans don't like him, and the head coach's tactics don't suit him.

Jardel could find no reason to stay.

However, this incident directly raises another question.

So... who exactly is that Brazilian striker that Real Madrid is interested in?

People have various opinions on this.

In fact, most people believe that Florentino's target is the alien Ronaldo.

Figo, Zidane, and Raul: the three Ballon d'Or winners.

There are also talented players such as Carlos, Hierro, Marcelo, Guti, and Morientes.

If Ronaldo were to join us again... my goodness, what a magnificent lineup that would be!

This is a lineup that fans can't refuse.

But for head coaches, this lineup may not mean everything.

They actually value the immediate reaction after the news is released more.

They believed it was an "off-field tactic" aimed at the Champions League final.

Ferguson commented on Maxa's brilliant move: "If Trigra's coaching ability is like that of a military genius, then Maxa's coaching ability must also include the ability to strategize and win battles from afar!"

"The news he revealed will directly cause turmoil at Real Madrid."

"It's not important who Florentino wants to bring in; what's important is why he wants to bring them in."

"Clearly, they are dissatisfied with the current forward line."

"Raul just won the Ballon d'Or, so Florentino won't be unhappy. That's when the person Florentino is unhappy with comes to light... Morientes, the Real Madrid number nine, seems to be relegated to the bench."

"You're counting on someone else to play in the final, but you're also thinking about replacing them. Who can guarantee Morientes' form at that time?"

Ferguson broke through this barrier.

Journalists flocked to Madrid.

Soon after, media outlets captured a video of Morientes complaining to friends at a dinner party.

Although it was unclear, people could see Morientes' dissatisfaction.

He got dumped!

I've been let down!

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