Ground football: Ronaldo thought I was going to assist him

However, considering that Ribery and Pires are equally threatening, it's not unreasonable to call him a musketeer as well.

Eighty-sixth minute.

Wiltord's introduction had an almost immediate effect.

Although Trezeguet was actually more lethal, he was too straightforward. He could take what Henry gave him, but he couldn't create many opportunities for Henry.

Wiltord, having played for a few more years, now has a much stronger ability to organize the attack.

He blocked Fonte and tried to turn towards Henry.

How could I, with my exceptional intelligence, allow him to spread this message?

what!

Where's the ball?

Wiltord flicked the ball with his heel, sending it in the opposite direction.

Ribery, cutting inside without the ball, successfully received it and was half a body length ahead of Pepe.

Pepe realized that things were not going well.

Ribery can both shoot and pass.

Whatever choice they make, it will almost certainly pose a direct threat to the Portuguese goal.

drop!

A whistle blew.

The referee rushed over and showed Pepe a yellow card.

Ribery drew two yellow cards in less than twenty minutes after coming on.

But that's not all.

Because the referee pointed to the penalty spot.

"Penalty!"

"Oh my god! That's a penalty kick!"

"The Portuguese players rushed towards the referee in protest."

"Deng Kai communicated with the referee, arguing that it was not a penalty, but the referee stuck to his decision."

"This is so exciting! It's already the 86th minute, with only a few minutes left in the game, and then..."

"Indeed, when Ribery was brought down, his toes were actually a tiny bit away from the penalty area line; he didn't step on the line."

"This was a misjudgment."

"But from the referee's and linesman's perspective, Ribery may have indeed stepped on the penalty area line."

"According to the rules, the penalty area line is also part of the penalty area. If you step on even part of it, you've entered the penalty area. This is the same way you determine the touchline and goal line."

"As long as the player steps on the sideline, it doesn't count as completely going out of bounds or a goal."

"You could call it a major misjudgment, but the outcome can't be changed."

There is actually a consensus on this ruling.

If you look at the replay, it was indeed a misjudgment; it shouldn't have been a penalty.

However, judging it as a penalty kick isn't really a big problem, because it's really hard to tell the difference with the naked eye.

Perhaps later, after the video assistant referee became widespread, people became accustomed to judging whether it was a penalty kick by reviewing the replay.

Before this rule was introduced, when there was a conflict between the referee's decision and the replay, the referee's decision prevailed. The replay was only for fans to see what happened, not to influence the referee's decision.

On the other hand, from the referee's perspective, they prefer to make decisions that do not affect the outcome of the game.

When faced with crucial penalty decisions, especially with little time remaining in the game, their decisions are often those that suggest "even if the decision is wrong, both sides still have a chance."

For example, even if the call is wrong now, and the French team gets a penalty and scores, the score will be 2-2.

The match can continue, and the Portuguese team still has a chance to strive for victory. They are unlikely to, and probably don't have the energy to, cause trouble for the referee.

Conversely, if France doesn't get a penalty, they might lose the match outright. As the losing team, they'll likely cause trouble for the referee and vent their anger on him.

This is human nature.

If the score were tied at 2-2 at that point, the referee would most likely not award France a penalty.

Because at that time they could no longer bear the anger of the Portuguese team.

The referees who dare to make decisions that change the score and end the game at such times are either truly outstanding referees, but more likely they are super biased referees with ulterior motives.

Therefore, this ruling was extremely unfavorable to Portugal, but... at least it proves that there were no other manipulators behind this match.

The outcome depends entirely on the players on both sides.

Ten seconds later, the French fans in the stadium erupted in cheers.

The camera focused on Zidane.

The bald man unhesitatingly fired a powerful penalty kick, leveling the score at 2-2.

Bayer was more than a beat too slow in reacting.

According to Deng Kai's analysis, if the French team is awarded a penalty, there is a very high probability that Zidane will take the Panenka penalty.

Therefore, Beya is mainly designed to protect against spoons.

Surprisingly, Zidane is not bound by any particular style. Although his Panenka penalty is legendary, he will not refuse to take a powerful shot when the angle is right.

He will do the right thing at the right time, in the right way.

"Zidane! Zinedine Zidane! He saved the French team!"

"Ribery! His penalty was absolutely crucial!"

"Does Deng Kai now regret discovering a player like Ribery from the French amateur league?"

"His most trusted assistant at the club delivered the fatal blow in the most important match! I wonder if this will affect Ribery's relationships with other players and his status at Manchester City?"

Many people have reason to suspect that if the French team, which has successfully survived, eventually wins the Henri Delaunay Trophy, Deng Kai might take revenge by keeping Ribery on the bench or selling him outright!

Eighty-eighth minute.

Both the French and Portuguese teams were relatively conservative, neither wanting to be defeated by the other in the final moments.

Ribery's long-range shot went wide, and he quickly retreated.

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The second minute of stoppage time.

Deng Kai combined with Deco and Ronaldo in a series of one-two passes before successfully cutting inside and taking a shot.

As a result, Thuram, who had been beaten by Deng Kai, immediately turned around and made a sliding tackle, anticipating Deng Kai's shot and successfully blocking it.

The third minute of stoppage time.

France used their last substitution, with Silvestre replacing the somewhat exhausted Desailly.

This also serves to buy some time and disrupt Portugal's attacking rhythm.

More confident people tend to take things slowly rather than making drastic decisions in the last minute or two.

The French team is confident about the outcome of extra time.

Because Deschamps has already obtained the player movement data for this match.

The Portuguese players ran an average of 800 meters more than the French players.

However, the Portuguese midfielders and forwards ran an average of 1,200 meters more than the French midfielders and forwards.

The two teams have scored the same number of goals.

The number of threatening attacks was also roughly the same.

This actually reflects some problems.

That is... there are still some differences between the two sides at their core.

The French team, led by Zidane, was about 10 percent more efficient than the Portuguese team, led by Duncan!

The world's best midfielder... is still Zidane!

This result is incredible, because Zidane's form, statistics, and ability seem to have been declining during his years at Real Madrid.

Deng Kai, the world's number one player, has an explosive statistic and honors, and he was almost certain to win the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards in the first half of the year!

So Zidane is actually better than Deng Kai?

This……

With the referee's whistle, the game ended in regular time.

The score is tied at 2-2.

The game will enter overtime in a few minutes.

The French team is full of confidence for extra time.

On the Portuguese side, all the players formed a circle, with Triguera among them.

Trigra looked at Deng Kai: "Kai, is it ready?"

Deng Kai smiled and shook his head: "Let's wait a little longer!"

"Hang in there, everyone! Help me carry this a little longer!"

You can see a lot in the French statistics.

However, it's not apparent that Deng Kai, who had a strong presence in the game, actually didn't dominate it.

His running statistics are no less than when he played as a key player for Manchester City, and he also frequently participates in defensive retreats.

However, a closer look reveals that many of Deng Kai's advanced statistics, such as steals and interceptions, offensive plays initiated, dribbling past opponents, and aerial duels, are actually much lower than when he is the core player.

A classic case of showing up but not putting in the effort!

Therefore, for nearly half the time, the core players of the Portuguese team were not Duncan, but Deco and Viana.

So... half of Duncan + Deco + Viana is 10 percent less efficient than Zidane.

And the other half of Deng Kai...

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