Ground football: Ronaldo thought I was going to assist him

"Kay has improved again!" Trigra nodded repeatedly in the stands. "It's not just his technique; his speed, strength, and height have all improved significantly."

"He may still be considered a small player by others, but this increase is huge for him."

"He is well worth the club's investment."

The higher-ups next to them did not nod.

Triguera noticed this: "He's not just the kind of midfielder who's all show and no substance; he can truly shine. The biggest difference between him and ordinary midfielders is that he has the ability to make the final pass, and even the ability to finish!"

The high-ranking official's pupils contracted.

This means... Deng Kai is a player who can pad his stats.

Wingers can rack up speed and become famous overnight.

What about the midfielders?

Good scheduling, organization, and spatial awareness are not "obvious" traits and are not easily noticed by more people.

If fans can't see it, they won't cause trouble, and other clubs will find it difficult to pay for the player.

Therefore, it is very difficult to develop a young midfielder.

Moreover, the positions of midfield core, center back, and goalkeeper tend to be somewhat exclusive to young players during this period.

Throughout history, there have been many young pioneers, but how many young marshals?

When the job of "packaging forwards" wasn't so popular, no one would settle for packaging midfielders.

When the midfield is not focused, no one will bother to develop young defenders.

Thirty-second minute.

Before Deng Kai could even turn around after receiving the ball, he was tackled by Amorin.

Recently, Benfica has been giving Duncan no chance to have the ball in front of him.

He's been taken down three times already.

Faced with these restrictions, Deng Kai lost control of the team.

In the 41st minute, Deng Kai finally managed to shake off his marker and delivered a long pass.

But just as the ball flew out, Deng Kai was brought down by Amorin, who arrived a step too late.

The referee signaled that the attack was in the favor and did not stop the game.

Because that was a brilliant pass!

Marcelino was in an excellent position on the right flank of Sporting Lisbon's attack, almost a one-on-one opportunity.

Moreover, Lorenzo in the middle lane is still moving around, and his position is also excellent.

Two against one in the frontcourt!

Benfica's defenders had no choice but to rush towards Marcelino.

If Marcelino had passed the ball across to Lorenzo at that moment, even Lorenzo's wet nurse could have scored.

But Marcelino did not.

boom!

"Oh dear! Marcelino didn't pass the ball; he took it himself!"

"You can knock him down yourself, he has a good angle, but the key is you have to score!"

"Will made a brilliant save, slamming the ball right to the ground."

"Marcellino's shot was of very poor quality, below par!"

After getting up, Will immediately passed the ball to Pereira on the right wing.

Pereira dribbles the ball down the wing.

Veloso stepped forward to stop him.

Pereira's lobbed pass found Amorim.

Amorim continued his advance and then played a through ball while on the move.

It actually got sent!

Benfica's other midfielder, Velleira, received the ball at the edge of the penalty area and unleashed a long-range shot!

The football fell cleanly into the net.

"Wow! What a world-class goal!"

"Velleira has done it! He's helped the team equalize!"

"One to one! Benfica have been playing very actively lately, almost taking the initiative as the away team!"

"Deng Kai needs to find a way; if he continues to be contained, the whole game will be in danger."

Neither side scored again, and the game went into halftime.

In the locker room.

Veloso found Deng Kai: "Kai, be careful, they're using foul tactics on you."

Deng Kai frowned.

He certainly sensed that.

But if they shrink back out of fear of being taken down, then the team is really in danger.

After the start of the second half, Deng Kai continued to actively ask for and pass the ball. Although most of his passes were one-touch, he also made occasional attempts to turn and move.

Fifty-sixth minute.

Veloso intercepted the ball and then found Deng Kai.

Deng Kai finally shook off Amorin, received the ball, turned around and made a long pass without even looking!

Cristiano Ronaldo successfully received the ball on the left wing and then challenged Pereira, driving Pereira to the brink of madness.

In the end, Pereira was unable to stop Ronaldo, who successfully cut inside.

boom!

Ronaldo was probably in a good mood today, as he didn't dribble even once more after cutting inside and opted to pass the ball directly.

Meanwhile, center forward Lorenzo made excellent runs throughout the day, easily receiving Ronaldo's pass and then taking a shot.

The ball wasn't struck squarely, so this shot wasn't very skillful.

But it was this flaw that changed the trajectory of the ball, turning it into a very tricky shot.

In the end, the football rolled in, almost grazing the goalpost.

"Beautiful! Two to one! I never expected it would be Lorenzo who stepped up this time!"

"This is an assist from Cristiano Ronaldo."

"Of course, let's not forget Deng Kai, who orchestrated the attack, and Veloso, who won possession of the ball."

"Sporting Lisbon's midfielder Veloso and center forward Lorenzo have such similar names that many people easily confuse them."

This goal directly changed the mindset of both sides.

Benfica have always been winners; they only lost one of their eighteen matches in the first half of the season.

They lost to Sporting Lisbon.

Now they've entered the second stage of the North and South regional competitions, and they're determined to win back their losses with a profit!

Sixtieth minute.

When Deng Kai received a pass back from his teammate, he was tackled and brought down by Alexander.

Alexander's move was intended to bring Deng Kai down, and Deng Kai fell quite hard.

Veloso witnessed the “case” from the sidelines.

Alexander had the option to slow down, but he didn't.

Two minutes later, Villeira received a pass from teammate Simon.

boom!

Veloso went straight over and made a vicious sliding tackle, bringing down both the player and the ball!

Vileira rolled on the ground, clutching her ankle in pain.

But Veloso bent down and said to Vileira on the ground, "Brother, stop pretending. I know my defense very well. If I wanted you to get hurt, you wouldn't have the strength to roll around on the ground."

"What you did to Deng Kai today has gone too far. You can't play like this. Otherwise... you know what will happen!"

Enraged by Veloso's words, Vieira jumped up and rammed chest to chest with Veloso, staging a medical miracle.

However, Vilera was not as tall and strong as Veloso, and when she rammed into him, she was bounced back.

Alexander, Amorim, Simon, and others rushed over immediately.

Deng Kai, Semedo, Ronaldo, and others immediately surrounded them, and there was a strong indication that a conflict was about to break out between the two sides.

Fortunately, the referee was firm enough to separate Verela and Veloso, and showed Veloso a yellow card for his outrageous tackle.

Veloso did not argue, but he said to the referee, "I respect and agree with your decision, but I think you should also pay more attention to Duncan; the opponent's defensive actions were very aggressive."

The referee indicated that he didn't need you to teach him, but he still listened to what Veloso said.

Veloso signaled to the referee with his yellow card that if he couldn't protect the players on the field, then they would have to protect themselves... by resorting to violence.

If that happens, the officiating of this match will be considered a failure.

Therefore, if Benfica were to foul Duncan next, the chances of him getting a card would be greatly increased.

This yellow card was intended to free up Deng Kai, and its placement was highly tactical.

Veloso displayed his tough bodyguard qualities, demonstrating his thinking and talent in the defensive midfield position.

Of course, this defensive approach also has its drawbacks.

That means you're likely to face retaliation from the other party.