Chapter 25 CD Connection

I came, I saw, I conquered!

While this statement is overbearing, it is also a great insult to the person and place it is directed at.

Its level of disdain is so strong that if translated into Chinese, it would essentially be "Stupid people with lots of money, come quickly"!

Chinese people generally wouldn't say such impolite words.

Unless it was deliberate!

Yet, this sort of impoliteness is especially favored in America and the West; they even consider it a display of confidence.

Although their economy once led the world, the majority of them, due to a lack of cultural accumulation, have a very shallow understanding of confidence.

Therefore, Deng Kai's impolite act instantly ignited the entire stadium!

"My God! Unbelievable! This is simply a miracle!"

"I feel a sort of dominance emanating from Deng Kai! He quoted the words of Emperor Caesar, and at this moment, I feel like I'm seeing Gaius Julius Caesar on the football field!"

"Deng Kai's long-range shot actually went in! One to zero! Less than a minute into the game, Sporting Lisbon scored a lightning-fast goal!"

"Deng Kai tackled and intercepted Andoya's pass, then shot from a distance amidst a crowd to score!"

"Andoya's pass was too bold, and intercepting a direct pass in the middle often leads to such severe consequences!"

"Maxa Sports' goalkeeper was also too careless; he didn't return to his position in time, missing the best opportunity to save."

"Deng Kai pointed to the sky with both hands as if he had already conquered the pitch."

"Oh! Chris rushed toward Deng Kai, celebrating with him. This is unusual as Chris typically only celebrates his own goals and seldom joins in the celebrations of others. It seems he has a good relationship with Deng Kai."

"Chris' movement also drew at least two defenders away from Deng Kai with his run."

"Two months ago, Deng Kai had a poor performance in a match and was embarrassingly substituted."

"During these two months, people have been saying that Deng Kai wasn't cut out for football and that Sporting Lisbon's acquisition of him was a lose-lose deal."

"But now, who could have predicted that this player would score so quickly?"

"Twenty-two seconds! Deng Kai's lightning-fast goal broke the record for the fastest goal in the Portugal U15 league!"

"No matter how he plays in the future, this will remain a highlight of his career!"

The stadium commentator knew how to build the atmosphere, even though he was just an intern and could only commentate on children's matches.

But that didn't dampen his enthusiasm.

On the field, Andoya's face was so dark it seemed like it could drip water.

Just because of Deng Kai's blind fluke, he'd become the damn scapegoat.

If you can't play football, you might as well not play.

If you can't get past someone, you can pass the ball.

Why the hell would you blindly shoot at goal?

This was the thought of every Maxa Sports player.

They felt incredibly unlucky.

Only Trigella in the stands felt something was off.

He had the nagging feeling that Deng Kai's intent from the very beginning was... to shoot!

While Deng Kai's physique might not be the best, his ball control was not an issue, and if he really intended to dribble past Andoya, he would have definitely tried a few step-overs or shoulder feints.

He possessed a certain finesse in feinting.

But he didn't.

Aside from fast dribbling, he did nothing else.

That wasn't Deng Kai's style.

Unless he was racing against time.

Trying to squeeze in a shot before reaching a certain time or distance marker.

So there was no time for anything else.

Of course, Trigella shook his head, thinking he was overanalyzing it.

Could it be that the two or three meters Deng Kai advanced after the interception were important?

From the position on the field, those two or three meters were completely irrelevant.

It even made Deng Kai closer to Andoya, increasing the danger slightly.

"Luck, that kid relies purely on luck! He can't play football at all! A player who could would never make such a brainless choice!" a few gang members exclaimed at Trigella.

They were Andoya's brother's people.

Andoya's brother was righteously indignant as he analyzed the situation with his friends.

His friends kept nodding in agreement, though they seemed somewhat distracted.

Trigella noticed the tickets in their hands.

They had placed bets!

These gambling dogs.

Ever since Trigella became a coach, he had despised those involved in betting on matches.

Because, as a coach, he couldn't place bets; if caught, his coaching license would be revoked.

Damn!

But later, Trigella gradually understood the significance of this rule for someone like him who "understands the game."

If he had bet according to his own will, he would have gone bankrupt long ago.

It's an interesting phenomenon.

People who don't quite understand football often make a little profit from betting.

But those who know the game tend to lose frequently.

And the ones who understand it very well always end up sleeping on the couch as punishment by their wives.

Right, Paul?

...

Back to the game.

In the following ten minutes, everyone was certain of one thing: Deng Kai's recent goal had been nothing but a fluke.

That's because Deng Kai was almost invisible on the pitch.

And this was after Maxa had given the command for Deng Kai to take the central role in the midfield.

It wasn't that the other players weren't cooperating; it was that Deng Kai didn't hold onto the ball.

When the football came to him, he would often pass it off immediately.

Not only was there nothing to watch, but also, whenever he received a pass, he tended to be well-positioned, with the defenders still far from him.

Without conflict, there were no highlights to watch.

Not like Ronaldo.

Once he got the ball, he would either dash along the sidelines, overpowering his opponents,

or perform a flurry of step-overs, twisting the cameras,

or get surrounded by defenders, grapple to the ground, and win free kicks or draw yellow cards.

The audience watched with boiling blood, applauding non-stop.

However, Trigella was very satisfied with Deng Kai's performance.

To him, Deng Kai's performance could be summed up in one word… graceful!

He always managed to find the open space, naturally no one could press him in time.

This was typical 'The wise man does not stand in the face of danger.'

Although he didn't deliver any stunning long passes, his movements already started to expose the opposition's defensive flaws, and his short passes helped the team advance. Why take the longer route when the shorter one will do just fine?

This subtle yet effective organization and managing of the game was something most fans, who think of midfield maestros only in terms of long passes, couldn't understand.

In fact, every midfielder master known for their long-range dispatching is also very good at short-pass organization and management.

Short passing is like weaving a web, whereas long passing is like drawing the sword.

Deng Kai had been weaving his web for ten minutes.

Then, how would he draw his sword next?

Or would he even draw his sword at all?

The thirteenth minute.

Deng Kai with the ball.

By now, the team had moved past the midfield by a distance.

Lisbon had firm control of the ball at their feet.

Deng Kai dribbled a few steps, then Andoya stepped up, ready to use his physical advantage to intercept Deng Kai.

But suddenly, Deng Kai lifted his foot.

Shooting?

Andoya subconsciously dodged a bit.

Deng Kai instead flicked the ball sideways, preparing to move from the center to the right, while gesturing for his teammate on the right wing to come to support.

Andoya immediately rushed to the right, intending to cut off Deng Kai's passing lane.

Bang!

Deng Kai passed the ball!

But the football didn't fly to the right.

It went left!

While facing to the right, he sent the ball left with a swing of his leg.

Deng Kai's deceitful pass went straight behind Andoya.

If Andoya hadn't so hastily run towards the right, he could have easily intercepted the ball without even stretching out his foot.

This comparison highlighted the difference in passing styles between the two midfield players, Andoya and Deng Kai.

Andoya passed the ball where he thought it would be safest, deliberately avoiding Deng Kai.

But he didn't consider whether Deng Kai, once in motion, might intercept it—a conventional but rigid approach.

Deng Kai's passes, on the other hand, were much riskier, but he deliberately maneuvered Andoya, causing him to lose the ability to intercept.

The former seemed safe but carried unknown risks.

The latter seemed risky but actually had a high probability of success.

Both could succeed or fail.

The biggest difference might be whether the passer was willing to endure the pressure.

The latter isn't necessarily smarter than the former, but those accustomed to the latter definitely have a much stronger mental resilience.

"Chris! How did Chris end up there?"

"Chris has the ball! He made an early run, even cutting in before Deng Kai had passed the ball!"

"Chris takes on the central defenders of Cada Sports alone. They only manage to tug at his shirt before he completely shakes them off!"

"A one-on-one! It's a one-on-one! Goal!"

"Deng Kai's exquisite pass tears through Cada Sports' midfield, and Chris breaks past the defense to score on a one-on-one!"

"This is simply a match made in heaven!"

"I want to call it the CD connection!"

"Two-nil! Lisbon Athletic have completely turned things around today! Just thirteen minutes in and they are leading by two goals!"

"Chris is so in tune with Deng Kai's passing; his understanding with Deng Kai is much higher than with the other teammates."

"I heard Chris actually lives at Deng Kai's house; that's probably why they know each other so well."