Chapter 165: Ronaldo's Inner Demons

Chapter 165: Ronaldo's Inner Demons

This was indeed just a friendly match, meant for training purposes. Aside from strengthening the understanding among the main players, it was also crucial to give more players a chance to gain experience.

After Bruno scored twice, helping Portugal to extend their lead by two goals, Santos made some substitutions. Both of the game's big contributors, Bruno and Ronaldo, were replaced, with the original Portuguese midfield maestro Moutinho and backup forward Eder coming on. Not only them, but Nani, Tiago, and Alves were also substituted, giving Ricardo Carvalho, William Carvalho, and Quaresma a chance to play.

Santos was clearly using this opportunity to evaluate his players! After Bruno left the field, Portugal's control over the game decreased, and France managed to score during injury time.

In the 89th minute, Evra broke through on the left and cut back the ball to Benzema, who calmly controlled it at the edge of the box and laid it off for Pogba to shoot into the bottom right corner of the goal, making the score 2-3.

However, for Pogba himself, there was no joy in this goal. Firstly, the goal came too late to affect the outcome of the match. Secondly, the person he cared most about competing with was no longer on the field, making the goal feel meaningless.

Thus, he didn't celebrate; he didn't even run to retrieve the ball but just turned and walked back to midfield.

In the end, the match concluded at 2-3, with Portugal defeating France at Stade de France, ending their 39-year winless streak against the French team.

...

During the post-match press conference, Santos expressed his satisfaction when speaking to the media: "This was a memorable game! I am very pleased with the players' performance. They played excellently, trained hard, and were fully committed to winning this match. Everyone knows that playing against France is never easy, especially here at Stade de France, but we executed our counterattacks brilliantly."

"I am delighted to see an unstoppable Bruno. He's a player who seems without fault. He always trains the hardest and plays the hardest. His performance tonight was fantastic, involved in all three goals."

"I think he still has great potential to be unleashed; he's only twenty years old."

Santos believed that defeating France was crucial for boosting confidence, significant for the upcoming European Championship qualifiers, but he didn't think the team had the qualification in the bag yet.

In contrast to Santos' satisfaction, Deschamps was quite regretful about the loss. The French coach believed the loss was due to the team becoming too complacent after taking the lead, lacking passion in their play.

"We unconsciously slowed down our attack, which cost us dearly."

"Without a doubt, Bruno was the key to this match. He was the best player on the field, and we found no good way to contain him, which led to a painful blow for us."

...

Meanwhile, as Portugal and France battled at Stade de France, the second round of the European Championship qualifiers was also underway. In Group I, Armenia managed a surprising 1-1 draw against Serbia at home.

But the real shock came in another group match, where the underdog Albania astonishingly defeated Denmark 2-1 at home!

After two rounds of matches, Portugal, Denmark, and Albania all had three points, with Serbia and Armenia trailing with one point each. Portugal led the group on goal difference, followed by Denmark and Albania.

News came from Serbia that due to fan disturbances, the match between Albania and Serbia was canceled, and Serbia faced a default 0-3 loss, throwing Group I into chaos. Suddenly, Albania topped the group with six points. Although they might not hold onto first place, their chances of advancing looked much clearer.

...

At 20:45 on October 14th, Central European Time, a focal match of Group I kicked off at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen.

Although Ronaldo had some knee issues during the pre-match training, the Portuguese captain insisted on playing. This was linked to a grudge between Ronaldo and Danish fans. During the 2012 European Championship group match against Denmark, Danish fans chanted Messi's name throughout to provoke Ronaldo, leading to him missing two clear chances. Although Portugal won 3-2, it was a tough victory.

Ronaldo expressed his dissatisfaction after the match, though he remained defiant in an interview: "They chant Messi at me? Wasn't Messi's Argentina eliminated at the Copa America last year? And at their home? That's worse, isn't it? Chanting Messi at me doesn't affect me!"

But Ronaldo remembered that experience. Now facing Denmark again, he was eager to excel and wash away the previous humiliation. However, the Five Shields faced strong resistance from the home team.

Despite Portugal launching a tidal wave of attacks under Bruno's orchestration, the Portuguese forward trio of Ronaldo, Danny, and Nani struggled to capitalize on their chances. Danny and Nani's abilities to seize opportunities were weak, and Ronaldo was affected by his knee injury.

Moreover, whenever Ronaldo had the ball, chants of "Messi! Messi!" would rise from Parken Stadium, causing him to become agitated.

Especially in the 50th minute, when Ronaldo wasted another excellent scoring opportunity. Danny intercepted a pass and fed Ronaldo on the left, whose shot was pushed away by Danish goalkeeper Schmeichel. At that moment, tens of thousands of Danish fans again chorused "Messi," turning Ronaldo's face dark.

...

Despite the score remaining unchanged, Portugal's dominance was evident. Under Portugal's relentless pressure, Denmark's defense had a terrifying moment in the 54th minute. Liverpool's center-back Agger cleared the ball with a powerful kick that struck his teammate Boilesen in the face, knocking him unconscious. He was revived after treatment but was substituted by Bawlsen.

After the match resumed, Portugal capitalized on the Danish players' psychological turmoil. Bruno suddenly surged forward and broke through with a long-range shot that beat Schmeichel.

1-0, Portugal took the lead away from home.

Bruno's goal relieved the psychological burden on the Portuguese players, especially Ronaldo, who regained his composure. The calm Ronaldo quickly made his presence felt, soon scoring a superb header.

In the 75th minute, Bruno passed from midfield, substitute João Mário crossed from the right, and Ronaldo leapt high in the box to head the ball into the net, extending Portugal's lead to two goals.

Ronaldo ran wildly, roaring in celebration, sliding on his knees.

The vast Copenhagen Park Stadium, faced with the rampant celebration of the Portuguese, seemed stunned into silence for a moment. Although they responded soon after with even louder jeers, it had no effect on the Portuguese, only adding to their joy.

Especially Ronaldo, who made a provocative gesture towards the Danish fans, pointing downwards with both hands. However, he was quickly pulled away by Bruno before the referee could show him a yellow card.

...

In the end, Portugal defeated their strong rival Denmark 2-0 away from home, thanks to Bruno's long shot and Ronaldo's trademark powerful header.

This victory not only reclaimed first place in the group for Portugal but also greatly aided their qualification prospects for the European Championship. With Serbia's struggles, Denmark had become Portugal's primary competitor for advancement. Now, having defeated Denmark away, they had nearly eliminated the Danish threat.

As long as Portugal didn't falter, they were almost certain to top the group.

For Ronaldo, this was his 45th goal in his 44th match of 2014, including 41 for Real Madrid and four for the national team. In contrast, Messi had 41 goals in 51 matches that year. With fewer matches and more goals, Ronaldo was once again the focus of Spanish media hype: "For the 2014 Ballon d'Or, who deserves it more than Ronaldo?"

However, Italian media took this opportunity to spotlight someone else. "Il Corriere dello Sport" claimed that Bruno was the standout player of 2014. According to statistics, Bruno had played 45 matches for Udinese and the Portuguese national team, scoring 30 goals and providing 35 assists. Though he scored fewer goals than Ronaldo and Messi, his total contributions were unmatched.

Still, few paid attention to "Il Corriere dello Sport's" claim. While Bruno's performances were outstanding, competing with Ronaldo and Messi for the FIFA Ballon d'Or seemed an impossibility.

Nevertheless, calls for Bruno to be included in the upcoming 2014 FIFA Ballon d'Or 23-man shortlist were growing louder, and the betting odds for his nomination were notably low.

For a player who had just turned 20, being considered for this prestigious list was an exceptional achievement.