Chapter 32 He is my target!
As December begins, Portuguese football also welcomes a big news.
Porto's coaching change is already on the agenda.
Machado's coaching performance this season is not satisfactory. It seems that it is a foregone conclusion that Leiria's young coach Mourinho will move north, which also brings new threats to other Portuguese Super League teams.
As the most popular young coach in Portuguese football today, Mourinho's coaching ability is still very outstanding.
Porto's situation in the Portuguese Super League this season is not optimistic. In the Champions League, although it reached the second round of the group stage and drew a very good draw, it was in the same group with Real Madrid, Panathinaikos and Sparta Prague.
Before the draw, public opinion in Portugal unanimously believed that Porto's advancement to the quarterfinals of the Champions League was just around the corner.
Unexpectedly, in the first away game, they drew 0-0 with Panathinaikos, and in the second home game, they lost 0-1 to Sparta Prague, which almost ruined the good situation in the second round of the group stage. This also became the fuse for Machado's dismissal.
The situation of Portuguese Super League defending champion Boavista is not optimistic either.
Although they defeated French Ligue 1 side Nantes 1-0 in the first match, they lost 0-3 to the Red Devils Manchester United away in the second match.
The next two rounds of group matches against Bayern Munich will be crucial. If we don’t play well, there will be basically no hope of qualifying from the group.
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The Portuguese Super League team has failed in the Champions League and has also performed poorly in the UEFA Cup.
The only remaining Sporting Lisbon drew Serie A giants AC Milan in the third knockout round. The two sides played the first leg at the end of November, and Sporting Lisbon lost 0-2 to the Rossoneri away from home.
Shevchenko, the Ukrainian nuclear warhead that the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe like very much, scored the first goal in the game, and Inzaghi added icing on the cake in the second half.
After losing the first leg away from home, Sporting Lisbon was forced into a desperate situation.
Head coach Boloni made a tough statement, vowing to reverse the opponent at home.
It is worth mentioning that the winter break is approaching, and Sporting Lisbon's center forward Jardel is dissatisfied with the team's away performance in European competitions. It is rumored that the Brazilian center forward is likely to transfer away during the winter break.
Jadel himself also said that he did not rule out this possibility.
This made the already unfavorable situation for Sporting Lisbon even worse.
Under such circumstances, the two sides entered the second round of the game.
This is a rare opportunity in the Portuguese Super League to face a top team in Lisbon Su Dong certainly cannot miss it.
Ronnie grabbed a few tickets from the club and brought Sudong, Jose Semedo, Mendes and Manuel to the Alvalade Stadium to watch the game.
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After all, it is a European competition. Although it is only the UEFA Cup, the match against a giant like AC Milan made the Alvalade Stadium packed with nearly 50,000 fans in total, setting a new attendance record this season.
Although they won the first leg 2-0 at home, Ancelotti was very conservative in the away game.
The team did not use the two forwards from the home game and kept Inzaghi on the bench, which made Su Dong, who got the starting roster in the stands, a little disappointed.
But fortunately, Shevchenko, known as the White Ronaldo, played as the lone striker.
4-4-1-1, or 4-5-1, Rui Costa plays as the attacking midfielder, Gattuso and Donati form the double defensive midfielders, and Kaladze and Contra form the two wings of the midfield.
There is no change on Sporting Lisbon's side, they still play with 3-5-2.
This is a common tactic used by Bologna this season.
Although they defeated Porto in the league opener, Boloni's team suffered a series of defeats afterwards. It was not until he adopted a double striker and activated Jardel and Nicolaj that Sporting Lisbon's offensive firepower became threatening.
However, in order to ensure the defense and stability of the midfield, a 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 formation has to be adopted.
Unlike the previous match against Porto, Ronnie was in a pretty good mood because his arch-rival Quaresma continued to miss the starting lineup.
On the contrary, Ugo Viana, a young midfielder who has performed well this season and is known as the Rui Costa II, continues to appear in the starting lineup as a defensive midfielder.
When the fake Li Gui meets the real Li Kui, who will be the winner?
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At the beginning of the game, Sporting Lisbon did not launch an attack blindly.
No one dares to be careless when facing an opponent like AC Milan.
The Rossoneri, playing away from home, have a two-goal advantage and are also seeking stability.
The two sides played in a stalemate in the first half. It was very tense and exciting, but the game was really ugly.
The only thing that impressed people was that Rui Costa's passes were really powerful, Gattuso ran all over the field, and Viana was ineffective in the midfield battle.
As a forward, Su Dong was more observing Shevchenko.
Shevchenko is known as the White Ronaldo, but in fact, his characteristics are very different from Ronaldo.
In some ways, Shevchenko is much more comprehensive than Ronaldo, for example his header.
He is fast, explosive, has outstanding skills, and is good at dribbling. He was very threatening when he made several runs from behind, but what really impressed Su Dong was that as a lone striker, Shevchenko had a large running range.
He always actively participates in every attack of the team, even if the ball does not reach his feet.
After the change of sides in the second half, Sporting Lisbon suddenly launched an attack, and in a pass from the wing, Jardel attracted the defense of the central defender and headed the ball to assist Nicolaj to score the first goal, giving Sporting Lisbon the lead.
One to zero, the total score is one to two!
In an instant, the entire Alvalade Stadium was boiling.
All the home fans seemed to see the dawn of victory.
But AC Milan is an established powerhouse after all, and it quickly stabilized its position.
Ancelotti then made the first adjustment, with Spanish player Moreno replacing Rui Costa and changing the formation to 4-4-2.
It was this substitution at a critical moment that played an incredible role in the final moments of the game.
Shevchenko continued to run over a large area. After moving to the wing to receive the ball, he suddenly started and forced his way through to the end line.
Sporting Lisbon adopted a 3-5-2 formation. When defending, the two wingers would return to the full-back positions, turning it into a 5-3-2 formation, but this time they failed to return in time. Shevchenko broke through the wing and passed the ball to the penalty area, and Moreno calmly sent the ball into the goal.
One to one, the total score is three to one!
In the 89th minute of the game, Shevchenko's key assist brought a draw for AC Milan, preserving the fruits of victory, and also brought a huge shock to Su Dong in the stands.
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"So, this is the world's top superstar!"
Su Dong couldn't believe it.
Sporting Lisbon focused on defending Shevchenko throughout the entire game. The Ukrainian was running extensively, even in vain, throughout the 90 minutes of the game.
This caused the home team's defenders to be physically exhausted and psychologically a little complacent near the end of the game.
As a result, just such a small mistake led to Shevchenko's fatal blow.
Moreno's finishing kick was crucial, and his late run was also a surprise. Even Ancelotti's replacement of Rui Costa with the stronger Moreno were all brilliant moves.
But the key to all this working is Shevchenko.
"For 90 minutes, I ran at full energy just for that moment of brilliance." The more experience Su Dong had in playing football, the more he admired Shevchenko, and he even wanted to worship him.
He seized almost the only chance of the game.
What a terrifying ability this is.
"Yes, many people say that among the forwards born in the 1970s, Ronaldo is unique, and Shevchenko is not far behind. Arsenal's Henry is still a little lacking, and Manchester United's Ruud van Nistelrooy is a pure scorer."
When Mendes looked at Su Dong, his eyes were full of expectations.
In the eyes of many people, Shevchenko is the most perfect top striker with strong left and right feet, excellent speed and explosiveness, long-distance attacks, penalty area scoring, long-range shots from the outside... He is extremely proficient in almost everything.
What is even more commendable is that he has comprehensive skills and he is able to handle the situation with ease whether fighting alone or working with teammates.
Such a player can be said to be a template.
Su Dong should also work in this direction because he also has his own characteristics.
More importantly, he is taller than Shevchenko.
"When he was 21, he led Dimona Kyiv to the Champions League semi-finals and scored a hat trick at Camp Nou, becoming famous overnight. When he was 22, he scored twice at home to beat Real Madrid and scored one goal away to help the team eliminate Real Madrid 3-1. In the subsequent 3-3 draw with Bayern Munich, he scored twice again."
Ronnie is obviously familiar with Shevchenko's glorious deeds.
Nowadays, among all football fans, who doesn’t know Shevchenko?
"He is my goal!" Ronnie stood up and pointed at the court. "I want to accomplish the feat he accomplished at the age of 21, and even surpass him!"
Su Dong nodded repeatedly after hearing this, and his heart was also filled with such desire.
"Then you have to work harder. I believe that with your ability and potential, as long as you are willing to work hard, you will have the opportunity to achieve it. You can be stronger and better than Shevchenko." Mendes did not think that the two of them were arrogant and conceited, and actually tried to challenge world-class superstars. Instead, he encouraged them.
Su Dong and Ronnie looked at each other and smiled knowingly.
Jose Semedo, who was standing by, watched this and felt a sense of emptiness and loss in his heart.
Once upon a time, he was Ronnie's only good friend in Lisbon, but now, Ronnie only has Su Dong in his heart.
What makes him feel even more frustrated is that a few months ago, Su Dong was just an amateur who couldn't even play in the youth team of a semi-professional team, but now he has become a coveted commodity by all major teams in the Portuguese Super League.
At this moment, looking at Ronnie's ambitious words, and then looking at the determination and firmness in Su Dong's eyes, Jose Semedo reflected on himself again, and couldn't help feeling lost and frustrated.
He wanted to continue being good friends with the two of them, but now he could only watch them running all the way while he was falling further and further behind.
Sometimes he even wondered if it would not be long before he could no longer be friends with them.
He wanted to work harder to catch up with them, and even made up his mind countless times.
But in the end...
