Chapter 56: Each wonderful
The first half of the match ended with a score of 1-0. In the second half, Slavia Prague adopted a more aggressive tactic. Although they were playing away, they were not ready to surrender easily. It would be even better if they could score an away goal.
When Slavia Prague pressed forward with their attacks, their defense line became relatively empty. On the other hand, Genk adopted a defensive counter-attack strategy.
In the 51st minute, Czech forward Karel Miller received the ball at the top of the penalty area, took a few steps sideways, and then shot. His attempt was saved by the vigilant Genk goalkeeper, sending shivers down the Genk defense line.
Subsequently, Genk continued to play cautiously, maintaining a compact defensive formation, ensuring a victory at home and preventing the opponents from scoring an away goal.
In the 77th minute, after receiving the ball in the middle, Carl Bess passed it to Wang Feng on the right. Wang Feng controlled the ball with his back to the goal and passed it sideways with his left foot to Jason Aldridge beside him. Aldridge then passed it back to Wang Feng and quickly made a run forward.
At that moment, there were two defenders near Wang Feng and two defenders near Aldridge, tightly marking them to prevent them from completing a passing combination.
Wang Feng glanced at the area near the penalty area and the passing lanes. Many options flashed through his mind, and he unexpectedly chose a ground pass.
With his left foot, he made a backheel pass, and the ball curved along the grass, passing by several defenders. Finally, it reached the left side of the small penalty area, where there was no defending player but also no attacking player from Genk.
The Slavia Prague goalkeeper was originally positioned closer to Wang Feng's side to prevent him and Aldridge from entering the penalty area to shoot. However, when he saw the ball rolling to the other end, he hurriedly rushed over to catch it.
At that moment, Barry, who had made the run forward, appeared and struck the ball powerfully as the goalkeeper approached. The ball flew past the goalkeeper's fingertips and into the top part of the net.
Another goal for Genk! They expanded their lead!
Although Slavia Prague launched a frantic attack in the final stages of the game, the score remained 2-0 until the end. Genk could already see the light of advancement.
On the other hand, Anderlecht lost 1-2 at home to Shakhtar Donetsk, and Club Brugge lost 0-2 at home to AS Roma. Not only did they lose their home advantage, but they also conceded away goals to their opponents.
After the results of the three matches came out, Belgian media lamented. It seemed that only Genk had hopes of advancing, while the other two teams faced an extremely difficult task to overturn the deficit away from home.
As Wang Feng shone on both the Belgian league and the Europa League stage, at the Olympic Stadium in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, a short-haired teenager was celebrating his goal. Just now, he used skillful samba steps to easily pass several defenders and score, marking his 8th goal of the season.
In the stands, scouts from various countries were recording everything they saw, including those from Spain, Germany, Italy, and France.
Angus Bihan, a scout from Paris Saint-Germain, said to his colleague Frederick Strosin next to him, "I think it wouldn't be bad to bring in Ronaldinho as the core of the team. He's only 21 years old this year, just 4 years older than Wang Feng."
"Most importantly, his transfer fee isn't high. I've been in touch with Gremio, and we might be able to get him for around 5 million euros. Last year, we offered 8 million euros for Wang Feng and still couldn't get him. Judging by his performance this year, this price might continue to rise."
Bihan added, "And you know, the club's finances have been declining since 2000. Even though the club president, Monsieur Lassonde-Pempe, is very fond of Wang Feng, he can't make the club offer a higher price."
Strosin remarked, "I see what you mean. This Ronaldinho indeed seems to have good skills, but compared to Wang Feng, there's still some gap, right? And he hasn't proven himself on the European stage."
Bihan shook his head and said, "I don't think South American players necessarily have to prove themselves in Europe. Ronaldo, Rivaldo, haven't they proved this? Besides, Ronaldinho has won the Copa America with the national team and has also won the Rio Grande do Sul Championship and the Southern Cup with the club. He's not inferior to Wang Feng."
Strosin nodded and said, "Then let's report his performance like this. As for how the club decides, it depends on the opinions of the higher-ups."
At the Jose Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon, a handsome teenager was sitting on the bench, anxiously shaking his legs. The current score on the field was 0-1, and Sporting Lisbon was trailing to Benfica.
This teenager's name was Cristiano Ronaldo. This game was his first time being named in the first-team squad. Although he had been called up to the first team at the beginning of the year, he had been excluded from the squad for several months.
Since joining Sporting Lisbon in 1998, his skills had improved with age. For this reason, the club had him join more teams for training. This year, he even became the first player in Sporting Lisbon's history to simultaneously enter the U16, U17, U18, reserve team, and first-team squad in the same season.
However, after entering the first team, his days were very difficult. When he learned that there was a player of the same age named Wang Feng, who had already played in the Belgian league at the age of 16 and scored 23 goals in half a season, his competitive spirit was ignited.
Cristiano Ronaldo wanted to perform well and score in the Portuguese league, so that the Portuguese media, who praised Wang Feng, could also see that there was a future star in Portugal.
Unfortunately, the Portuguese league was different from the Belgian league, and the overall level was higher. Few teams would rely on an underage teenager as their core player. Sporting Lisbon was also completely different from Genk. They were financially strong and had many experienced star players in the team, so they did not need to rely on new talents to break through.
Until the end of the game, Cristiano Ronaldo had not been able to wait for his chance to play. He looked at the head coach, his eyes full of dissatisfaction, but he didn't dare to step forward to argue. He didn't know when he would have the chance to enter the squad again.
In Catalonia, the autonomous community of Spain adjacent to Portugal, a short boy was undergoing growth hormone injection treatment accompanied by several adults.
14-year-old Lionel Messi frowned. Every week, he had to endure the pain of injections. The only consolation for him was being able to play football freely.
Except for his father, the other adults were all staff from FC Barcelona. At this moment, they were confirming Messi's condition with the doctor.
"Based on the current trend, Leo should be able to complete his treatment by next year," the doctor said, looking at the test results. The others breathed a sigh of relief. Since taking over Messi's treatment at the end of last year, the effect had not been very obvious. Some voices within the club even doubted whether it was wise to put all their hopes on him.
However, Carlos Rexach, the head of the first team, still insisted on his viewpoint: "Leo will become one of the greatest players in Barcelona's history. I believe he should be nurtured as the core. The future belongs to Barcelona."
In various corners of the world, there were many talented players performing their own brilliance.
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