After Portugal and Brazil faced off at the Kashgar Arena, the Brazilian players, who had been full of confidence and believed they would be the victors, began to feel the pressure from Portugal.
In the first twenty minutes of the match, the Portuguese team almost lost control of the game, with their overall formation compressed backward, giving up a lot of space in the attacking third.
This allowed Brazil to control the tempo of the game for the first twenty minutes, constantly launching attacks on Portugal. At times, Brazilians even showed off their skills by shouting while dribbling past opponents. For example, Neymar made a rainbow flick when receiving the ball on the sideline, which won cheers from many spectators.
Other players were equally impressive, showcasing their skills with moves like the croquet, the cowtail dribble, and the nutmeg. It must be admitted that the Brazilians' attacking play was truly entertaining and brought joy to many fans.
However, despite their impressive skills and numerous attacking opportunities in the first twenty minutes, they were still unable to break through Portugal's impenetrable defense.
Sometimes the ball is intercepted before it even reaches the heart of the penalty area, and sometimes it is blocked inside the penalty area. In these more than ten attacking opportunities, Neymar and center forward Jesus also had a shot opportunity, but it was easily caught by the young Portuguese goalkeeper.
Just as the Brazilians were struggling to break through and were about to change their attacking strategy, Portugal, like a venomous snake that had been hunting for a long time, seized the opportunity when Marcelo made a long run down the wing and attempted a cross. Lei Ming cleanly and decisively caught the ball and, without lingering, rushed out of the crowd and threw it directly into the gap left by Marcelo.
Immediately, the Brazilian coach became anxious and shouted excitedly from the sidelines to get back on defense.
However, his speed in reminding others was not even as fast as the speed of a number 7 player running.
To wait for this opportunity, Ronaldo had been patiently waiting. When he sprinted at full speed, he was like a wild horse, carrying the ball directly into Brazil's vulnerable defense.
Brazil's other two defenders, Miranda and Silva, couldn't get up in time to help defend, as Ronaldo had already found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
Facing Alisson's attempt to intercept from Brazil's goalkeeper, Ronaldo responded fiercely with a powerful shot!
The football slammed hard against the net, sending up a spray of net debris.
This is the confidence of a top striker.
One sword to the throat!
When Cristiano Ronaldo scored, the whole world went wild, and the Portuguese fans watching the game chanted his name.
Cristiano Ronaldo placed his hands behind his ears and ran around the pitch as if listening, which, combined with the cheers of the fans, brought the atmosphere to its peak.
"A magnificent shot, a crucial goal. Congratulations to Ronaldo! He continued his hot streak from the last match and scored again. But more importantly, I want to introduce Portugal's goalkeeper, Reming. If it weren't for his repeated thwarting of Brazil's attacks, the Portuguese would never have had such an easy counter-attack opportunity!"
"With a one-goal lead, Portugal will be able to play more comfortably in the remainder of the game."
Huang Xiaotian couldn't help but clap and cheer after seeing the goal.
He had previously said in the live broadcast that if the Brazilians continued to attack like this, it would definitely be very dangerous, and the course of the game soon proved his point.
"My goodness, Lei Ming can now easily throw the ball this far?"
As the replay on the big screen showed, Lei Ming had thrown the ball even further than half the field, and it was precisely because of this precise pass that Ronaldo was able to receive the ball so easily.
His powerful wingspan once again amazed fans around the world.
The game restarted, and although Brazil was down by one goal, they still intended to play at their own pace, thanks to their extensive experience in major tournaments.
Portugal, holding a one-goal lead, calmly and methodically responded. When the first half ended, the score remained 1-0, with Portugal still leading by one goal as they went into the locker room.
After just one half of the game, the Brazilian players were all exhausted and panting.
On the other hand, the Portuguese players were all in good condition and did not show signs of being out of breath. This was largely due to the rhythm of the game. Throughout the first half, the Brazilian team dominated the pace and spent most of the time in a defensive posture. Therefore, they naturally expended less energy than their opponents.
Santos continued to encourage the players in the locker room:
"Very good, you did very well in the first half, but we can't continue like this in the second half. At the start of the second half, please show all your fighting spirit. I want to kill this game within ten minutes and show the Brazilians what we're capable of."
After Santos' tactical analysis, the players were already sharpening their knives and waiting for the start of the game.
As head coach Santos said, if you can kill the game in the shortest amount of time, then why waste the rest of the time? After all, everyone's physical strength is precious during the World Cup, and they need to save their remaining strength and energy for the next round of opponents.
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