Chapter 218
Liverpool's revenge in the second round has not yet come, and the Portugal World Cup qualifying play-offs have arrived as scheduled.
Portugal is also in a dangerous situation in this World Cup qualifier. The unsatisfactory group results in the first half mean that Cristiano must lead Portugal to win all the last three games in order to qualify for the play-offs.
And Cristiano did live up to expectations, and in the end Portugal advanced to the play-offs with a slight advantage over Sweden.
Cristiano still remembers clearly that in the previous life, this Portugal team was also on the ropes of the World Cup qualifiers. After they finally advanced to the play-offs, he missed the next two rounds of play-offs due to injury, which made him frustrated and painful.
His country needed him, and he couldn't be there.
This time, Cristiano promised himself that he would not miss the game and he would make Portugal appear in the World Cup in South Africa.
In the first round of the play-offs, Portugal played against Bosnia and Herzegovina at home. Cristiano assisted Simao to win the first round of the game 1-0 at home.
Although Bosnia and Herzegovina is not a strong team, they have two famous strikers - Dzeko, who has made great achievements in Wolfsburg and scored many goals, and Ibisevic, who also has good shooting statistics. They pose a great threat to Portugal's defense and goal.
In this second round, Portugal came to the away game to face Bosnia and Herzegovina again.
Figo and Costa, who just announced their retirement this year, both came to the stands of the game. They sat in the row closest to the court and the player tunnel.
As Cristiano came out with the caddy, he heard a familiar voice calling him.
"Cristiano!"
Cristiano looked over, then ran over with some surprise and quickly greeted: "Luis! Rui!"
He knew Figo and Costa would come, but he thought they would sit in the box, not here so close to him.
He happily gave the two a quick hug, "Why are you here?"
"When you score a goal, come and celebrate with us." Costa joked.
Figo patted Cristiano on the shoulder and said, "Don't listen to him, just go on the court."
If Chris really ran over, wouldn't the fans nearby tear Cristiano's jersey to pieces?
Figo looked at Costa - what a bad idea.
Costa pinched his nose and chuckled.
Cristiano smiled and nodded to the two of them, then quickly ran back to the field.
After the captains of both sides and the referees took a brief group photo on the court, they shook hands and Cristiano put the captain's armband on himself and took a deep breath.
"The game begins! Portugal kicks off first!"
Although this is just the final play-off of the World Cup qualifiers, it is a game for Cristiano's Portugal.
Everyone knows how precarious it is for Portugal to qualify this time. It is very likely that the champion of the last World Cup will miss the group stage of this World Cup.
嶎Ｍ覤Ｘ
Therefore, the whole world is paying attention to this game, and media from various countries have come to the scene.
Italian media: "Cristiano Ronaldo has caused a tsunami-like reaction in Bosnia and Herzegovina! The stadium is already full of fans! Everyone is waiting for this man who always brings victory, whether he can bring a ticket to South Africa for his country again today!"
English media: "Cristiano will decide the fate of his country and Bosnia tonight! Just as he decided the fate of Portugal and England in Germany a few years ago!"
Spanish media: "Ronaldo has not performed well in recent major competitions and has not been able to score more goals in the Champions League group stage. I wonder if he can score a goal today to end his goal drought?"
Chinese media: "Portugal is standing on the edge of a cliff! The overall strength of this Portugal team is far different from that of the last champion Portugal! The Portuguese national team is also facing the pain of replacing players with the old ones. I am afraid it will be difficult for us to see Ronaldinho in South Africa..."
…
The media on the sidelines were broadcasting the event at a rapid pace.
Figo watched Cristiano on the field directing his teammates to pass the ball back, reorganize the defense, and lead a new round of attack, as if he saw his own shadow on the field.
"What are you thinking about?" Costa held his chin up and looked at the field, then turned his head slightly to Figo and said, "Are you thinking the same thing as me?"
"Hmm?" Figo retracted his gaze slightly and looked at Costa. Then he paused for a few seconds, smiled and said, "You mean, you are thinking about what would be better if I were still young?"
"Almost. I was thinking, if Chris had been born a few years earlier, we could play in another World Cup or European Cup together... We need him and he needs us," Costa said softly.
Figo understood what Costa meant.
He said slowly and in a low voice: "Cristiano was in the best of times and the worst of times. He stood out in our generation and took over the banner of the navigator. He won the championship and all the glory. But after all this, he had to face our departure and the embarrassment of being alone... But I believe he will survive and he will lead Portugal through this most difficult period."
Costa chuckled and looked at Figo: "Why did you ask me to watch this game today? I thought you were here to intercept the reporters."
"It depends on the situation." Figo smirked, "But I hope I can be the first to congratulate and celebrate as a former teammate."
"What about you? What are you doing here?" Figo asked Costa again.
Costa shook his head and smiled slowly with his eyes narrowed: "Then there must be someone who can talk to deal with the reporters, just in case they are needed?"
Figo and Costa looked at each other and laughed.
Figo said: "But I have a feeling today that maybe we just need to wait and send our blessings."
Portugal's defense was solid today and Dzeko's several attacks were interrupted, which gave Portugal the opportunity to launch a quick counterattack.
"Portugal gets a corner kick!" The commentator glanced at the time. The game was already halfway through, and with 20 minutes left in the second half, the score was still 0-0. "Deco serves the ball! Where is he going to kick it?"
"Deco flicked the ball out! It was a tactical corner kick! Quaresma immediately adjusted the angle and made a high cross after receiving the ball."
Figo and Costa both leaned forward slightly at the same time, and saw Cristiano suddenly jump up in the crowd, then turned his head and shot the ball into the blind corner of the goal!
There was a sudden burst of cheers from the stands!
After Cristiano landed, he saw the ball go into the net. He immediately got up from the ground quickly and started running excitedly when Quaresma rushed over and hugged him, ruffling his curly hair and whispering in his neck, he was so happy that he couldn't speak.
Cristiano was quickly surrounded by his teammates to celebrate. He looked over his teammates towards the audience stands, met the eyes of Figo and Costa, and grinned broadly towards them.
"See what I said?" Figo narrowed his eyes, gave Cristiano a thumbs up from a distance, clapped his hands and smiled.
"This guy really wanted to rush over here, right? I saw him running towards this side." Costa twitched his mouth and asked Figo with lingering fear.
He was really afraid that Cristiano would come to celebrate with them as he said before the game. Then first the fans would peel off their skin, and then Figo would peel off his skin again.
Fortunately, Quaresma grabbed Chris.
Figo looked at Costa after hearing this. He tapped Costa on the shoulder and said speechlessly: "I told you not to tease him."
Costa chuckled twice.
"Cristiano Ronaldo scored a point for Portugal!!! Cristiano broke the curse of poor form in recent games!! In the final crucial play-off, he stood out again! Expanded the team's advantage!"
The game ended with Portugal winning 2:0 and winning the ticket to the World Cup in South Africa. Fans could be seen excitedly holding up Portugal's red and green flags and waving their scarves throughout the stadium.
After the referee blew the whistle to end the game, Cristiano immediately ran towards the audience stands.
Figo and Costa immediately stood up from their seats nervously upon seeing this, and Costa screamed softly: “Oh no no no – little bastard, he’s really coming over!?”
Cristiano happily flipped directly into the billboard. He ran straight towards Figo and Costa, causing the surrounding fans to scream excitedly.
“Cristiano!!”, “Cristiano!!”
Figo caught his boy, and Cristiano hugged Figo and Costa in one hand. He whispered excitedly beside their necks: "Luis! Rui!! We can go to South Africa!!"
As he spoke, his voice was choked with excitement.
This World Cup qualifier was really difficult for them, but fortunately they did it and still did it.
Figo and Costa heard the slight cry in their boy's voice. They looked at each other and said nothing, but just put their arms around Cristiano.
"Congratulations, my child." Figo said softly, his voice and breathing fell into Cristiano's ears.
He moved a little further away and could see Cristiano's lowered face flushed with excitement, and sweat dripping from the corners of his eyes and forehead.
Figo rubbed Chris's curly hair twice softly, and his large palm could almost cover the back of Cristiano's head.
He turned his head and kissed Cristiano's forehead, and whispered: "See, I told you that you could do it, and you did it. You took Portugal far enough, which was not easy."
"I know everything, Chris." Figo said in a low voice.
Cristiano's eyes became even hotter and redder when he heard this.
He originally just wanted to come here to celebrate and didn't intend to shed any tears, but now, when he heard Figo's words, he choked up and could only sniff heavily a few times.
Costa glanced at Figo, his eyes indicating that you made Little Strawberry cry.
Figo looked down at Cristiano, feeling helpless, amused and a little bitter.
In his eyes, Cristiano will always be like a child. No matter how tough and strong his boy was, there would always be times when he felt wronged and tired, and right now, he was glad that Cristiano could still show that in front of him.
He touched Cristiano's hair, surrounded by the excited screams of fans and hands trying to touch him. Most of them were blocked by Figo and Costa, but there were still some dishonest ones who almost reached into Cristiano's jersey.
Seeing this, Costa said: "I knew it would be worth it, but I didn't think of leaving your game jersey with me."
Cristiano was amused. He indeed felt that his jersey was about to be torn. He quickly raised his head, patted Figo on the waist, and after whispering a few more words to the man, he waved to the fans and quickly strode away.
Costa asked Figo curiously: "What did he say to you? I didn't hear it clearly."
Figo's eyes also flashed with some doubt and confusion, and he shook his head slightly: "...I may not have heard it clearly either."
"Maybe? What are you talking about?" Costa pulled the corner of his mouth and rolled his eyes in amusement.
Figo shook his head. He vaguely heard Cristiano say to him:
"Luis, thank you... Portugal... is not easy... but at least you made me... feel relaxed and pure..."
The shouting of the surrounding fans drowned out Cristiano's quieter murmurs, which were almost like talking to himself. Figo didn't hear everything, but he always felt an indescribable bitterness and sadness.
Just like when he first saw Cristiano come to the national team, the boy looked at them as if he was looking at an old friend who was already familiar with him, and he always felt that the young man in front of him was a contradictory combination of having experienced everything and being immature.
And later at the World Cup, after he handed the captain's armband to Cristiano, he seemed to see a more mature Cristiano, like a dozen years later, flashing out of thin air in his mind.
Figo thought silently in his heart, perhaps he was projecting too many of his own thoughts onto Chris.
But he thought, no matter what, now he only hopes that Cristiano will have a group of reliable partners to walk side by side with him in the future, at least in this way, Portugal's future journey will not be too difficult.
Figo and Costa were the first to leave the stadium, but even so, they were still caught red-handed by the media who were waiting in ambush.
Costa and Figo were not surprised, and the key point was that Portugal won, and even these media seemed much more pleasing to the eye.
Figo glanced at Costa, smiled at him, raised his eyebrows, and handed the microphone to Costa without saying a word.
——Doesn’t it mean that someone has to deal with the reporters? This is the stage.
Costa choked, but he still faced the camera and reporters calmly.
"...Yes, that's right. Like I said just now, Cristiano is incredible, he is phenomenal, let's wait and see, even after three hundred years, as long as people still talk about football, they will discuss Cristiano Ronaldo. He is eternal." Costa said with satisfaction, then looked at Figo who was listening on the side, raised his eyebrows, as if asking about the other party's satisfaction.
Figo clapped his hands in agreement: "I agree 100%."
After the two finished talking, they broke away from the media reporters.
Not long after, the official social media account of the Portugal national team posted Costa's comments on the platform, and also tagged Costa, Figo and Cristiano.
Costa scrolled through his phone and said, "These accounts are so fast now. Sooner or later, they will replace the role of print media."
Cristiano was having dinner with them. He swallowed the tuna in his mouth and laughed, saying, "You are absolutely right, Rui. You have a pair of sharp and far-sighted eyes."
Costa nodded reservedly.
"So what did they send? Let me see." Cristiano leaned in curiously to take a look, then he blinked and said "Wow".
Costa gently pushed the boy's head away and cleared his throat uncomfortably.
Cristiano chuckled and moved his head away. He picked up his cell phone and fiddled with it for a while.
Then Rui saw Cristiano's latest message refreshed in the comment section of the Portuguese national team -
【@cristiano: Rui knows football [kiss]】
Costa coughed lightly. He didn't even have to look up at Cristiano to guess the proud and smug expression on their boy's face.
Figo suddenly said: "What about me? Cristiano? I said it too."
"You mean the sentence you said, I agree 100%?" Costa asked back, "To be honest, I think the national team was reluctant to send this sentence in, just for the sake of your face as a former captain."
Figo: “…”
Cristiano immediately made a follow-up comment:
【@cristiano: And Louis [kiss]】
Figo liked the post with satisfaction.
…
Cristiano returned to Madrid with Portugal after a beautiful victory, and it was already night when he got home.
He entered the room quietly, went to the two children's bedrooms to take a look at the little ones, then walked out and returned to the master bedroom.
He saw Kaka sitting on the bed flipping through the Bible. When he pushed the door open, Kaka immediately put the book upside down on the bedside table and walked over quickly.
"That's great, Cris." Kaka hugged Cristiano gently and kissed his earlobe with a calm and gentle comfort. He didn't say anything more, and everything was in tacit peace.
Cristiano relaxed his muscles and put himself into Kaka's arms: "Yes Kaka, it's good."
He whispered, resting his chin on Kaka's shoulder, curling the corners of his mouth lazily, and sighed softly with satisfaction: "I'm very happy."
Kaka stroked Cristiano's hair: "That's the best, nothing is more important than this."
Cristiano laughed softly.
The last goal against Bosnia and Herzegovina seemed to announce the end of Cristiano's so-called "goal drought".
In the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Liverpool at Anfield, Cristiano scored twice, Kaka scored one goal and assisted one, and Real Madrid got a ticket to the next Champions League knockout round.
#Ronaldo scored twice to end his goal drought#
#Cristiano responded: "There are still many games to play, don't worry" It seems to be a provocation to shout out Messi's goal number#
…
Cristiano stuffed the newspapers in the locker room into the trash can and rolled his eyes. This group of reporters always had countless ways to tie him to another person.
If they changed the target to Kaka, he would be happy to cooperate.
Marcelo curiously took out the tabloid from the trash can and read: "What did it say? ...Pfft."
Marcelo covered his mouth and almost laughed out loud: "Shouting to provoke a goal? I almost believe it."
Cristiano twitched his lips: "Thank you, it's no help."
Marcelo stuck out his tongue and sat next to Cristiano: "Honestly, I have a feeling that you won't be able to avoid this in the next few years."
"..." Cristiano looked at Marcelo, "Do you have any other premonitions? Tell me."
It’s quite accurate.
Marcelo: ?
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