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"Damn it!!"
As Cristiano Ronaldo failed to win the aerial challenge and was about to land, he subconsciously looked back towards the outside of the penalty area.
It was fine not to look, but when Cristiano Ronaldo did, it sent shivers down his spine!
The football was cleared out of the penalty area by Belgium's center-back Kompany, flying towards William Carvalho outside the box.
William Carvalho hadn't even reacted yet.
A red blur flashed past his eyes instantly!
His vision blurred, and the football had already vanished!
"What?"
Looking back, he could only see the number on the red jersey and that terrifying name!
"Number 39 — Lance!"
Spectators saw it clearly, and they were even more excited!
CCTV commentator He Wei's voice suddenly became high-pitched!
"Lance!!! What a beautiful sneak attack!! He snatched the second ball!!"
"He's dribbling and launching a counterattack!! A chance for Belgium!"
Everyone watched as Lance bravely took the ball, lightly heading it over an opponent to steal it, then dribbling forward with long strides!
In an instant, all of Portugal gasped!
They all sprinted back, gritting their teeth to defend!
But Pepe and Bruno Alves were both in the penalty area challenging for headers.
Only the two full-backs, João Pereira and Miguel Veloso, remained in the backfield.
At the same time, Raul Meireles and Moutinho were frantically chasing back.
Cristiano Ronaldo also immediately put his head down and started, joining the defense!
Facing Moutinho, who was blocking his way, Lance had now entered his peak state!
Rage Value: 100%
Bachira Meguru S-rank template, full power!
The sleeping beast within his body completely took over Lance, making him dribble frantically from in front of his own penalty area towards the front field!
Moutinho retreated while leaning in, attempting to pull his jersey to slow down Lance's breakthrough.
But with the monster form of Bachira Meguru unleashed, who could stop him?
Dribbling one step to the left, Lance's feet were nimble, using his heel to flick the ball and change direction, faking Moutinho into moving right.
Suddenly, Lance's right foot flexibly pulled the ball back again, continuing to the left!
"Elastico!!! Lance is past him!!"
Ronaldinho's signature elastico dribble was easier than drinking water for Lance!
In an instant, Moutinho was faked to the ground!
With a terrifying, ferocious smile on his lips, Lance dribbled at lightning speed across midfield, facing the double-team of Veloso and João Pereira all by himself!
At this moment, Hazard, De Bruyne, Origi, and others were all in the backfield; no one could provide support yet!
The field had completely become Lance's personal show!
This act was called 'Going to the Meeting Alone'.
"Veloso and João Pereira aren't rushing to press, instead they're retreating and trying to maintain distance."
The atmosphere was extremely tense, and He Wei was already breathing rapidly.
As Lance dribbled, the opponents' defense was also very calm, not giving Lance space to break through.
Both maintained a distance of about 2 meters, trying to tighten the pocket and wait for teammates to track back.
If it were an ordinary mindless striker, they would usually rush to dribble to one side, gradually forced to the touchline by the defenders, abandoning the good central position.
But Lance, emboldened by the 'monster' within him, boldly charged towards the center of the pocket, between the two defenders!
"So reckless?"
Portugal coach Paulo Bento was stunned; how dare he!
However, anyone who had watched a few of Lance's performances at Bayer Leverkusen would know that this wasn't his first time being crazy!
Hahaha, So much FUN!
With a deep-seated wild aura, Lance accelerated his dribble, forcibly pushing through the middle.
How could the two defenders let him pass?
They quickly closed in, forming a wall.
They were almost touching, and there was no space in the middle, forcing a dribble to the outside.
But this would slow him down.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Meireles, Pepe, and others had already tracked back past midfield, ready to provide support at any moment.
Belgium's fast break could potentially be shut down.
At the critical moment, Lance's right foot continued to push the ball to the right, seemingly about to quickly pull it back, repeating his elastico trick to fool them.
"Again?"
Veloso wouldn't fall for it!
It was just an elastico; he had seen it before!
He deliberately did not shift his center of gravity, instead lowering it, with his knees together, to prevent Lance from nutmegging him.
The right-back João Pereira also quickly closed in, tugging Lance's jersey and body-checking him to disrupt his balance.
The two worked together seamlessly; even if they couldn't win the ball, they could stop Lance's advance.
Even Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi would have a tough time.
Seeing this, audiences worldwide also felt Lance's choice was a bit forced, as if he was deliberately crashing into the most heavily defended area.
Slowing down and waiting for Hazard and De Bruyne to support could also create opportunities.
Had Lance also lost his head?
Just as some began to curse, the next moment, they instantly doubted their eyes, or even life itself!
What Lance did with his feet was not an elastico; it was a nimble flick and cushion outwards!
He chipped the ball up during his dribble!
Lance's body had already rushed between the two defenders ahead of the ball.
At the crucial moment, his heel magically flicked the ball upwards!
The Portuguese defenders hadn't even reacted yet.
Lance had already forcibly squeezed through the two of them!
"Huh? Where's the ball?"
"What the hell?"
Only then did they realize: the man went through, but where was the ball?
When they looked back, they discovered that the ball had been chipped into the air by Lance!
A rainbow flick!
On the World Cup knockout stage, he was pulling off such fancy tricks!!
In the land of Samba football, Lance's dazzling performance was even more authentic than the Brazilians'!
The entire stadium erupted!!!
All neutral Brazilian fans collectively stood up, applauding Lance's brilliant breakthrough!
"Beautiful!! Lance!! He's past them!! Breaking into the penalty area!! It's a one-on-one!"
He Wei's blood was pumping, his adrenaline completely ignited by Lance!
One man sprinting 80 meters into the opponent's penalty area, dribbling past 4 players without slowing down!
His sharp prowess cutting through enemy lines, taking the enemy's head from amidst a myriad of troops!
From defense to a threatening counter-attack, it took less than 10 seconds!
What kind of football version of 'Warm Wine and Slaying Hua Xiong' was this! (T/N: describes a swift and confident victory)
"It's a one-on-one!!! Lance!!!"
Goalkeeper Beto was terrified facing Lance; he had never seen such a sight!
In his dazed state, Lance only needed a simple shoulder drop and sway to fake goalkeeper Beto to the ground!
Lance used a pendulum feint to shift to the other side.
In the despairing eyes of all Portuguese fans, and Cristiano Ronaldo, he unceremoniously slotted the ball into the empty net!
"Goal!!! It's 2-2, equalizing the score!!!"
"Cristiano Ronaldo's brace was excellent, and Lance, not to be outdone, responded with a brace of his own!"
After scoring, Lance dominantly charged towards the stands, celebrating with Cristiano Ronaldo's signature move right in front of him!
I 'Siu!' right in front of you!
Just like in the Champions League semi-finals!
Cristiano Ronaldo had been mocked by Lance twice in a row like this, yet he couldn't show any temper.
This goal was truly unstoppable!
One man tore through the entire Portuguese defense!
Belgium's morale soared, while Portugal's morale plummeted!
In an instant, the tables turned!
With 25 minutes left in the match, this was the first time Cristiano Ronaldo felt a loss of confidence.
Could he really not defeat this kid?