Sixty-one minutes.
Still Wu Xudong!
He tracked back at high speed and intercepted Robben from behind just as Robben was about to cut inside.
His presence effectively limited Robben's performance!
Seventy-two minutes.
Groningen could no longer create any real threats, and Sporting Lisbon began to turn the pressure onto the visitors.
Cristiano Ronaldo tried several times to break through on the wing after receiving the ball, torturing Groningen's right back until his ankle could barely hold up.
He drew a lot of defensive attention.
Boom!
Ronaldo passed the ball back to Veloso behind him, then immediately spun and sprinted forward.
Veloso didn't hold the ball and quickly returned it to Ronaldo making the run.
A simple one-two wall pass, but extremely practical.
Cristiano Ronaldo took the ball and pushed it sideways with one touch.
Groningen's defense was completely torn apart.
Lourenço dragged the defender away on the right side of the six-yard box.
Kai charged in from the back and received the ball inside the penalty area with no one marking him.
The Groningen goalkeeper rushed out!
Kai gently lifted his right foot, slid his toe under the ball, and chipped it!
The ball floated over the goalkeeper's head toward goal.
"GOAL! The comeback! Sporting Lisbon takes the lead!"
"Three to two! Now the pressure is on Groningen!"
"Kai controlled that chip perfectly. He's used these scoop and pick shots many times before. He's the kind of player who always surprises you."
"The camera finds young Arjen Robben. The Groningen stands have started singing. This is a chant adapted especially for Robben. You can see how high their expectations are for him!"
In the following minutes, Robben kept trying and gradually began adapting to Wu Xudong's defense.
At top speed, Wu Xudong's defensive positioning was excellent.
But once the pace slowed, his lack of experience compared to professional full-backs became obvious.
In the 79th minute, Robben used a flashy feint to completely fool Wu Xudong, who hadn't seen many tricks like that before, and sent him to the ground.
The stands erupted in applause.
Clearly, the Groningen fans didn't like the man who had been freezing Robben earlier.
Robben broke through and got past Angelo, who came to cover.
"Robben shoots!"
"Oh! Kai poked the ball away first!"
"Robben's strike didn't hit the ball — it smashed into Kai's back and right shoulder!"
"Kai is clutching his shoulder. That looked painful. The referee stops play and asks if he needs treatment. Kai shakes his head. He can still continue."
"Robben is complaining to the referee, saying Kai fouled him."
"But the referee sees it as a clean tackle. Kai made no contact with Robben at all. Robben hesitated slightly on the shot, maybe trying to add power, and Kai seized the moment."
"Although Kai is smaller than most players, he's definitely not a defensive liability. And… he even looks a bit taller than earlier this season?"
Eighty-three minutes.
A long pass from the Groningen midfield found Robben.
Wu Xudong stayed tight, and it turned into a duel for a high ball.
In the end, Wu Xudong's physical strength won out. He outmuscled Robben and cleared it.
Eighty-four minutes.
After the clearance, Groningen kept looking for Robben again. From such close range, Wu Xudong obviously couldn't stop him from receiving the ball.
After controlling it, Robben turned and feinted twice in a row, shaking Wu Xudong off.
Then he spun and accelerated.
Beep!
The referee blew the whistle.
Wu Xudong had pulled Robben down.
Robben's jersey collar was stretched out of shape.
He was furious.
The referee finally reached into his pocket and showed Wu Xudong a yellow card.
"It's fine. You did well. If it happens again, you should still do it." Kai came over to encourage Wu Xudong.
Many players lose confidence after getting booked, thinking they performed badly.
That mindset can ruin the rest of their game.
Kai understood Chinese players' mentality very well.
Influenced by years of harsh criticism back home, they always over-reflect.
"Why did you get booked?
Because you couldn't defend!
Why couldn't you defend?
Because you're trash!
Good players don't need fouls!
Getting cards means you're uncivilized!
A yellow card is shameful!
A red card means you should retire!"
That kind of nonsense.
Kai didn't want Wu Xudong thinking like that, so he quickly reassured him.
There were only a few minutes left.
Using a yellow card to stop Robben's attack was absolutely worth it.
Eighty-seven minutes.
A moment that made Sporting Lisbon fans nervous arrived.
Like a god descending, Robben cut in early from the right, slipped past Wu Xudong, and went straight at defensive midfielder Semedo, who was covering behind Kai.
Semedo knew Robben would cut inside.
But facing him directly, he was dazzled by Robben's devilish footwork.
Only now did he realize how impressive Wu Xudong had been earlier.
At least his vision and reactions were insane.
Whoosh!
Robben flicked the ball straight through Semedo's legs.
Nutmeg!
He reached the right edge of the penalty area and set up to shoot.
Angelo immediately lifted his leg to block.
But it was only a fake shot.
Robben dragged the ball sideways and wound up properly.
Boom!
Just as the Groningen fans were ready to celebrate—
Robben crashed to the ground before shooting.
He writhed in pain.
Someone had slide-tackled him!
Boom!
The entire stadium exploded.
Fans started cursing.
Groningen's players rushed over aggressively toward the tackler.
"Oh no!"
"Red card! The referee goes straight to red! Wu Xudong didn't touch the ball at all and brought Robben down!"
"This kind of challenge shouldn't appear on a football pitch. But you can see Wu Xudong tried to pull out. He didn't mean to hurt Robben — he just rushed the tackle."
"He went for Robben because he couldn't let him shoot!"
"But… he did stop the attack. From that angle, Robben was almost certain to score."
"I honestly don't know how to judge that defense."
Huang Jianxiang hesitated. He wanted to say, "Xiao Wu is awesome," but worried about the impact.
Kai didn't hesitate.
After calming the Groningen players down, Kai walked over and escorted Wu Xudong off the pitch.
"You did great!"
He meant it.
At the same time, Kai raised his hands and applauded toward the Sporting Lisbon fans in the stands.
They understood immediately and started clapping too.
He was a hero.
That defense succeeded.
That red card was worth it.
Later, Robben personally took the free kick from the excellent position.
Boom!
The shot smashed into Veloso's head as he jumped.
Veloso covered his head after landing and needed a moment to recover.
The match entered stoppage time.
First minute of added time.
Groningen, still attacking, launched one last desperate push.
Robben shrugged off both Angelo and Ronaldo, who had sprinted back from the front.
From Ronaldo's position, it was clear Sporting Lisbon had completely retreated into the box.
Robben dribbled straight at the goalkeeper.
One-on-one!
At that moment, goalkeeper Pilar suddenly remembered what Kai told him at halftime.
"Watch his left foot. Only his left foot is dangerous. And when the near-post angle is tight, he usually shoots low to the far corner — to his left."
"If he goes one-on-one, charge his left side!"
"Commit to the left!"
Pilar's eyes sharpened.
He had never felt more determined.
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