The Midfield Master

On the afternoon of April 12, Xia Ze followed the team to Porto. At the same time, Benfica also set off to the Dragon Stadium in Porto, a neutral final venue.

Although the game will not start until the evening, a large number of fans have gathered outside the Dragon Stadium at this time. The blue and white Porto jerseys that were scattered all over the match days in the past have now been replaced by red and red and green jerseys. Benfica and Maritimo fans.

Before the start of the game, the fans of both sides had been fighting secretly, competing with each other in singing, and some fans had friendly conversations with their opponents.

Vendors are holding Benfica jerseys and scarves in their left hands, and Maritimo hats and souvenirs on their right arms, selling them outside the stadium.

Because of this final, Porto had an influx of 50,000 to 60,000 fans from both sides. Some of them didn't buy tickets, so they asked outside, hoping to find someone who sold tickets. The tickets for the game were sold out as early as the day before.

Maritimo's team bus slowly drove into the parking lot of the Dragon Stadium, and Maritimo's coach and players headed by Martins got out of the car. Xia Ze walked alone at the end, looking at this Hongwei stadium, his mood was rather complicated.

This is Xia Ze's second visit to the Dragon Stadium. The last time he appeared in this stadium, the 50,000 fans in the audience were impressed by his performance and gave him a standing ovation.

Today, in this League Cup final, what kind of attitude will he leave the stadium?

In short, he will not appear in the starting lineup.

However, he was included in the game squad by Martins and entered the bench, which also exceeded many people's expectations.

The head coach of Benfica, Flores, looked at Martins who was coming out of the player tunnel in doubt, not knowing what medicine was sold in the opponent's gourd.

The TV camera was shown on Martins. As he walked, he looked forward with deep eyes. After seeing Flores, he smiled and walked up to greet him.

But after the starting players came out of the tunnel, the camera was specially shown on Xia Ze who came out with other substitute players.

...

In China, which is thousands of miles away, it is already late at night, but there are still many houses with dim lights on from time to time.

"Everyone who is waiting in front of the computer late at night, hello everyone, welcome to watch the 2013-14 Portuguese League Cup final, the match between Maritimo and Benfica, which is broadcast live by Sina Sports Video, and I will send you a commentary on the match It's Zhan Jun."

A gentle middle-aged man wearing glasses appeared in front of the TV camera, and then switched to the live scene.

"I believe everyone has been paying attention to this game for a long time. Our Sina Sports Video has also brought you this game through commercial cooperation..." Zhan Jun's slightly sharp voice appeared in front of the computers of many Chinese fans watching late at night.

"Maritimo has two young players from China, Xia Ze and Zhang Wei. Maritimo's head coach Martins said before the game that Xia Ze will not play in this game, and he did not appear today. On the starting lineup, he was replaced by Maritimo's 19-year-old Dicko. But he has his name on the bench, maybe he will come off the bench when the team needs him."

"Xia Ze is now in front of the camera. He was born in Guangzhou on August 23, 1995. He is only 18 years old this year. He is a very handsome guy..."

"In the starting lineup, we also saw Zhang Wei. This young central defender also came from the Guangzhou R\u0026F Youth Team. He is 19 years old this year. He is 1.88 meters tall and has excellent physical condition..."

With Zhan Jun's commentary, the Portuguese League Cup final kicked off.

Beep——

After the referee blew the whistle, 50,000 fans at the scene shouted like a tsunami.

The Dragon Stadium can accommodate 50,000 spectators. Before the game, Benfica and Maritimo each received 20,000 tickets, and the remaining 10,000 tickets were sold outside the stadium to neutral fans.

So above the stands, the red and green Maritimo fans and the Benfica fans in red jerseys formed a confrontation, each singing their team's cheering songs, trying to overwhelm each other outside the stadium.

The fans of Benfica originally had an advantage psychologically, and the news of Xia Ze's absence before the game made the Maritimo fans extremely depressed. In terms of the psychological warfare of the fans before the game, Benfica should have the upper hand.

But when the match list came out and Xia Ze appeared on the bench, the confidence of Maritimo fans returned. They believed that as long as the team had difficulties, Xia Ze would play and lead the team to win the game.

So the singing of both sides came and went, and no one gave way to the other.

On the field, because of the contrasting colors of the jerseys, Maritimo is wearing a white top and green shorts away jersey today, while Benfica is wearing a red top and white shorts home jersey.

At the beginning of the game, Benfica, led by the midfielder Gaitan, launched a fierce attack on Maritimo's defense.

"Today Benfica has the strongest lineup. The defense is led by the Argentine central defender Garay, who almost transferred to Manchester United last summer. The core of the midfield is Gaitan, who has been very sought after in the transfer market in recent years. The forward line Lima, Cardoso and Rodrigo form a trident, which is quite powerful." Zhan Jun dissected the lineups of both sides in the studio.

"On Maritimo's side, the defense is based on the old and the young. The two experienced defenders, Brigle and Rosario, lead Zhang Wei and Ruben Ferreira; Tour and Pereira, up front you have Quaresma, Dilly and Helton."

"Quaresma has performed very well since he joined Maritimo on a free transfer in January this year. So far, he has scored 5 goals in all competitions and has 7 assists. Ranked third in the league and the number two player in today's League Cup final."

"And the No. 1 hero is Xia Ze who is sitting on the bench today. This 18-year-old midfielder from Guangzhou can be said to be the most amazing discovery of the Portuguese Super League this season."

When Zhan Jun said this, his voice became high. As a Chinese fan, Xia Ze's outstanding performance also made him feel proud.

"Okay, let's take a look at this attack. Gaitan dribbled the ball from the left, Lima responded from the side, and the 1.93-meter high center forward Cardoso has already locked his position in the middle and is asking Gaitan for the ball."

"Guitan put the ball in the middle, it's a chance!"

"Cardozo!" Zhan Jun's passionate voice sounded.

"Do you have this ball!?"

"Oh! Zhang Wei headed the ball first, a corner kick from Benfica."

"Let's take a look at the slow-motion replay. If Zhang Wei hadn't caught the ball before Cardoso, I'm afraid Cardoso would have opened the scoring for Benfica."

...

Benfica's onslaught at the beginning made Maritimo in the stands frightened, while the Benfica fans took advantage of the situation and sang loudly, overwhelming the Maritimo fans in momentum.

Sitting on the bench, Xia Ze couldn't help sweating as he watched his teammates struggle to organize an effective counterattack under Benfica's fierce offensive.

He watched his teammates fight on the field, but he couldn't fight side by side with them, and he felt uncomfortable.

"We must hold on, as long as we survive the opening 15 minutes, we will have a chance." Xia Ze is very clear about the team's tactics. Field attack group, the stability of the back line also plays a very important role.

After Zhang Wei's sudden emergence, he formed a double central defender combination with Rosario, which became an insurmountable wall in the eyes of other teams in the Portuguese Super League. Even the top three in the Portuguese Super League did not take much advantage against them.

The same is true in this game. With Zhang Wei's perfect marking of Cardoso when the midfield was almost completely lost, Maritimo was overwhelmed by Benfica in the first 20 minutes, but after all, he did not Lose the ball.

After Benfica's high-intensity press at the beginning of the game, unable to break through Maritimo's gate, they also began to deliberately slow down the pace. Maritimo's midfielder also began to have some possession of the ball and was able to organize the attack.

"In the 22 minutes of the game, Benfica began to slow down the pace of the game. In the opening period, the onslaught was almost resolved by the defense led by Zhang Wei. After withstood the opponent's opening three tricks, Maritimo was about to counterattack." Zhan Jun explained the game.

"Quaresma took the ball on the left. This Portuguese winger who debuted in Sporting Lisbon and played in Barcelona and Porto was as famous as Ronaldo. In recent years, his state has been relatively sluggish, but he joined Mali in January this year. After Dimo, he has a second spring, and there are more and more calls in Portugal for him to return to the national team and participate in the World Cup in Brazil."

"Look at his breakthrough this time, a fake move passed the opponent's defender, overwhelmed the penalty area, and there were Dilly and Dike in the middle to respond!"

"Just hit the door with one kick!"

"Wow! The Benfica goalkeeper made a great save!"

"It was Maritimo's first shot of the game and almost knocked on the door of Benfica. Fortunately, Benfica's goalkeeper Artur did not doze off and lifted the ball out of the baseline. Maritimo's corner kick opportunity. "

...

After Quaresma's shot, Maritimo's players gradually adapted to the atmosphere of the final. The three midfielders also began to try to control the rhythm of the field. The two sides competed for possession of the ball in the midfield Very intense.

Benfica's Gaitan is very capable. He has been observed by many giants for many years, and it is reported that he will leave the team after the end of the season, and his next home is likely to be Manchester United.

However, Di Keao, who replaced Xia Ze, did not lose in the competition with Gaitan. On the contrary, his dexterous skills made everyone's eyes shine. It was completely unexpected that after Xia Ze, Maritimo would have such an outstanding player. midfielder. Red Devils Manchester United Rewards Grain 188 Red Devils Manchester United Rewards Grain 388 Red Devils Manchester United Rewards Grain 188 Red Devils Manchester United Rewards Grain 388 Red Devils Manchester United Rewards Grain 88