Chapter 1 Krasnodar

Krasnodar, located on the right bank of the Kuban River, is the largest economic and cultural center in southern Russia, known as the "Southern Capital."

In 1792, Tsarina Catherine II granted this land to the Cossacks, so Krasnodar was formerly known as Yekaterinodar, meaning "Catherine's Gift." This name lasted until 1920 when the red specter loomed over Europe.

Yekaterinodar was renamed Krasnodar, meaning "Red Gift." Currently, during the World Cup, the city's tourist hotness is comparable to Moscow. The accommodation and catering industries are booming. The Shukhov Tower, the Winter Theater Concert Hall, Sun Island Park, and Krasnaya Street are packed with people.

Once it enters the open training day, the area where the Spanish national team's base is located is completely crowded. Li Kang can't cycle around Ray Island like he did during the European Cup in France. Compared to tourists from all over the world, it is more difficult for him to feel the humanistic atmosphere of the World Cup during the off-season.

Inside the tactics room, Miniano asked worriedly, "Boss, is our deployment that simple?"

Their main force has been depleted.

Next, facing a younger Portugal, it will be another fierce battle.

Bosque patted his big belly and smiled kindly: "Simplify the problem... don't think too much."

June 19th.

Sochi.

The Fisht Olympic Stadium emitted a soft, colorful light in the night, like a jewel-encrusted, transparent eggshell. It was Russia's first large-scale stadium to use a transparent all-glass structure and a polycarbonate roof on the exterior. The stadium was packed with people. The stadium's unique design allowed spectators in the upper tiers to see the Caucasus Mountains in the distance and overlook the Black Sea coast.

"Ctv5! Ctv5! Good evening, viewers!

"We are now broadcasting the second round of Group B in the 2018 Russia World Cup.

"Spain versus Portugal!"

"The Iberian Derby!"

"The peak duel of the Fisht Mountains!"

"In 1930, this land gave birth to *How the Steel Was Tempered*!"

"33-year-old C Ronaldo, after many twists and turns, has become tempered steel. Can he get his wish in this World Cup?"

"Let's wait and see!"

The commentator sorted out his manuscript.

He had already thought of the lines in his mind: "A mortal body comparable to a god," "defeating fate," and "overlooking the world with the ambition of a tiger."

In the player tunnel.

The atmosphere was relatively harmonious. B Silva and A Silva were quite enthusiastic towards the Spanish team. Pepe ignored his former Real Madrid teammates and stared fiercely at Li Kang. C Ronaldo gently patted Li Kang's shoulder, wanting to ask about his old opponent's injury.

The feelings between people are very subtle. As early as the draw ceremony two years ago and the Champions League semi-finals, the emerging Leverkusen genius had left a deep impression on him. He subconsciously admired Li Kang's self-discipline, hard work, calmness, and indomitable fighting spirit.

Unfortunately.

The massacre in the European Cup, the loss in two Champions League finals, and the joint battles in the Legend game made C Ronaldo both love and hate Li Kang.

This strange feeling was like being CPUed!

Suddenly, C Ronaldo keenly noticed the camera moving. He immediately restrained his smile, his face returned to coldness, and he looked firmly into the distance. Li Kang smiled.

A moment later, accompanied by an earth-shattering cheer, the referee team led the players from both sides out of the tunnel.

This game, due to the starting lineups of C Ronaldo and Li Kang, attracted worldwide attention. The ratings were close to the 2016 European Cup final in France.

"Now, let me introduce the starting lineups of both sides."

"Spain's formation is 4-2-3-1!"

"Goalkeeper: De Gea."

"Defenders: Carvajal, Pique, Ramos, Azpilicueta."

"Double defensive midfielders: Li Kang, Koke."

"Attacking midfielders: Saul, Isco, Fabregas."

"Forward: Morata."

Live broadcast room.

-【You call this lineup a "remnant lineup"?】【What the hell? Who told me to buy the under? Even if I haven't watched football for several years, I can tell from the names that Spain's remnant lineup is very strong, okay!】-【The control is not as good as the "midfield five masters," but the hardness and impact are stronger.】-【You better be talking about football!】-【Midfield five masters: Li Kang, Busquets, Iniesta, Cazorla, David Silva.】-【Li Mingdeng is a system player. With different teammates, he can adapt to any system.】"Portugal's formation is 4-1-3-2!"

"Goalkeeper: Patricio."

"Defenders: Cedric, Pepe, Fonte, Guerreiro."

"Single defensive midfielder: William Carvalho."

"Midfielders: Bernardo Silva! Andre Silva! Bruno Fernandes!"

"Forwards: Goncalo Guedes, C Ronaldo.

Live broadcast room.

-【Fortunately, there are not many small black eggs in the two teams, unlike the French team.】-【I haven't watched football for a long time. Portugal's midfield configuration is good. B Silva of Manchester City, A Silva of Barcelona, and Lisbon's super genius B Fee!】【C Ronaldo has been carrying the team for so many years, he should finally see spring!

-【Come on, strive to qualify for the group stage and break the record of zero goals and zero assists in four World Cup knockout rounds!】-【The World Cup sponsor is going crazy with this game!】

After a simple opening ceremony, Li Kang stood in his position.

A system prompt sounded quietly.

【Ding, mission triggered: That Resolute Man.】

【Mission Description: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, he will show irresistible power and determination in this game, going against the current. The Sochi night filled with blood and tears, the Caucasus Mountains will tremble for him, and the Black Sea coast will offer him hymns. He will once again shock the world!】

【Mission Reward: Golden Treasure Chest.】All the bold words seemed so pale and weak in front of the reward level. Li Kang bent down and adjusted his shoelaces. In his vision, a white and gold phantom struggled out, leaping high. The *siu* aerial spin had not yet been completed when it was scattered by the sea breeze.

Accompanied by the referee's whistle, the highly anticipated Iberian Derby officially kicked off!

Spain has the ball. Morata kicks off with his weaker foot, passing it back to Li Kang.

The football rolls quickly on the green field. "The Spanish team is wearing white jerseys today.

"The Portuguese team is wearing red jerseys." "The rhythm is very fast."

"Pique starts the ball in the backfield, a long pass to find Carvajal!"

"The two full-backs of the Matadors recklessly rushed past the opponent's half. Pique's short and medium-range passes are very strong and accurate, but he doesn't grasp the arc and speed of long passes well enough." This standard is relative to a super midfielder.

He liked this straightforward style of play. Carvajal stopped the ball on the right wing, twisting his big butt and cutting towards the center. Carvalho and Cedric couldn't keep up with his speed at all. "I heard that after Lahm retired, Carvajal is the world's number one full-back!"

"Fonte's defensive positioning is very good."

"Portugal's defense is rapidly shrinking towards the center." "Morata and Fabregas's running are a constraint."

"Wow! C Ronaldo's defense is very active!"

C Ronaldo sprinted all the way back from the front line, defending deeply. After attracting most of the defensive power, Carvajal sent out a diagonal pass!

Portugal's originally tightened defense couldn't widen in an instant.

In the empty area on the right wing, a figure with a short body and short legs appeared. Isco. "When did he switch positions with Saul?"

"Dribbling into the penalty area!"

"Seductive... elegant steps!"

"That big butt! Dog-style twisting dribble!"

"He dribbled past Fonte!"

"The shooting space is open!"

"Wow, am I dreaming? Isco can actually pass the ball!"

The Portuguese goalkeeper was very calm, blocking the near post in advance.

Unfortunately, the football drew an ambiguous trajectory from the space in front of him, sweeping across, making the goalkeeper dare not move forward to save, and the defender dare not clear backward.

Far post.

The inserted Fabregas is about to face an empty goal!

Whoosh!

A strong bald figure cleared the ball one step ahead.

Pepe.

His defensive content was very rich. While successfully defusing the danger, his shoulder slammed hard, causing Fabregas to fall to the ground in pain. "What a pity!"

"Spain was just a little bit away from scoring." "Pepe's defensive awareness has reached perfection. The older he gets, the more demon-like he becomes!"

"Fabregas got up and complained to the referee."

"The physical confrontation in this situation... is very reasonable. The referee will not give a card!"

"Spain's corner kick!"

Sideline.

Miniano looked solemn and paced back and forth. Bosque sat on the coach's bench, clapping happily.

On the other side.

The 64-year-old Portuguese coach, Santos, stood calmly in the command area. His tactical style was not as conservative as it was two years ago because he now has three talented midfielders, A Silva, B Silva, and B Fee, who can deliver shells to C Ronaldo on the front line.

Live broadcast room. -[Isco's explosiveness has weakened too much since he got a girlfriend. If this ball was in the past, he wouldn't have given Fonte a chance to intercept. He would have scored with one kick!]

-[Pepe deserves to be called a saint.]-[That brother who doubled his betrothal gift is awesome. This game may really be a draw!]-[Will he change his wife after multiplying it hundreds of times?]-[The defensive layering of this Portuguese team is much stronger than before.

-[There will be no goals in the first half. It won't be easy for Li Mingdeng to break through the opponent's goal. Go to bed.]

In the stands.

David Silva and Iniesta changed into casual clothes. Their faces were clouded with worry. The things they were worried about had little to do with the outcome of the game. "Pepe is testing the referee's limits."

"Why is he sticking to Li?"

Koke ran to the right corner flag area. Li Kang entered the penalty area to compete for the header.

Isco was relatively short and retreated to the second point area on the outside. The two performed a simple rotation in this set-piece attack. Pepe learned to be smart.

He didn't just want revenge today; he also wanted to win.

His body was tightly against Li Kang, not using small tricks, but spewing out trash talk. "If you dare to jump, I will kick your crotch hard."

"Defending you is as easy as raising a glass of red wine."

Li Kang ignored him and made a gesture to Koke in the distance. Koke responded with a gesture and took the corner kick.

Pa!

The football rushed along the grass and quickly controlled to the right diagonal of the large penalty area. Isco stopped the ball. Li Kang made a retreat, taking Pepe away.

Morata ran across, catching Fonte off guard. Ramos, like a center forward, pressed against Portugal's shrinking midline...Arching forward hard.

In God's perspective, the opponent's defense was disrupted and fragmented, the sea breeze blowing the white hem of his jersey. Li Kang suddenly turned back and inserted, avoiding Pepe's collision. "The gap is open!"

"Isco makes a horizontal pass."

"Li Kang is about to pass... a fake pass and a real shot!" "Elegant!"

"Wow!"

"Scalpel!"

A Silva felt a chill in his crotch. Carvalho felt a chill in his crotch.

B Fee felt a chill in his crotch. C Ronaldo felt a chill in his crotch.

The football was like a sharp blade, piercing through the crotches of four players and cutting open Portugal's penalty area. Everyone was stunned!

What kind of magical attack is this? David Silva and Iniesta in the stands were dumbfounded.

Goalkeeper Patricio quickly went to the ground, but his white gloves touched nothing.

The football brushed against the post and ripped open Portugal's net. 1:0!

The Fisht Olympic Stadium was silent for a few tenths of a second before an earth-shattering roar erupted from the four stands!

What a magic knife!

A push shot, passing through the crotches of four people! "Beautiful!"

"Goal!"

"Elegant left foot!"

"He seems to have turned the football game into billiards, golf..."

"Incredible trajectory!"

"Imaginative shot!"

"The Portuguese geniuses have become the background for the superstar!"

"Just four minutes into the game, Li Kang helped the team score the first goal!"

"A brilliant assist from Isco." The live broadcast screen slowly replayed the goal process.

Li Kang made a classic feint, and then pushed the ball with his left foot, flowing smoothly and elegantly. The football passed through the crotches of A Silva, Carvalho, B Fee, and C Ronaldo without any difference, and finally rolled into the net. Portugal's dense defensive formation was like a piece of thin paper.

In an instant.

Li Kang's goal highlight reel was quickly cut into a compilation and went viral online.

-【Damn! So you can play football like this!】-【So handsome!】-【If there are fixed matches in the World Cup, how many times would this attack have to be rehearsed...B Fee clamped his legs tight enough.】-【This goal will be the first love of how many people for football!】-【Is the brother who bet on a draw okay?】-【Who said there would be no goals? Come out and be beaten.】-【Portugal's loss of the ball this time is partly the responsibility of Pepe. How could he be brought out?】【To be honest, there is no technical content in this tactical corner kick of Spain. It is far from reaching Enrique's attainments, but Li Kang's shot is too awesome!】【Football is round. Portugal still has a chance. As long as Pique is distracted, this midfield configuration will equalize the score in minutes!】

Isco excitedly hugged Li Kang.

The Spanish teammates rushed forward one after another, celebrating wildly. The distant De Gea looked excited, waving his hands and feet...not knowing whether he was celebrating or trying to warm up his body.

Some were happy and some were sad. Pepe punched the grass unwillingly. C Ronaldo stomped his feet in anger, wanting to curse. He pinched the captain's armband and endured.

He had to endure. He rubbed his face hard, silently picked up the football from the net, turned around, and rushed to the center circle!

He absolutely, absolutely could not replicate the tragedy of the European Cup final.