Football career: From winning the championship to becoming a legend

Portsmouth F.C. was founded in 1898. It is a football club located in Portsmouth, a coastal city in southern England. Its nickname is Pompey. The team's home ground is Fratton Park.

曼联近4个赛季做客弗拉顿公园球场遭遇3次败绩。双方英超历史交锋8场，曼联5胜3负占据优势。双方历史交锋65场，曼联30胜17平19负同样占据上风。

Here, the information from Old Li Qi reminds Ricardo not to underestimate the Pompey Army this season, because Portsmouth will win the FA Cup in this season in history, and its strength is quite strong. In addition, Portsmouth has won the English top football league championship twice and the FA Cup once in history.

The battle-hardened Sir Alex Ferguson would naturally not be careless and sent out the 11 players he thought were the best in the starting lineup, using his usual 4-4-2 formation. Tevez and Lizzie replaced the injured Rooney and Silvestre respectively in the starting lineup, Evra returned to the left back position, and new signings Hargreaves and Anderson still failed to make the match list.

2007年8月15日晚上19时45分，07/08赛季英超第二轮，曼联客场挑战朴茨茅斯的比赛在弗拉顿公园球场展开争夺。

Li Qi, who started for Manchester United in the league for the first time, occupied the left wing and was active from the start. Evra, who played as a left winger in the previous game, returned to the left back position and cooperated well with Li Qi on the left wing. After the start, he constantly created threats on the left wing. Obviously, this will be a highlight of Manchester United's future offense.

Giggs continued to play as a shadow striker, but judging from the first ten minutes of the game, the Welshman was in a bit of a slump. He didn't pass many good balls and was almost invisible under the fierce close combat of the home team.

Perhaps inspired by Reading's draw with Manchester United in the first round, Portsmouth also fought very hard in this game. However, unlike Reading, who only wanted to get one point, Pompey wanted to win the defending champion at home, so the home team's defense was not as tight as Reading's, which gave Manchester United some space to organize and attack in the frontcourt.

Just after the 15th minute of the game, Li Qi received the pass from Scholes on the left side and made two consecutive 360-degree turns to shake off the close defense of the Portsmouth midfielder, and then sent a precise pass to Tevez in the middle.

After Tevez got the ball, he didn't force his way into the penalty area blindly. He used his body to protect the ball. Under the harassment of the opponent, he made a feint and then turned and knocked the ball sideways. Scholes, who had just passed the ball to Li Qi, had already moved forward secretly. He made a pass to Tevez with just the right strength and position, and shot a powerful right-footed shot from the position he was best at - 20 yards at the top of the penalty area!

The ball shot out of the gun without any arc, and hit the upper right corner of the goal with great visual impact! World wave!

Manchester United finally scored the first goal just after the first special period, leading Portsmouth 1-0 away from home.

This goal also has an extraordinary significance. This world-class goal was the 32th Premier League goal scored by the 96-year-old Scholes for Manchester United, which made him surpass the former Manchester United top scorer, Van Nistelrooy, the king of the small penalty area who scored 95 goals, and became the player with the most goals in the Manchester United league.

This was Scholes' 373rd league game for Manchester United, so his goal rate remained at an average of about 4 goal every 1 games, which is a world-class efficiency among midfielders.

Among Scholes' 96 goals, Newcastle was the most vulnerable team, with the ginger head scoring against the Magpies 9 times; followed by West Ham, Blackburn and Bolton, each of which was scored against 7 times. Manchester City, the derby opponent to be faced this Sunday, is also Scholes' favorite opponent, scoring a total of 4 goals. However, the last time he scored a goal was in 2004, when Manchester United lost 1-4 away from home...

After losing the ball, Portsmouth did not counterattack immediately. Instead, they learned from their mistakes and began to tighten their defense and use more fierce fighting to block Manchester United's offensive organization. As a result, the game fell into a stalemate.

It was difficult for Manchester United to penetrate into the home team's defensive third zone for a while. Tevez still lacked tacit understanding with the team, and his passing and running with Leeds and Giggs were just off target several times; and Portsmouth's counterattack through long passes had not yet threatened Manchester United's well-prepared defense.

Therefore, both sides can only use set pieces in the frontcourt to create offensive threats.

In the 24th minute, Mendes' free kick was headed out of the penalty area. Sean Davis intercepted the ball in the middle and shot directly from a long distance, but the ball went over the crossbar.

In the 35th minute, Li Qi took a free kick from the left wing, but cleverly chose to pass the ball diagonally to Tevez, who was not tall enough but had already flexibly pulled out of the penalty area. After receiving the ball, the latter passed it back again cleverly, and this time Ronaldo cut inside to the edge of the penalty area and shot with his left foot!

Ronaldo's long-range shot was also very threatening, but it was saved by Pompey's goalkeeper James. Although Tevez, who turned back and ran into the penalty area after passing the ball, poked the ball that James had saved first, the Argentine striker poked the ball away and failed to seize the rare chance to score.

In the last 10 minutes of the first half, Li Qi, who gradually found the rhythm of the Premier League, began to become the protagonist on the field and was close to his first Premier League goal for Manchester United many times. Portsmouth relied entirely on goalkeeper James's magical high-level defense to prevent Li Qi from helping Manchester United to secure the victory.

Li Qi knew that he and Tevez had not practiced together much and had not yet formed a tacit understanding, so he chose not to actively cooperate with Tevez, but used Tevez as a tactical deception, constantly passing the ball in front of and behind Tevez. It seemed like a mistake, but in fact, the former was passed to Ronaldo at the far end, and the latter was passed to Giggs in front of the penalty area...

This move of Li Qi worked wonders for a while, making Portsmouth's defense extremely uncomfortable. Because Tevez's position was more critical, whether he received the ball excessively or shot directly at the goal, it was a deadly threat; Manchester United's first goal was Tevez's excessive receiving of Li Qi's diagonal pass. So the Pompey Army's defense must have focused its defensive attention on the extremely lethal Argentine beast.

If it were any other team, Li Qi's trick might not work so well. After all, this kind of deceptive pass not only easily fools teammates, but also the line of the ball is not easy to handle, after all, it is not at the correct step.

But it's different if his teammates are Cristiano Ronaldo and Giggs. The former has super high explosive power and physical fitness, which means he can retrieve the ball before it goes out of the baseline and control the ball in the threatening area; while the latter is a top veteran who has been in the Premier League for many years. As soon as Li Qi sticks his butt out, you can tell that this bad boy is not holding back a good fart. Moreover, with superb skills and master-level prediction, he can always deal with the ball that Li Qi seems to pass off at the critical moment...

In the 38th minute, Li Qi cut inside and passed the ball in front of Tevez. The ball seemed to be too far and slipped about 1 meter in front of Tevez. At the same time, the Portsmouth defender also let the ball pass. James did not choose to attack and wanted to let the ball go out of the baseline. However, Li Qi's oblique pass had a slight arc and swivel, and it began to slow down when it landed in the corner of the penalty area...

Although he was half a beat late, Ronaldo still reacted before the Portsmouth defenders and intercepted the ball at the intersection of the penalty area and the bottom line, then sent a half-high ball after a brief observation. The ball also missed Tevez who was outflanking at the front point and aimed at Li Qi who was ambushing behind him...

Li Qi received the ball at 12 yards and volleyed it, the ball arcing and falling straight into the far corner! Li Qi saw that the ball was almost certain to go in, and was ready to turn around and celebrate. Unexpectedly, a green light, oh no, a green figure swooped over and used his fingertips to fork the ball along the goal post and out of the bottom line!

Li Qi held his head in his hands, looking annoyed: Damn, just to make sure that Ronaldo's cross was not kicked away, I used a lot of strength in the volley. The angle was important, but the power was not enough, and the goalkeeper made an extreme save!

In the 43rd minute, Li Qi cut inside again, this time his eyes met the Argentine beast without any scruples. Portsmouth's defenders and midfielders also noticed it, and prepared for it as if they were facing a formidable enemy. However, Li Qi's oblique pass missed the target again, this time it went about 1 meter behind Tevez...

The ball was blocked by Portsmouth's central defender Cranney with his toes, changing its direction slightly. Unexpectedly, the ball bounced to the top of the penalty area. Giggs, who was about to make a run, stopped suddenly and turned around to hook the ball with his left foot. Then Giggs slightly turned sideways and followed suit, sending a straight pass behind Tevez who was running diagonally into the penalty area...

The Portsmouth defender was once again distracted by Tevez and missed the ball. Li Qi followed up at high speed and led the ball directly into the penalty area. Li Qi looked up and glanced at the goalkeeper's position, then shot directly with his left foot into the near corner of the goal!

The ball was about to break through the net, but James did a non-standard big monkey split, using the toes of his long legs to slightly block Li Qi's powerful shot from 15 yards in front of the goal on the left side of the penalty area. The ball changed direction with a bang and hit the inside of the goal post at the near corner of the goal, but unfortunately it did not bounce into the goal, but bounced back into James' arms...

Li Qi and the entire Manchester United team: WTF!!! They couldn’t even score this?!

Ferguson's complaint after the game that Manchester United missed opportunities was not entirely without reason, as it was just bad luck.

In the second half, shortly after the kick-off, Li Qi used the same old trick at the end of the first half, but this time Portsmouth was prepared. Although Li Qi's pass was blocked, it still managed to find Ronaldo at the far end, but the latter did not have much room to deal with the ball after stopping, so he could only hastily shoot at a small angle and hit the side net to end the attack.

But to be honest, Portsmouth made the first adjustment in the midfield, and it had a good effect soon after the second half. The home team originally deployed three defensive midfielders, but in the second half, Matthew Taylor, who played a tougher style, replaced Mendes and set up a barrier in the middle of the court with Muwaruwari, and with Nugent and Muntari on both sides, this was the configuration of four beast midfielders.

Then the Pompeys took advantage of Manchester United's lack of physical strength and began to scramble frantically in the midfield. Manchester United gradually lost control of the midfield, Tevez was isolated in the frontcourt, and the back line was constantly impacted.

Seeing his team's midfield out of control, Li Qi, who was barely holding up the team's offensive and defensive rhythm on the left, could do nothing about the chaotic battle in the middle of the midfield.

Li Qi took a moment to glance at Sir Alex Ferguson, who was supervising the game on the sidelines, and even complained in his heart: It's all because of the boss's crazy physical training the day before the game. The first half was fine, but in the second half, the whole team was obviously feeling abnormally tired. Fortunately, the team had to take the train to the away game in the morning, otherwise if there was another training session in the morning, it would definitely be difficult to run in the second half...

However, the older brothers in the team had no complaints at all. They all worked honestly, conscientiously, cautiously, and meticulously completed the inhumane two training sessions a day and concentrated on the competition. As a newcomer, Ricardo could only work hard and accept his fate.

I guess it’s not the first time that Sir Alex has done this. If it succeeds, it’s because he sacrificed short-term interests for the sake of reserve and outbreak in the second half of the season. If it doesn’t work... Sir Alex will definitely not admit it. Anyway, it’s all your fault for not training and not playing seriously!

Soon, facing the crazy attack of Portsmouth, who had the advantage of physical strength, the Manchester United defense led by Vidic and Ferdinand failed to pass the test. But in fact, Li Qi felt that it should be the fault of Manchester United's midfield, Ronaldo did not return to his position, and Carrick and Scholes could not stop the beast waist's pig rush and bravery.

In the 54th minute of the game, Utaka passed the ball to the left, and Matthew Taylor, who came on as a substitute at halftime, made a cross. The unmarked Muwaruwari rushed in from behind and headed the ball into the goal from 11 yards in front of the goal. This powerful header equalized the score for the home team, 1-1, and the two sides returned to the same starting line.

After tying the score, the morale of the Pompey team was even higher, and the team became more and more courageous. However, Manchester United, who were eager to score, lost their way under high pressure; the Red Devils needed a second goal, but there was no suitable attacker available on the bench.

But the Red Devils, who are known for their tenacity, will not give up easily. Li Qi, Ronaldo and others also took advantage of the gaps in the home team's forward pressure to constantly find space and made several high-quality counterattacks...

But just when Li Qi thought that his team's counterattack might even score a goal before the home team, another accident happened. Li Qi didn't even know what happened on the court. Just as he was holding the ball and preparing to plan something else, the referee suddenly blew the whistle to interrupt the game and showed the Ruby War God Card to the Red Devils' No. 7!

Every young person has a devil called impulse in his heart, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who is known as "God's gift", is no exception. He had two red cards in his Manchester United career, one in the match against Villa in the 03/04 season and the other in the Manchester City derby in the 05/06 season.

But after the 2006 World Cup, the Portuguese who had crossed the "gate of life and death" became unexpectedly mature. The fierce tackles from opponents and the boos from fans and the media could not shake him. Even Ferguson lamented that Ronaldo's courage was admirable. However, his inner demons were not completely eliminated, but were suppressed by the desire for the championship.

After winning the Premier League title last season, Ronaldo's mentality has changed slightly, and his inner demons are ready to move under people's greater expectations and the pressure of "quadruple crowns".

After the game, Li Qi finally understood what happened on the field through slow-motion replay. In the 67th minute of the game, Ronaldo seemed to be irritated by Richard Hughes, who had just come on as a substitute. This guy had been pestering Ronaldo since he came on as a substitute for Pamarot in the 60th minute, harassing him with small moves, and fouled Ronaldo three times in just five minutes, making the latter very annoyed.

Finally, Ronaldo became a victim of the pervert's hands. Oh no, he became a victim of pressure. Ronaldo, who could no longer bear it, suddenly exploded in silence and directly retaliated against Richard Hughes's cross-border behavior...

Ronaldo's violent behavior happened under the referee's nose, so Ronaldo received his third red card since joining Manchester United.

According to Premier League regulations, a direct red card will automatically result in a three-match suspension, so Ronaldo is likely to miss the Manchester City derby and the subsequent games against Sunderland and Tottenham. If Manchester United appeals, Ronaldo is expected to keep the Manchester City derby, but the suspension will only be postponed. With Rooney out for two months and Hargreaves, Saha and other midfield attacking players still injured, Ronaldo's red card suspension is undoubtedly a serious blow to Manchester United!

But good fortune never comes alone, and Manchester United’s bad luck in this game is not over yet…

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For details of Cristiano Ronaldo’s “life and death” in the 2006 World Cup, please refer to Chapter 110 of Volume of this book, “Round of Knockout Round, Part ”.

2006年6月26日，世界杯1/8决赛，葡萄牙大战荷兰，4红16黄！被称为世界杯史上最为暴力的比赛。因为遭到对手的针对，C罗仅仅踢了34分钟就被铲哭离场。

The scene where Ronaldo was forced to leave the field in tears due to injury has become one of the classic shots of the World Cup!

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