Kick-off!
The ball was passed back from the center circle by Cristiano Ronaldo to Matthew.
However, perhaps Matthew was too excited, or the system had just started and was a bit laggy, because Matthew made a mistake when receiving the ball!
A simple reception, and the ball bounced three meters away!
The fans in the stands let out a chorus of boos!
Clearly, these were South Korea Team fans. They were mocking Matthew's mistake, and they felt they might win this game and were preparing for the celebrations afterward!
At this moment, the South Korea Team players also began to frantically scramble for the ball the second the game kicked off.
Rushing towards Matthew was South Korea Team's tall forward, Cao Guicheng!
He saw Matthew's mistake and was overjoyed, deciding to snatch possession and then launch a quick attack!
Cao Guicheng was about to complete this tackle, and both Bian Feng simultaneously accelerated.
And the Portugal Team's defense was in disarray.
If they weren't careful, the South Korea Team might seize this opportunity to score another goal!
The ball was now in a fifty-fifty state!
Matthew stepped forward to contest with Cao Guicheng. Cao Guicheng, relying on his height and physical advantage, tried to push Matthew aside, but—
But Cao Guicheng couldn't push him aside!
He paused, then turned to get a clear look, but Matthew had already slipped past him by half a body length!
Matthew regained possession, then started to dribble the ball forward.
Cao Guicheng was furious!
He was in the thick of the game and rushed forward, sliding towards Matthew!
Cao Guicheng's cleats were showing, and his face was contorted. His tackle was aimed at the person.
He could no longer reach the ball!
"Ding! System detected danger, activating emergency evasion program!"
Matthew was focused on dribbling the ball forward, looking for Cristiano Ronaldo's position, when he suddenly heard this sound from his body.
Then, unconsciously, he suddenly made a rapid jump!
He, without seeing Cao Guicheng's tackle from behind, actually completed the evasion!
Cao Guicheng's face turned pale!
He thought he had seen wrong; no one could have dodged that. Cao Guicheng clearly saw a feeling like a movie fast-forwarding, and Matthew just, dodged it!
At the same time, Matthew also saw Cristiano Ronaldo roaming in the opposing defense.
"Activate System Precise Pass Program!"
Matthew mentally shouted, and then, his foot struck the ball!
The ball flew out!
Then, it drew an arc, precisely finding Cristiano Ronaldo.
Cristiano Ronaldo easily controlled the ball, then, as the nearest defender rushed towards him, he chipped the ball, beating his opponent!
The other two defenders were also about to arrive. At this moment, Cristiano Ronaldo used the rebound of the ball to execute a volley shot!
Excellent!
A graceful posture, fluid movements, completing this shot!
Goal!
"Great goal!" Matthew shouted loudly.
Before, he had seen Cristiano Ronaldo score on screen, but this time, he was there in person.
No, not just in person, it was his assist!
After scoring, Cristiano Ronaldo completed his domineering celebration—
Then, Cristiano Ronaldo shook off his teammates who were hugging him in congratulations and ran to Matthew at midfield, giving Matthew a big hug.
"Matthew, that was a beautiful pass!" Cristiano Ronaldo was ecstatic, hugging Matthew and refusing to let go.
"Alright, Brother Luo, the game isn't over yet!" Matthew said with a double meaning; he felt that just one goal wasn't enough!
"How is that possible! How is that possible!"
Behind Matthew, Cao Guicheng was still lying on the ground, pounding it with his hands!
Two-two, a draw!
The game went into extra time!
Extra time in this World Cup was relatively long; the Head Coach also gave five minutes of added time in the second half of this match.
"Well done, Matthew, I really didn't misjudge you!" Cristiano Ronaldo still waved to Matthew behind him before the kick-off at midfield.
Yes, with this goal, he had scored two goals in this World Cup.
This might be his last World Cup, so he cherished every goal.
The game continued!
The South Korea Team, in the last few minutes of the game, conceded a goal to the Portugal Team and were drawn.
From taking all three points to barely one point, the South Korea Team would likely have a hard time advancing, and they also knew the outcome of the other game. With this score, they would be eliminated!
"All attack!"
The South Korea Team's Head Coach, Bento, as a Portuguese, seemed to need this game even more to prove himself, to perform in front of his own country.
Then, the South Korea Team also pushed forward in full force.
And then, Matthew in midfield, after a few passes, gradually found his rhythm.
For some reason, this system always had some lag, so some mistakes were unavoidable.
When the ball reached Matthew in midfield, it became extremely threatening.
Through his passing, he could steadily control possession. He had more options: he could pass to the defenders to ensure no interception, he could pass to the Bian Feng on both sides to launch attacks from the wings; or he could make a long pass to find Cristiano Ronaldo, just like the assist he made earlier.
Soon, several South Korea Team players became somewhat annoyed.
They needed this victory. At this moment, the ball was controlled by Matthew at his feet. He was looking for an opportunity, and South Korea Team's star player, Sun Xingmin, the guy with the mask, accelerated to steal the ball.
Sun Xingmin, hailed as Asia's top player, had played in the Top Five European Leagues for many years and was now a core player for Tottenham in the Premier League!
He had height and speed, and his experience in the Premier League over the years had elevated him into the ranks of world-class players.
Therefore, he wanted to win this game more than anyone else on the field.
Indeed, Sun Xingmin, seeing Matthew in midfield receive the ball from a defender, accelerated to steal it.
Matthew was about to dribble forward when Sun Xingmin rushed over from his side-rear!
However, Matthew had prepared early.
"System, activate Body Confrontation Program!"
Matthew mentally shouted.
System: "Host, Body Confrontation Program activated, currently in intermediate state!"
Sun Xingmin, thinking he was a star player, and leveraging his star aura, believed that if he committed a slight foul in the confrontation with Matthew, the referee wouldn't call it.
Sun Xingmin, being an experienced player, naturally understood this boundary well.
Then, what happened next, Sun Xingmin couldn't understand!
Sun Xingmin collided with Matthew, but he ended up knocking himself down!