The big victory in the 13th round of the Brazilian League undoubtedly gave the reunited Portuguese a good start. After this year, it will become rare to have a complete lineup like this. At this moment, all the players and coaches of the club are here.

The meeting was held in the conference room to set the main strategic direction for the next period of time.

"The big victory in the last round shows that we are still capable of competing in the league, but in September we will once again face the same staff shortage problem as before, so it will be very difficult in the next time.

This is key and must be grasped well.

These nearly two months are the best period for us to work hard to chase points. It would be better if we can rise to the top of the list and widen the gap with the teams behind us. Although the top four in the league is enough, the score cannot

Calculated this way, only with sufficient advantages can we have enough capital to cope with possible downturns and other uncertain factors that may occur in the future.

But if we cannot meet the expected requirements, we may have to be mentally prepared to not play in the Libertadores next year. Everyone said, can we accept it?" Hiddink also analyzed the worst-case scenario for the players.

and plans were included, and he asked profound rhetorical questions.

"No!" The team members all looked at each other and answered in unison.

"Very good, I'm looking forward to your performance, and I believe you can give me a satisfactory answer. If we fail this time to hit next year's Copa Libertadores, then I will also make a major decision." Hiddink's final words.

But it made everyone feel shocked. Although he did not say the possible decision, some people could not help but guess the meaning. This was also forcing everyone to fight. But in fact, there was no need to force, with Li Zhao and Li Ruolan establishing the

There is a reward and punishment mechanism that is closely related to the players' personal interests and honors. There is really no reason for the players to be lazy. After all, no one will be in trouble with their own future and career.

In the 14th round of the Brazilian League on July 19, the Portuguese challenged Cruzeiro, which was in the middle and lower reaches of the league, in an away game. Although Cruzeiro fought very hard in this game, the Portuguese still brought a team.

Yuwei successfully suppressed the opponent in the game, and relied on two goals from Li Zhao and defender Caio to successfully pass with a score of 2-0 at the Mineiro Stadium.

On July 25, the Portuguese played against Atletico Parana at home. In this game, they still maintained their previous good form. Wang Ziyi, Leonard and Hu Jinghang all scored a goal each. The Portuguese finally defeated 3-0.

Opponent, the winning streak can continue.

On August 2, the Portuguese went to Joinville to challenge Joinville away from home. The opponent was the team currently at the bottom of the league. It was supposed to be a game with sure points, but the opponent's defense was extremely tenacious.

After 90 minutes of fierce fighting, the Portuguese failed to make any progress. The winning streak was terminated, and in the end they could only regretfully get a draw. And such a goalless game with no goals at all was also a new experience for the club this year.

This is the first time since the start of the season.

After returning home again, the Portuguese's state was not greatly affected. They faced Fluminense on August 8. This opponent is currently one point ahead of the Portuguese and is currently ranked third in the league.

Yes, through these few games of chasing points, the Portuguese has risen to the fourth position, so the importance of this game is self-evident. But Fluminense's own strength is actually very average, and the overall strength

On the contrary, they are weaker than the Portuguese. The reason why they achieved such a ranking is good luck, but they are quite stable against weak teams. In response to this situation, Hiddink also made certain arrangements, which are simply brave.

Hard front.

After the game started, the Portuguese, as the home team, attacked very fiercely, posing a considerable threat to Fluminense's defense. In turn, the opponent also did a lot of homework against the Portuguese.

The arrow man is also very strict in marking, and his offensive ability is not bad, so the overall situation on the field in the first half was still evenly matched.

Although the Portuguese, as the home team, have a slight advantage, their strength is limited. The shooting opportunities obtained by both sides are not much different. The key is to see which side is better at seizing opportunities.

However, this stalemate was broken by Fluminense in the 37th minute of the first half. The Portuguese team made an unexpected mistake in the backcourt. Jorge's subconscious wave of his hand in the penalty area was blocked.

After receiving a pass from the opponent, he received a yellow card and at the same time the referee pointed to the penalty spot.

Fluminense captain Cervera, as the kicker, still scored the ball. This also allowed Dyna's record of not conceding a goal in recent games to be broken in the 397th minute. However, this itself was the first time in his career.

This is the best result we have ever created, but it will never stop there.

The Portuguese team, which was one goal behind at home, was not affected by this. What is quite interesting is that they also received a penalty kick shortly after the start of the second half.

This penalty kick was taken by Harik, and the person who took the penalty was Li Zhao. His composure made it difficult for the opponent's goalkeeper to figure it out, and he scored the penalty simply.

Just two minutes later, the Portuguese team scored another goal. Li Zhao caught a pass error from the opponent and launched a fast break. Finally, he assisted Harik to complete the goal, allowing the Portuguese to achieve the lead.

After falling behind, Fluminense was not as calm as the Portuguese before, and concentrated more of its offensive firepower on the left, because their first goal was broken from there. But this time Portugal

People didn't give them a chance to succeed, and they successfully filled the only loophole through cross-positioning.

On the contrary, because Fluminense invested too many personnel in the offensive end, the defensive end was a little tight, and the Portuguese team made several threatening attacks.

In the 74th minute of the game, the Portuguese got an excellent free kick opportunity, which was very likely to further expand the score advantage. The chosen kicker was Ronaldinho.

"Do you know what it means to treat a free kick as a penalty kick? Learn from it!" Before taking the penalty, Ronaldinho did not forget to point out to Hu Jinghang on the side, and then walked slowly to the penalty spot.

"Now is not the time to play. We haven't won yet. Before that, all possibilities exist. It would not be a good thing if we were slapped in the face." Li Zhao's words shut him up at the right time.

.

It's strange to say that with Ronaldinho's status and strength, he is indeed qualified to obey anyone, but he has to obey Li Zhao. His smooth recovery during this period has given him signs of raising his tail, and Li Zhao is

The one who specializes in treating him.

After the whistle blew, Ronaldinho used his own standard posture to take the free kick. Although the angle of his kick was very tricky, his luck was not very good this time. The football bounced off the post.

return.

Fortunately, Li Zhao's reaction was quick. He appeared in that position like a hunter with an extremely sensitive sense of smell, and then shot the ball into the goal and scored twice.

As the referee's final whistle blew, the Portuguese finally won the key 3 points at home with a score of 3-1, thereby replacing the opponent's third position in the standings.

On August 13, the Portuguese challenged Ponte Preta away. This game was also difficult to play. Both sides failed to break the other team's goal most of the time. Until the 89th minute of the game,

Two players in the opponent's backcourt made a passing error. The perseverant Li Zhao once again seized the opportunity and suddenly broke out. Then he quickly entered the penalty area and scored with a low shot, using his classic

"Flying Bolide" move.

Although Li Zhao is not a dedicated striker and mainly focuses on passing the ball, his ability to capture opportunities in front of the goal is not inferior to any top players in this area. Although he is still unable to score every game

level, but he can always stand up when the team needs a goal the most. The Portuguese also relied on his winning goal to survive the danger in the away game.

What is even more noteworthy is that this goal is of great significance to Li Zhao. It happens to be his 100th goal in a regular game since the beginning of his football career. It is nothing short of a key milestone. This is still
Chapter completed!