In the ninth minute, Shi Naide advanced with the ball and threaded a direct pass through Guardiola.
The sluggish Berbatov followed the football and took a long shot without stopping the ball, sending a chill down the spine of the Sporting Lisbon fans.
Fortunately, Reina proved his worth by saving the long shot.
Berbatov's way of playing allowed him to repeatedly hop back and forth between action and stillness, somewhat like a frontline metronome.
The advantage was its unpredictability.
However, the drawback was that his metronome could only adjust its tempo too simply.
Besides shooting rapidly, he was slow at other times, lacking more variation.
Only with a constantly changing rhythm of fast and slow, fast-fast slow-slow, nine slows one fast... could he reach his peak.
In the fourteenth minute, Matthaus showcased the original power of his brand in front of his successor.
He not only intercepted Ballack but also delivered an accurate through ball under Ballack's pressure.
