八字万年历

Chapter 297: 2020/21 Liga NOS, Matchday 5

*9:30 pm*

The lights of the Estadio do Dragao shone down brightly on the inviting green field as two sets of eleven players led by a group of referees walked out of the tunnel onto the field for the fifth match day for the Porto team in the Liga NOS.

The Porto players looked smart in their blue and white jerseys and the expression of determination on their faces as they lined up for the pre-match formalities crowned it off and gave the Porto fans watching the game a feeling of anticipation for what was to come.

The Gil Vicente players who Porto would be going against matched them in personality as they readied themselves for the game.

If one didn’t know about the history of both clubs, one would think they were long-standing rivals with the way the Gil Vicente players displayed unhidden defiance at the Porto team.

The Porto players however didn’t put them in their eyes at all and acted as they would for any other match.

{Here is the lineup for the Porto team} the commentator directly delved into the team line-ups after spending a minute on welcome comments.

{The Porto team are arranging themselves in their usual 4-4-2 formation}

{With Augustin Marchesin standing between the sticks and a defensive line comprising Nanu on the right, Zaidu Sanusi on the left, and Pepe partnering with Diego Leite in the center, Porto will be looking to keep all balls out of their goal}

{In center midfield, we have Fabio Viera and Shoya Nakajima while on the flanks are Luis Diaz who is on the left, and Jason Bolu who is on the right}

{Up front, we have a striking partnership between Mylo Baumgartner and Evanilson. They’ll be looking to put a couple past the opposition goalkeeper today}

{Porto have been on a bit of bad form lately, having not been able to get a win in their last three games and today, they’ll be looking to rectify that}

{Today, we see a return from Jason to the starting lineup for the Porto team. It’s his second game after his injury, but it’s his first match in the Liga NOS this season and the Porto fans will be hoping that he can pull off a performance that can help the team come out of their current slump}

{He’s done it the previous season, so there’s little doubt about his capabilities} The commentator was soon done with his commentary on the Porto team’s lineup and went on to talk about the Gil Vicente lineup and formation.

*******

*Fweeeeeeee*

The match kicked off after the pre-match formalities were over and the match got off to a quick start.

The two teams did not hesitate to go at each other with each one fighting for victory.

Porto was currently out of the top five ranks in the league standings and as defending champions of the league title, that was unacceptable so they played with a furious intensity that the Gil Vicente team was already having a hard time coping with a quarter of an hour into the game.

The Gil Vicente defenders had been doing their best to keep the Porto players away from their final third, but the Gil Vicente midfielders and forwards were not helping matters as they were unable to hold onto the ball for a full minute, always ending up with the possession of the ball stolen by the Porto team.

With a high percentage of possession, Porto pressured their opposition, leaving their opposition chasing shadows as they ran after the ball from one Porto player to the other and it didn’t take long for huge holes to begin appearing in the Gil Vicente team’s defense.

On the wings, Jason and Luis Diaz were having the time of their lives playing with Gil Vicente’s full-backs.

They constantly ran at them with the ball and either dribbled past them or wasted their energy before laying off the ball to a teammate as they looked for a goal-scoring chance.

#27th minute…

Jason had just received the ball from Fabio Viera and he had chosen to move towards the center instead of down the right flank, causing confusion among the Gil Vicente players.

Jason made use of that split second of indecision to survey the field while moving the ball forward and by the time a defender charged at him to tackle, Jason had already made his decision and sent a through pass behind the defense line down the left flank where Luis Diaz was making a run.

Luis Diaz’s marker didn’t leave him to just run after the ball and chase hard after him, but Luis Diaz got to the ball first and with a few flicks of his foot sent the defender into a daze while he moved away undeterred.

With his marker out of the way, Luis Diaz immediately sent a high cross into the box where Mylo awaited.

Jumping into the air to catch the ball, Mylo did something none of the center defenders expected.

Instead of heading the ball in the direction of his goalpost, his target was Jason who was in the penalty box along with him and Jason gratefully caught the ball with the side of his right foot and sent it past Gil Vicente’s goalkeeper with his first touch.

{Goal!!!}

{Wonderful, wonderful goal!}

{We saw it coming, and now it’s a reality, Porto score first, taking the lead} The commentator gave his commentary excitedly while Jason ran down the sidelines to celebrate with his teammates.

The Porto fans in their homes joined their team in celebrating the goal while the Gil Vicente fans just let out groans of dissatisfaction with their players.

The Gil Vicente fans were already used to more losses than victory and even though the match wasn’t over yet, it was already shaping into a loss and the fans had little confidence that their team could somehow pull off a comeback against Porto.

‘Poor form my ass,’ some of the Gil Vicente fans thought as they remembered the words of the commentator during the opening of the game.