八字万年历

Chapter 365: The Race for Trophies III

The second half didn’t take long to heat up and soon the ball was flying rapidly all over the pitch as both teams looked to score a goal and break the deadlock.

The Manchester Blue team were now making more use of their ball possession to attack the Oporto team and were constantly trying to score while the Oporto team did the same.

#74th minute..

Porto had gotten a corner after a failed attack and Otavio was the one who stood over the corner kick instead of Jason who normally took the corner kick.

Instead of taking the corner kick, Jason was standing a few yards outside the box, waiting to enact a set-piece routine they had been practicing in training lately.

*Fweeeeeee*

At the referee’s whistle, Otavio ran at the ball and swung a grounded cross into the penalty box while Jason burst into the penalty box to meet the incoming ball.

Due to the spontaneity of the tactic, Jason managed to easily escape the player marking him and hit the ball first time, sending it at Manchester Blue’s goal with impressive pace and power.

Ederson dived for the ball but missed and the ball slammed into the back of the net.

{GOAL!!!}

{Porto!}

{They break the deadlock!}

{It’s been a long and frustrating game for them, but now they’ve got a goal, and what a time to put one past the goalkeeper!}

{Impressive movement, clever set-up play, and they were rewarded with a goal!}

{Where do we go from here?} The commentator did not hesitate to jump on the microphone, doing his job with such enthusiasm that the Oporto fans could feel shivers of excitement going through their bodies as they watched their team take the lead.

#86th minute…

After Oporto opened up the game with their goal, Manchester Blue had become more dangerous on the ball as they desperately looked for an equalizer.

Pressure mounted on the Oporto team as they did all in their power to stop their opponents, but despite their efforts, the ball kept moving, being exchanged between the Manchester Blue players until Bernando Silva was found on the right side of the Oporto penalty box.

On receiving the ball, he danced circles around two Oporto defenders before curling the ball beautifully past Marchesin, equalizing the game just barely ten minutes after his team had gone behind.

{GOAL!!!} the commentator erupted.

{They’ve gone and done it!}

{Minutes after going behind they’ve scored an equalizer, putting an end to Oporto’s dreams of climbing to the top of the table!}

The commentator commented excitedly without remorse for the Oporto players or fans who were feeling like sh*t at that moment as they watched the Manchester Blue players celebrate their goal.

The Oporto fans couldn’t even be bothered to blame their players as they had watched the goal happen step by step.

The Manchester Blue team had come crashing down on the Oporto team’s defense like a force of nature and the Oporto defenders had been swept away without any suspense.

Less than half a minute later, the game kicked off again and things got frenetic as the two teams desperately looked for a goal and the ball was being sent flying at both ends of the field, but the two teams did enough to hold out against each other and less than ten minutes after the equalizing goal, the referee’s whistle sounded for the final time that night.

The match ended with a scoreline of Oporto 1 : 1 Manchester Blue.

Neither team was satisfied with a draw, but there weren’t many demerits to the situation and things remained as they were before the match was played.

***5th December 2020***

It was matchday 9 in the Portuguese Primera Liga(PPL) and Oporto would be hosting Tondela for a match that promised excitement to the players and the fans.

The pre-match formalities didn’t take long and the match soon began.

The match got off to a quick start when Jason made an incisive run from the right wing, cutting through two players before making a pass to Zaidiu Sanusi who was at the edge of the 18-yard box.

On receiving the pass, Sanusi drove home the ball from long range and sent the net bulging, sending Oporto into the lead just four minutes after the game began.

Celebrations immediately ensued in the Oporto camp and the players excitedly celebrated their goal for a little while before heading back to their half of the field to continue the game.

Sixteen minutes later, the Tondela striker, Gonzalez, got on the dangerous end of a beautiful cross and sent the ball flying into the back of the Oporto goal with a carefully aimed header, equalizing the game for Tondela.

This time, it was the Tondela camp that burst out in celebration while the Oporto players could only shake their heads wryly while watching their opponents jubilating.

As usual, the celebrations didn’t take much time and the game soon resumed, allowing the players to get back to tearing at each other, trying to decide who would ultimately come out on top.

#33rd minute…

Tondela’s attacking midfielder Barbosa, received a pass from Pedro Augusto and he immediately laid it off to the team’s striker Gonzalez, but Gonzalez soon sent the ball back his way after realizing that he would be unable to get a shot away.

With the ball coming his way, Barbosa didn’t hesitate to shoot, and he did so powerfully.

He put his foot to the ball with as much power as he could muster and Marchesin wasn’t able to keep up as the ball slammed past him and sent his net flying for the second time in the game.

{GOAL!!!}

{They’ve done it! They’ve come back from behind and have taken the lead!}

{In a match like this and against opposition like this, they deserve a reward for their efforts and if they can hold on to their lead till the final whistle, they’ll get to take all three points from this game!}