Greatest Of All Legends

54  Experiencing Matchday II

Sergio Conceicao's face turned dark as he watched his team go behind, but unlike in the previous match, he kept mute and just stared on, deciding to keep his words until the first half was over.

On the field though, Pepe rallied his teammates and told them to not be too affected by the goal as there was still ample time to make a comeback in the game.

His teammates seemed to have been touched by his words and didn't show any signs of their morale being lowered as they moved back to their positions to await the continuation of the match.

It didn't take too long for the match to kick off once again and the moment the Porto team kicked off, they seemed to be possessed by the dragons they were named after as they advanced smoothly through the opposition half and tore through the Gil Vicente formation, not giving them any chance to respond as they advanced further and further.

The ball finally ended up at the legs of Alex Telles who stood a few yards away from the edge of the penalty area, but that did not deter him from testing the goalkeeper despite the range.

Swinging his leg powerfully, he unleashed a powerful left-footed shot that tore at the Gil Vicente goal and seemed destined for the back of the net, but the Gil Vicente goalkeeper seemed to have been possessed by the spirit of a kangaroo and unleashed an incredible dive, managing to get the tip of his fingers to the ball and deflecting it just enough to send the ball over the goal.

{And Ohhhh!!! What a shot and what a save!!!} The commentator couldn't keep quiet after seeing such an attempt at goal and a beautiful corresponding save to counter it.

The fans of the Porto side had been on their feet when the ball had left Telles's foot but now had their hands on their head in surprise and disappointment at the ball not ending in the back of the net.

Everyone in the stadium who was in support of the Porto team was disappointed at the ball not ending up in the back of the net, but they all had to admit that it was a tremendous effort by the Gil Vicente goalkeeper to keep the ball out.

The Porto team quickly gathering in the Gil Vicente penalty area woke everyone from their daze as they watched the players push each other around with varying intentions.

The Porto team players wanted to get a goal from the corner while the Gil Vicente players were willing to do anything to prevent them from getting one so the penalty area felt more like a wrestling ring than a football field.

It was Alex Telles who stood over the corner and he stepped back and raised his hand in the air to signify to his teammates that he was ready.

The referee blew his whistle and Telles ran up to the ball and sent a powerful inswinger into the penalty area, prompting various players to jump for the ball, hoping to catch it with their heads.

In the end, it was Ivan Marcano, one of the two center-backs of the Porto side who won the aerial battle and managed to get his head to the ball, sending it at the Gil Vicente goal.

The Gil Vicente goalkeeper lunged for the ball and once again got his hand to it despite being a bit slow to react, but his contact with the ball didn't have enough power to send the ball away from the goal and it collided with the inside of the goal post before rolling past the goal line.

*GOAL!!!*

{Barely two minutes and the dragons have slammed level} the commentator screamed as the whole stadium erupted in a loud explosion of cheers from the Porto fans while Ivan Marcano himself ran at the corner flag and did a flying fist pump before hugging Alex Telles who had set him up with a perfect cross into the box.

His team gathered around to join the celebrations as they shared high-fives and hugs.

Jason in the stands also could not help having a smile on his face as he saw his team get back on level terms with the opposing team, after all, it did not feel good to watch your team lose, regardless if he was playing or not.

His eyes fell on Sofia who was cheering along with the other fans around him and he could not help putting his hands to his ear to check if his noise cancellation earbuds were still in as he could feel his brain vibrating from the noise.

He was a football player and he was used to noise, but there was still a difference between being on the pitch and the crowds in the stadium shouting, and being in the crowds to hear them erupt in extremely loud voices.

Soon the match resumed but it didn't take long before the referee blew the whistle for the end of the first half of the game and the players trudged across the field and into the tunnel to get a much-needed fifteen minutes of rest and some advice or change in their game plan from their managers.

The fans waited while entertaining themselves with some songs and chants, some went to get refreshments, and some even bought team merchandise.

Fifteen minutes wasn't a long period of time and the match soon resumed with the beginning of the second half.

This time it was the Porto side that kicked off and as soon as the match resumed it was clear that the enthusiasm that they had begun to show after going behind in the first half was still very much on display and they heavily oppressed the Gil Vicente side with their attacking prowess.

Even the wingers weren't to be left out as it seemed that things were finally clicking for them as well and they took the opportunity to run at the defenders, send many balls into the box, and even took shots at the goalkeeper.

Unfortunately for them, the goalkeeper stood strong and managed to stop all the balls that came flying his way, but he couldn't keep up his tremendous run of form for long under the heavy oppression of the Porto team's attack.

The Porto side were given a corner in the 57th minute of the game and just like before, Alex Telles sent a powerful inswinging cross into the penalty box.

Pepe rose above the Gil Vicente's defenders to get his head to the ball and sent it at the goal, but this time the Gil Vicente goalkeeper was prepared and managed to get his hand to the ball, but he didn't get enough on it to send it out of play.

The ball had bounced back into play and just when everyone thought a Gil Vicente player was about to clear it, Sergio Oliveira from the Porto side lunged for the ball and managed to get his leg to it and send it back where it came from.

The net bulged when the ball flew into the back of the net, but Sergio Oliveira was already running off to celebrate as their team had finally managed a comeback.

GOAL!!!

{It's here! We saw it coming and it's finally here! The proud dragons of Porto have risen back on top} The commentator did his job as the stadium once again erupted in cheers with their team now in the lead.

Due to the hurrying of the referee, the celebrations didn't last long and the match soon resumed with both teams trying to score more goals, the Porto team looking to extend their lead while the Gil Vicente side searched for an equalizer.

Unfortunately, neither of the teams was able to get another goal even as the clock ran down and in the end the whistle was blown and the match ended with a score of 2 - 1.

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