The perfect midfield: It starts with never passing the ball to Ronaldo.

He did a high knee jump, the movement was quite graceful.

Mario felt he was in pretty good shape tonight.

Bento's recovery training plan for the two days before the match was very good, much more reliable than that of a certain coach who forced players to stay awake for 28 hours based on an AI plan.

On the green field, the giant electronic clock at the Lokomotiv Stadium in Moscow ticked slowly, and the score remained stubbornly fixed at Russia 1-0 Portugal.

The Russian red sea in the stands burned in the cold October night, while the Portuguese fan section resembled a small, besieged white island.

On the sidelines, the fourth official held up an electronic sign.

José Mario Pereira (No. 22) comes on, Ruben Mikael (No. 15) goes off.

"Paul Bento has made a risky decision!"

"18-year-old José Mario Pereira will make his national team debut!"

"Bringing in a new player at this crucial moment is definitely a gamble for Coach Bento!"

- [What are you betting on? This is a rising star who scored a hat-trick in his Champions League debut!!]

[Rainy match + low temperature + falling behind + national team debut... This is a hellish start!]

Mario's goals were almost all long-range shots. With the rain and tight defense, Bento's player selection was excellent!

- [Exactly, and Moutinho and Mario are basically a carbon copy of Porto's midfield setup, right?]

- [Patricio: Thank goodness Mario is with me this time!!!]

[Bro, I'm not expecting you to score, just pass me some good passes!!!]

- [Haha, bro, this is the guy with no obligation!! Ronaldo shouldn't even think about getting the ball!!]

Mario stood by the sideline waiting for his teammates to come off the field, the number on the back of his white jersey somewhat dazzling under the stadium lights.

He took a deep breath, the zero-degree Moscow air piercing his lungs.

After a brief handover ceremony, Mario tightened his gloves and officially stepped onto the playing field.

From the perspective of later generations

October 12, 2012, the third round of the European World Cup qualifiers.

A new ship is untying its first mooring line here.

The descendants of the Age of Exploration have finally received their new compass.

In the 49th minute of the match, Mario touched the ball for the first time, and Russian midfielder Shrokov charged in like a heavy train.

The cold, rainy night was chilling, and the狰狞 (zhengning, meaning ferocious or hideous) face created a scene reminiscent of a horror movie.

Schrokov likes to physically pressure young players; his defensive strategy is simple and brutal, aiming to destroy the confidence of 18-year-olds with the first confrontation.

But Mario was prepared.

His strong heart made him fearless, and his mind calculated his opponent's moves like a supercomputer.

Just half a second before Schrokoff charged, Super Mario gently flicked his right foot with the outside of his foot while simultaneously spinning to the side.

It wasn't a fancy Marseille turn, but a minimalist ball pass that eliminated almost all unnecessary movements.

The ball passed through Shrokov's left side, and the player slid past the Russian midfielder on the other side.

"Beautiful escape! This young player shows absolutely no signs of nervousness!"

"Mr. Big Scene!!" The commentator's voice was filled with surprise.

The previously noisy Russian fan section in the stands suddenly fell silent for a moment.

That slender figure in the number 22 jersey just dribbled past their strongest midfielder in an almost elegant manner.

Mario didn't stop.

Having regained control of the ball, he took the opportunity to complete his observation.

Cristiano Ronaldo raised his hand on the left wing, but was marked by two players;

Nani made a run down the right flank, but his passing options were limited;

The Russian defenses are spreading out to both sides, and a fleeting gap has appeared in the center.

Snapped!

The ball came to Postiga's feet!

Portugal's number 23 rose to fame at a young age, but his football career was not smooth. As a starting striker, he once had a poor record of scoring only three goals in 25 league games.

If a striker like that were playing in Italy, Brazil, Argentina, or England during the same period, he simply wouldn't have made it big.

However, in Portuguese football, which has historically lacked a strong attacking force, strikers like Postiga are still regarded as Portugal's future hope and receive plenty of playing time.

Although he didn't develop efficiency, there were benefits, namely that he finally developed some support abilities in the national team.

Postiga chose to pass the ball back before inserting it again, and the ball returned to Mario's feet once more.

Berezutsky immediately pounced on him. The Russian center-back was 15 kilograms heavier and 8 centimeters taller than Mario, and at that moment he stood like a wall in front of the eighteen-year-old boy.

But the wall can move, and when it moves, gaps will appear.

Mario gently flicked the ball to the right.

Noticing the white number 7 advancing forward on the other side, Berezutsky quickly chose to block the opponent's passing route.

Mario smirked, thanking Roger for pulling him along.

The instant his opponent's center of gravity shifted, he immediately used the instep of his left foot to twist the ball in the exact opposite direction.

The movement was so small that Berezutsky didn't even realize the ball was no longer on the trajectory he had predicted.

After passing the opponent, the eighteen-year-old boy found himself in a brief open space.

"Beautiful rhythmic changes!"

"Ronaldo is in a good position!"

"You can pass the ball now!"

"Whether it's a through ball or a lob pass, it can create a threat!" The commentator's voice rose higher and higher.

The stands were equally abuzz with excitement, with Portuguese fans standing up and Russian fans booing loudly in an attempt to disrupt the atmosphere.

Completely focused on his feet, Mario couldn't hear anything; at that moment, his world consisted only of the ball, the goal, and Akinfeev on the goal line.

With a gentle flick of his right foot.

With his left foot firmly planted, the long spikes of his rain-soaked shoes dug into the grass, instantly flexing his ankle, knee, and hip into a stable axis of force.

The entire upper body leans to the left and back, the right thigh swings back, the lower leg folds, the ankle joint is locked, and the instep is straightened like a hard steel plate.

Like a powerful bow, once compressed, it is released.

Although his strength stat isn't high, Mario has a good power generation habit.

The waist and abdomen twist first, driving the hips forward rapidly like the handle of a whip.

The swinging right leg was no longer an independent limb, but the end of this enormous kinetic energy transmission, and then the lower leg released at an astonishing speed.

The only place that didn't move was the tense ankle!

A loud, muffled cracking sound rang out first!

In slow motion, you can clearly see the most solid part of the instep accurately striking the back center of the ball.

The ball deformed under the enormous impact, then broke free of all restraints, tearing through the air like a cannonball, and soaring into the top right corner of the goal with an outward spin.

The added friction from the rain couldn't stop Mario's perfect long-range shot!

Although Russian goalkeeper Akinfeev made a desperate save, the ball was too fast and the angle was too tricky. His gloves only stopped a few drops of rain and could not stop the black and white lightning!

boom! ! !

The crossbeam of the basketball hoop is shaking violently!

The ball, after changing direction, bounced smoothly into the net!

No Eagle Eye challenge needed, the results are crystal clear!

Cristiano Ronaldo, who was closest, immediately raised his hand to signal a goal!

The boos at Lokomotiv Moscow Stadium stopped abruptly, replaced by a tsunami of cheers from the Portuguese fans' section.

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAL!" The Portuguese commentator's voice almost ripped through the microphone from the studio seats beside the stadium.

"José Mario Pereira!"

"18 years old, national team debut, first shot on goal!!"

"A super world-class goal!!"

"Super Mario!!"

"The slow-motion replay shows that his choice was very clever. Taking advantage of the opponent's focus on defending Ronaldo, he used a stunning long-range shot to help the team equalize!!"

"In the 50th minute, Portugal successfully equalized the score, now it's 1-1 with Russia!!!"

-【What kind of amazing ball is this?!】

- [Damn it, what's FM doing? Mario is so strong, yet he's practically unknown in the game!!]

- [Brother Yi did a great job this time, and Brother Luo's creation of space wasn't in vain~]

- [Damn, you Ronaldo fans are really good at taking credit for yourself!!]

- [Don't these moldy fans sleep? Why are they causing trouble at this hour?]

- [As expected, Mario is not convinced by Ronaldo; this pass could have been quite threatening if it had been made earlier!!]

- [Hey upstairs, stop spreading rumors. Look, Ronaldo is celebrating with everyone in the corner kick area!]

Mario, who had equalized, was starting to lose his composure, not because of his perfect goal, but because Rodgers had pulled off a mini-Siu in front of him.

Brother Luo, I'm so sorry!

I've made the world's number one celebration move!

Feeling somewhat guilty, Mario secretly resolved that once he had passed the ball and orchestrated a double-double, he would definitely pass more good balls to Ronaldo.

Contributing to the great cause of 1,000 balls!

In the stands, Ines, who had flown all the way to Moscow to cheer on her national team, was jumping around excitedly.

As the only fan at the scene wearing a Mario jersey, she became the focus of the cameras.

Seeing herself successfully appear on the big screen of the broadcast, the 18-year-old actress cheered even harder for her boyfriend.

It's a pity that Ronaldo's girlfriend, Irina Shayk, didn't come; otherwise, they could have released a press release about her outshining Ronaldo.

Hehe, the boyfriend scored Portugal's only goal on the field, and the girlfriend off the field is even more charming than Irina Shayk. Just thinking about this title is enough to generate buzz.

Compared to Ines, who has a lot of inner monologues, the little girl riding on her father's shoulders is much more innocent.

She didn't understand the significance of the goal, but she knew that everyone around her was hugging and cheering, so she smiled, waving her small national flag and showing her missing front tooth.

At this moment, the meaning of football for her is very simple: pure joy.

On the sidelines, Paulo Bento threw three punches with gusto.

As the son of Portuguese farmers, his three punches were quite powerful.

Capello's expression turned serious, and the Italian adjusted his glasses.

After the World Cup European qualifiers group stage draw was finalized, he studied the profiles of all Portuguese players, including even the U21 team.

But the name José Mario Pereira came too suddenly and rose too quickly.

In just half a month, the eighteen-year-old went from being dull and lackluster to shining brightly, and even tore a small hole in Capello's carefully laid tactical system.

This is something neither Nani nor Moutinho could do!

But what about the defensive decisions that follow?

Capello also kept a close watch on this young substitute, as he didn't want to experience the feeling of giving Ronaldo space.

Young players aren't likely to be that consistent, so it's more important to keep an eye on Real Madrid's number 7!

After a brief hesitation, Capello made up his mind again!

With both teams back on equal footing, they played even more aggressively, with Russia displaying astonishing momentum as an enraged brown bear after the restart.

Faizulin and Schrokov transformed into sweeping machines, their tackles becoming even more ferocious, covering almost the entire midfield heartland.

Every time a Portuguese player got the ball, they were met with a tough tackle and a tight block.

In the rain, muffled thuds of physical struggle rose and fell, and black mud was turned up from the grass under intense trampling.

"Russ-ia!"

"Russ-ia!"

"Russ-ia!"

The deep red sea of ​​people in the stands roared even more furiously than before.

The humiliation of being tied spurred every Russian fan on; they stomped their feet, roared, and used their raw energy to unleash a barrage of sound at their opponents in white jerseys.

The sleet under the night sky seemed to be evaporated by the fervor, turning into white mist that enveloped the stadium, which had been transformed into an arena.

Portugal found it extremely difficult to control the ball.

Such a brutal collision left Mario adrift like a piece of duckweed, unable to find his footing and completely unable to use any skills. The eighteen-year-old was somewhat lost in the steel jungle.

And it wasn't just him; in another scene, Veloso was scrambling to the ground after a vicious sliding tackle from Schrokov, and possession of the ball changed hands instantly.

Russia's counterattack was as swift and direct as the Siberian cold wind.

Kokorin received the ball on the edge of the penalty area. The Russian number 9's eyes flashed with ferocity. He ignored his teammates who were making runs down the flank and unleashed a powerful long-range shot!

boom!

Pepe did it! The Real Madrid defender stretched out his leg and changed the ball's trajectory. The black and white cannonball whistled past the crossbar and flew out of bounds!

Bento was terrified, but there was nothing he could do; you can't have your cake and eat it too!

Hang in there, guys!

Now is the time to test your willpower!

On the green field, the Portuguese did not back down in the face of Russia's overwhelming counterattack.

The top seed in the group advances directly!

This is the goal in the hearts of every soldier in the Five Shields Legion.

His clothes, which were spotless when he first appeared, were now covered in mud.

But it's okay.

Despite repeated defeats, Mario gets up again and again to continue searching for an opportunity.

The heavy, wet jersey and the swollen, sore muscles could not stop the boy's desire to win.

Cristiano Ronaldo ran even more aggressively in front of him. Like a tireless fighter, he repeatedly dropped back to receive passes and then accelerated to sprint, trying to tear apart Russia's steel defense.

Even when surrounded by two or three people, his eyes remained sharp as an eagle's, searching for even the slightest opening.

Moutinho became a reliable outlet for the ball in the backfield.

Despite the muddy and slippery field, this experienced veteran still used precise long passes to direct the team's attack, striving to deliver the ball to dangerous areas in the attacking third.

Every pass he made was driven by a determination to penetrate the defense.

Bruno Alves and Pepe, the central defensive duo, built the final line of defense with their fearless blocks and header clearances.

Capello felt the scales of victory tipping in his favor.

Russia is second to none in waging a bloody war; if they continue this hand-to-hand combat, they will surely win.

Seeing Mario's increasingly poor performance, the Italian coach felt even more certain that his decision was flawless.

Young people just lack stability!