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

The following day at noon, Mestalla Press Center

Pereira and Valverde were the first to clash.

"We are Porto, we know how to win in the Champions League, and away goals are very important to us."

"Valencia is not weak, but we are equally confident!"

"Is Mario's goal-scoring efficiency comparable to Ronaldo's?"

"Of course, he's a genius on par with Cristiano!!"

Pereira leaned forward slightly, exuding confidence as he was fully aware of the team's current state.

A moment later, Ernesto Valverde sat in the same spot.

"No team leaves Mestalla easily!"

"This is our home ground. We've beaten Real Madrid and Barcelona here. The players will give the fans an unforgettable Champions League night!"

Mario's eyes lit up when he saw Valverde's speech on his phone; he knew he had to work harder and play to his full potential in this match.

In the future, when giving examples, presenting facts, and reasoning, inequalities can be used to directly prove that Mario is stronger than Roger and Cici.

...

It was 3 p.m., 5 hours before the match kicked off.

Outside the Mestalla Stadium, the supporters' club is setting up the venue.

The wind blew from the Turia River, and a bat-shaped flag, twelve meters long and four meters wide, fluttered in the wind.

Five kilometers away, at the site of the old Columbus Market, blue and white colors also began to gather.

Porto's expeditionary force crossed the Iberian Peninsula to eastern Spain to cheer on their home team.

The huge hand-drawn illustration shows a bat being fatally struck by a dragon!

The slogan on the banner simply and clearly expressed the fans' expectations!

Dragon flames scorch wings, a tide devours bats.

Soon, as time passed, the two sides began to come into close contact, and separated by a security wall, they engaged in another form of confrontation at the Mestalla Stadium.

.....

"Sky Sports, Sky Sports, welcome to the first leg of the 2012-13 UEFA Champions League Round of 16."

"This is Mestalla, one of Spain's oldest stadiums, and tonight it welcomes the Portuguese giants!"

"According to real-time statistics, the stadium currently holds 55601 spectators, creating a sea of ​​orange!"

"The two teams have faced each other twice in history."

"Porto defeated Valencia 5-4 on aggregate in the 1989 UEFA Europa League to advance."

"Another instance was nine years ago in the European Super Cup, where Valencia defeated the Portuguese giants 2-1 to secure the title!"

"Let's wait and see who emerges victorious tonight!"

For the home team, Valverde deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Goalkeeper: Guaita

Defenders: Alissoko, Victor Ruiz, Mathieu, Barragán

Defensive midfielders: Albelda, Parejo

Forwards: Jonas, Alberto, Feghouli

Forward: Soldado

Valencia's tactics in the Champions League were very pragmatic, solidifying their defense while launching quick counter-attacks down the flanks to create shooting opportunities for Soldado.

On the away side, Pereira deployed the team's most familiar 4-3-3 formation.

With Martinez, Rodriguez, and Super Mario all on the field, he showed no fear of going toe-to-toe with Valencia.

Moreover, the club president's goal is very clear: with many of his attacking players being sought after by the market, he naturally wants to show the world just how excellent Porto's products are!

Goalkeeper: Elton

Defenders: Danilo, Otamendi, Mangala, Sandro

Midfielders: Fernando, Moutinho, Mario

Forwards: Rodriguez, Martinez, Varela

With the referee's whistle, the match officially began.

In the first five minutes of the match, both sides were cautiously probing each other. Valencia did not launch any major attacks, while Porto kept possession of the ball. The number of times either team actually advanced forward was limited.

Soon, the Portuguese giants made the first move, and their star player José Mário received a pass from his teammate and unleashed a sudden shot from the edge of the penalty area, which tested Guaita.

The 190cm tall Spaniard was a bit slow to get off the ground, almost giving his opponent a perfect start.

Valverde quickly reminded the players on the sidelines to stay focused.

On the other hand, Pereira was very satisfied with his players' calm and composed demeanor on the pitch.

With significant rotations in the league, Porto, having had plenty of rest, seemed to have taken the initiative, not only emphasizing attacking formations but also regaining their form more quickly.

Fernando swept the ball around, Moutinho orchestrated the play, and Mario made forward runs, gradually putting the game into Porto's familiar rhythm.

The Porto captain received the ball at the edge of the center circle, looked up, and saw no way to pass it forward.

He chose to pass the ball to Rodriguez on the left wing.

The Colombian attempted to cut inside but was double-teamed by Sissoko and Ruiz. James Rodriguez shielded the ball and passed it back to Sandro behind him.

Sandro attempted to break the deadlock by sending in a cross through Martinez, but unfortunately Mathieu headed the ball away first.

Valencia's formation instantly broke apart; they had been waiting for a counter-attack opportunity.

In a flash, Fernando passed the ball to Mario before Parejo could reach it, and Porto successfully took control of the second ball.

Seizing the moment when the opponent was transitioning between offense and defense, Mario quickly passed the ball to the side without hesitation.

Right flank

Varela pushed the ball forward and shot past his opponent like he was launched by a slingshot.

Use speed to overwhelm your opponent!

Inside the penalty area, Martinez was sandwiched between his opponents who quickly tracked back.

In the distance, seeing James moving from the left towards the center, Varela quickly used the instep of his right foot to launch a ground ball.

The ball was extremely fast, skimming the grass and passing within ten centimeters of Albelda's toes, traversing the entire Valencia defense from the right flank to the left.

The Colombian didn't stop the ball; he simply flicked it sideways and cut inside with his body.

The movements were executed in one smooth motion and were very expressive.

Valencia's defense was instantly pulled to the right by Rodriguez.

Ruiz came over from the center of the penalty area, and Parejo tracked back from the defensive midfield position.

The two players lunged at James Rodriguez at the same time.

The Colombian immediately changed tactics, noticing out of the corner of his eye a blue and white figure speeding towards him from the right side of the arc.

Snapped!

A clean and crisp pass, neither too fast nor too slow, finding its way right in front of Mario.

No step point adjustment is required.

Mario's supporting foot is firmly planted on the grass, his left knee is slightly bent, and his upper body is slightly leaning back.

His right foot swung back, his instep pointed, aiming the front of his foot at the center of the ball.

From the overhead shot, Mario's movements can be described in two words.

Relax, be at ease!

boom! ! !

That wasn't just the sound of a ball being kicked.

It was the sound of a giant cannon suddenly blasting open the breath that had been held in the entire Mestalla Stadium.

Carrying the residual momentum of the sprint, the ball turned into a streak of white light after a brief contact with the foot.

There are no curves, no rotations, only extreme speed!

In the blink of an eye, the black and white lightning bolt shot straight towards the top left corner of the goal.

Guaita's reaction was fast enough; the moment his opponent kicked, his body instinctively lunged to the left.

However, it was all in vain!

The ball's flight speed far exceeds the limits of human lateral movement!

The sound of the net flying behind him came, and Guaita shook his head helplessly!

The audience in the stands wailed in despair, while the Portuguese commentator on site spoke with great passion!

"Goooooooaaaallllll!!!!!!!!!!"

"Eighteen-year-old José Mario Pereira opened the scoring for his team in the Champions League Round of 16!!"

"An unstoppable, powerful long-range shot!!!"

"Guaita has not responded at all!!!"

"The ball slammed into the corner of the goal like a cannonball!!!"

"Porto have taken the lead away from home and are now leading Valencia 1-0!!"