Greatest Of All Legends

Chapter 58  FC Porto vs Benfica

A match between rivals like Porto and Benfica was a match that always promised to be full of excitement and drew fans from all over the country to pay attention so it always guaranteed that the stadiums would be packed and it could be felt in the atmosphere of the stadium as well.

The feelings of excitement, tension, and even rivalry in the air were almost palpable and it was under these conditions that the two sides marched out with different emotions on their faces, ranging from excitement to confidence, and even nervousness. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The match kicked off soon after and just as expected in matches like this, things got off to a quick start, and barely ten minutes into the match, Sergio Oliveira from the Porto side already found the back of the net with a header that complimented a beautiful cross from Alex Telles.

The stadium had erupted in loud cheers that needless to say, shook the stadium in celebration of their team's goal and even the jubilations by the player were full of more passion than usual, but the match had barely begun and soon kicked off again.

Just eight minutes later, the Benfica side showed huge amounts of self-recovery as they burst on an attack that ended with the Brazilian striker, Carlos Vinicius catching a cross from Rafa Silva on the volley and sending a thunderous strike at the goal.

Augustin Marchesin was in no way able to match up with such a shot and could only watch as the ball flew past him and caused the net to bulge and send the stadium into a frenzy once again.

Even the Porto fans were in a frenzy after such a goal. This was one of the joys of the game after all, as such a goal needed to be appreciated irrespective of who it was scored against.

After the celebrations, the match kicked off again and there was no shortage of attacking football from both sides but it wasn't until the thirty-eight minute that another goal came.

Luis Diaz had been brought down in the Benfica penalty box after dribbling past Alex Grimaldo and the referee wasted no time in blowing his whistle with his hand held up for a penalty.

Of course, the players of the Benfica side tried to argue about the possibility that it wasn't a penalty but the referee made it obvious what he thought, but to thoroughly convince everyone who had doubts he still headed to the sidelines to check again with the assistance of the VAR and soon he was back on the field, his decision remaining the same.

Porto was given a penalty and after having an internal discussion to choose who would take it, Alex Telles took up the ball and placed it on the penalty spot before stepping back.

A few seconds later, he had sent the ball into the back of the net despite the keeper going the right way.

The home of the dragons was once again filled with cheers of excitement after their team had once again taken the lead.

The celebrations continued for almost a full minute before play resumed but till the end of the first half, neither of the teams were able to get another goal.

Fifteen minutes after the first half ended, the players were back on the pitch and the second half started, both teams still playing like everything was on the line because, in all honesty, it was.

Forty-five minutes was more than enough for Porto to either solidify their lead or for the Benfica side to make a comeback and soon it seemed like the latter was about to happen.

After many attempts, the Benfica side managed to crack open the Porto defense with a splitting pass from Pizzi and Carlos Vinicius did not waste any time making an incisive run and catching the ball behind the defenders before going off to finish, displaying the skills that made him the current top scorer in the league and increasing his goal tally.

The Porto side wasn't surprised by their rivals' fighting spirit, but they weren't ready to give up on the match either, and as soon as the match resumed, they attacked with undisguised ferocity, looking for the that would put them back in the lead.

Unfortunately, the Benfica side's defensive efforts were up to the task and their attacking prowess was even more so. They also attacked the Porto side with the intent to put themselves in the lead as well, but the Porto side held out as well.

This way, the game fell into a stalemate for a while, but as soon as they realized that the end of the ninety minutes was soon approaching they increased their efforts once again.

It was at this time that the Porto team was on the attack and the ball ended up with Otavio just outside the box.

The Benfica side did not waste any time in boxing him in, not giving him any space to start something, but by virtue of his smaller size and agility, Otavio somehow managed to weasel himself past one of the players enough to get a shot away.

The ball headed for the goal speedily, but on a closer look at the situation, it seemed that the ball would end up narrowly missing the goal.

Suddenly Ruben Dias who was close to the path of the ball tried to clear the ball but he somehow miscalculated the distance between his leg and the ball and ended up deflecting the shot instead, causing the ball that was going wide of the post to change directions and make it past the surprised goalkeeper.

Thus in the 82nd minute of the game, Ruben Dias had unintentionally caused an own goal that sent his team from equals in the game to being the losing team.

The whole team was distraught, the fans were shocked, and Ruben Dias, the cause of the whole situation could only cover his eyes in shame while laying on the ground while the Porto players and fans jubilated.

The Porto side wouldn't reject such timely help from their opponents and jubilated as if they scored the goal themselves. Their fans weren't left out either as they jubilated while not forgetting to make leering faces and noises at the traveling fans who had their heads in their hands in surprise at the situation.

The match soon resumed due to the prompting from the referee and the Benfica side kicked off.

They quickly went on the attack and displayed unyielding spirits despite having gone behind, yet try as they might, they couldn't crack open the Porto defense who were at full alert due to being so close to ending the game in their win.

The Benfica side attacked and attacked and despite giving the Porto fans many scares, the Porto side managed to hold on till the final whistle, cementing their win in the rivalry-filled match.