Chapter 62 Jiang, go warm up

In the 16th round of the Portuguese Super League, Porto faced SAD Belem at the Dragon Stadium.

The starting lineups for both teams are as follows:
Porto 433
Forwards: Quaresma, Martinez, Tello

Midfielders: Herrera, Casemiro, Torres
Defenders: Cote, Danilo, Maicon, Indi

Goalkeeper: Fabiano

The Belem SAD uses a 442 formation.

Forwards: Camara, Caeiro,

Midfielders: Zina, Rocha, Pelle, Dantes
Defenders: Tico, Brandão, Nelson, Palmeira

Goalkeeper: Ventura
Porto's lineup has some adjustments compared to the previous game. Quaresma, who was originally on the bench, started in this game. However, considering Quaresma's age, Lopetegui is unlikely to let him play the whole game.

"Tem no meu porto mais um arco triunfal"

"PORTO PORTO PORTO PORTO PORTO PORTO"

“Quando alguem se atrever a sofucar…”

The home team fans at the scene sang loudly before the game started. This is Porto's team song "Filhos Do Drago", which is translated into Chinese as "Children of the Dragon".

There is a dragon on Porto's team logo, the stadium is called Estadio do Dragao, and Porto fans also call themselves "children of the dragon". The city of Porto has been closely linked to the element of "dragon".

Jiang Yuan learned about the relationship between Porto and the dragon from Grandma Melissa. This is actually a legend of the ancient Iberian Peninsula. It is rumored that there was an evil dragon that wanted to occupy the Douro River in Porto, but was eventually tamed by the residents of Porto. Because of this, the dragon changed from a plunderer of Porto's wealth to a guardian.

To this day, the word "Dragon" has become the symbol of the city of Porto and the team.

Jiang Yuan was chewing gum in the last row of the bench, with Spanish goalkeeper Fernandez, who was also a substitute, sitting next to him.

"Jiang, do you feel the atmosphere of our Dragon home court?"

Fernandez seemed to be in a good mood and waved to the fans in the stands while talking to Jiang Yuan.

“Haha, this is incredible!”

Jiang Yuan smiled and said that the more than 4 home fans at the Dragon Stadium were cheering the name of the team. Jiang Yuan had only seen this scene in his dreams and he didn't expect that he would be able to be in it so soon.

"Hey, Jiang, are you going to ask Mr. Hu Lun for a chance to play today?"

Fernandez nudged Jiang Yuan with his shoulder and said with a raised eyebrow.

Jiang Yuan curled his lips: "Well, maybe, but it's not good to always be like this. Mr. Hu Lun has his own tactical arrangements."

"To be honest, I really admire you. You are the bravest player I have ever seen!"

Fernandez was telling the truth. This season has reached the 16th round, but as the team's backup goalkeeper, he has never played once in the league, not even as a substitute.

So he admired Jiang Yuan, a Chinese boy who dared to ask Lopetegui for a fight.

"If I had half of your courage, I wouldn't have to sit on the bench all the time..."

……

At the start of the game, Porto, playing at home, quickly got into the game. In the 6th minute, Herrera committed a tactical foul and received a yellow card.

Fortunately, Martinez on the front line was very powerful and helped the team score the first goal in 10 minutes.

Jiang Yuan was sitting on the bench, and he clapped wildly when he saw Porto had a chance to score, because smart people had already seen that if Lopetegui allowed Jiang Yuan to come on as a substitute, the situation on the field would have to be a big lead.

A Kun opened the live broadcast room on time. When the game reached 30 minutes, the number of people in the live broadcast room reached the peak of 8000.

[Any time, any place, Jiang Yuan fans, come and report! ]

[Porto is still playing aggressively, but the Belen players are really weak] [Lopetegui, I advise you to be more sensible and let Jiang Yuan warm up quickly]

[Everyone calm down. Although Jiang Yuan scored a goal in the last game, he still exposed many problems. Even if he can play this time, I am afraid he will not get much time.]

[This is garbage, too much garbage, hurry up and get to Jiang Yuan! ]

[Why are some of the big brothers crazy? 】

[You don’t understand the feelings of these decades-old fans towards China’s new stars]

[Jiang Yuan's ball control is still average. Once he is pressed, it is easy to have problems with his ball control. This needs to be improved! ]

……

The audience in the live broadcast room kept discussing it, and they all hoped that this young player from China could make his debut as soon as possible.

The fans want him to play earlier, doesn't Jiang Yuan want to do the same? However, he has not yet gained Lopetegui's trust.

During the half-time break, Lopetegui discussed the tactics for the second half in the locker room.

"Torres and Casemiro, don't push too far forward. Our formation in the first half was the same as 415. If you play like this, there will be space between our forward line and back line, and it will be easy for the opponent to penetrate!"

Unfortunately, Lopetegui did not discuss substitutions for the second half in the midfield. Jiang Yuan could only sit in the dark and wait. During this time, he and Casemiro looked at each other, and Casemiro gave him a thumbs up.

Porto is worthy of being a Portuguese Super League giant. Torres scored a goal just 2 minutes into the second half. After scoring the goal, Torres slid to the corner flagpole and then jumped directly into the arms of the fans.

Faced with the fans' constant pulling, Torres successfully protected his jersey.

At this time, Lopetegui looked around the bench and finally stopped his gaze on Jiang Yuan: "Juan, Evandro, start warming up!"

"Jiang, you go too."

!

Wow, after waiting for a long time, Jiang Yuan finally got his chance to play. He put on his coat and started to adjust his shin guards and socks.

The sharp-eyed A Kun immediately caught the movement of his compatriot on the bench.

"Brothers, Jiang Yuan is about to go on stage! Hurry, those who want to record can start now"

"In the last match against Gil Vicente, Jiang Yuan successfully delivered a wonderful outside-of-the-foot pass, assisting Quaresma to score. I wonder how Jiang Yuan will perform in this match?"

"The fourth official raised the card. Porto made two substitutions at once. Let's take a look at the number plates... Quintero for Martinez, Jiang Yuan for Quaresma. This is a positional adjustment. Porto has replaced two wingers in a row. It seems that they have the intention to attack!"

Jiang Yuan stuffed the gum in his mouth into his trouser pocket, but Quaresma gave him a high five.

"Jiang, you must keep working hard, I'm rooting for you!"

The Portuguese patted Jiang Yuan on the shoulder. He liked this newcomer from China very much!
Putting aside his amazing talent, he is really sensible when passing the ball!

"come on!"

Jiang Yuan ran onto the field and handed the note from Lopetegui to Casemiro in the backcourt.

The content of the note was to ask Casemiro to closely guard Stugan who had just been substituted on.

"Beep!"

Porto's corner kick was taken by Herrera, and the Belen penalty area was in chaos.

……

(End of this chapter)