On the eve of the 65th final

  Remember in one second

  April 8, 2014, four days before the final of the Portuguese League Cup, Benfica and Marítimo, who were tied in the Primeira Liga and had won their league matches two days earlier, were preparing for this final.

  In the office of the president of FC Porto, in the city of Porto, Da Costa was leaning back in his chair, eyes closed in thought. Across from him sat a 40-year-old man with a short, neatly combed haircut, quietly sitting in his chair and staring at Da Costa.

  After a long while, the white-haired old Portuguese man finally opened his eyes. He looked at the middle-aged man in front of him and said slowly: "Paulo, 4 days later, you can get in touch with those two kids and see what their intentions are."

  。”

  Sitting opposite Costa, was Porto's head coach Paulo Fonseca. The man who had played for Marítimo in his youth furrowed his brow: "Mr. Costa, do we really need these two Chinese players?"

  There was a hint of hesitation in his tone.

  "Paul, you've also seen the match of those two kids, you should know how great their potential is. If we can recruit them, it will be a huge fortune for the club." A glimmer of light flashed in Costa's wise eyes.

  "But Mr. Costa, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham seem to be interested in both players, and Roman Abramovich even plans to buy out Wu Yun's contract, I'm afraid we can't compete with them." Fonseca hesitated for a moment before speaking out his concerns.

  Da Costa's eyes, which had been shining brightly, gradually dimmed and he lowered his head with a soft sigh. He knew that Wu Yu and Gao Wei, these two Chinese players, were already the targets of many big clubs. He just didn't want to give up on such promising players.

  In London, England, two men in their 50s sat on a sofa, sipping red wine and chatting. The atmosphere seemed relaxed, but from the tone and content of their conversation, it appeared that there were some sparks flying between them.

  "Boss, everything is fine with the team now, I don't need these two players." said a handsome middle-aged man whose hair had already started to turn white, in a rather firm tone.

  "Jose, I understand what you mean, but these two players have been of great help to us in opening up the Chinese market." said another slightly younger middle-aged man, who was none other than Chelsea's boss: Abramovich. And he was talking to Chelsea's current manager - Jose Mourinho.

  "Boss, I only know that we are now top of the Premier League table and if we win three more games we can be champions. I don't need any other factors to help increase the team's popularity." Mourinho said, shaking his head and speaking quickly.

  "Ferguson has done it before, so Manchester United is so well-known in Asia." Abu said helplessly.

  "I am Mourinho!"

  "Alright, maybe I was wrong." Abu said, unable to persuade Muliniao, somewhat dejectedly leaning back on the sofa: "But I suggest you go take a look at those two kids' match, they're really great."

  I will handle it

  。”

  Murini said coldly and then stood up and left.

  Abu watched Murini's departing figure and sighed helplessly. The madman was indeed a madman, not even giving his boss any face.

  Mourinho called after leaving Abou's office: "When is Marítimo's next match?"

  "This Saturday, the final of the Portuguese League Cup, against Benfica, at the Estádio do Drag?o in Porto." The voice on the other end replied succinctly.

  "Book me a ticket to Porto for Saturday."

  "Alright."

  North London, inside Arsenal's training base.

  "Arsenal, there's a Portuguese League Cup final on Saturday, Wu Yu and Gao Wei will both be playing, you should go take a look." A bald middle-aged man said to the old man wearing a windbreaker beside him, who was Arsenal assistant coach Steve Bould.

  "Now we're competing with Spurs and Man United for a Champions League spot, it's hard to find the time." The old man beside him frowned, Arsenal's head coach, Professor Wenger.

  "But this game is a good opportunity to test Wu Yu's performance in the big game, our game is on the weekend and won't have too much impact." Bould said.

  "Hmm...alright, let's go take a look." Winger thought for a moment and eventually couldn't resist the temptation of the genius player, agreeing to Bolder's request.

  Manchester, England - Carrington Training Centre, Moyes furrowed his brow as he watched the team train. Two days ago in the league match, they were held to a draw by Stoke City and fell to 5th place in the standings, putting their Champions League spot in jeopardy, leaving him under immense pressure.

  "David, aren't you going to watch the game? The final of the Portuguese League Cup." Toninho Cruz came over again to ask, having been following Wu Yu's performance.

  "Not now, I don't have time for that. This Saturday's match is extremely crucial for us. Since the kid said he would only consider a transfer after the season ends, let's talk about it after the season ends." Moyes furrowed his brow, having no intention of watching the game.

  Toni saw this and could only leave with a sense of resignation.

  。

  North London, Tottenham's training base, Boas was making a call on the sidelines of the training ground:

  "Have you booked your ticket to Porto? I'll be heading over after the match on Saturday, should be enough time, we're playing at noon."

  ……

  While coaches and scouts from various Premier League giants are paying attention to this Portuguese League Cup final, the media in Portugal have been arguing fiercely about this final.

  In the media, the support for Marítimo and Benfica is almost equal, with each television station creating hype for this match. The first title of the season in Portugal will be decided 4 days later.

  European bookmakers have opened the betting for this match, with Benfica being the clear favourite to win due to their stronger squad. However, as the match approaches, Marítimo's odds of winning have been steadily decreasing, hinting at something.

  The Ta?a da Liga, which is not even the top cup competition in Portugal, has had a significant impact on Europe. And in China, thousands of miles away, it has caused a huge stir.

  Wu Lei and Gao Wei, two Chinese players, will have the opportunity to play as starters in this final, which is an opportunity that no Chinese player who has played abroad has ever had before.

  Guangzhou, April 8th evening, Beijing time.

  "Welcome everyone to Sports World on April 8th, I'm Jia Ao. Before the game program starts, I have a piece of good news to announce to all the TV viewers:"

  "Our sports channel has signed a broadcast agreement with the Portuguese side for the final of the Portuguese League Cup, which will be live on Saturday night and Sunday morning at 3:45 Beijing time."

  "When the time comes, two young players from our Guangzhou R&F youth team, Wu Yu and Gao Wei, will represent Marítimo in the final against Benfica. Please lock in to Guangdong Sports Channel at that time, we will bring you live Cantonese commentary for the whole match."

  Guangdong Sports Channel host Wu Jiaoluo appeared on screen with a smile, conveying the shocking news to the audience.

  Broadcasting the Portuguese League Cup final! This inconspicuous cup competition among many European football events, just because of the appearance of two Chinese players, appeared on TV in mainland China for the first time, which is undoubtedly a breakthrough.

  。

  Shortly after Guangdong Sports Channel announced the broadcast of the Portuguese League Cup final, Sina Sports also released the news of this match's video live streaming through its official Weibo account, leaving fans nationwide stunned and cheering.

  What Chinese football fan wouldn't be excited to see Wu Lei and Gao Wei, the two Chinese players, starting in a European top league cup final and fighting for their team's championship?

  Wu Yu and Gao Wei in Portugal did not expect that their own experiences playing in the Portuguese Super League would have such a big impact at home.

  Although the coaches of major English clubs are eager to go to Porto to watch this final, media fans and bookmakers have also been hyping up this match. Even in China, thousands of miles away, it caused a sensation in the days leading up to the game.

  However, as the teams and coaches of both sides were extremely low-key, in the post-match interview of the previous league match, almost no content about this game was mentioned, even when asked by reporters, they avoided answering.

  The more low-key and cautious the coaches of both sides are, the more it can be seen how much this game weighs in the hearts of the two clubs.

  In Lisbon, Portugal's capital, at Benfica's training base, head coach Flores watched the team's match with a frown.

  "Miner, who do you think should mark Maridimo's Wu Yun? Luisson? Ruben? Or Felipe?" Flores asked with a furrowed brow to an elderly man with completely white hair beside him.

  "Wu Yu is indeed the core player of the opposing team, but if our team puts all its energy into defending against him, it might be a bit wasteful." said the old man named Miner.

  "No, look at the record of this kid before, in the first match he helped Marítimo to tie with Sporting Lisbon, and then led the team to win Porto in the Dragon Stadium, he is absolutely not an ordinary player, if we want to win this final, we must take him seriously." Flores said sternly.

  "Perhaps we should review his game footage again, there might be a better way." Minail saw the head coach being so cautious and didn't dare to underestimate him, putting forward her own suggestion.

  "Alright, get all the other coaches ready, we'll have a meeting later and figure out how to deal with this Chinese kid."

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