Dublin Arena, Ireland.
Europa League final, Man City versus Porto.
When international referee Carlos Velasco Carballo from Spain blew the whistle to start the match, Man City launched a fierce attack against Porto amid deafening cheers.
The Premier League side made its intentions clear from the very beginning: attack relentlessly!
Both teams had been in tremendous form up to this point.
Man City had made history by winning its first Premier League title and reaching the Europa League final for the first time. Having already secured the Premier League and FA Cup titles, Man City was determined to win the Europa League as well.
If they won this trophy and completed the treble, Man City would surely send shock waves through European football. From then on, no one could afford to overlook this rising Premier League powerhouse.
Porto had also been extremely dominant in the Primeira Liga this season. They had gone unbeaten and won the league title with a twenty-one-point lead, demonstrating just how formidable they were.
Not only that, Boas's team had also won the Portuguese Cup.
Both were league and cup champions, and both were determined to complete the treble. That made their clash crackle with tension.
More notably, the last time Porto had reached the Europa League final was during Mourinho's tenure. In that final, when the competition was still called the UEFA Cup, Porto had ultimately lost to Sporting Lisbon, led by Su Dong.
Now, after many years apart, Porto and Su Dong had met again in the Europa League final. Who would prevail was still anyone's guess.
Man City still took the field in its iconic 4-3-3 formation.
Joe Hart was in goal. The back four were Marcelo, Pepe, Kompany, and Zabaleta. Busquets sat deepest in midfield, with David Silva and Toni Kroos