After the start of the second half, when the game reached the 56th minute, Manchester City had firmly taken control of both the ball and the rhythm on the pitch, constantly pulling Porto out of shape and forcing the Portuguese side to chase shadows.
Although Porto's midfield trio worked tirelessly, they couldn't keep up with Manchester City's passing tempo.
When Manchester City's quick transition from defense to attack failed to produce a goal, they immediately slowed the pace, calmly recycling possession.
In the second half, Porto attempted to apply targeted pressure.
When Javi Martínez received the ball, Porto launched a high press in Manchester City's half, trying to force a turnover.
But the Spanish midfielder didn't wait for pressure to arrive. He immediately played a forward pass to David Silva, who had positioned himself ahead of the halfway line.
David Silva received the ball on the turn and drove forward, heading directly toward Porto's back line.
Guarín tracked back, but David Silva's dribbling forced both Rolando and Otamendi into a passive stance.
On either flank, Gareth Bale and Robben were ready to burst forward, with Suárez waiting centrally like an arrow on the string.
Porto's defenders were under immense pressure.
Both Rolando and Otamendi tucked in, trying to close the gap in front of David Silva. With Guarín catching up from behind, they were trying to form a triangle to isolate him.
But David Silva had already read their intentions. Just before they converged, he played a piercing through ball.
Suárez burst forward from behind Otamendi at full speed, and just as David Silva released the pass, he sprung the offside trap.
The entire Stade Louis II erupted again.
The rest was simple.
Suárez timed his run perfectly and, one-on-one with Helton who had rushed out halfway, calmly lobbed the goalkeeper to send the ball into the net.
3–0!
The Uruguayan striker sprinted toward the touchline, celebrating wildly.
Gareth Bale, Robben, David Silva, and the rest of the Manchester City players chased after him and surrounded him in celebration.
"In the 56th minute, Manchester City score their third goal."
"This is effectively the goal that seals the victory."
"At this stage of the match, we can say with confidence that Manchester City will lift the European Super Cup!"
"This is their fifth trophy in the past year!"
On the sidelines, Gao Shen clapped vigorously and shouted in celebration for Suárez's goal.
At the same time, he let out a long sigh of relief.
The match had been played steadily and professionally.
That had become a consistent feature of this Manchester City side—disciplined, composed, and winning games with their collective strength.
It was no wonder so many people felt Manchester City were beginning to look more and more like a true powerhouse.
With the result all but secured, Gao Shen quickly made substitutions.
De Bruyne, Henderson, Giroud, and others were brought on to replace key players.
After the European Super Cup, the squad would be released to join their national teams.
Two weeks of international fixtures were coming up.
But for Manchester City, this was not a trivial matter. It was something to monitor closely. Injuries on international duty and scheduling conflicts were always a concern.
Two weeks later, in the Premier League's fourth round, Manchester City would host Wigan Athletic. On paper, it wasn't a major fixture, but immediately after that came the opening match of the Champions League group stage—against Real Madrid at home.
Gao Shen didn't expect Mourinho to stick with the same style as last season.
That match would be a tough battle.
When the referee blew the final whistle, Manchester City had defeated Porto 3–0 with ease to win the European Super Cup.
It was the first European Super Cup title in the club's history.
Gao Shen immediately walked to Porto's technical area to shake hands with Vítor Pereira and exchange a few words.
Portuguese and Spanish are very similar. Pereira greatly respected Gao Shen, a manager from La Liga, and the two had a pleasant exchange.
Football matches must have winners and losers, but off the pitch, communication is based on mutual respect.
After all, things can change quickly in this sport. Who knows what the future holds?
The world of top-tier managers isn't that large. Reputation matters.
Gao Shen was 31, and Pereira was 43. They had some common ground.
After Porto left the pitch, only Manchester City's players remained, celebrating wildly.
In this match, Gareth Bale scored twice and was named Man of the Match.
The Welshman ran over and hugged Gao Shen, thanking him for his faith and for giving him the opportunity.
But Gao Shen believed it was all down to Bale's own effort.
At the start of his time at Manchester City, Gao Shen had actually intended to develop Hazard more.
Of course, Hazard's recent form had been outstanding too, with goals, assists, and even a hat-trick. But overall, his physical attributes still weren't at Bale's level.
The Welshman had progressed rapidly, transforming himself in just a single season.
Beyond the trust and support he received, his own effort had been critical.
He often stayed after training for solo practice, especially working on his physical conditioning.
His muscular frame now made even Hazard look fragile by comparison.
Robinho could no longer get a look-in at left wing, and Sturridge didn't stand a chance.
As long as there were no injuries, Gareth Bale and Hazard rotated the left wing. In key matches, like those in the Champions League, Gao Shen preferred Bale.
On the right, if Robben was healthy, he was the undisputed starter.
Right now, with Bale performing so consistently, Gao Shen had no reason to suppress him in order to promote Hazard. After all, both were players he had personally brought in and developed. It didn't matter to him which one played better.
If Bale's success pushed Hazard to improve, that would only benefit the team.
While Manchester City celebrated their fifth trophy of the year in Monaco, back in England, the third round of the Premier League was underway.
Chelsea beat Norwich 3–1. Liverpool defeated Bolton 3–1. No surprises there.
The biggest match was Manchester United's clash with Arsenal at Old Trafford. United crushed Wenger's side 4–1.
The Gunners were clearly not what they used to be, and Wenger could do little about it.
With Manchester City rising strongly, Arsenal's hopes of returning to the top four were getting slimmer by the day.
The departure of key players like Fabregas had dealt a heavy blow.
The team was falling into a vicious cycle.
Whether Arsenal could recover after paying off their debt, as they eventually did in Gao Shen's previous life, remained to be seen.
While the Premier League was heating up, the Championship had entered its fifth round.
After four rounds, three teams had perfect records: Leeds United, Southampton, and Derby County.
Leeds United topped the table due to superior goal difference.
But in round five, Derby County suffered their first defeat, losing 1–2 at home to Burnley.
Southampton played away against Leicester City.
They conceded in the third minute and again in the 22nd. Though they equalized, a stoppage-time own goal by Rickie Lambert proved fatal.
Despite scoring again in the second half, they couldn't find an equalizer.
Southampton lost 2–3 away.
Leeds United's away fixture against Ipswich was played later.
Just four minutes in, from a corner kick, Koulibaly headed the ball down to Benteke, who finished cleanly to put Leeds in front.
Seven minutes later, Benteke struck again.
This time, he met a lobbed pass from Adam Lallana with a close-range header to make it 2–0.
Before halftime, Klein made a surprise run into the right side of the penalty area, latched onto a pass from Bolasie, and scored Leeds United's third.
In the second half, Ipswich came out aggressively, exploiting the lack of cohesion between young center-backs Koulibaly and Maguire, and the loose structure of Leeds United's defense. They pulled two goals back.
The situation became tense.
But in the 76th minute, Schneiderlin provided an assist, and Lallana scored from the left side of the penalty area to make it 4–2.
In stoppage time, Benteke acted as a target man inside the box, held up the ball, and laid it off for Lallana to score again.
5–2!
Leeds United secured an emphatic away win against Ipswich.
With this result, the White Roses remained the only unbeaten team in the Championship.
After five rounds, Leeds led the table with 15 points. Brighton, with 13 points, sat in second place.
The newly promoted side had come in with momentum and were backed by a wealthy owner. They clearly had ambitions of reaching the Premier League and were showing strong form early in the season.
Three days after their fifth league match, Leeds United traveled to face Doncaster in the second round of the League Cup.
They conceded in the second minute but came back with two goals from Paulinho in the 30th and 83rd minutes to win 2–1 and progress to the third round.
But this time, Leeds United's draw was unfortunate.
They were paired with arch-rivals Manchester United.
Though the match would be played at Elland Road, Manchester United were still a dominant force, a giant, and a daunting opponent.
By the time Gao Shen received the news of the draw, he had already returned to China.
This time, he had specifically requested a long break from Manchester City to return home and deal with an important personal matter.
(To be continued.)