The game had barely begun when Mateo received the ball in a crowded area of the pitch, surrounded by five defenders who were determined to test his abilities under maximum pressure.
What followed was a sequence of skill that seemed to defy the laws of physics and probability. With a series of subtle touches and perfectly timed movements, he proceeded to nutmeg each defender in turn, threading the ball through their legs with such precision and timing that they seemed powerless to prevent it.
The first nutmeg came as he received the ball, a simple but perfectly executed maneuver that left the nearest defender wrong-footed and confused.
The second followed immediately, as Mateo used the defender's momentum against him, sliding the ball through his legs as he committed to a tackle. The third, fourth, and fifth came in rapid succession, each one more audacious than the last, until all five defenders had been beaten in the most humiliating way possible.
