God Of football

Chapter 91: Work cut out for Atlético

The referee quickly sounded his whistle upon seeing the challenge on Izan and quickly showed Azpilicueta a yellow card.

The former Chelsea man showed a remorseful expression so the referee let it go. ”Sorry, Izan, I’ll buy you dinner. Don’t hate me too much”, Azpilicueta said before running into the box.

Izan just looked at the latter and smiled thanking him for the freekick. He knew that the chances of him scoring even if he entered the box were low because of the opposition numbers in the box.

Izan’s determination was palpable as he pushed towards the goal, embodying both skill and passion for the game and the fans knew it by his recent display.

After the referee was done with the Atlético wall, Izan stood poised at the edge of the penalty area, the perfect picture of focus and determination.

His personalised Adidas cleats dug slightly into the grass as he adjusted his stance, one foot slightly behind the other.

Izan took a deep breath, his eyes locked on the ball as he calmly breathed out.

The Valencia fans could feel their hearts’ palpitations at this moment. They knew what Izan could do with a dead ball, and they prayed he could do one last trick before halftime.

The ball rested neatly on the pitch, with the faint outline of the wall of defenders standing tall in his peripheral vision.

The crowd held its breath as Izan took his signature measured steps back, his fingers brushing his long hair back to clear any obstructions. ”I need to cut my hair,”, Izan said, feeling his long hair, damp with sweat.

The faint wind ruffled his long black hair, but he remained unshaken, ready to strike with precision and power.

After the referee blew the whistle, Izan walked to the ball slowly as he looked behind the wall.

’Ding[ Focus Lv2 Activated]’

’Ding[ Pinpoint Precision Lv 2 Activated]’

Izan smiled at the sound of the system’s voice ringing in his mind like a symphony. Planting his left leg beside the ball, Izan smacked the ball.

The ball, well endowed with Curl and power headed towards the Atlético Madrid goal like a rounded gift for Christmas.

The Atlético Fans felt the ball was too on target for comfort, and their keeper also felt the same. Jan Oblak, who felt that the ball was moving far and far away from the goal, started curving towards his goal.

The keeper, with his cat-like reflexes, lunged at the ball, but that wasn’t going to be enough.

”GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAALLLLL, Magnificent from Izan. Uhhhh, how has he done that? Witness the rise of Izan. A king in the making”

Izan, who couldn’t be held by his teammates, ran towards the Away fans and raised his hands in the air as if asking to bask in their praises and cheers.

The fans, too, didn’t disappoint.

”Nice Izan”.

”We love you Izan”.

”I ain’t gay but marry me”.

”Can I get your address”.

”The lady before me, everyone wants an autograph but you want an address. Don’t forget he is still a minor”.

”Sorry, my bad. Thanks for the warning”.

Coach Baraja finally couldn’t hold it in anymore and pulled Atlético Madrid’s Kit manager in for a hug.

Assistant Coach Moreno, who saw this, shook his head and smiled bitterly at this clutz of a coach before pulling him back.

[Hernandez House, Alboraya]

”Mum, Miura scored”, Hori said to her mother, who had gone into the kitchen to fetch snacks.

”Well, it was only a matter of when. Your brother is a genius” Miranda said before stuffing some snacks into her mouth.

”Oh, my baby”, Komi came out holding some drinks and another tray of snacks.

....

”Valencia, is not one to back down. Just before halftime, they lead with a stunning strike from range, silencing the home crowd momentarily. You don’t see goals like that anymore. Valencia came to the Wanda Metropolitano and they won’t leave without a fight. Atletico has their work cut out for them. It is now Valencia 2, Atlético 1”

The Commentator offered his expertise on the match, rallying the excitement of the Valencia fans.

The Atlético players hung their heads down but a voice prompted them to raise their heads.

After the celebrations, Valencia returned to their half only to face an onslaught from the Atlético team.

In a pocket of orange and black amidst the red sea of Atlético fans at the Wanda Metropolitano, a group of Valencia supporters engaged in a lively conversation about their rising star, Izan.

”Did you see that freekick? This is pure class?” one fan asked, his voice brimming with excitement. ”He made that defender look like a statue! Pure class.”

Another fan nodded, draping his scarf over his shoulders. ”He’s got the vision to make that assist for SergioCanos. He’s only 15, and he’s already bossing games. I wouldn’t trade him for anyone in La Liga.”

A younger supporter, holding a Valencia flag, chimed in. ”It’s not just his skill, though. The kid’s got heart. Did you see him track back in the match against Alaves? He saved us from conceding at least twice.”

An older fan, clearly nostalgic, smiled. ”Izan reminds me of the greats. Silva, Villa... You can tell he’s got that special something. The kind of player who can carry Valencia back to glory.”

The group fell silent momentarily as Izan appeared on the giant screen effortlessly toying with Marcos Llorente. The fans erupted into cheers, chanting his name: ”Izan! Izan! Izan!”

The conversation resumed with one fan expressing concern. ”I just hope the club doesn’t sell him too soon. You know how it goes — a couple of good seasons, and the big clubs come sniffing around.”

Another replied, his voice firm. ”Let them come. Izan’s Valencia through and through. He’s not going anywhere. And if he does, they better pay enough to rebuild the whole team.”

The group laughed, their shared passion evident. As the players continued with the match, all eyes turned to the young star, their hopes for the match resting on his shoulders.

As the match progressed, dramatic moments on the field intensified the stands’ dynamic. A near-goal by Atlético brought their fans to their feet, roaring in unison.

Moments later, a swift Valencia counterattack had their fans leaping with joy, drowning out the home crowd temporarily.

Izan who got the ball on the left wing from Gaya ran to the byline before sending a pinpoint cross into the box, but the header from Hugo Duro was denied by a spectacular save from Jan Oblak

The fans cheered every pass, tackle, and shot, their energy feeding the team on the pitch.

The Atlético team abandoned their previous tactics and went all out. A few gaps opened in the defence as a result of this, but Izan couldn’t capitalise on it since they weren’t winning the ball back.

It was only under the sound of the referee’s whistle, which sounded for halftime that brought Valencia out of their troubles.

The Atlético players headed for halftime a bit down by the score but the second promised to be a half for them to bounce back.

Halftime offered a brief respite. Fans queued for refreshments, the smell of popcorn and hot dogs filling the air. Conversations buzz about the game’s twists and turns, with predictions flying faster than the beer taps.

Both Coaches revised their tactics as their opponents had somehow surprised them. For Baraja, it was Atlético’s willingness to abandon their style to seek out opportunities.

For Simeone, it was a miscalculation on his part that needed to be revised. ”Izan was dangerous” and he needed to be handled.

He assigned Azpilicueta to mark the latter since he knew him the most from the national team. After a while, the 15-minute break passed, and the players started heading out of the tunnel.

”Protect yourself Izan. Don’t go charging in when they are trying to pull you down. If you don’t want another talented player to fall,” Baraja warned as the latter entered the field.

Izan nodded at his words and quickly joined his teammates in the centre.

The shouts of the Valencian fans rose as soon as Izan entered the pitch. 1 goal and 1 assist from him had put Valencia in front.

”How does he even do it at his age?” A few fans thought but quickly stopped since, to them, they couldn’t comprehend the realm of geniuses.

The voice of the Atlético Fans rose as they prepared to support their team. Both teams got into positions after a while.

This first half of this clash had proved exciting, and the fans couldn’t wait for the second half. The official looked at his watch and seemingly satisfied with the time, the referee blew his whistle for the second half to commence.

Atlético who had the ball quickly launched an attack in hopes to catch the other team off guard but it wasn’t to be as their attack ended in a throw in.

A/n: first of the day. Have fun reading. Also I say this too much that many of you might have gotten bored with it but thank you so much for reading. It feels good to know that someone likes my imagination. Love y’all