God Of football

Chapter 99: Drama At The End

After 15 minutes passed, the players returned to the pitch. The fans abruptly burst into cheers upon seeing the players.

They couldn’t wait to begin.

As the second half began at Mestalla Stadium, the atmosphere was electric. The match had been evenly contested in the first half, with both Valencia and Real Sociedad showing flashes of brilliance.

The score was delicately poised at 1-1, with fans of both teams hopeful for a decisive conclusion. Valencia had drawn first blood with a neatly finished goal from their talismanic striker Hugo Duro, but Sociedad’s Carlos Fernández responded with a thunderous strike just before the interval.

The whistle blew, and Valencia wasted no time asserting themselves. Their midfield duo of Pepelu and Javi Guerra orchestrated play, threading incisive passes to break Sociedad’s defensive lines.

Hugo Duro nearly found the net within the opening minutes of the half, rising high to meet a curling cross from José Gayà.

His header, however, was spectacularly saved by Sociedad’s goalkeeper Álex Remiro, whose reflexes were on full display.

The Valencia fans almost celebrated but it wasn’t to be. After a while, Real Sociedad got their chance.

Real Sociedad responded with a counterattack that showcased their attacking prowess. Mikel Merino and Martín Zubimendi controlled the midfield, combining to launch a swift attack.

Takefusa Kubo, who had been a constant menace on the right wing, darted past Gayà and delivered a dangerous low cross into the box.

Carlos Fernández was inches away from converting, but a last-ditch tackle by Mark, who had come on after the break, denied him.

The tempo of the game escalated, with both teams trading blows like heavyweight boxers. Valencia’s Diego López began to exploit space on the left flank, tormenting Sociedad’s full-back Andoni Gorosabel.

In the 58th minute, López unleashed a curling effort from the edge of the box, forcing Remiro into another acrobatic save.

The fans showed their excitement by cheering and their shouts. The match had proven to be an attacking bout as both teams tried to put the ball in the net of the other.

The match was tipping in Valencia’s favour so the Valencia bench and fans were a bit relaxed. Pietro, who had been sitting down, was told to warm up by Moreno.

A cheer from the travelling fans made Moreno turn to face the pitch. ”Shit,” he thought as he looked at what had happened.

[A minute ago]

The breakthrough came in the 64th minute, and it was a moment of magic. Sociedad’s Merino intercepted a pass in midfield and launched a quick counterattack.

The ball found its way to Kubo, whose mazy dribble left two Valencia defenders in his wake. Spotting Oryazabal making a darting run, Kubo laid off the ball to him before going into the box.

Oryazabal, who was now on the right side of the box, wanted to shoot, but the space had been blocked by Mark.

Oryazabal began thinking about what he could do to salvage this ball since a counter would be on for Valencia if he lost the ball.

At that moment, he heard a shout from his back. ”That’s Kubo”, Oryazabal thought before sharply flicking the ball back.

The Valencia team was caught off guard by this as the ball found Kubo who met the ball with a curling effort.

The ball streaked past the Valencia defence before nestling in the bottom left corner of the goal.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL

The Real Sociedad fans roared as Kubo slid in front of them. The Mestalla had gone silent, with the cheers of the visiting team being the only sound.

Baraja was in a bit of a daze as he looked at his players. ”No, no. At the very least, not now” he muttered.

After the restart, the intensity of the match went up a notch.

Valencia, now trailing, upped the ante. Their manager, Rubén Baraja, made a double substitution, introducing Pietro and Amallah to add more pace and creativity to the attack.

The substitutions had an immediate impact, as Valencia began to pin Sociedad deep into their half. Pietro, in particular, combined well with Thierry Correia on the right, creating several dangerous moments.

In the 72nd minute, Valencia almost equalized. A clever one-two between Hugo Duro and Diego López saw the latter unleash a venomous shot from the edge of the box.

The ball ricocheted off the crossbar and appeared to bounce over the line, but VAR ruled that it had not fully crossed. The Mestalla crowd groaned in unison, but the near-miss only fueled Valencia’s determination.

Real Sociedad, now under siege, relied on their defensive discipline and the heroics of Remiro.

Robin Le Normand, who had just come on, and Igor Zubeldia formed an impenetrable wall at the heart of their defence, cutting out Valencia’s crosses and blocking several goal-bound shots.

In the 80th minute, Sociedad nearly put the game to bed. Another quick counter saw Silva release Ander Barrenetxea on the left wing.

Barrenetxea’s shot was destined for the bottom corner, but Mamardashvili produced a stunning save to keep Valencia in the game.

With time running out, Valencia threw everything forward. Their efforts paid off in the 82nd minute when a corner from Gayà caused chaos in Sociedad’s penalty area.

After a series of deflections, the ball fell to Mark. The Sociedad players encroached on the former’s space, trying to take the ball, but it was all for nought.

The centre-back smashed it into the roof of the net, sending the Mestalla into raptures. The score was now 2-2, and the game seemed destined for a dramatic conclusion.

The Valencia fans and players who were all celebrating stopped abruptly after they saw the referee blow his whistle.

”What is going on” they thought as the referee signaled for a foul. The replay of the goal showed that Cenk Ozkacar had elbowed Le Normand during the process of the goal, and therefore, the referee deemed it invalid.

The Valencia fans started booing the officials. A chant started from an unknown source in the stadium.

”We want Izan! We want Izan! We want Izan”

Coach Baraja, who heard it, smiled wryly and gave the fans what they wanted. If they were going to lose, he might as well give the fans what they wanted.

After a series of warm-up exercises, Izan finally came on in the 87th minute. The fans who saw their teenage sensation on the pitch started clapping and showing their satisfaction.

Izan, after coming on, was being Shadowed by 2 Sociedad players. ”Isn’t this treatment a bit harsh for a kid” Baraja’s eyes seemed to say while he stared at Real Sociedad’s Coach.

The latter replied with a gaze of his own, which seemed to say, ”All those who underestimated him lost. I’m not going to do the same”.

Baraja laughed slightly before focusing on the match. Izan’s impact was minimal, but it was felt by the Valencia team, who felt the sudden opening of passing spaces due to 2 Sociedad players marking Izan.

Valencia worked their way around the Real Sociedad players. The two Sociedad players who were marking Izan relaxed a bit after they found the ball not coming Izan’s way.

This proved to be detrimental as Izan slipped away to combine with Amallah in a One-two before sending the ball to Gaya on the left flank.

The sudden fast-paced football stunned the Real Sociedad team. Their players scrambled to get back, but it was all too late as Gaya sent in a cross, which was met by the outstretched foot of Pietro.

The Mestalla erupted into cheers after the goal but the fans toned it down as they looked at the referee. The official smiled and blew his whistle to signal that the goal was Valid.

Izan, who had created that chance out of nothing heard his name being chanted by the home crowd.

The fans recognised his contribution to the goal as if it wasn’t for his defence-splitting pass, the goal wouldn’t have come.

The match restarted, as stoppage time began. Both teams pushed for a winner. A Sociedad substitute came close to scoring, but his towering header narrowly missed the target.

Valencia, buoyed by their fans, had one final chance. In the 94th minute, Pérez broke free on the right and delivered a teasing cross into the box. Hugo Duro rose highest and headed the ball but the ball was cleared out of the box.

Izan, who was lurking around the box, found the ball and released a venomous shot towards the goal, but the ball struck the post and went out for a goal kick.

The referee’s whistle brought an end to this pulsating encounter. The 2-2 draw reflected the balance of the game, with both teams showcasing skill, resilience, and an unrelenting desire to win.

Fans left Mestalla with a sense of satisfaction, having witnessed a thrilling contest that epitomized the drama and unpredictability of La Liga.

This match would undoubtedly be remembered as one of the season’s highlights, a showcase of two teams determined to leave their mark on Spanish football.

After the whistle, Izan approached Kubo and talked with the latter for a while. The two looked like old friends even though they had just met.

After the talk, they exchanged jerseys before walking off to the tunnel.

A/n: Have a nice read. See ya