God Of football

Chapter 108: A Goal In Just 8 Minutes

The Fans from both sides poured into the stadium. Reminiscent of a herd of cattle being led by a herdsman.

Both sides engaged in friendly banter as they did that. Scarves and flags were thrown around as the avid fans of both sides engaged in chants.

Athletic Bilbao fans known for their passionate chants that reflect their Basque identity and love for the club roared,

”Athletic! Athletic! Athletic!”

A chant made to fire up the crowd and energise the players.

The Valencia fans also weren’t to be outdone as they began theirs. ”Amunt Valencia! Somos Los Ches!

Both sides went at it even before the match began. After a while, the players from both teams came out to warm up.

The roars of the crowd increased as the players stepped onto the pitch. Izan, wearing his warm-up kit was one of the last players to come out.

The Valencia crowd erupted as soon as they saw the former. A few fans who were near the tunnel stretched out their hands for Izan to shake.

Izan didn’t leave them hanging as he shook a few. He also acknowledged the fans by waving a bit at them before joining the rest of his teammates on the pitch.

”Yo Miura, how about your little trick,” Gaya said as he passed the ball to Izan. Izan smiled and lifted the ball with the edge of his boots before turning around to volley it.

Marmadashvili, who had tensed since he heard Gayà’s words, looked at the ball that was coming his way. [Poor guy has been traumatised by Mc’s shots]

The ball flashed past a few teammates before Marmadashvili got a hand to it. The latter’s smile in the air was quickly erased after he felt the power in the ball.

The ball pushed his hand back but fortunately for Marmadashvili, his hand had changed the trajectory of the ball, sending it onto the crossbar.

”Oooooooohhhhh” the Valencia fans exclaimed excitedly when they saw the little trick on the field.

”Wow, that shot was travelling”, a fan said.

”Marmadashvili’s save was equally impressive,”, another fan said before adding, ”Izan and Marmadashvili are on top of their game. Seems like we won’t have a hard time this evening”.

”I wouldn’t be so sure. The William brothers are tearing it up, especially Nico. Although he doesn’t have many goals, he mostly organises the Bilbao attack.

He has also racked up a few assists, and coupled with his brother, we might be in for a tough time,” a middle-aged man spoke.

The younger fans around him nodded as his words made sense. ”Well, then our players are going to have to do more,” one of the younger fans said.

After a while, the players finished with the warm-up and went back to their locker rooms.

....

”Good evening, folks, and welcome to the historic San Mamés, where football echoes louder than anywhere else in Spain!

Tonight, under the glow of the Bilbao lights, two proud La Liga giants, Athletic Club and Valencia, lock horns in a clash brimming with tradition and fire.

The Lions of Bilbao, backed by their fiercely loyal fans, aim to defend their fortress with the passion and spirit that defines this legendary club.

On the other side, Valencia, the ever-dangerous Bats, arrive with a point to prove and a hunger for victory. They would like to draw first blood, wouldn’t they?

It’s more than just a game—it’s a battle of identity, heritage, and pride. The Basque Country stands still, the chants are deafening, and every touch of the ball will be scrutinized by thousands of fervent fans.

This is San Mamés. This is Athletic Bilbao vs. Valencia. Fasten your seatbelts—it’s time for magic under the Basque sky!

I have with me Juan Ceballos, and what do you think about this match, Juan?”

”Well, Mikel, it’s a great game, to say the least. Valencia is second on the table and will be looking forward to keeping up with Real Madrid, who are first.

Athletic Bilbao is also fifth, and we’ll be in contention for some European football spots, and that isn’t all.

This match is also a stage for Valencia’s young talent Izan to say I’m no fluke. Honestly, Mikel, he did it against Atlético Madrid, becoming the youngest player to score a hat-trick in Laliga ever.

Even if he struggles tonight, I say that he’s already won.” Juan, the Co-commentator, spoke.

”Well, that’s Juan’s take on this. We’ll be looking forward to seeing Izan perform, and he won’t have it easy as Nico Williams will also be looking to improve his reputation”.

.....

The Announcer announced the lineups of both teams, each name met with cheers from the crowd as the players stepped onto the pitch.

Izan, donning the number 21 jersey, stood in the attacking midfield position after the referee got the pre-match pleasantries out of the way.

As kickoff approached, the cheers of the fans rose again as they waited for the sound of the whistle.

’Fweeeeeeee’

The referee blew his whistle to signal the start of the match. Hugo Duro, standing over the ball, passed back to Izan after the whistle sounded.

Izan, after receiving the ball, passed back to Javi Guerra on his left. The Visitors passed around a bit trying to open up spaces in the Athletic Bilbao setup.

Izan walked around the pitch scanning and turning as he looked around him. The Athletic Bilbao team really lived up to expectations as there was almost no room for passing.

”Almost” Izan thought with a smirk as he approached Diego Lopez on the left. The latter had been trapped in an encirclement of 2 Bilbao players.

Izan approached, signalling with his hand for a pass. Diego Lopez saw Izan’s hand gesture and sent the ball his way.

Without taking too many touches, Izan sent a raking ball that slipped through a gap. Hugo Duro, who had been watching the ball keenly, ran into the path of the ball.

The Valencia fans gasped in excitement after Izan’s pass. Hugo Duro got to the byline and sent a low ball into the box, but the shot from Fran Pérez went agonizingly wide.

The Valencia sighed before applauding the attack. If the same of this kind were to happen throughout the match, then it was only a matter of time before they scored.

Ruben Baraja looked on at the first attack from his team as he drank some water. ”Fran Pérez should have made it count,” he thought as he put down the bottle.

”I have to speak with the director about a few transfers in the winter break” Baraja muttered.

The match continued with the ball now in the possession of Athletic Bilbao. Dani Garcia, who now had the ball, combined with Sancet in the heart of midfield.

A One-two combination between the two led to the ball being unleashed to the left flank. Correira tried to get a touch on the ball but it narrowly evaded his leg.

Nico Williams, who was a bit far from the ba, gave chase to it and finally caught up with the ball, but he now faced Correia.

Correia tried to stall for a bit so that his teammates could recover but Nico Williams wasn’t going to give him that much time.

With a sharp flick, he sent the ball to his left and followed suit. Correia quickly accelerated to get to the ball, but Nico Williams cut back with a chop, causing Correia to fall.

The Athletic fans cheered at the scene as they watched Nico Williams unleash a cross into the box. Mosquera, who had been out of the squad for a while, jumped and got his head to the ball, but his header wasn’t strong.

Just then, Inaki Williams arrived in the box anticipating where the ball would fall. Seemingly done with his choice, Inaki rushed forward and struck the ball with power.

The stadium held its breath as Marmadashvili lunged at the ball. The ball flashed past his fingers before rustling the net.

The Estadio San Mames erupted into cheers. The home fans danced and cheered as their team had scored just 8 minutes after the match began.

The faces of the Valencian fans, on the other hand, were downcast. ”Está bien. No dejes que te afecte (It’s okay. Don’t let it get to you.)” Gaya said while clapping his hand.

The match had just begun, and there was no need to sulk. Marmadashvili got the ball out of his net and sent it forward.

Izan, who found the ball coming his way, controlled it with his thighs before passing it to Duro. The striker got the ball and placed it on the spot as they waited for the Athletic Bilbao players.

The Athletic Bilbao players celebrated a bit longer than allowed. This caused them to attract the ire of some of the travelling fans.

After the referee signalled them to halt their celebrations, the Bilbao players returned to their half of the pitch.

The Valencia players stood still and watched as they returned to their positions. The players stood still as they waited for the referee’s whistle to sound.

This was just the beginning.

A/n: Hello guys author here. Some of you might have noticed that the recent chapter looks a bit generic and repetitive. Well, the person who I thought was editing it was just using ChatGPT and Grammarly.

Grammarly is good, though, but some of my words got lost in translation when he used chatgpt, so from now on, I’ll do it myself so things like that don’t happen. I’m sorry guys.

And I’m halting the Powerstone challenge for a bit. You guys have been awesome, but God damn, Its a bit traumatising knowing the Powerstone counter is going to hit 100.

By the way, this is the Powerstone chapter. I’ll see you in the evening with the chapter for the day.