God Of football

Chapter 118: A Masterpiece On The Canvas Of The Net

The second half began under the floodlights of the Mestalla, the air thick with expectation. Valencia trailed 2-1 against Cádiz, and the crowd, though passionate, grew restless.

Murmurs of frustration echoed through the stands, but one name rose above the noise—Izan. The 15-year-old wonderkid jogged out with a determined expression, a spark in his eyes that promised something extraordinary.

As soon as the referee blew his whistle, Izan sprang into action. Dropping deep to collect the ball, he saw two Cádiz midfielders who were looking to press him, but with a feint and a perfectly executed roulette, Izan got them out of the way.

The Mestalla roared, signalling their excitement at the flashy moves Izan used. Izan drove forward, head up, scanning for options.

But the Cadiz players didn’t make it easy for him; after all, they were professionals, too. With a signal from the captain, they moved closer cutting off the passing spaces while keeping an eye on the flanks.

Izan, who was running with the ball, suddenly felt squeezed into a closure. After looking around with a glance or two, Izan knew what was up.

Sensing the imminent change of possession if he held the ball, Izan started looking for passing options.

Spotting Valencia’s Diego López making a diagonal run, he threaded a defence-splitting pass with the outside of his foot, bypassing three defenders.

The crowd gasped as the winger’s cross just missed its target. A Cadiz defender hurriedly cleared the ball out of the box after it fell not far from Hugo Duro.

Minutes later, Gaya orchestrated an attack. Spotting Izan with space, Gaya quickly released the ball to Izan, but it was all a ruse.

Surrounded by Cádiz players near the edge of the box, Izan used his low centre of gravity and quick feet to keep possession.

With a deft flick, he nutmegged his marker and laid off the ball to Valencia’s striker, who forced a diving save from the Cádiz goalkeeper. Izan clapped his hands, urging his teammates to keep pushing.

A few chances came by and went but Valencia was still not scoring. At this point the possession scored showed that Valencia had 90 since the start of the second half.

In the 65th minute, a well-executed pass saw Hugo Duro one-on-one with the keeper. The Valencia fans in the stadium rose to their feet in anticipation of the goal as there was no way Hugo Duro was going to miss this.

And he didn’t as he dragged the ball to the left sharply, evading the keeper after coming close to him.

With the goal in front, Hugo Duro sent the ball towards it and turned to celebrate, thinking about how he had become the top scorer now, but all he heard were gasps of disbelief all around the stadium.

He turned around and saw a Cadiz defender in the box instead of the ball. He saw the ball going out of bounds and no one needed to explain what had happened.

Hugo Duro put his hands on his head in disbelief as the commentator’s voice came out, ”What utter nonsense from Hugo Duro. This is what happens when you get complacent”.

Hugo Duro raised his hands in apology to his teammates and possibly the fans. Izan just kept looking at him indifferently as walked to join his teammates in pressing.

Valencia kept knocking on and knocking over and over again but couldn’t score. The fans were getting frustrated as a few looked at the clock tipping over the 72nd-minute mark.

With a sigh, they turned their attention towards the pitch, where another attack seemed to be mounting.

Izan had executed a step-over just a moment before and had successfully evaded his man and was running with the ball.

He saw Hugo Duro and laid off the ball, hoping to combine with him in a give-and-go. Hugo, with his back to the goal, understood Izan’s intention and passed back before going behind the defence.

He didn’t know how the ball was going to get to him in this Cadiz setup but he still ran. Izan’s eyes kept looking at the slight gaps before tapping the ball slightly.

The ball went through the outstretched legs of the Cadiz players who were trying to clear it, but none could. It was as if the ball had a mind of its own.

The ball found Duro gradually but he soon hit a wall, literally as he bumped into the muscular Kouame.

The referee blew the whistle for the challenge just outside the box. Hugo wanted to debate that he had entered the box but the referee stuck with what he saw.

The Valencia fans were a bit down that Duro was fouled but they quickly got excited when they saw Izan step up to the freekick.

”Wait, if it’s Izan, then it’s as good as a goal, right,” A fan said as he watched Izan step up to the ball. Izan, with the run-up, struck the ball towards the goal.

The Stadium watched as the ball moved right before swerving to the left. The Fans all watched as the ball moved towards the goal, but somehow, the Cadiz keeper got his hands to it, tipping the ball over the bar.

”Ooooooooooohhhhhh” the fans exclaimed at the chance. Izan stood there with a knowing smile. ”My freekicks are getting better and better. I didn’t even use the trait” Izan thought as he walked to the flag.

Valencia had won a corner, and Izan stood over the ball, surveying the chaos in the box. His delivery was a masterpiece—a whipped cross that curled away from the goalkeeper, landing perfectly on the head of a leaping Mark who had just come on. The ball thundered into the net. The stadium erupted as the scoreboard flashed 2-2.

”WHAT... A HEADER FROM MARK. The first touch of the game, and it’s a goal,” the commentator said. ”Credit where its due for Izan with that wonderful corner”.

Izan didn’t just celebrate; he connected. Running toward the fans, he raised his arms, motioning for them to get louder.

The Mestalla faithful responded, chanting his name with a fervor as Mark leapt onto Izan sending them both onto the ground.

The other players, as well as the bench, also joined in. Ruben Baraja, same as the day, wanted to join the celebration, but Moreno had held him back by the shirt.

After the restart, the momentum was with Valencia. Izan pushed and pushed for a winner, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

Cádiz, sensing the shift in momentum, began disrupting Izan’s rhythm with physical challenges. A crunching tackle in the 83rd minute sent him tumbling.

For a moment, the crowd held its breath as Izan clutched his ankle. But he was back on his feet within seconds, brushing off the Cádiz defender with a smirk.

The tension in the match grew palpable. Cádiz players, desperate to regain control, resorted to tactical fouls, but Izan remained unfazed. Each time he was brought down, he rose with even more resolve.

In the 85th minute, Izan produced a moment of magic that had the entire stadium on its feet. Picking up the ball near the throwline, he surged forward, evading tackles with astonishing agility.

Cádiz defenders swarmed him, but Izan kept the ball glued to his feet, weaving through them as if they were mere training cones. A few held him by the shirt but he brushed off their hands with his as the referee waved advantage.

Nearing the box, he unleashed a curling shot that seemed destined for the top corner, only for the goalkeeper to pull off an incredible save.

The clock ticked toward the 88th minute, and tension rippled through the stands. Cádiz seemed content to settle for a draw, slowing the game and breaking up Valencia’s attacks. But Izan had other plans.

In the 88th minute, a misplaced pass from Cádiz ignited chaos in their half. Izan pounced, intercepting the ball and driving forward with a blistering pace.

As he approached the box, two defenders closed in. Izan feinted right, dragging the ball back with a subtle touch before spinning left. The defenders collided, leaving Izan one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

The crowd held its breath as Izan struck the ball low and hard, but the goalkeeper, Ledesma, parried it, and the rebound fell to Valencia’s striker, who inexplicably scuffed the shot wide.

The Cadiz Defence celebrated the save from their keeper who told them to focus. The Cadiz players immediately regrouped hearing their keeper’s words

The Mestalla groaned in disbelief at Duro’s open goal miss while Izan buried his face in his hands before quickly refocused, rallying his teammates for one final push.

In the dying moments of the match, Valencia won a free kick just outside the box. The tension was unbearable as Izan stepped up.

The entire stadium went silent, the weight of the moment pressing down on everyone except the boy standing over the ball.

Izan exhaled deeply, his focus razor-sharp. ”Max, you know what to do,” Izan said. ’Ding, [ Pinpoint Accuracy LV 2] activated.

[Curler LV 3] activated.

Izan, who had just combined two traits, smiled.

As the referee blew his whistle, Izan took three quick steps and struck the ball with precision. It arced over the wall, dipping viciously toward the top corner.

The Cádiz goalkeeper stretched desperately, but it was in vain.

Goal!

The ball kissed the underside of the crossbar and nestled into the net. The Mestalla exploded into euphoria.

”OHHHH!!!, Beautiful. It was coming and now Izan had done it. You can’t write them off. A masterpiece from Izan, painted with the right foot on the canvas of the net” the commentator said.

Fans leapt to their feet, waving scarves and chanting Izan’s name. His teammates mobbed him, lifting the teenager onto their shoulders as he pumped his fists in celebration.

Baraja, who had been held back by Moreno, was quick this time as he ran onto the pitch. Moreno left him alone as he had been tense during the latter stages of the match

As the final whistle blew, Izan jogged toward the stands, where a sea of fans awaited him. He pulled off his jersey and tossed it into the crowd, where it was caught by a young boy wearing a homemade ”Izan” shirt. The boy burst into tears, and Izan smiled, pointing at him as if to say, This is for you.

Despite the overwhelming noise, Izan paused to soak it all in. He raised his hands, forming a heart shape toward the fans who had supported him through every step of the match.

The scoreboard read 3-2, but the numbers only told part of the story. Izan had delivered a masterclass, dominating the second half with skill, vision, and an unshakable will to win. Cádiz had tried everything—pressing him, fouling him, frustrating him—but nothing worked.

A/N: Hello guys, Have fun reading and I’ll see you in a bit