God Of football

Chapter 404: Back For More

Izan walked away from the spot with his arms raised in quiet celebration, his grin wide, almost playful.

He had made his mark. A goal in his first Premier League match, yes, but the way he had scored it — with that touch of audacity, that flair — made the moment even more unforgettable.

”Welcome to the Premier League, Izan,” Mowbray concluded, his voice brimming with respect.

”What a way to announce yourself. Itʼs a debut to remember. Welcome to the Premier League, young man.”

The crowd continued to roar, the power of Izanʼs first goal resonating through the stands as Arsenal took the lead.

As the players jogged back to the halfway line, grinning and exchanging high-fives with Izan, the managerʼs voice cut through the electric atmosphere.

”Good! Good!” Arteta barked, clapping his hands once.

”But donʼt lose your heads! Thatʼs just one — we keep playing! Keep the pressure, keep the rhythm!”

He turned swiftly toward the analyst team huddled by the dugout, gesturing with a quick flick of his fingers.

”Give me Izanʼs running metrics! And Sakaʼs last ten off-ball movements — now!”

One of the staffers, wearing a headset and tablet strapped to his arm, began tapping rapidly, pulling up live heatmaps and data feeds.

A second screen showed the average positions of Arsenalʼs midfield, blinking in real-time.

Arteta leaned in, his eyes scanning the numbers.

”Tell Calafiori to shift five yards wider when weʼre in possession,” he said, barely turning his head as he spoke into the ear of his assistant.

”Weʼre leaving too much space between him and Gabriel. They will try to break if weʼre not careful.”

Out on the pitch, the players regrouped and reset.

Izan had jogged back with a wide grin still etched across his face. ”A good start” he muttered as he glanced towards the bench.

Arteta was still pacing, arms folded behind his back, watching everything.

”Win the second balls! I want the next five minutes to be ours, boys!”

From the technical area, his commands rang clear — not to celebrate, not to ease off.

Wolves tried to respond quickly after the restart, launching the ball forward in an attempt to catch Arsenal off guard.

But Declan Rice was already in position, reading the pass before it reached its intended target.

He stepped in smoothly, brought the ball under control, and calmly recycled possession back to Gabriel, shutting the door on any hope of a swift Wolves equalizer.

With that, the referee glanced at his watch and blew his whistle. The first half had come to an end.

As the players made their way off the pitch, a wave of applause followed them from the Emirates crowd, their voices echoing with appreciation.

Not just for the lead, but for the performance, the control, and the moments of flair they had witnessed.

Guy Mowbrayʼs voice came in, steady and rich with the experience of having seen it all.

”Well, itʼs only 1-0 at the break,” he began, ”but itʼs been an exciting half nonetheless.

Arsenal, with all the control, all the rhythm — and how about that young man, Izan? We were promised something special and, goodness me, heʼs delivered.”

A brief replay of the panenka flickered across screens as he continued.

”That penalty — calm as you like. The cheekiest of finishes under pressure, and the Emirates crowd absolutely loved it. A bit of genius in a tightly contested match.”

The camera panned to Izan walking toward the tunnel beside Saka, a smile still playing at the corners of his lips as fans called his name.

”Not a game filled with goals,” Mowbray added, ”but if you came looking for joy, if you came looking for moments — Izan gave us one.

A real spark on his Premier League debut. What a way to make your entrance.” he ended as the players entered the tunnel.

...

As soon as the whistle blew for halftime, the online world lit up like a flare in the night.

On X, clips of Izanʼs panenka were already circulating with captions like:

@AFC_LondonForever:

”HE DID NOT JUST PANENKA THAT ON HIS PREMIER LEAGUE DEBUT. IZAN. YOU ARE DIFFERENT.”

@TacticalTakes:

”Only 16. Takes the pen. Panenkas it. In his debut. In front of the North Bank. Thatʼs not just talent, thatʼs personality.”

@WolvesHowl_1906:

”Fair play to the kid. That was disgusting in the best way. Hope we clatter him in the second half though.”

@LFC_Bloodline:

”Gotta respect it. Thatʼs a ballsy pen. But letʼs see him try that against Alisson.”

@13thMandems:

”Nahhh how are Arsenal fans calling him generational already? He panenkaʼd José Sá not prime Neuer.”

@Spursy:

”Classic Arsenal. Already making documentaries about a 16-year-old after one pen. But even Iʼll admit — that was ice cold.”

Even Pundits, on their various media handles, joined in.

Jamie Carragher:

”That ladʼs got nerves of steel. I donʼt care how old you are — a panenka on your debut is outrageous. You pull that off, youʼve earned the right to strut a bit.”

Ian Wright on his Instagram Story now had a video of him jumping up from his seat, arms in the air, and captioned it,

”IZAN! YOU BAD BOY!”

Memes followed quickly, screenshots of José Sá diving with the ball floating gently over him became instant reaction images.

One popular meme read:

”When you study for the wrong exam.”

—with Sáʼs dive and Izanʼs lofted chip underneath.

In group chats and forums, even rival fans admitted it—love him or hate him, the kid had arrived.

And he did it with the sort of audacity that left a mark.

...….

Inside the Emirates dressing room, the mood was light but focused.

Bottles of water were passed around, jerseys clung to backs slick with sweat, and the low hum of analysts updating data at their tablets underscored the quiet atmosphere before the second half.

Arteta walked into the center of the room, clapping his hands together once to draw their attention.

”Well done, boys,” he began, voice calm but brimming with energy. ”Very well done.”

His gaze swept across the room, settling briefly on each face.

”That was a first half that exceeded my expectations. You were compact, you stayed disciplined, and you played with purpose” he paused a bit.

”Even without three or four goals on the board, Yes, I know how impatient some of you are,” he added with a smirk, drawing a few chuckles, ”we controlled that half from start to finish. Solid in the press. Solid in the duels. Thatʼs what I like.”

He pointed to the backline first. ”Riccardo, excellent timing. Big start, big shift.” Then to Rice and Odegaard.

”Dec, Martin, you plugged everything. Nothing leaked through. We suffocated them.”

Then his eyes landed on Izan.

The room naturally turned his way, some of the senior players already smirking, anticipating what Arteta was about to say.

”And Izan…” Arteta started, walking toward the teenager with a mock-serious expression.

Izan raised an eyebrow, grinning already.

”That penalty—” Arteta paused, holding up his hands, ”—donʼt you ever do that to me again.”

The room burst into laughter. Even Ramsdale let out a sharp whistle.

”I thought you were going to break the net,” Arteta continued, shaking his head. ”Then I see you float it in like youʼre playing futsal in your backyard.”

He turned back to the team. ”But you know what? It went in. And that takes guts. So fair play.”

Izan gave a sheepish smile, raising his hand. ”Had to keep it interesting, míster.”

”Interesting nearly gave me a heart attack,” Arteta shot back, still smiling. Then his tone shifted slightly, steadying again.

”But the jobʼs not done. Weʼve set the tone, now we need to keep it. Wolves will change things up and we know it.

So we will take this opportunity to punish them. No sitting back. Keep moving, keep pressing, and stay clean. If we do that—this gameʼs ours.”

He looked around again, pausing before his final words.

”Catch your breaths for the remaining few minutes and then letʼs go out and finish what we started.”

The players nodded, returning to their businesses as Arteta stepped out to talk with an Official.

They would soon be going for the next half of the battle.

...….

The buzz inside the Emirates was still strong as the players emerged from the tunnel for the second half.

Arsenal led 1–0, but it wasnʼt just the scoreline keeping the crowd energized—it was the way theyʼd done it.

Izan was among the first out, his head held high as he jogged across the pitch to light applause and scattered chants.

Some fans along the front row stood up and clapped just for him, pointing toward him and gesturing in disbelief, as if still unsure of what they had witnessed before the break.

”Come on, lads,” Declan Rice called out, rallying the group as they spread across the grass again.

Odegaard gave Izan a firm slap on the back. ”Youʼve got the crowd in your pocket now,” he said with a grin.

Izan gave a small smile but kept his eyes forward. He wasnʼt done yet.

Wolves came out too, with a different energy.

Their players looked more urgent, more deliberate in their steps. Clearly, theyʼd been given instructions to tighten the screws.

Guy Mowbrayʼs voice returned to the broadcast as the camera panned across the players resetting into position.

”Well, weʼre about to get underway for the second half here at the Emirates. Arsenal with the lead, thanks to that ice-cold panenka from Izan,” he said, his tone light but admiring.

”A cheeky finish that has most probably gone viral. But now comes the true test of control—Wolves are down but not out, and Gary OʼNeil will expect a reaction.”

The referee gave a final glance at both goalkeepers before blowing the whistle.

A/n: Okay guys. First of the day and it will most probably be the last. I have Calculus tomorrow and Econs following it so I will release after that. Its not certain but iʼll try to release again if I get a chance today. Also Iʼm among the Last Minute Learners Associates thatʼs why Iʼm just learning now so donʼt judge.