God Of football

Chapter 1031: La Roja And La Celeste!

Eventually, the day dawned as Zapopan received them on a Thursday morning that was already thirty degrees before ten o’clock.

The players, after exiting their plane, were led through the more secure passageway, but that couldn’t keep them away from the eagle eyes of the reporters of the land of freedom!

They had made sure to keep things under wrap s, but it seemed that hadn’t been enough.

Eventually, the questions started.

”Izan, what are you looking forward to in this game?”

”Will you be staying at Arsenal after the World Cup?”

”Lamine, is it true you are dating an adult star?”

”What?” Lamine suddenly stopped, but before he could dispute, Le Normand dragged him along.

By the time Izan reached the van, several reporters had tried their luck and failed, and soon they were on their way.

The drive to the Akron didn’t take long.

The players passed the time by doing things such as hosting group games on the switches that Pedri had bought for everyone.

As they got closer, the stadium gradually filled the windows of the van until it was impossible to ignore.

”It’s bigger than I thought,” Lamine said.

Fermín didn’t even look up.

”You say that every stadium.”

”No, I don’t,” Lamine protested as he took his eyes away from the window.

”You absolutely do,” Fermín doubled down before the two stared at each other for a while and then turned towards Pedri, who was sitting in between the two.

Pedri glanced up from his phone, and then, with a sigh, looked at Yamal.

”You always do say that!”

Lamine looked at both of them.

”I hate you two.”

That got a laugh from a few of the others before the conversation died and attention drifted back to the stadium.

A few minutes later, they were walking through the gates into the walkway leading up to the pitch where they would be playing on the following day.

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”This will be a short stint and a few questions,” the Spanish team’s assistant coach said as Luis De La Fuente trudged forward.

”Let’s just get this over with.”

They had come to check the stadium and pitch conditions before the game, and now he was obligated to entertain the reporters.

The media room was already filling up with journalists finding their seats and just checking their equipment.

A moment later, the noise went down as De la Fuente took his place at the front and looked out across the room before his eyes drifted briefly to the empty chair beside him.

Then a second later, the moderator leaned across.

”We can begin.”

De la Fuente nodded, adjusted the microphone and glanced around once more at the cameras and waiting reporters.

Then he leaned forward.

”It’s not as fun talking to me when Izan isn’t here, is it?”

The laugh that followed was loud as the journalists looked at him like he’d said something they were just thinking.

”Good. At least we’re all honest,” he continued.

That earned another round of laughter before notebooks opened, hands started to rise, and the first question finally came.

”Coach, how prepared do you feel for Uruguay?”

...

”LAAADIIESSSS AND GENTLEMEN. Señoras y Caballeros. Welcome to Guadalajara!”

”IT IS TIME!”

The words of the announcer resounded in the stadium, and as it did, the Akron Stadium answered.

”OOOOOOOHHHHHHH—”

The Uruguay end was on its feet, blue and white everywhere with their flags moving frantically in anticipation of a game that they had been watching, waiting and saving themselves for.

Across the stadium, the Spanish sections answered them, red and gold rising to meet the blue and white as the two crowds faced off, the competition beginning even before a ball had been kicked.

”Welcome once more,” the commentator said, letting the noise do most of the work, ”to the Akron Stadium in Guadalajara.

My name, as always, is Peter Drury and this is the final match day of Group H.

And once again, I have Alexandre Moreau alongside me, and I think it’s fair to say the people inside this stadium have been ready for quite some time.”

”Since before we sat down, Peter, yes,” Moreau said. ”The atmosphere in here is something else entirely.”

”Yesterday, Cape Verde defeated Saudi Arabia by a single goal in their last fixture and finish third with four points of their own, which keeps alive the possibility of them advancing as one of the best third-placed teams once all the groups have concluded.

Saudi Arabia finish bottom and go home. But the top of this group is still to be decided.”

”And that,” Moreau said, ”is what makes tonight so fascinating.”

Then from somewhere in the lower tier of the stadium, a roar started that had everything to do with the scenes at the mouth of the tunnel.

”There they are,” Moreau said as the first rays of the floodlights in the stadium dawned upon the warriors that were poising themselves to step into battle.

They came out into the Guadalajara evening, some of the world’s best players, appearing from the mouth of the stadium tunnel as though the ground itself was producing them.

As the players stepped out, the announcer, one by one, called out their names, earning shouts from the fans.

Eventually, the players came to a stop and formed the usual two lines in front of the crowd and a moment later, the anthems began to rain down.

Uruguay first, and through it all, the Akron Stadium held itself respectfully while every soul in the blue and white sections sang every word.

Then Spain’s anthem came, with Spain doing the same.

Down the pitch, Izan stood at the front of the Spanish line with his hand on his chest and the armband on his left arm.

Around him, his teammates stood in the same posture and with the same stillness.

When it finished, the crowd gave it back in noise as Izan dropped his hand, turned, and led his teammates toward the other line for the handshakes.

”And here we are,” Drury said, as the last of the handshakes finished and the players spread across the pitch toward their positions.

”Uruguay need a win tonight to top this group.

A draw keeps Spain above them still, and a Spain win sees the group finish the way it started, with La Roja still at the summit.”

Ninety minutes. Everything still to play for. Uruguay with the quality, the hunger, and the belief that tonight is the night.”