Rise of a Football God-Chapter 422: A thunderbolt!
"GOALLLLL…!!!"
The Spotify Camp Nou erupted.
"ZINEDINE SAM!!!"
"ZINEDINE SAM!!!"
"ZINEDINE SAM!!!"
The commentators screamed in a shrill voice, unable to contain their emotions as Sam charged away towards the corner flag in celebration, pointing at his name and no. 10 jersey before a boiling Camp Nou.
"What a goal…!"
"Sandwiched between 2 of the best center defenders in the world, and yet, that was not enough to stop him!"
"Samuel Moses, the Monster! The man, the myth, the legend!"
"What an overhead kick!"
"And ladies and gentlemen, that is right up there with some of the best champions league goals that I've ever witnessed!"
"Barca hoped for a miracle, and it came early, as early as the 6th minute!"
"And of course, who else but Sam?"
"Who else but the devilish Nigerian, the slippery serpent, the unstoppable force of nature, the Catalan fury, the King of the Spotify Camp Nou!"
6th minute, 1-0…
Aggregate, 2-2…
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That goal… rattled Manchester City.
When this game started, Pep Guardiola, the Man City coach was sitting on the sideline but after that goal, the Catalan coach could no longer afford to sit down as anxious, he paced up and down the touchline.
It was just the 6th minute of this game, but Pep Guardiola's nerves were already stretched taut. This game was truly going to test his mental resilience.
And the coach was not the only one to react.
Just like Sam's blood boiled, the blood of the Manchester City players also boiled. Tonight, they were determined to give their best.
Heck, they were already giving their best.
They were adamant not to let a goal in, and yet, just 6 minutes in, that fiend already breached them and scored…, how?
Ruben Dias and John Stones stared at the celebrating Barca players in bewilderment, trying to make out the vague shape of the Barcelona striker celebrating among them.
The 2 center defenders were stumped at how that goal became reality, but in the end, it was reality and they had no choice but to accept it.
They could only make the resolution of not letting another goal in.
Ruben Dias growled, his eyes turning feral like a beast as he glared at the celebrating Barca players.
He clapped aggressively, aiming at his teammates. "Come on guys!"
"It's not the end of the world!"
"It's 2-2, come on, we're still in the game!"
Yes, Man City was still very much in the game.
Ruben Dias' shout and clap did the magic, making the players to calm their nerves, and then they developed laser focus on this game.
The Blaugrana celebration eventually came to an end, then…
FWEEEE!
As soon as the referee's whistle sounded, this time, it was Man City's turn to bring out a miracle straight from Jesus' box.
Man City executed a move straight out of the training ground.
Gundogan passed to De Bruyne and the Belgian took one touch of the ball, allowing Erling Haaland to run all the way, penetrate into the Barca defense before suddenly playing a lethally accurate lobbed pass.
Bam!
The ball flew through the air, curving an arc like an AI-control mechanism was attached to it.
By the time it dipped, Erling Haaland was already in dangerous territory behind the Barca defense, having shoved Pau Cubarsi aside with his immense physicality. The ball dropped on his front.
And in that moment, time seemed to freeze in this iconic stadium.
Inigo Martinez followed behind, subtly grabbing Haaland's jersey to slow him down but that was not enough to slow down the towering Norwegian.
Haaland slowed down in his own time, when he was about to take the shot as time seemed to freeze for him also, and then…
WHOOOP!
The sequence of his leg suddenly erupting from a stationary position to swinging happened instantaneously, kicking off a storm in the immediate surrounding as his leg struck the ball with venom.
The ball flew with immense speed towards Ter Stegen's right. It was a sure goal, a definite one, right?
And yet in that moment, Marc Andre Ter Stegen, the German goalkeeper suddenly channeled the spirit of a prime Gianluigi Buffon, the Italian legend.
Thud!
Ter Stegen kicked the ground, pushing himself into the air as he jumped.
At almost point-blank range, Haaland hit the ball and with such speed and yet, despite all that, Ter Stegen managed to make it.
He pushed the ball, hitting against the post, and then it rolled into Alejandro Balde's path.
"…!"
Chaos briefly erupted in the Barca 18-yard box.
Haaland pursued, pressing the Barcelona left back but keeping his calm, with a drop of the shoulder, Alejandro Balde left Haaland for dead, erupting away with speed and kickstarting a rapid counterattack.
A lightning-fast attack, well, that was the name of this game.
After that Haaland and De Bruyne combo that caught Barca napping, only saved by their elite goalkeeper, the game turned even more intense.
Attack after attack, dribble after dribble, pass after pass, it was like a battlefield straight out of World War II.
Sam attacked, Haaland attacked…
Pedri passed, Phil Foden passed…
De Jong tackled, Rodri tackled…
Gavi passed, Kevin De Bruyne passed…
Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez tackled, Ruben Dias and John Stones tackled…
Lamine Yamal dribbled, Omar Marmoush dribbled…
It was crazy, chaotic, intense, tiring, end to end, and in that chaos, when the first half almost came to an end, a player finally lived above the chaos.
He thrived, exploded, like a Butterfly breaking out of its cocoon.
This player was… Kevin De Bruyne.
In the 44th minute of the game, the Belgian maestro exploded.
It was a thunderbolt!
He started it, receiving the ball from Manuel Akanji, pushing the attack deep into Barca's half, observing his options as Haaland, Omar Marmoush, and an overlapping Josko Gvardiol all ran into space, anticipating his pass.
Those runs drew players to them, leaving space open in the middle.
No one expected the sudden change in decision.
Mid-run, Kevin De Bruyne suddenly changed his mind and then after one more touch, he swung his right leg and then…
POW!
The sound was like quaking thunder!
Hit by his lethal right foot, the ball flew like a missile with such force that it swerved unsteadily in the end, and then… it nestled in the top left corner.
Ter Stegen dived, but he stood no chance.
Brief silence followed, and then…
BOOM!
All hell broke loose at the Spotify Camp Nou!
