God Of football

Chapter 104: A Run Of Games [RCD Mallorca] 2

The halftime whistle blew, and the scoreline remained locked at 0-0. Frustration hung thick in the air as the home fans murmured amongst themselves.

The home side had shown promise, but their attack lacked sharpness and imagination. Mallorca’s disciplined defence and well-organized counterattacks made it clear that they wouldn’t go down easily.

The tension in the stands was palpable—until a figure emerged from the tunnel with the rest of the starters.

Izan.

The announcement of his name by the stadium announcer sent a wave of excitement through the crowd.

The visiting fans looked at the source of the Valencian crowd’s happiness and found Izan. The Mallorca fans knew who he was, as almost everyone in Spain would know if they weren’t under a rock.

His knack for transforming matches with his electric pace, creative flair, and pinpoint accuracy had made him the team’s golden boy.

As he jogged along the touchline, the fans erupted into cheers, chanting his name in unison. Some leaned over the barriers to wave and call out to him, while others reached out for high-fives.

Izan acknowledged them all with a smile, his trademark confidence radiating as he prepared to make his mark.

When the second half kicked off, Izan entered the pitch to a thunderous ovation. The young maestro wasted no time stamping his authority on the game.

His first touch—a deft flick to evade a pressing midfielder—was met with gasps of admiration. Izan immediately switched the tempo, charging forward and threading a perfectly weighted pass into the path of the Hugo Duro.

Though the chance didn’t result in a goal, it signalled what was to come. The Mallorca team recognised Izan as a threat, resulting in the Mallorca Coach appointing one of the players to mark him.

If the Mallorca coach had learnt anything from Izan’s previous games, he would have known that what he was doing was futile.

Izan moved like an artist, every touch and dribble a stroke on the canvas of the match. His marker was having a hard time following him as Izan was just slipping out of his grasp.

In the 53rd minute, he ignited the crowd with a brilliant solo run. Receiving the ball near the halfway line, he spun away from one defender with a graceful turn, surged past another with a burst of speed, and nutmegged a third with audacious ease.

The crowd erupted in cheers, rising to their feet as Izan surged towards the penalty box. His resulting shot skimmed just wide of the post, but the momentum had shifted decisively in favour of the home team.

The stadium buzzed with energy, fans clapping and chanting Izan’s name at every opportunity. Each touch of the ball brought anticipation, and every flick or feint was met with raucous applause.

Children in the stands mimicked his moves, and phones captured every second of his performance.

Izan carried a threatening presence that made the Mallorca faithful restless.

"Drag him down"

"Pull him"

"Stop him"

"Let him taste grass"

The Mallorca fans shouted at their players whenever Izan got the ball. A goal was coming, and it was just a matter of how and when from the way Izan was playing.

Then came the moment that defined the match. In the 67th minute, Izan received the ball just outside the penalty area.

The crowd held its breath as he sized up the Mallorca defence. With a flick of his boot, he sent the ball spinning past one defender, creating just enough space to unleash a curling strike.

The ball soared through the air, kissed the underside of the crossbar, and rippled the net in the top corner.

Pandemonium.

The stadium erupted as fans leapt from their seats, screaming in joy. Izan sprinted towards the corner flag, sliding on his knees as his teammates swarmed him.

In the stands, banners bearing his name waved high, and chants of "Izan! Izan!" echoed around the arena. Even the opposing fans couldn’t help but applaud the sheer brilliance of the goal.

After the goal, Izan ran to the sidelines and hugged the now-celebrating Baraja and Moreno.

It might have been a calculated move or an out-of-spur thing, but the Valencia fans in the stadium all saw this.

This reassured them that all that happened the past weekend might have been a calculated move on the part of teams that were looking forward to having the services of Izan.

Izan wasn’t done. With the score now 1-0, he continued to torment Mallorca’s defence, pulling their players out of position with his clever movement and quick one-twos.

In the 74th minute, he created another masterpiece. Drifting wide to the right, he received the ball, shielded it from an onrushing defender, and executed a dazzling roulette to escape the pressure.

The move drew gasps from the crowd, who could barely believe what they were seeing.

From there, he cut inside and floated a perfectly timed cross into the box. The ball arced over the heads of two defenders and landed on the forehead of the team’s striker Hugo Duro, who powered it into the net with a diving header.

The scoreboard now read 2-0, and the stadium shook with the roar of the crowd. Hugo Duro ran towards Izan while pointing at him.

He held Izan as both players ran towards the corner, pointing to the stands in celebration as the fans erupted in chants.

Izan’s connection with the fans was as extraordinary as his performance on the pitch.

After each goal or assist, he made a point to acknowledge the crowd, clapping and gesturing towards them.

In one moment during a break in play, Izan spotted a young fan holding a sign that read, "Izan, my hero!" Smiling, Izan jogged over and handed the boy his armband, sparking a wave of cheers and applause.

As the clock ticked towards the final whistle, Mallorca threw everything forward in a desperate attempt to claw their way back into the game.

In the 83rd minute, Mallorca intercepted a loose pass in midfield and launched a blistering counterattack.

Javi llabres, eager to prove something also went on a blitzing run. His run ended in a cross for Muriqi who found the ball on his chest.

A lapse in Valencia’s defence gave Muriqi all the time he needed as he smacked the ball past the outstretched hand of Giorgi Mamardashvili.

The stadium exploded once more as the Mallorca fans waved scarves and flags, singing songs dedicated to the Mallorca team.

Some even lit flares in celebration of Muriqi’s goal, a testament to their frustration in the game. The scoreline now read 2-1, and there was no doubt that this was far from over.

Muriqi had quickly taken the ball out of the Valencian net to restart the match as soon as possible.

The Valencia fans couldn’t help but shudder a little. Their team drew with Real Betis in the last match as a result of a late goal.

Another back-and-forth began after the match restarted in the 85th minute. The Mallorca team pulled everything out of their inventory in hopes of salvaging a point.

But this played right into Izan’s hands after he intercepted a loose ball on the left flank in his half. The clock ticked down into the final minutes of the game between Valencia and Mallorca.

The score was locked at 2-1, and tension gripped the stadium. The Mallorca fans were on the edge of their seats, chanting and urging their team forward.

The match should have been over but the resurgence of Mallorca kept Valencia’s players and fans on their toes.

Valencia’s crowd weren’t to be outdone as they also stepped up their game with their chants.

Mallorca’s players pressed high, but Izan was calm. With a quick turn, he left one defender behind and surged forward.

The crowd gasped once again as he danced past another challenge with a perfectly timed step-over.

Izan released the ball to Gaya who was running beside him before sprinting into space.

Gaya quickly returned the ball to Izan moments after receiving the pass.

Reaching the edge of the box, Izan spotted Amallah making a late run, his arm raised, signalling for the ball.

Izan feigned a shot, drawing two defenders toward him, and then delivered a precise, curling pass with the outside of his boot. The ball sailed over the defence, dropping perfectly at Amallah’s feet.

Amallah controlled it expertly before threading a low pass to Gaya who had just arrived on the left. The left-back pulled his leg back before sending the ball to the roof of the net to kill off the game.

The stadium erupted in celebration! Izan and Amallah embraced Gaya as their teammates rushed over. In the dying minutes, Izan’s vision and skill had sealed a dramatic victory.

When the referee blew the final whistle, the fans gave Izan a standing ovation. The young star walked around the pitch, clapping towards the stands and taking in the adulation.

Fans leaned over barriers, calling his name and holding out jerseys for him to sign. One lucky fan managed to toss a scarf onto the pitch, which Izan draped around his neck as he saluted the crowd.

After the match, Izan walked towards Baraja. Baraja put his hand around Izan before walking towards the press conference room with the latter

...

In the post-match interviews, Ruben Baraja was effusive in his praise. "Izan is a game-changer," he said. "He has the talent, the vision, and the mentality to become one of the greatest."

"The media had manipulated some half-truths this past week, making the club and fans restless. Nothing of such sort went on. Izan is still a part of Valencia, and he will be so for a while".

The reporters also asked Izan a few questions but Izan smartly directed them towards Baraja or answered the questions with another one.

The reporter wrote down all he said before realising that Izan hadn’t said much at the end. "This kid is really smart," a reporter thought.

For the fans who had packed the stadium that night, Izan’s performance was nothing short of magical.

He had not only delivered a dazzling display of skill and creativity but had also reignited their passion and belief in the team.

As they streamed out of the stadium, fans shared their favourite moments, replayed videos of his goals on their phones, and sang his name into the night.

Izan’s performance against Mallorca wasn’t just a football match; it was a masterpiece, a reminder of why the beautiful game captivates millions around the world.

For those who witnessed it, the night Izan dazzled would be remembered for years to come.

A/n: 100 powerstones bonus chapter. Have fun reading and I’ll see you tomorrow.