Rise of a Football God

The first half ended in a goalless draw.

An entertaining and tension-filled first half, but still goalless.

The second half clearly had no intentions on taking the example of the first as just 2 minutes after coming on, the deadlock was finally broken.

Real Madrid scored!

It came from a lightning-fast Real Madrid counterattack.

Having started kickoff in the first half, in the second half, FC Barcelona started kickoff and as the zealous Catalan players loomed over Real Madrid's 18-yard box, eager to score, a stalwart presence in Federico Valverde stole the ball.

As soon as Valverde stole the ball, Pedri and Frankie De Jong closed him down, initiating Hansi Flick's favored high pressing approach.

And yet, they couldn't get the ball because Valverde didn't take the risk of holding onto possession longer than usual, knowing what was at stake.

And so, shortly after winning the ball, he flicked it to the right side of the pitch where a certain Englishman was already bombing up field after seeing him win the ball.

Thud!

The ball landed in his path and taking one silky first touch, Trent Alexander Arnold pushed the ball forward and past Alejandro Balde.

He already evaded one player, but he didn't take the risk of running with the ball knowing just how fast Balde could recover and defend.

Besides, he didn't need to take the risk because he had the perfect players for a counterattacking scenario like this in Mbappe, Vinicius, and Rodrygo.

As soon as Valverde won back the ball, the crazy trio were already running, and so…

Bam!

Arnold hit one of those trademark crosses, sending the ball in a curving trajectory through the field from the right to the left where Vinicius lurked.

Jules Kounde pursued the Brazilian but he was not fast enough.

And Vinicius barely beat the offside trap.

Knowing what was at stake, Vinicius dared not dilly dally as the ball floated towards him as after overtaking Jules Kounde, he took one touch of the ball, kicking it forward and pursuing after it like the flash himself.

He was not alone.

Through the middle, Kylian Mbappe ran, swinging his long legs and arms like a rampaging bull even as Rodrygo ran from the right.

He had two options, so, which one?

Vinicius didn't even think, the idea came to him subconsciously and without hesitation, he executed it fueled by sheer instinct.

Swinging his right leg, Vinicius hit a devilish trivela!

Bam!

As soon as his right leg hit the ball with the outside of his boot, it moved, hitting the grass once and floating forward in a curving trajectory like a discuss.

Mbappe was running…

Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez were also running, eager to close the lighting-fast striker down but due to their high offside line, they stood no chance.

The Frenchman was just too fast.

Kylian Mbappe was a literal speeding train.

They could not catch up. They knew it, Mbappe knew it, Marc Andre Ter Stegen also knew it. And so, instead of placing misguided hope on his defenders, the German goalkeeper decided to take matters into his own hands.

Whoosh!

Ter Stegen charged out of his post to intercept the ball.

Silence.

For a few moments of pure tension, the Estadio La Cartuja de Sevilla in Seville became as silent as a church.

Time and space seemed to compress, slowing down to a crawl.

All that remained was the pitch, the 18-yard box, and movement.

The thudding sounds of Kylian Mbappe reverberated, the desperate charge of Marc Andre Ter Stegen was highlighted, and then…

Whoosh!

Kylian Mbappe lunged at the ball.

Kylian Mbappe was faster, but the distance between Ter Stegen and the ball was shorter. The goalkeeper should have arrived first, and the Frenchman knew it, and so he lunged at the ball, throwing himself in a reckless attacking move.

Before Ter Stegen could touch the ball, with the heel of his boots, Kylian Mbappe poked the ball past the scrambling German goalkeeper.

Ter Stegen evaded the Frenchman's boots at the last moment, narrowly escaping the grim reality of ending up injured.

As for the ball?

After Kylian Mbappe's strangely acrobatic and reckless heel kick, the ball rolled into the net, unobstructed.

Thud!

Kylian Mbappe landed on his butt but he didn't even feel the pain as the next moment he already stood up, waving his hands excitedly like a mad man while charging towards the corner flag in celebration.

And then…

"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!"

The Estadio La Cartuja de Sevilla erupted!

"KYLIAN MBAPPEEEEE!" The commentator roared at the top of his lungs.

"KYLIAN MBAPPE, the mercurial Frenchman have struck at the Estadio La Cartuja de Sevilla!"

"Vinicius Jnr. and Kylian Mbappe, what a duo!"

"That pass, my God…, it was straight from heaven!"

"And that finish? It could only have been done by Kylian Mbappe and no one else in the world, prove me wrong if you can!"

"And Real Madrid are ahead in the Copa del Rey final!"

"0-1! Game on!"

The FC Barcelona players?

They could not even point fingers at anyone, not that it was something they did regularly. This was because no specific player was at fault for that goal.

It was just a result of a few certain player's individual brilliance cooperating, cohabiting to create the moment of magic.

At the Estadio La Cartuja de Sevilla, there were 2 distinct energies in the stadium at the moment.

On one side, tens of thousands of fans in the pristine white of Real Madrid celebrated at the top of their lungs, waving banners, whistling, screaming, undressing in an unbridled display of madness.

On the other side, silence; somber, solemn silence.

47 minutes, 0-1…

Real Madrid was leading.

In just the 2nd minute of the second half, the game already turned on its head, but how long could this status last?

What would be the response of the FC Barcelona players?

Well, their response was pretty straightforward and brutal.

Chaos, war, battle!

All hell broke loose on the pitch!