Rise of a Football God

Defiance…

A single word, a simple meaning, but with a heavy undertone.

What is defiance?

In the simple dictionary, defiance is a daring or bold resistance to authority or to any opposing force.

An open disregard; contempt.

A challenge to meet in combat or in a contest.

47 minutes, 0-1…

Real Madrid scored, and in extension, they issued a challenge.

In response, Catalan energy bloomed in all its full glory at the Estadio La Cartuja de Sevilla.

'Win!' 'Win!' 'Win!'

That voice was back.

That voice, it was the voice of defiance.

FC Barcelona accepted Real Madrid's challenge, and Sam was the tip of the spear that took the battle to the army in white.

Pure, unadulterated football started on the pitch.

FC Barcelona was already playing good since, dominating possession a bit in the first half but in this second half after Mbappe's goal?

They simply exploded, leaving hesitation behind to embrace instinct.

There seemed to be a limit lock on the FC Barcelona players before but after that Mbappe, a limit breaker mechanism was initiated, breaking the limit.

And so, flowing, relentless, attacking football followed.

Real Madrid still had their moments, their half chances but for large swathes of this second half, they were largely stifled as FC Barcelona exploded.

It was an all-out attacking display.

The defense pushed forward, pushing the offside line so high, far higher than anything that FC Barcelona have played the season under Hansi Flick's orders.

And with such a ridiculous highline, the pressure became palpable.

The FC Barcelona players were like a swarm of locusts, swarming and overwhelming every obstacle before them, devouring any and everything in sight.

In the middle of the pack, Pedri was like a flea, weightless, elusive, untouchable, quick-footed.

Tonight, Pedri played the best game of his career.

He led the press from midfield, winning back balls mere seconds after Real Madrid got it, and when he got the ball, he actually made use of it.

Of course, in response to Barca's offensive high press, Real Madrid tried to press back and that was where Pedri comes to fore as the orchestrator.

Pedri didn't get the chance of playing with legends like Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez to learn directly from them, but of that iconic FC Barcelona midfield trio, he did play with one, Sergio Busquests.

And from the Spanish legend, he soaked and learned as much as he could, the core of it being his ability to escape pressure and press.

Shifting the ball, changing his center of gravity, tight shuffling the ball, la croquetas, roulettes, Cruyff turns, Pedri used it all on the night!

Every time he did, weaving through 2 or more Real Madrid players, FC Barcelona fans rose to their feet in awe.

Frankie De Jong was his willing partner but tonight, the Dutchman was more of the destroyer, breaking down any Real Madrid attack before it could even start.

And with Pedri being such an effective press resistant midfielder, and also executing his passing duties to a tee, the already iconic Barcelona attacking trio was let loose in Real Madrid's half.

Pedri did the orchestrating, Lamine Yamal did most of the dribbling and trickery. Tonight, in the second half, after that goal, Lamine Yamal was unplayable.

Ferland Mendy was made to see stars.

Yamal dribbled, weaving in and out, turning Mendy inside out with startling consistency as he created chances for his teammates.

While Yamal did the dribbling, Raphinha repeatedly kept on running into space like a tireless madman, receiving passes not just from Yamal, Gavi, and Pedri but also Sam as he unleashed shot after shot at goal.

Tonight, Thibaut Courtois put on that 2022 Champions League final cloak again, putting out a flawless goalkeeping performance.

Sam and Raphinha had chances, again and again, and yet every time, the devilish Thibaut Courtois was up for the challenge.

Sam didn't just threaten and shoot, he also played.

Sam played his heart out on the pitch.

He dribbled, he created, he unleashed lethal shots at goal, making the Madrid defenders work their ass out to barely keep him in check.

FC Barcelona was dominating heavily, and yet, no goal yet.

This second half, after that goal, FC Barcelona ran Real Madrid ragged so thoroughly that it was diabolical, and so the Madrid players started playing dirty.

Playing dirty when the going gets tough, that was also the Madrid way.

The Spanish Capital club was not above playing dirty, so long that they get the win at the end of the game and tonight, that was exactly what they did under the onslaught of the FC Barcelona players.

The defenders tackled like wrestlers, kicking like MMA fighters.

The midfielders? The lunged like agile boxers, doing everything in their powers to slow down the game and kill FC Barcelona's momentum.

The FC Barcelona players complained bitterly, and yet the referee refused to brandish a card, yet.

It was extremely frustrating but they had no choice but to play on.

And you know the most painful thing? The dirty tactic was working.

50 minutes, no goal…

60 minutes, no goal…

70 minutes, no goal…

In the 72nd minute, Hansi Flick took out Gavi, introducing Dani Olmo to the game in a desperate gamble to turn the game around.

75 minutes, no goal…

80 minutes, no goal…

84 minutes, finally, it happened…

By now, the atmosphere in this stadium crackled with literal electricity, packed with palpable tension.

Tiki taka, was the answer…

It started from Pedri.

Pedri played a through pass to Lamine Yamal. Pursued by a relentless Ferland Mendy, Yamal received the ball with the heel of his right boot, flicking it towards Jules Kounde who was behind him who didn't hesitate.

As the ball floated towards him, without even looking, simply focusing on the players in red and blue in the 18-yard box from the periphery of his vision, Kounde hit the ball into the box.

Bam!

It was a silky first touch from Dani Olmo.

One touch to calm the ball, and a second touch to flick the ball again into the box, towards the position where Sam lurked.

As the ball floated in, Sam didn't even think.

He forgot thought and embraced instinct.

This was why as the ball floated in, even before the Real Madrid defenders surrounding him could realize what was happening, his right leg was already swinging and then, his leg connected to the ball in a powerful volley.

BAM!

The ball left a blur in its wake as it flew with power, tearing its way into the right corner of the net.

This time, Courtois was rooted to one spot.

He didn't even see it coming.

He only reacted when the roar of a thousand fans drowned him.

"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!"