As the players lined up, the chatter in the tunnel grew louder. Izan could feel the stares from both sides, but he didnât flinch. Hugo GuillamĂłn, standing behind him, leaned in.
"Your boyfriendâs being nice to you," he joked, nodding toward Jude.
"Shut up," Izan muttered, laughing.
Jude caught the exchange and raised an eyebrow. "Whatâs he saying?"
"Nothing," Izan said quickly. Jude looked at the former and nodded before looking ahead.
As the referees called the players to line up, Izan turned to Jude one last time. "Good luck out there," he said.
"You too, superstar," Jude replied, his grin widening. "But donât forgetâitâs Real Madrid youâre facing."
"And itâs Valencia youâre underestimating," Izan shot back.
Jude chuckled, shaking his head. "Fair enough. Letâs see what youâve got."
Far away in her Paris studio, Selene watched the campaignâs reach grow. She had seen the comments, the headlines, the frenzy.
But in the back of her mind, she wondered how Izan was handling it all.
"Heâll be fine," she said to herself, pulling up the live feed of the game. "He always finds a way to shine."
As the players walked out onto the pitch, the Mestalla roared. Izan took his place among Valenciaâs starting eleven, his thoughts sharp, his mind clear.
The cameras would be on him, scrutinizing his every move.
And as he glanced across the pitch and saw Jude in the centre circle, he smiled to himself. This was his stage nowâon the field and beyond.
....
Referee Juan Martinez Munera looked at his watch for the last time before sending the game underway.
Jude, once again in his False 9 role kicked off and passed to Vinicius after the referee blew the whistle.
The winger took hold of the ball under the pressure of Fran Perez on the right wing who was backed up by Hugo GuillamĂłn also approaching from the middle.
The two tried to dispossess Vinicius Jr. but they couldnât after the latter used a feint to go behind them.
Vinicius looking up, sent the ball in the air, his target Jude Bellingham looking up to control the ball but before he could, Izan appeared in front of him, with a smile.
The latter shot up into the air, before trapping the ball with his chest. Jude Bellingham, smirking tried to destabilise Izanâs landing but the latter was firmer in the air than he thought.
After Izan landed, Jude tried to hold onto his shirt but Izan had other plans as he immediately slapped the farmerâs hand away after it held onto his jersey.
Turning and twisting, Jude soon found Izan halfway across the field. "Fast" he uttered before he started to give chase.
Valverde, strong and fast as always, tried to intercept Izan on his run but Izan had already sent the ball over to Fran Perez by the time Valverde got to him.
The crowd watched as the Fran PĂ©rez and Ferland Mendy battled it out on the right flank and it looked like the latter was winning their encounter.
Fran PĂ©rez tried his best but he wasnât winning any time soon. Izan who had already seen this started his run to assist Fran PĂ©rez.
Seeing help on the way, Fran Perez tried to get out of Mendy and now Kroosâ encirclement with a little head-on battle allowing Izan to get there.
The two, with their eyes, said all that needed to be said before Izan bolted behind them.
Fran PĂ©rez sent the ball around Mendy who gave chase but by the time he got to where Izan was, the ball was already streaking towards the box.
The stadium held its breath, watching in anticipation, trying to find out if this could be the first goal of the game.
Hugo Duro, using Rudigerâs shoulder as a sort of ramp, lunged into the air, towards the ball. Hugo Duroâs head met the ball in the air, directing it towards Courtois.
There were shouts of the Real Madrid players in the background but Hugo Duro was focused on putting this one in the net. The ball shot from Duroâs head and found itself headed towards the goal.
Thibaut Courtois put up a strong hand to it but the ball ricocheted off the post in the back of the net.
Hugo Duro ran towards the corner flag and the Mestalla was ready to celebrate with him but the refereeâs whistle sounded.
Duro turned back to look at the referee only to see him put up his hands for a foul while pointing to RĂŒdiger on the ground.
"Oh come on" Duro said as he ran to check up on RĂŒdiger.
"Valencia had scored but the goal wonât stand. It looked as if Duro had fouled RĂŒdiger when he was going up for the ball.
The score remains, 0-0 after 4 minutes."
The Valencia players approached the referee stating that the goal should stand since the contact was minimal but the referee didnât even look at them.
Ruben Baraja who saw this on the bench, approached the fourth official to complain but he was told to behave or risk being carded
After RĂŒdiger got up, referee Juan Munera restarted the match, in favour of Real Madrid who quickly sent the ball to the opponentâs half.
.....
The Mestalla was a cauldron of noise after Hugo Duroâs header in the 4th minute was ruled out for a foul, a decision that left Valenciaâs players and fans fuming.
The home side, undeterred, doubled down on their efforts, led by Izan, who was orchestrating their attack with flair and determination.
Valenciaâs attacking set, featuring Izan, GuillamĂłn, Diego LĂłpez, Fran PĂ©rez, Gaya, and Duro, relentlessly pressed forward, determined to draw first blood.
Real Madrid, under pressure but composed, responded with precision counterattacks.
Toni Kroos and Valverde dictated play in midfield, while VinĂcius Jr. and Rodrygo posed constant threats on the flanks.
The back-and-forth nature of the game was electrifying, with both sides creating chances.
In the 10th minute, Izan danced through Real Madridâs midfield with a clever combination of skill and speed, slipping a pass to Fran PĂ©rez, whose low cross was narrowly cleared by Antonio RĂŒdiger.
Fran PĂ©rezâs poor effort left Ruben Baraja nervous on the bench but he quickly composed himself.
Moments later, Real Madrid nearly capitalized on a break, after Toni Kross intercepted a pass from Guerra before sending it to VinĂcius Jr. who was sprinting down the left.
Thierry Correia tried to stop the Brazilianâs run but he could oy watch as Vinicius delivered a dangerous cross that narrowly evaded Rodrygo in the box.
The Valencia fans sighed in relief while the Real Fan started getting a bit impatient. This was their teamâs first shot since the start of the match so they had to be.
Marmadashvili, who hadnât been tested much since the start of the game picked the ball before passing it to Gaya.
Valenciaâs captain, JosĂ© GayĂ , was instrumental in keeping the tempo high, surging forward to overlap and deliver crosses that kept Realâs defence on edge.
Real Madrid, now sharpened also responded in their own way after 2 shots from Valverde hit the post.
The Real Madrid fans were itching for the ball to fall into the back of the net while the home side prayed against it.
In the 16th minute, Diego LĂłpez came inches from scoring, his header from Izanâs corner thundering off the crossbar.
The Mestalla erupted in frustration but continued to push their team forward.
Real Madrid responded with Jude Bellingham pulling the strings in the final third.
A slick one-two with Rodrygo in the 20th minute forced Giorgi Mamardashvili into a brilliant diving save to deny the Englishman.
"Not exactly a good day for you huh?" Izan said with a humble smile that almost looked cheeky to Jude for a second.
The latter dropped his hand from his head, staring at the latter. "Well, the score is still goalless so you arenât having it easy either," Jude said as he turned to face Marmadashvili who was taking the goal kick.
"Very soon, Jude, Very soon," Izan said before walking away.
The back and forth went on for a while until the Mestalla erupted into chaos in the 28th minute when a controversial decision shifted the gameâs dynamic.
Real Madrid, breaking quickly from a Valencia corner, sent VinĂcius Jr. sprinting down the left flank.
The Brazilian winger, using his blistering pace, cut inside and charged into the box, with Valenciaâs GuillamĂłn and Correia in pursuit.
As VinĂcius approached the six-yard line, he appeared to stumble under minimal contact, tumbling theatrically to the ground.
Referee Juan Munera immediately pointed to the spot, triggering outrage from Valenciaâs players and fans.
The home side rioted a bit causing unrest in the stadium. Under the influence of the announcer, the fans calmed down a bit after the replay was shown.
Replays on the big screen showed the contact was negligible, further enraging the home crowd.
Izan and José Gayà led the protests, pleading with the referee to consult VAR, but the decision stood.
The Mestalla became a wall of whistles and jeers, their fury palpable as Vinicius JR. stepped up to take the penalty.
A/n: Sorry for the late release. Have fun