God Of football

Chapter 907: Singapore In A Chokehold.

The second half settled into a rhythm that suited Arsenal far more than Milan.

The ball kept finding its way to Izan’s feet, and every time it did, the stadium rose with the same expectation.

He drifted across the front line, sometimes wide, sometimes deep, always in places where the defenders didn’t want him.

Milan tried to step up on him early, but that didn’t help their case.

In the fifty-second minute, he received a pass from Zubimendi under pressure, barely inside the Milan half.

Pulisic, drifting inwardly, stuck a foot out to snatch the ball from Izan’s feet, but by the time the latter turned, the ball was no longer with him, as he had flicked it inwardly to Rice before running off and receiving the ball in space.

"Exquisite touch from Izan to get away," the commentator said, almost laughing from the sheer fluidity with which Izan was playing the game.

Another Milan player lunged in, but Izan dragged the ball behind his standing leg, rolled out of reach, and snapped a pass, with his left foot, through the line toward Saka on the right.

The timing was perfect as Saka didn’t have to break stride, taking the ball into the box.

The English winger, who had been denied a few times since the start of the game, keenly drove inwardly with the ball and struck across goal.

It was heading in and should have been a goal, but Terracciano threw out a strong palm, pushing the shot wide to deny the English Winger another goal.

The fans groaned in unison but then applauded.

Perhaps eager to shake off the stretch of control Arsenal were having, AC Milan quickly stringed a set of passes through the pitch, with Pulisic slipping the ball through to Leao, who dropped deep to help, but Saliba stepped in hard and clean, winning the ball with a tackle that sent a ripple through the crowd.

Milan complained, hands up, but the referee shook his head and signalled play on.

By the hour mark, tempers grew sharper.

A heavy Milan challenge on Calafiori sparked the first real argument of the half.

Arsenal players closed in around the referee while the Milan players pushed back, all talking over one another.

The referee kept his cool, then flashed a yellow card at the Milan defender.

The crowd cheered the decision, while the offending player threw his hands up in frustration.

But there was one thing certain, and that was Izan being him.

In the sixty-sixth minute, he danced past Musah again, this time with a quick double step-over that froze the midfielder in place.

Another cheer rolled around the stadium as Izan lifted his head, saw Martinelli sprinting into space on the right, and sent a curling pass over the fullback’s shoulder, to which Martinelli took deftly onto his laces, cut inside, and then shot low.

Terracciano saved again, but spilt the rebound.

Havertz darted in, but Milan scrambled enough bodies back to block his follow-up shot.

"Arsenal look like they’re enjoying themselves out there," the co-commentator said.

"And Izan is making this look like a training session."

Afterwards, Arteta made a few changes shortly after as Nwaneri came on for Havertz, while Odegaard replaced Zubimendi.

Milan also brought on fresh legs, hoping to tilt the game back their way.

Instead, things only got worse for them.

The seventy-second minute belonged entirely to Izan.

He collected the ball from Rice on the left, isolated two Milan defenders, and let the crowd know what he planned to do before he did it.

He shifted right, dropped his weight, then spun between both defenders with a tight turn that left them swinging at empty air.

One fan close to the pitch shouted something in disbelief that even the cameras caught.

Izan carried the ball to the edge of the box and slipped a no-look pass into Saka’s path, and this time, Saka wasn’t missing.

He struck the ball hard and low into the far corner, past the arms of Terranciano, who had just conceded his third of the game.

"Goal for Arsenal," the commentator shouted as the net shook. "And it all came from Izan again. He’s running the show."

Players surrounded Saka, but most looked over at Izan first, some shaking their heads like they were running out of words for him.

After the restart, Milan tried to rally with quicker runs through the middle.

They earned a corner, then another, but Arsenal defended both well, leading to them contering after another corner by Milan.

Nwaneri started it, feeding the ball wide to Saka.

Izan sprinted into the box, sandwiched between Strahinja Pavlovic and Fikayo Tomori, but timing had never been a weakness of his.

Saka glanced up only once and then sent the cross drifting in, hanging long enough for a challenge.

But Izan rose higher than anyone expected, meeting the ball cleanly.

His forehead slammed it past the keeper before Terracciano could react as the stadium exploded again with camera flashes everywhere.

"Hattrick for Izan," the commentator yelled.

"And what a way to finish it. He seemed to float. This is unbelievable."

Izan didn’t do much more than smile on his way back, raising three fingers for the fans who were already chanting his name.

Still, after the restart, Milan played like it was 0-0, as they pushed forward desperately and earned a penalty in the eighty-fifth minute after a clumsy trip by Ben White in the box.

The referee pointed straight to the spot, and while the Arsenal players argued it was soft, the Milan players insisted it was obvious.

Another yellow card was shown to one of the Milan men for shoving as the arguments dragged on.

After the referee had set things straight, he watched as Leao stepped up as all the players exited the box.

And then the Portuguese national struck it hard toward the bottom corner, already turning towards the corner flag as the ball looked unstoppable, but Raya had already anticipated and had guessed right.

He threw himself full stretch and pushed the ball wide with a strong left hand as over half of the crowd went mad again.

Arteta, on the touchline, clapped as if the save had won them a cup final, while Arsenal’s defenders proceeded to maul Raya, ruffling his hair and clapping his back as the game restarted with a throw.

"That’s a proper stop," the co-commentator said. "Raya didn’t just read it. He attacked it."

As the final minutes ticked away, Arsenal controlled the ball calmly while Izan still slipped past one more defender for fun, drawing another cheer from the stands.

Then the referee blew for full-time.

Players drifted toward each other out of habit, trading brief smiles, pats on the back, and tired handshakes.

A few Milan players gave Izan a resigned nod as they passed him.

He returned each one with a polite tap on the arm or a shake, talking with players like Leao, though shortly before they walked off.

"And there he is, the man of the night," the commentary flowed on the broadcast.

"Three goals and an assist, two moments of pure bravado, one header that looked like it belonged in theatres, Izan Hernandez takes home the match ball here in Singapore, and you can hear how much this crowd loved every second of it."

The referees approached him just as he finished exchanging a word with Tomori.

The match ball was tucked under the main referee’s arm, who held it out just as they got to Izan.

"Well played," he said as Izan accepted the ball with a quiet "Thank you," nodding at them before he turned.

His eyes drifted to the far end of the stadium, where the running tracks curved around the lower stands.

A cluster of fans had stayed rooted to their seats, waiting to see if he would come over.

One girl, maybe fifteen or sixteen, stood out right away.

She was gripping a small Arsenal flag so tightly the fabric shook.

Her friends and a man beside her, her father most likely,(or not)kept nudging her, but she barely blinked.

Izan adjusted the ball in his hands, exhaled, and started toward her.

The cameras caught it instantly as the commentary rose again in curiosity.

"Oh, hold on. Looks like Izan has someone specific in mind down there. He’s walking with purpose. Lucky fan incoming."

Fans along the rail leaned over, phones raised, while security stepped aside once they realised what he was doing.

The girl froze completely, her mouth parting a little when she understood he was coming straight to her.

Izan slowed to a stop in front of her, studying her face for a brief moment before lifting the ball slightly.

"This is for you," he said in Malay, low enough that only she could hear it.

Her eyes widened so fast it almost looked painful.

She brought a hand to her mouth, then hesitated, as if she wasn’t sure she was allowed to take it while Izan nudged it forward.

"It’s okay," he added softly.

She accepted the ball with both hands, clutching it to her chest like it weighed more than it did.

"Thank you," she managed, almost whispering.

Izan gave her a small smile, then stepped back.

Her friends immediately swarmed her, squealing while she stared at the ball in disbelief.

"Well, that’s a memory that girl will talk about for the rest of her life," one of the commentators laughed as Izan turned away and headed toward the tunnel again.

The applause rose again as he crossed the touchline, the noise following him all the way back toward his teammates.