Rise of a Football God

FWEEEEE!

Enyimba FC started kickoff, but they didn't hold possession of the ball for too long as Manchester City asserted their authority over the game early.

Austin and Sam started the game with their bloods boiling, filled with adrenaline but even that was not enough against the best team in the world, a team filled with world-class superstars.

Playing in the same midfield alongside the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri, Austin and Sam felt like toddlers playing against their older siblings.

The thing about them though was that they didn't give up.

Manchester City dominated possession, forcing the whole Enyimba FC team to go back and defend but Enyimba FC refused to give them an inch to score still.

For the first 15 minutes of the game, Enyimba FC suffered but they managed to stay compact, defending with incredible zeal like a team, blocking off all obvious shooting lanes as Ojo saved 3 consecutive shots on target, one of them coming from the deadly striker, Erling Haaland.

The work rate of the whole team was incredible for that first 15 minutes as they ran all over the pitch, but even that was not enough against a team of Manchester City's caliber.

In the 18th minute of the game, one of the Man City big names left his imprint on the game, tearing it open with reckless abandon.

Receiving a diagonal pass from Bernardo Silva in the midfield, the Man City no. 17, Kevin De Bruyne took one touch of the ball with his right foot, controlling it with an inch-perfect touch before switching to his left foot, effortlessly turning away from a challenge.

After turning away from the challenge, leaving his opponent for dead, De Bruyne took another touch of the ball with his left foot, kicking it forward slightly and setting himself for a shot at goal.

Noting the threat, Farouk charged in, sliding but it was not enough to make De Bruyne hesitate as this midfielder's left foot hit the ball with power from outside the box.

It was a perfect technique.

POW!

Like a missile, the ball rose from the ground with speed, rising up and rushing towards the top left corner of the post.

Ojo took 2 steps before jumping on a full-stretch dive. He tried his best but it was not enough, the ball snuck past him, but then…

Bam!

It hit the top post.

"The post is definitely the goalkeeper's best friend here!"

"But what a shot from De Bruyne! Just typical of him at this point, you expect things like this from him every game, but the ball is not yet out of play, it's a rebound…"

"Oh! And here comes Erling Haaland…!"

"He's between 2 defenders! Can he…? Oh, yes, he does!"

"Goal! 1-0 to Man City!"

And just like that, Manchester City went ahead.

Immediately after the ball smashed against the post, rebounding back into the 6-yard box, even as Ojo scrambled back to his feet, Erling Haaland, the Man City no. 9 and striker reacted first, pouncing on the loose ball.

2 defenders sandwiched the imposing striker but it was not enough as outmuscling them, Haaland managed to poke the ball into the empty net.

It was recorded as an assist to Kevin De Bruyne.

Haaland whirled off in celebration.

"Come on guys!" Austin clapped. "Wake up! We can do this!"

FWEEEE!

For the next few minutes, Enyimba FC played with urgency, trying to get back into the game but unable to retain possession, they were fighting a losing battle.

This was undoubtedly the most frustrating game that Sam had ever played.

As an attacking midfielder, he loved having a lot of the ball but in this game, he didn't have the luxury. Man City simply hoarded possession, reducing him to a tacking merchant as he ran all over the pitch, fruitlessly chasing after the ball.

When the Enyimba FC players managed to win back possession, they barely stringed a few passes together before their opponents won back possession.

They were heavily outmatched, and on this night, they were totally outplayed.

6 minutes after the first goal, Rodri won back possession again, this time dispossessing Austin and without hesitation, he passed to De Bruyne.

Raising his head and taking one glance, the veteran midfielder hit the ball with the inside of his boot, playing a penetrative through pass through two Enyimba defenders into the path of the running Erling Haaland.

The Enyimba FC defense was split by the inch-perfect through pass.

Haaland took only 2 touches of the ball, the first touch to slightly control the ball and the next touch to smash the ball into the bottom left corner of the net.

In the 24th minute of the game, Man City was already leading 2-0.

It was a total walloping.

After scoring the second goal, Man City seemed to reduce the game intensity a bit as they rotated the ball more, playing more through the midfield but they did manage to set up Haaland 2 more times.

Ojo pulled off a sensational save one time while the other time, one of the Enyimba center backs had to take a yellow card for the team just to stop the rampaging striker from getting his 3rd goal of the game.

Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden also came close to scoring a few times, but none of it was concrete until the 43rd minute of the game.

Receiving the ball from Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden went on a mazy run, dribbling down the left side of the pitch past multiple Enyimba players before floating a cross into the box.

Despite being tightly marked, Haaland managed to sneak out of trouble again, finding enough space and doing the rest with his impressive strength to volley the ball past Ojo into the net for his 3rd goal of the night.

It was a powerful shot into the top right corner, Ojo stood no chance.

Haaland scored a first half hattrick in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup. Immediately after scoring his 3rd, his teammates swarmed him, congratulating him and when they were done, Haaland did his iconic meditation celebration.

By then, the Enyimba FC camp already dissolved into chaos as the players accused each other for leaving the striker unmarked.

Austin tried his best to diffuse the situation but it was only a temporary measure, the team already lost fighting spirit and zeal.

The first half ended 3-0 in Manchester City's favor.

Enyimba FC were humbled.

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