God Of football Chapter 1004: Last Of Dying Breed!

With the game’s commencement, Harry Kane’s pass backward sailed further than intended. The instant it left his foot, Kimmich allowed it to pass by.

This allowed Dayot Upamecano to be the first to reach the ball.

After a quick glance forward, the French defender slid the ball square to Kim Min-jae. Kim, in turn, swiftly passed it to Laimer on the left flank. Arsenal’s press had not yet begun.

They merely held their position, with only their forward line impeding the Bayern players. Their midfield remained behind their own half-way line.

On the touchline, Vincent Kompany observed with some surprise the amount of freedom and time Arsenal’s players were affording his team. This prompted him to glance towards Arteta.

"What are you trying to play at?" he questioned under his breath. As if hearing him, Arteta turned to face Vincent Kompany and nodded towards the Bayern manager.

Kompany returned the nod before shifting his gaze back to the pitch, where his players had started exploiting the open spaces created by the Arsenal team.

"Bayern Munich... feeling their way into the night. Probing the edges of this Arsenal side that has made Europe sit up and listen," commented Peter Drury. Kim advanced with the ball for a few steps before distributing it wide to Serge Gnabry on the left wing.

Receiving the ball in stride, the German winger didn’t hesitate, pushing it forward with a sharp first touch and accelerating down the left, the damp turf kicking up behind his boots.

Jurrien Timber followed Gnabry’s run patiently, refusing to fall for the feints the winger attempted.

Seeing his attempts to create an opening fail, Gnabry slowed his pace and then cut inside, laying the ball off to Lennart Karl, who was strategically drifting into the half-space.

"Lovely pass by Serge Gnabry. And now the new gem that has been unearthed, Lennart Karl has the ball in tow."

Lennart Karl attempted to bypass his marker with one of his signature close, intricate turns that made him so difficult to predict. However, Declan Rice moved across at the opportune moment, using his shoulder with firm pressure and perfect timing.

The Emirates Stadium erupted as the ball came loose, but Arsenal did not launch the counter-attack Bayern had anticipated.

Instead, Zubimendi, seizing control of the loose ball, immediately played it back to Rice. Rice took a touch, surveyed the field, and then calmly sent the ball back towards his own half, an invitation for Bayern to advance once more.

Drury hummed in approval.

"A careful opening exchange... like two fencers testing distance but Arsenal now have the ball."

Yet, Drury’s observation proved ill-timed as Rice promptly lost possession to Kimmich, who had advanced well out of his accustomed position.

The German midfielder chipped a diagonal ball toward the right flank. It soared over the head of Myles Lewis-Skelly and landed for Micheal Olise. Olise deftly controlled it with the outside of his boot and drove infield, gliding across the wet grass with a burst of speed that compelled Arsenal’s defensive line to shuffle back rapidly.

William Saliba emerged to confront him, his long strides matching the Frenchman’s acceleration.

In the ensuing moment, Saliba slowly retreated from the direct confrontation, attempting to pass the ball to Kane at the edge of the box. However, Saliba stretched out just in time to intercept it cleanly.

"Ow, that was necessary. That could have been the ball in the back of the net had Saliba allowed it to go past him."

The ball deflected away from the edge of Arsenal’s penalty area, bouncing once on the grass before rolling towards the midfield.

For a fleeting instant, uncertainty hung in the air regarding who would claim the ball. Ultimately, however, they all spotted Izan sprinting toward the drifting ball as the play developed, the loose sphere rolling directly into his path.

Behind him, Aleksandar Pavlović suddenly appeared, positioning himself like a defensive barrier, aiming to close the space. Yet, this did not impede Izan’s progress.

Instead, with a swift movement, he nudged the ball past Pavlović using the outside of his boot and spun after it, attempting to round the midfielder before he could react.

But Pavlović reacted instantly, extending an arm across Izan’s chest and tugging at his shoulder.

Izan attempted to force his way through, seeing the open space ahead and the potential if he could just break free. At the last possible moment, however, his balance faltered, and the referee’s whistle immediately pierced the air.

"Eyyyyyyy," the Emirates crowd roared in collective indignation. But from the broadcast booth, Peter Drury offered a different perspective.

"Call it what you will," he stated calmly above the din, "but that’s smart."

The replay was briefly shown on the broadcast, providing visual evidence for his statement.

"Because if Pavlović lets him through there," Drury elaborated, "... it’s suddenly Dayot Upamecano, Kim Min-jae, and Josip Stanišić staring at Izan Hernández with fifty yards of grass ahead of him."

Drury allowed the image to resonate for a moment.

"And we’ve seen him dismantle far better defences than that."

The referee, with an upraised hand, approached Pavlović, issuing a stern reprimand.

The midfielder from Bayern acknowledged him with a nod.

He then reached down, grasping Izan’s arm, and assisted him back to his feet.

Throughout this exchange, the stadium's attention was drawn to two moving red figures: William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães.

They were advancing from the defensive line, their intended destination clear to all observers. This sight caused the crowd to rise instinctively, prompting a soft chuckle from Drury.

"Well, it appears... Arsenal has now wholeheartedly embraced the label of 'Set-Piece FC'."

Players began to congregate within Bayern’s penalty area, both teams' jerseys a tangle of motion on the slick turf.

Izan, positioned over the ball, cast a glance towards the penalty box, observing the final players settling into their positions.

He then took three deliberate steps back before the whistle blew.

Following a measured run-up, he made decisive contact with the ball using his laces.

The strike was clean, yet the ball unexpectedly began to ascend higher than anticipated.

A wave of confusion momentarily swept through the stadium, with some spectators even beginning to murmur.

However, the ball’s trajectory then started to descend.

With remarkable speed.

The entire penalty area became a hive of activity as everyone anticipated the ball's landing spot.

"Goodness me, look at the drop on that!" Drury exclaimed, witnessing the players collide beneath it.

Upamecano leaped.

Kane followed suit.

Yet, rising above them all was Gabriel.

The Brazilian soared upward, connecting with the descending ball in a powerful header.

"Gabriel...!"

Drury's shout was cut short as the header rocketed towards the goal, only to meet the frame.

"Against the crossbar!!"

The sound of the crossbar reverberated through the stadium like a gunshot, and the rebound sprang back into the air.

This time, Upamecano reacted quickest.

The French defender jumped again and directed the ball away with a header, sending it looping clear of immediate danger towards the edge of the box.

A collective sigh of relief emanated from the Bayern supporters, flooding the away end.

For a fleeting moment.

Because their attention was instantly drawn to the figure beneath the dropping ball.

Suddenly, Drury's voice escalated in the commentary box.

"HERNÁNDEZ!"

The camera captured him just as the ball descended, but Izan made no attempt to control it.

He simply watched its descent.

Then, lifting his right leg, he met it with perfect timing.

The volley exploded with the force of thunder, the ball cutting through the rain in a direct, ferocious line towards the upper corner of the net.

Manuel Neuer reacted instantaneously, diving across his goal with arms stretched high, but it was already beyond his reach.

The net bulged dramatically before an overwhelming surge of pandemonium, chaos, and jubilation ensued.

"THERE IT IS! OH, THERE IT IS! THIS IS THE APEX. THIS IS THE PEAK OF FOOTBALLING ABILITY! A TECHNIQUE THAT HAS BEEN LOST IN THE TECHNICALITIES OF CURRENT FOOTBALL, IZAN SHOWS THAT HE IS THE LAST OF A DYING BREED!"

Amidst the fervent celebration, Drury let out a near-laugh.

"THAT IS GOAL NUMBER NINETY-ONE, AND HE HAS ETCHED HIS NAME ONCE AGAIN IN THE ANNALS OF FOOTBALL HISTORY! LEVEL WITH THE ONE MOST SEE AS THE GREATEST OF THE SPORT!"

The roar from the Emirates stadium surged like an avalanche as Izan sprinted towards the corner flag.

Midway through his run, he slid across the wet turf, arms outstretched, the red number ten on his back gleaming faintly in the drizzle before he was engulfed by his teammates.