Imminent

"Wow, you can see that the boy in the No. 21 jersey is very good," someone in the crowd said.

"Yeah, you can see that the match has turned in favor of the Valencia youth after he came on," another added.

"Who is he, by the way?" another spectator commented.

Komi, who had heard all of this, wanted to scream to all of them that the boy was her son, but she kept control of herself.

Hori, who most of the time seemed uninterested in whatever Izan was doing, seemed to be really having fun. However, she didn't stay quiet.

"Hey, that's my brother," she said to one of the girls around her.

"Really? He looks handsome," a girl commented.

"Of course he is. He's my brother, after all," Hori said again before the screams of the crowd brought her attention back to the game.

This was because Izan had the ball.

45'

"Izan, who has been receiving a lot of love and cheers since coming on, has the ball once again. He pushes forward, laying the ball to No. 8, Sosá, who takes a nice touch before returning it to Izan.

Izan takes the ball, driving forward, trying to go on one of those mazy runs he's been doing ever since he came on. He beats the player who steps up to tackle him with a set of fast-paced stepovers.

Izan is still with the ball, driving through the heart of the Alboraya defense. He slows down, gauging what to do next. He nudges the ball a bit before—oooooooh! What a beautiful goal by Izan!"

{Scenes on the Pitch}

Coach Oryazabal moved a bit forward on the touchline as Izan stepped into the final third of the Alboraya team.

Before he could react again, Izan fired the ball into the back of the net from outside the 18-yard box.

Coach Oryazabal raised his hand in celebration. He had been struggling since the start of the match, but his worries seemed to ease ever since Izan stepped onto the pitch.

"That kid is really a gem," Coach Oryazabal thought.

Izan, who had just scored, ran toward the part of the stands where his mother and sister were sitting and bowed in celebration.

Komi finally couldn't hold it in any longer. "That's my son!" she said, pointing at Izan.

"You have a wonderful son, ma'am," a person nearby said.

"I know, I know," Komi replied, tears in her eyes.

*****

Fweee! The referee restarted the match.

"What a youth match this is! It's Alboraya 2, Valencia Youth 2," the commentator said.

The match continued for a while, but this time, the Alboraya coach decided to park the bus. His team dropped all their players back, forming an almost 8-2 shape with no strikers and eight players in defense.

"Seems like he wants to settle for a draw," Coach Oryazabal said.

The Valencia team kept attacking and came close to scoring multiple times, but luck didn't seem to be on their side, as the ball sometimes missed the goalpost by mere centimeters.

*****

[COMMENTATOR]

"The Valencia players are giving it their all, with shots and passes coming from left, right, and center, but none are finding the back of the net.

If a match-winner is going to be scored, it has to be now," said the commentator.

Just as he said that, Huèves Ramos from the Valencia team was fouled on the edge of the penalty box.

The referee quickly called for a foul before showing a yellow card to the offender.

Sosá picked up the ball to take the free kick but suddenly stopped as he heard the coach trying to say something.

"Give the ball to Miura," he heard.

Sosá, although not happy about it, knew from that scrimmage match they played that Izan was a better free-kick taker than him. He also understood the importance of this match.

He threw the ball to Izan, who looked a bit surprised since he hadn't heard what the coach said.

"Coach said take it," Sosá said.

"Oh," was all Izan could say.

He walked up to the spot the referee was indicating and placed the ball down. Taking three steps back, he breathed in. Everything went silent.

Izan made the run-up and struck the ball with the right underside of his foot. The ball flew over the wall, spun like crazy, and homed into the back of the net.

*****

{Commentator POV}

"No. 8 Sosá seems to be the one taking the free kick, but wait—he throws the ball to today's star man, Izan Miura. Is he good at set pieces too?

Wow! If he's good at that as well, he'll be a complete package for Valencia Football Club as a whole.

He places the ball on the edge of the box. Izan makes the run-up, and he hits it—GOOOALAZO! MARAVILLOSO! Oh, wow! What a player!

Valencia FC seems to have hit the jackpot with this one. What a talent!"

*****

Izan ran once again, but this time to the coaching area before jumping and hugging Coach Oryazabal.

"Thank you, Coach," Izan said.

Those three words really resonated with Coach Oryazabal, who thought, This kid… It's only uphill from here for you.

Ferran, the scout assigned to keep tabs on Izan, took out his phone and dialed Coach Patricio Moreno's number.

"He's really good. He started on the bench but came on and scored two goals and also provided an assist," he said after the call connected.

"Tell Oryazabal to promote him before our next match since Pietro's injury seems to be long-term and we lack replacements," Coach Patricio said before ending the call.

Ferran walked out of the stadium after the call.

*****

Fwee, fwee, fweeeeeee! The referee blew the final whistle, bringing the match to an end.

The players went around shaking hands with the Alboraya players.

"You won today," said Alfo, the coach of the Alboraya team.

"Guess I did," Coach Oryazabal said, grinning.

"You have a hell of a player," Alfo said while looking at Izan, who was talking with José and Sosá.

"I know," Coach Oryazabal replied before walking off.

The players entered the locker room and showered before Coach Oryazabal came in.

"You guys played like shit today.

Well, you did well in the second half and the final minutes, so I'll spare you the harsh talk since we won. But never let this happen again.

Always start the match like it's your last. You get me?" he said.

A barrage of "Yes, Coach!" erupted from the players.

He looked at Izan and smiled before remembering what Coach Patricio had said after training. His smile faded into a frown.

Well, I can't clip his wings, can I? he thought with a smirk.

"Okay, see you the day after tomorrow at training. You have a day off tomorrow," he added.

The kids cheered for their free day and thanked the coach before packing up and leaving.

"Awww, Miura! Are you a football genius?" Komi said as she hugged Izan.

"Muuum," Izan groaned.

Komi, not wanting to let go of the opportunity, pulled Hori—who disliked these moments—into a family hug.

The kids stopped protesting and simply enjoyed the moment.

The ride home was filled with Komi and Hori talking, while Izan had fallen asleep.