Rise of a Football God

"IDRISSA GUEYE!!!"

"IDRISSA GUEYE!!!"

"IDRISSA GUEYE!!!"

"What a player, what a moment!"

"He's been buzzing all game, the driving heart of Senegal's midfield tonight and he's popped up with the all-important clutch goal!"

"Who saw this coming?!"

"No one!"

"Senegal is ahead, 2-1!"

"Bonkers! Absolute cinema at the Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah!"

"Now, this is football!"

"Peak!"

45 minutes plus 2 minute of additional time, 2-1…

Just like that, from 0-1 up, Nigeria started trailing in this game, and then…

FWEEEE!

The referee blew his whistle for half-time.

The Nigerian players walked down the tunnel to their dressing room feeling like they just let up a big opportunity.

How did this happen? Just how?!

They honestly had no idea.

In the dressing room, Eric Chelle, the Nigerian coach paced up and down, the tension and proceedings of the game having gotten to him too.

He was tense even as he tried his best to stay calm.

He knew that his mood as the coach could affect his players though, this was what enabled Eric Chelle to calm down, and then he faced his players.

"You think we can't win?!" His voice was loud and full of venom.

"Why? Are they superior to us?"

Silence.

"Answer me!"

"No sir!"

"Then why are we not winning?"

Silence.

Eric Chelle glared at his players. "We have all the tools necessary to win this game, there is absolutely no reason why we should be trailing!"

"Now, I want you to go out there and snatch what is rightfully ours, the lead!"

"I'm not satisfied with just an equalizer; I want 2 goals!" He raised 2 fingers for emphasis. "2 goals as fast as possible!"

"That is what we deserve!"

"That is what we've worked so hard for!"

"We can't fumble after getting this far, unacceptable!"

"We must win, and we will win! Got it?"

"Yes sir!"

"Now get ready to go back to that pitch, we have a game to win".

When Eric Chelle was done with his speech, the Super Eagles players felt their blood boiling, their muscles spasming with contraptions of anticipation and adrenaline. They could not wait to get back on that pitch.

And soon enough, they returned, entering the pitch again to a familiar cauldron of noise.

As they entered the pitch, their coach's words continued reverberating in their heads, leaving their eyes burning with a fiery zeal.

The referee didn't dawdle.

FWEEEE!

He blew the whistle again, and then the clash started in this stadium.

BOOM!

The fan service hit an even higher crescendo this time around.

Just as the players clashed between themselves on the pitch, the fans also clashed between themselves in the stadium stands, competing with their loud voices and their drums.

It was a crazy spectacle to behold.

On the pitch, riding on the foundation of all this energy and passion, Senegal and Nigeria played the game of their lives.

Bam! Bam!

The ball moved so fast it felt like a blur; it was a game of intense football!

There was no dull moment.

If Senegal was not attacking, Nigeria was attacking.

And there were exciting matchups all over the pitch; Ismaila Sarr vs Samuel Ajayi, Ndiaye vs Ola Aina, Nicolas Jackson vs William Troost-Ekong and Calvin Bassey, Idrissa Gueye against the Nigerian midfield duo.

For the Nigerian side, it was Moses Simon vs Diallo, Ademola Lookman vs Seck, Victor Osimhen vs the towering Koulibaly, and Sam vs Idrissa Gueye, Camara, Koulibaly, literally everyone that faced him.

Sam was not in one place, at least not anymore.

Eric Chelle didn't just motivate his players, he also tweaked something.

Sam may have scored the only Nigerian goal so far but he was being man-marked by the fearsome Koulibaly, limiting his influence, and this was why Eric Chelle finally gave his No. 10 a free role in the second half.

Yes, in the Nigerian national team, Sam now wore the No. 10 jersey.

The switch happened just before the AFCON tournament was to start.

And in this second half, even as other players fought, among the Nigerians, the player whose no. kept flashing in the cameras was Nigeria's no. 10.

Sam was everywhere.

Flexing his stamina, running himself to the ground, chasing after loose balls, jumping into tackles and when in possession, orchestrating the play, spraying passes left and right to set his teammates up.

Sam was doing everything, back to his all-action self this second half.

But still, it was not enough.

Senegal was too tough, a literal mountain to crack.

And time was moving.

50 minutes, no goal…

60 minutes, no goal…

70 minutes, no goal….

In the 70th minute, Eric Chelle finally made changes, an offensive change, taking off Moses Simon and introducing a second striker in Viktor Boniface.

As soon as Boniface entered the pitch, Nigeria's attack changed, becoming more brutish, powerful, and direct to the point.

And that was the change that Eric Chelle, the change that separated good coaches from great coaches, the change that made the difference.

In the 76th minute of the game, Viktor Boniface went up against Diallo, chasing a loose ball.

Moses Simon would have failed the physicality duel but this time, against Viktor Boniface, Diallo jammed against a wall, shoved aside by Boniface.

Sarr, the Senegalese midfielder quickly rushed in to intercept but holding his ground, Boniface regained his composure before hitting a quick cross into the box, towards an un-marked Victor Osimhen.

Osimhen was unmarked!

Thud!

The Nigerian striker moved immediately.

But reading his threat, Koulibaly pounced after him, grabbing his jersey, intent on bringing him down.

Even if he took a red card for it, at least, he would have protected his team's lead. They simply needed to hold on for 20+ minutes to the end of the game.

But Osimhen was having none of it.

"Get lost!" He growled as the ball floated in.

Swinging his arms, he tried to shrug off Koulibaly but the Senegalese center back was too strong. His desperate struggles managed to do something though, making Koulibaly lose his balance, collapsing to the pitch.

Even as Koulibaly collapsed to the pitch, he never let go, still grabbing Osimhen's jersey, intent on bringing him to the ground with him.

Osimhen felt the tug, he could not fight it.

But before going down, his eyes gleamed. 'I need to do this first!'

The ball floated in and as he also lost balance due to Koulibaly's pull, Osimhen jumped and swung his right leg on a volley.

He could not add much power to the shot, but it was enough.

Bam!

An awkward shot.

Edouard Mendy, the Senegalese goalkeeper dived after the ball but due to hitting it awkwardly, the ball moved slower than Mendy expected.

If Osimhen hit the ball normally, Mendy would have caught it.

But due to losing his balance due to Koulibaly's tug, the awkward shot enabled the slowly floating ball to miss Mendy entirely, going past the goalkeeper and entering the net from an awkward angle.

Thud!

Victor Osimhen finally fell down but he didn't stay down, immediately rolling to his feet and jumping, pumping his fists aggressively as adrenaline and ecstasy filled his head with dopamine.

"COME ON…!!!" Osimhen roared.

"GOALLLLLLLLLL…!!!" Nigerian fans in the stadium roared.

The game was level again.

The commentators raved.

"What a game!"