Rise of a Football God

In the dressing room, an agitated Coach Marco Silva paced up and down with his hands in his pocket. When he finally spoke, he tried to sound calm.

"We're winning guys, I want you to keep your head in the game when we resume for the second half. Remember, we're winning".

"Don't let the Anfield atmosphere affect you too much".

"Try to ignore the Liverpool fans and just focus on playing football".

"Now see, our tactical approach to the second half will be a little more reserved than the first. This time, I want us to be more defensive".

"Defend like a team, don't do the mistake of getting drawn into their chaotic rhythm". He clapped. "Let's go out there and play our own game, come on!"

FWEEEEE!

When second half started, the Liverpool domination restarted instantly.

And this time, it was led by Luis Diaz.

Down the left-hand side of the pitch, having ghosted for most of the first half, the Colombian winger finally entered the zone state, regularly violating Castagne for the first 10 minutes of the second half as this right back was twisted and turned inside out.

Castagne tried his best, but the more he tried, the more Luis Diaz twisted him inside out with crazy dribbles down the left-hand side.

It was almost like every move he made, Luis Diaz could just do enough to beat him on the dribble and run past him.

"Allez!" "Allez!" "Allez!"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The atmosphere in this iconic stadium was now fever high.

The Fulham players were literally playing football in a battlefront. They were barely hanging on against this atmosphere of football created by the fans in red, it was almost suffocating them.

For the first few minutes of the second half, they did a good job to curb the Liverpool momentum, including the rampant Luis Dias but there was only so much that they could do.

In the 68th minute of the game, the stalemate was finally broken.

Receiving the ball in the left-hand side from Curtis Jones, the Colombian winger, Luis Diaz put on his nitro boost again as like a floating rocket, he floated into the Fulham 18-yard box, weaving past players like they were not there.

Luiz Diaz dribbled past Castagne and 2 more Fulham players, leaving them for dead even as he weighed his options in the 18-yard box.

At one side, there was Diogo Jota calling for the ball. At another side, there was Harvey Elliot and at the opposite end, there was Bradley, the young Liverpool right back who was making an overlapping run.

The Fulham players scrambled to cover all the passing options. They focused on that so much, forgetting that Luis Diaz was now close to their goalkeeper.

BAM!

The Colombian winger pulled the trigger, unleashing a low shot towards goal from a tight corner but for the umpteenth time this game, Bernd Leno was the Fulham savior as making his body big, this goalkeeper's leg managed to save the ball.

The ball bounced back into the 18-yard box as the Fulham players scrambled to recover and clear the ball, but they were not fast enough.

Curtis Jones, the young Liverpool midfielder was the first player to get to the loose ball and this player didn't hesitate, unleashing a volleyed shot towards goal.

Bam!

Bernd Leno dived again but it was not enough as Curtis Jones' volleyed shot was directed towards the opposite side of the goal.

The ball shot into the net with power, shaking it furiously.

"GOALLLL….!" Anfield as a whole roared in ecstasy.

Having stayed believing, faithfully roaring their team on since, the Liverpool fans were finally rewarded with the equalizing goal that tied the game 1-1 but they were not satisfied yet.

The Liverpool fans wanted more.

"Allez!" "Allez!" "Allez!"

That goal only injected more energy into the Liverpool momentum.

Their gen-gen pressing style became even more aggressive after the play restarted, as for the next few minutes, they totally suffocated Fulham FC.

In the touchline, Coach Marco Silva paced up and down, agitated and finally, not able to hold his nerves any longer, this manager made changes.

Marco Silva made a triple change, subbing off Reed, Pereira, and Willian who was now ineffective after his goal, putting on Wilson, Cairney, and Sam.

Coach Marco Silva patted the young Nigerian on the head. "Do your thing, match their intensity, you have the stamina for it".

Marco Silva's instructions for Sam were simple. He already gave up on his formation, now he wanted to match Liverpool's gen-pen press.

He wanted to introduce players with stamina to counter the press.

The Fulham coach was not the only one to make changes though, shortly after, Jurgen Kloop, the Liverpool manager made a double change, taking off Harvey Elliot and Ryan Gravenberch while introducing Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo.

With the fresh legs, Liverpool FC became more menacing on the pitch.

The fans were supplying their players with endless energy.

"Allez!" "Allez!" "Allez!"

Badump! Badump!

On the pitch, Sam could feel his heart beating against his chest rapidly.

It had been a long time since he was this tense in a football game. The last time he felt like this, he was still an inexperienced player during his first game in Plateau United's home stadium, Enyimba FC's bitter rivals.

In that game, Sam made mistakes, feeling like the atmosphere of the stadium was suffocating him. And this time, Sam felt the same way, perhaps even worse.

The whole Fulham FC team was playing horribly.

'Come on!'

'This is my moment; I must seize it!'

'I can't fumble now!'

Sam did his rituals, growling all the words he could in his mind to help his concentration but he never even came close to entering the zone state.

The Anfield effect was already in play.

Playing in this iconic stadium, Zinedine Sam was shackled, tamed.

And finally, merely 3 minutes after Curtis Jones' goal, 2 minutes after Sam entered the pitch, it finally happened, the game-changing moment.

This time, it was the endless chaotic energy of Darwin Nunez that forced the Fulham defenders into making silly mistakes, setting up Cody Gakpo, the second Liverpool substitute for the goal.

Isolated in the box after a poor Fulham clearance, Cody Gakpo took the loose ball in his strides, skipped past a few challenges before slipping the ball past a helpless Bernd Leno into the net.

And with that goal, Fulham's fate was sealed.

"GOALLLLL…!" Anfield roared as soon as the net shook.

Running towards the corner flag, Cody Gakpo slid on his knees in celebration even as the loud roars of adoration from the fans put a smile on his face.

Liverpool FC now led 2-1.

There were no more changes to the game.

For the remaining minutes of this Carabao Cup game, Fulham FC tried to create something as Sam slowly grew into the game but it was not enough.

He was nowhere near his best level on this game.

Despite how much Sam tried, it was not enough.

FWEEEEE!

It was only when the final whistle sounded, bringing the game to an end that he collapsed on the pitch, realization dawning in. 'We lost'.