Chapter 83: The roar of Giants
The tunnel buzzed like a hive.
Outside, the Racing Santander faithful were louder than ever as they sang at the top of their voices, making sure the stadium remained a cauldron of noise as they roared their team on.
Racing Santander’s players marched out of their dressing room grinning, chest-high like they’d already carved history.
They were determined to lock in and do the impossible.
They could feel the rust in this FC Barcelona squad. They could feel the weakness, and they were determined to capitalize and make history.
While Racing Santander’s players were boisterous and full of energy, on the other side, Barcelona’s silence was heavier. Hansi Flick stood at the center, his voice sharp as steel.
"You gave them respect they didn’t deserve," he glared at his players, no sign of humor in his tone. "Now give them reality".
He clapped his hands for emphasis. "Press higher, move quicker, finish cleaner. And remember..." His eyes burned. "We are Barcelona!"
Sam stood, rolling his shoulders as he flexed his muscles.
He felt the system’s quiet pulse in his veins, a constant reminder of the surprising mission that the system gave him on the way to the tunnel: Lead them to victory by three goals.
He wasn’t afraid, he was ready.
FWEEE!
The referee’s whistle rang shrilly through the pitch.
The second half kicked off, and instantly Barça shifted gears. All of a sudden, there was no more rust and no more hesitation.
They literally flew like birds into the pitch.
At first, detecting the change, the Racing Santander players tried to adapt as they ramped up their intensity and press, trying to snap and shut out any build-up like the first half before it could prove dangerous.
But then, Sam dropped into midfield...
In midfield, he received the ball from Pedri before spinning past Sangalli with a smooth elastico.
Bzzz!
The midfielder literally saw stars as he staggered on the pitch, arms flailing before collapsing on his back in one of the most humiliating moments of the game.
But Sam wasn’t just here to humiliate. Locked in already, he was more interested in producing the end product and he did just that.
He drove forward a bit with the ball, protecting it and as he attracted press from multiple Santander players, he released Yamal down the right.
Bam!
Lamine Yamal’s first touch was a deadly cut inside as with his dazzling feet, he left his man for dead, but that was not enough.
Yamal went super saiyan!
With dazzling footwork, he took on one defender, then two, then... bzzz, he was gone! He unleashed the shot and it whistled just over the bar.
Santander fans sighed in relief.
The warning shot silenced their cheers for a moment but not for long as they resumed again with even more energy this time.
But then, in the 53rd minute, they were finally silenced for real as Sam intercepted a loose pass in midfield, shielding with his body before flicking a no-look through ball into space that split the Racing defense open like a hot knife through butter.
Raphinha, already sprinting, latched on the ball mid-sprint.
One touch, two, then a vicious left-footed strike towards goal beat the goalkeeper as finally, the net bulged again.
GOAL!
"Come on!" Raphinha roared in celebration.
The small blaugrana section exploded in the away stands as Raphinha sprinted to the corner flag, sliding on his knees, arms wide. Sam arrived seconds later, smacking his chest.
"Welcome back," Sam laughed, pride in his eyes.
2–1 Barça.
Racing tried to respond, but the tide had turned.
They should have never let that goal in as Barcelona began pressing like lions, Gavi snarling in midfield, Pedri dictating tempo with surgical passes.
In the 63rd minute, they added salt to injury.
Sam received and feinted past Germán, slipping it wide again to Yamal. The boy wonder faced his man, paused, then unleashed a dizzying double step-over.
BZZZ!
The defender froze.
And while his brain struggled to comprehend what was happening, Yamal slipped past him, darting left before curling a shot into the far corner.
The goalkeeper dived but he stood no chance as the net rippled again.
The crowd gasped. Even the Racing fans applauded.
3–1 Barcelona.
Yamal pointed to the sky, grinning as teammates swarmed him. Sam ruffled his hair. "Kid, you’re unreal!"
"Who’s kid?" Yamal snapped.
Sam laughed.
Santander tried desperately to fight back, lumping long balls forward but Araújo and Cubarsí swallowed them whole, feeding Barça’s counters.
Barca were not yet done as in the 72nd minute, Pedri slipped into space and fed Sam, who surged into the box. Two defenders collapsed on him.
Instead of shooting, he cut back sharply, rolling the ball to the edge of the area where Gavi arrived like a hammer, smashing it first-time into the roof of the net with venom.
POW!
The stadium shook.
Gavi thumped his chest, veins bulging. "Vamos!" He roared
Sam jogged over, pulling him into a hug. "That’s how you kill a game".
4–1.
Racing’s legs wobbled now, their energy drained, their spirit cracking under the blaugrana avalanche.
Yet, Barcelona were ruthless.
In the 81st minute, Sam picked up the ball near halfway, shimmied past two desperate tackles, before lofting a perfectly weighted cross into the box.
Lewandowski timed his run to perfection. A thunderous header, and the net rippled.
5–1.
The Polish striker jogged toward Sam, tapping his temple. "Perfect ball, always perfect!"
Sam grinned. "It’s easy when I know where you’ll be."
By the 90th minute, Racing’s fans sang anyway having long given up on the result, proud of their team for lasting this long. Barça knocked the ball around with authority, the rust of the first half a distant memory.
Then...
FWEEE!
[FULL-TIME: Racing Santander 1-5 Barcelona]
At the end of the game, the players shook hands, some Racing defenders asking Sam shyly for his shirt.
He gave it, smiling. "Good fight."
Back in the tunnel, Hansi Flick clapped once, satisfied. "That’s more like it. Superteam football, remember this feeling!" He grinned.
Sam sat on the bench, towel around his neck, heart steady as the system chimed softly.
DING!
~----~
[Quest Complete: Victory by 3+ goals.]
>Reward: Boosted Match Fitness.
~----~
He exhaled, smiling. His body felt lighter and sharper already.
Barcelona weren’t just back, they were roaring.
"Sweet," he muttered, smiling.