The moment the whistle blew, Chivas U19 came out with fire.
They pressed high, closed space quickly and threw themselves into tackles with no hesitation. It was clear from the first few minutes that they weren't there to play fair. They were there to win at any cost.
Within the first three minutes, Solano was on the ground.
Diego González had caught him late with a hard shove to the back, right after he passed the ball. The referee blew his whistle but Diego just jogged away, unfazed.
The América bench erupted in protest.
"That's a foul!" Coach Herrera shouted. The referee just gave only a warning.
From the sideline, Coach Martínez smirked. Chivas had set the tone.
Chivas controlled possession. Their midfield moved the ball quickly, forcing América to chase. Every pass was crisp and every movement was sharp. América struggled to get out of their half.
In the 10th minute, Chivas earned their first corner. Emiliano Vargas, their captain and enforcer, stepped up.
He whipped in a dangerous cross; powerful, curling and dipping. BOOM!
A Chivas player rose above everyone and smashed a header toward goal. But it was blocked! Toro had thrown himself into the line of fire, heading it away.
The rebound fell to another Chivas player, who placed a shot. The ball screamed toward goal until the América goalkeeper threw himself to his right, parrying it out. The ball deflected for another corner.
Chivas players raised their arms, signaling to the crowd. The home fans responded, roaring with energy.
The next corner came in as more chaos erupted in the box. Bodies clashed and shouts rang out.
Then, a whistle blew. It was a foul. A Chivas player shoved Toro from behind. This gave América a sigh of relief, to recover fast because Chivas was meant for pressure. And in the first few minutes, América just witnessed that.
But Chivas kept coming. In the 22nd minute, Santi finally got the ball with space. He turned quickly, sprinting past one defender before,
WHACK!
A brutal challenge. Santi went down hard as a Chivas defender had swept his legs from behind.
The referee blew his whistle and a yellow card was given to Enzo Molina; A very strong Chivas defender.
Santi winced in pain as Solano helped him up. Charlie muttered under his breath, "They're trying to break us."
Santi gritted his teeth. "Not today."
In the 35th minute, Chivas nearly scored. A through ball split the América's defense. Emiliano sprinted onto it, a one-on-one with the keeper.
The crowd held its breath. A shot, then BLOCKED! The goalkeeper threw out a leg, stopping it with his foot. The ball rebounded to Emiliano again for a second shot!
Toro slid in at the last second, deflecting it wide. The Chivas players screamed in frustration.
Emiliano punched the air. "Shit!"
He cursed.
Coach Martínez on the sideline slammed his clipboard on the ground.
"¡Eso era el gol! (That was the goal!)"
Coach Herrera clapped from the América sideline. "Keep fighting! Don't let them breathe!"
The game turned even more physical.
By the 40th minute, three yellow cards had been handed out; two to Chivas and one to América.
América finally had a chance in the 44th minute through a counterattack.
Charlie broke free down the wing, whipping a cross into the box but a Chivas defender cleared it just before Santi could reach it.
A minute later, the referee blew for halftime. Chivas had dominated yet América had survived. But the war was far from over.
The América players collapsed onto the benches, they were so exhausted. Their jerseys were soaked and their bodies were aching.
Santi sat, breathing hard. He barely touched the ball. Every time he got near it, he was fouled or double-marked.
Coach Herrera walked in, calm and intense. "They're trying to break you." His voice was low but firm. "They think they can bully you. That if they hit you hard enough, you'll fold." He paused.
"Are they right?" He roared!
"No, coach!" They responded.
"Louder!"
"NO, COACH!"
Herrera nodded. "They're playing dirty but that means they fear you. They know you're better. That's why they're trying to get into your head."
He pointed at Santi. "They're doubling you. Fine. Use it. If two men are marking you, it means we have an extra man somewhere. Find him." Santi nodded.
He turned to Toro. "Emiliano is their key. Keep frustrating him. If he loses control, he'll make a mistake."
Toro smirked. "Done."
Herrera looked at the whole team.
"They think they've won already." He scanned their faces. "So let's remind them who we are."
"Yes, coach!"
Solano; the captain roared. "We fight for the badge!"
They responded, "We fight for the badge!"
Across the tunnel, a different atmosphere emerged. Coach Martínez was furious. He stood in the middle of the room with arms crossed and glaring.
"They're still standing." His voice was sharp. "After everything we threw at them, they're still in this game. That's a problem."
Silence. "We should've buried them in the first half." He turned to Emiliano. "That header? You finish that and it's over!"
Emiliano clenched his jaw. "Next half, I'll finish it."
Martínez wasn't done. "They're getting comfortable. We can't allow that. First ten minutes, we hit them harder. Make them feel every tackle. Make them regret stepping on this field."
He pointed at Diego González. "Solano is their brain. Shut him down." Then he turned to Emiliano.
"And Santi?" Martínez's voice lowered.
"I don't care if you foul him. I don't care if you get a card. Make him scared to ask for the ball."
The players nodded. Then, as they walked back to the field, they started singing. The stadium joined in, roaring as they stepped out. They were ready to finish América.
The referee's whistle pierced the air, signaling the start of the second half. The tension was unbearable and every player on both sides knew what was at stake.
From the very first second, Chivas came out like wolves hunting their prey. Their midfield pressed high, suffocating América's buildup. Every time Solano touched the ball, two Chivas players crashed into him, forcing him to play backward.
Their first warning shot came in the 47th minute. Diego González received the ball at the edge of the box, took one touch and fired a blistering shot. BOOM!
The ball rocketed toward the top corner but it was blocked by the 6'2, 18-year-old América's goalkeeper; Alejandro "Álex" Ramírez. He was a shot-stopper.
The rebound fell to Emiliano Vargas. He went for the shot again! But this time, Toro slid in at the last possible moment, deflecting the ball wide for a corner kick. The stadium roared as Chivas earned another set-piece opportunity.
The Chivas players packed the box, their bodies clashing against América's defenders. It was a battlefield.
The ball swung in dangerously; curling and dipping unpredictably. Emiliano leaped above everyone to head the ball but Charlie jumped just in time, clearing it off the line with his own header.
The ball landed at the feet of a Chivas midfielder. He tried a knuckleball! This time, the ball deflected off a defender's leg, looping over everyone and SMACK!
The ball clipped the crossbar and bounced out. Chivas screamed in frustration. Coach Martínez kicked the air on the sideline.
"It can't be!"
América were hanging on by a thread.
By the 60th minute, Chivas' press started to weaken. They had been running like madmen and now, fatigue began to creep in.
Coach Herrera noticed that immediately and signaled for América to push forward. Santi saw the message. He sprinted to Solano and whispered, "Now we hit them." And that's exactly what América did.
In the 65th minute, Solano played a quick one-two with Charlie and then sent a through ball right between Chivas' center-backs. Santi exploded forward, beating his marker.
The crowd rose to their feet. One-on-one with the goalkeeper, he faked a shot, then the keeper dived to his right and Santi cut left. He was about to shoot into an open goal before WHACK!
A brutal tackle from behind. Santi crashed to the ground. The stadium gasped. The América players sprinted to the referee, screaming. Even Herrera jumped off the bench, furious.
It was Enzo Molína again. This time, he received a yellow card but it should've been a red.
Santi lay on the grass, breathing heavily. His ankle throbbed. Felipe, watching from the stands, clenched his fists.
Toro helped Santi up. "You good?"
Santi gritted his teeth. "I'm fine." He wasn't. But he wasn't leaving this match.
Chivas knew América was gaining momentum. So they resorted to dirty tactics. Every time Santi got the ball, they hacked him down.
In the 73rd minute, another reckless challenge sent him tumbling near the sideline. Coach Herrera lost it.
"How many times?!"
The referee issued another yellow card. The game was turning into a war of endurance. Who would break first?
By the 80th minute, the match was still 0-0. Both teams were exhausted. Players moved slower as their jerseys were drenched in sweat.
Then, in the 85th minute, América got their best chance. Santi received a pass from Solano at the edge of the box. He faked a shot, then a step-over and he danced past one defender. Another step-over, he skipped past another. With his weak foot, he fired a shot. BOOM! A rocket.
The ball smashed against the crossbar and bounced out. The crowd screamed. So close. But it wasn't over.
Minute 89. Still 0-0. Then it happened. Santi picked up the ball on the right wing, cut inside and got clipped from behind. A foul. The referee blew his whistle.
A free kick, 25 yards out. A perfect distance. Santi slowly got up, grabbing the ball. No one else even tried to take it. This was his moment. He placed the ball down and stepped back just like Ronaldo did. The stadium fell silent.
He took a deep breath. He could feel his heartbeat pounding. He looked at the wall with four Chivas players. The keeper stood on his toes, shifting nervously.
The referee blew the whistle. Santi started his run-up and struck the ball.