Rise of a Football God

(Premier league:)

(Fulham – Manchester City)

(Date: 11th May, 2024)

Grit, what was it?

In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, grit is the firmness of mind or spirit; unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger.

Fulham FC were definitely not in a danger of any kind, but they were definitely in a hard spot; they were facing a hardship called Manchester City.

After winning 4 of the last 5 premier league titles already, in England, Manchester City were notorious and hated just as they were loved.

To most premier league fans, Manchester City was the enduring threat pushing to turn the most competitive league in the world into a farmer's league.

And during these years of domination, Manchester City were known for a certain trait, the late title charge!

Last season, in the 2-peat title race against Arsenal, at some point in the 2022/2023 premier league season, Arsenal led the league table by 11 points but a late charge of 15 straight wins secured Manchester City the title.

Manchester City was not a team of miracles like Real Madrid in the champions league knockout stages, rather, they were a team that never even needed miracles because they almost always get the job done.

In the premier league, they were the no. 1 team to beat.

And finally, after securing their incredible winning streak of 4 games, Fulham faced their greatest test in the form of the league champions.

Getting a single point from Man City was going to be a big challenge.

The Fulham players didn't lose hope though, their mentality already underwent an incredible shift since the beginning of January till now.

Fulham had 13 days after their Crystal Palace game to properly prepare for their greatest challenge all season, and boy, did the boys put in the effort.

In the build up to the game, all the Fulham players trained like their lives were on the line, they trained like they were preparing to play the champions league final and not just a league game.

Physically and mentally, all the Fulham players were in their best state before the game and finally, D-day came.

The star-studded Manchester City team made the trip to Fulham.

In the tunnel, after using his upgraded snooping tool on them, Sam was not surprised to see that half of this Manchester City team all had passive skills.

This was a team of superstars; their full starting XI were international players.

Sam was not deterred by what his snooping system showed him though, rather the provocative sight only left his competitive spirit blazing even more fiercely, and finally, they entered the pitch.

After the toss of the coin to determine the team to start kick-off, the referee's whistle finally sounded, bringing the game underway.

FWEEEE!

Manchester City started kick-off.

From the first minute, the energetic Fulham players charged after the ball, trying to win it back quickly with their incredible press but the Manchester City players stayed extremely composed under pressure.

With Mateo Kovacic and Rodri pinging it around in the midfield, Bernardo Silva dropping deep to help them, Manchester City easily beat the aggressive press, slowing the game down to their desired tempo.

The game was just starting but Manchester City was already showing their superiority. They dominated the game during the first few minutes.

When the Fulham players noticed that their press was not working against the press-resistant Manchester City players, they reduced the intensity just as their coach instructed them, focusing on zonal marking.

For a time, it worked, till it no longer worked.

The deadlock was broken early in the 13th minute of this game.

After receiving a pass on the left-hand side, the silky England forward, Phil Foden went on a mazy run, showcasing his flair and quick feet as he drifted past Fulham players like they were not there.

When Palhinha challenged this forward, Phil Foden nutmegged him, setting himself up and that was when he unleashed a rocket shot with his left foot.

The ball homed into the top right corner like a missile but could only hit the post, rebounding. Having made an overlapping run alongside Foden from the left though, the Man City left back, Josko Gvardiol pounced on the loose ball first, rifling it back into the net.

Bernd Leno was rooted to the spot.

0-1 to Manchester City in just the 13th minute.

When the game restarted, Manchester City threatened to score another one immediately as Erling Haaland scuffed his shot just wide of the post.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Kevin De Bruyne came close a few minutes later, only hitting the post as Manchester City dominated but Fulham stayed in the fight. They were being dominated, but the body language of the Fulham players never stopped being combative. They were determined to cause an upset.

The rest of the first half, Manchester City dominated while Fulham threatened and yet, a second goal failed to materialize in this game.

During halftime, Coach Marco Silva gave his players the most passionate speech that Sam had ever heard from him since joining Fulham.

And when they re-entered the pitch, they entered with the same combative energy, briefly catching the napping Manchester City off-guard.

This time, Sam opened the deadlock.

After beating Manchester City's offside line with a perfectly timed late run, Sam expertly brought the ball under control with his chest from Palhinha's cross and as Ederson charged towards him, he lobbed the ball above the goalkeeper and into the net.

1-1.

Sam brought the game level in the 51st minute of this game.

That goal certainly brought Craven Cottage back to life after the fans' enthusiasm drastically reduced due to Manchester City's domination since.

The fans in black, white, and red regained their energy as they roared their team on. Immediately after getting the first goal to bring the game level, Sam came close again to score an immediate second only to be thwarted by a terrific save from Ederson, the Brazilian goalkeeper.

Muniz came close shortly after too, this time orchestrated by Sam.

It was clear that this second half after being shackled by the superior Manchester City team since, Sam was finally in his element.

Manchester City still dominated possession but Fulham was more threatening now, but against the run of play though, Man City, the English champions were the team to go ahead again.

And again, it was Phil Foden, the English forward.