Rise of a Football God

It was a powerful shot from the stocky Wydad AC center midfielder.

The ball rose high and accurately towards the top right corner of the Enyimba FC net, but Ojo was on top of his game, rising high into the air on a full stretch dive as he did it, barely pushing the ball into the post as it bounced back on a rebound.

All the players in the box reacted immediately, scrambling for the loose ball but the Wydad center forward got there first as this player shot despite the fact that an Enyimba FC defender tugged on him from behind.

Another defender put his body on the line, blocking the shot but right after was when this player fell on the ground due to the tug on his shirt.

Then, incredibly…

FWEEEE!

The referee blew his whistle for a penalty kick.

The Enyimba FC players swarmed the referee, protesting the decision but the stern bald-haired referee was not having it, his decision was final.

After his whistle blew again, the Wydad AC center forward did a short run, did a small feint before sending Ojo the other way, calmly tucking the ball home into the back of the net.

In the 33rd minute of the game, Wydad AC scored the first goal in their home, making it 1-0 and 2-4 on aggregate.

The game was on.

When the game restarted, Enyimba FC didn't change their approach as they continued playing their conservative football, wrestling with Wydad AC for control so their ball domination would not become too ridiculous.

The Enyimba players executed their coach's orders to near perfection, but in the end, sometimes, conservatism was not enough to curb endless enthusiasm.

In the 42nd minute of the game, just 9 minutes after the first goal, after a chaotic scramble in the Enyimba FC box, the ball snuck into the net. It was an unfortunate own goal from one of the Enyimba FC center backs.

The game was already 2-0, 3-4 on aggregate.

The comeback was on!

That second goal definitely seemed to rattle some Enyimba nerves as the players made more mistakes, losing the ball more soon after.

Wydad AC kept on knocking that first half, trying their best with half chances but in the end, none went in, ending the first half 2-0 in their favor.

When his players entered the dressing room, Coach Yemi Daniel was calm, looking at them. This experienced coach could tell that his team was rattled already.

This was a final, the worst reaction to his team's current mental state was acting agitated, lashing out at their imperfect performance in the first half.

Instead of reacting agitatedly, he decided to stay calm. "Calm down". He said in the calmest voice that he could muster.

"The game is still in our favor; all we need is control".

"We made a few mistakes in this first half and it cost us. In this second half, I'm not asking for perfection, just don't make any more mistakes".

"You can do it; you've done it before".

"You've done it against Al Ahly in their home, Wydad AC is a downgrade. They're just a stumbling block that we will eventually overcome".

"For the second half, I'm making just one change". He looked round at his players. "Victor, you'll be making way for Olisema".

"In the second half, I want you to wrestle more for the ball. With a 4-man midfield, I want you to reduce their midfield domination with the ball".

"Once we have control of the ball, we have control of the game".

"Let's go out and make history boys".

FWEEEE!

When the second half started, Cyril Olisema was introduced as Enyimba FC altered its shape from a balanced 4-3-3 formation to a 4-4-2 formation.

And with this formation, Enyimba's performance finally showed improvement as the ball domination percentage was no longer as lopsided in the second half. Still, Wydad AC dominated.

As the minutes of the second half progressed, drawing to the end, the Wydad players became more desperate and the more desperate they were, the more attacking raids they launched on their opposition half.

Throughout the game, Sam did everything according to the book, defending, passing, and following his coach's instructions to the minute details.

He was having an amazing game. He barely misplaced a pass, having an 89% pass accuracy and mixing some through balls into the fray yet Enyimba FC could not create anything substantial due to their conservative play.

Sam was calm at first but the more and more his box was attacked, the closer Wydad AC came to scoring the third goal, the more riled up he became till in the 75th minute, he snapped.

'I can't afford this risk anymore'.

'Coach can, but I can't…, f*ck tactics!'

After another inch-perfect sliding tackle from Farouk, the defensive midfielder passed to his captain and Austin passed to Sam.

The ball flowed smoothly between the 3 midfielders.

Immediately after the ball touched his leg, Sam didn't even look around. With his spatial awareness, he kept track of his opponents and alone, he went on a solo run starting all the way from his half.

Sam skipped through the first challenge with his close ball control, lost the second player with a body feint, and as he closed in on the Wydad box like a rampaging bull, he faced a third player.

As the player closed in, Sam raised his right leg over the ball once, then his left, then his right again till the player became dizzy, stumbling.

In that short moment, Sam was already in the zone state as he deleted the opposition player with step overs before cutting the ball to the right, skipping past him. He was still yet to enter the box but from here, Sam saw an angle to shoot.

He didn't hesitate.

With the inside of his right foot, he smashed the ball hard.

The ball rose high into the air, above the post as the goalkeeper left it to fly off for a goal kick but all of a sudden, in mid-air, the ball swerved back down.

The Wydad AC goalkeeper was rooted to the spot, he could only watch, stunned, as the ball nestled into the top left corner of his net.

"What a goalllll…!" The commentator roared.

"An incredible solo goal!"

"What a rocket shot!"

"And Sam, the African Zidane does it again!"

Sam ran off to the corner flag, slid on his knees in celebration before pointing at his head, emphasizing his mentality as he nodded at the camera.

The away fan section erupted in loud cheers.

In the 75th minute, Wydad AC's lead was cut by half, 2-1.

The Wydad AC players were disappointed but motivated by their coach, they didn't let an inch after the referee's whistle sounded again as they went in with even more determination to score but this time, Enyimba FC were defensively perfect.

The leg 2 final of the CAF Champions league ended 2-1 in Wydad AC's favor, but on aggregate, Enyimba FC won 3-5.

Sam's overall performance in this game earned him a 4th consecutive man of the match award in the CAF champions league.