Curtain Closes

The night air in Seville was electric. The Estadio La Cartuja trembled under the weight of 57,000 souls witnessing a war of attrition.

The scoreboard read 3-2 in favor of Valencia, but the game was anything but over.

Fran Pérez had just sprinted onto the pitch, replacing Izan, who had given his very body for the cause.

The boy had fought beyond his limits, dragging his team into the lead before collapsing under the weight of his sacrifice.

Now, he sat on the bench, his right leg wrapped in ice, his body limp, but his eyes—his eyes were still burning, locked onto the pitch.

He wasn't leaving.

He had suffered for this moment. He would witness it to the end.

But Athletic Bilbao weren't done.

As the match progressed towards the end, Bilbao's desperate Siege began.