The Next One

The half-time whistle cleaved through the noise like a blade, and for the first time in forty-five minutes, the Emirates exhaled.

Clive Tyldesley's voice came softly over the crowd's aftershock:

"That… was a half of Champions League football that belongs in the archives. Explosive. Emotional. And utterly exhausting."

"Could've been 3–1 either way," Darren Fletcher added.

"A saved penalty, a retake, a rebound finish, and a free-kick that might already be a Puskás nominee. It's everything this new format promised — and more."

On the pitch, the players jogged toward the tunnel — some slowly, some with heads bowed.

Arsenal's defenders looked like they were carrying invisible weights; Timber shook his head, muttering to himself.

Gabriel was deep in conversation with Saliba, lips tight.

Thomas Partey swatted at the sweat dripping down his temple, his usual composure frayed.

And then there was Izan.