©NovelBuddy
God Of football-Chapter 280: Izan, You Cheeky Boy
The ball came from Pedri—a perfect, lofted pass into the danger zone.
Izan was inside six yards.
Donnarumma’s trait activated instantly.
[Aegis Reflex—Engaged]
Time slowed.
To everyone else, the ball was dropping in at normal speed.
To Donnarumma, it was as slow as a drifting feather.
He saw everything.
Izan’s angle. The potential shot choices. Every possible outcome.
And then he moved—before Izan even made contact.
A textbook reaction save. His left hand already shifting toward the bottom corner, where a volley would likely be struck.
His right foot, adjusting mid-air in case Izan went near-post.
It was over before it even started.
That’s what Donnarumma thought.
Until Izan did something that broke the sequence.
He let the ball drop.
Donnarumma, mid-air, already diving, had anticipated a first-time shot.
But Izan hadn’t shot at all.
Instead, with a delicate touch, he flicked the ball backward with his heel.
A blind pass.
A hesitation trap.
Donnarumma, still in his enhanced reflex state, couldn’t stop his body from following the wrong prediction.
For the first time all night—he had committed too early.
And that’s when Izan struck.
The ball floated backward.
Lamine, who had ghosted in behind, cut through the defense in a blur. A one-touch return pass.
Back to Izan.
Donnarumma, still in recovery, lunged—but he was too late.
Izan’s boot met the ball first time.
A thunderous strike. Top corner.
No keeper in the world was stopping that.
Not even Aegis Reflex.
This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.
The net rippled violently.
The stadium erupted.
Spanish fans lost their minds.
The commentator’s voice cracked as he screamed, "IZAN! HE’S BROKEN THROUGH! HE’S BEATEN DONNARUMMA! SPAIN LEAD!"
Izan sprinted to the corner flag, arms spread wide, soaking in the moment.
His teammates swarmed him.
Pedri was screaming in his face. Lamine slapped his back so hard he nearly fell over. Even Rodri, usually composed, was shouting in his ear.
He had done it.
He had cracked the impossible trait.
As the Spanish players celebrated, the cameras cut to Donnarumma.
He sat on the ground, staring at the ball in the net.
For the first time in the match—he looked human
...…..
Spain had the opportunity to qualify for the knockout rounds before meeting Albania in their 3rd group game should they win and they were determined to do so.
But Italy were never dead.
A team of warriors. Fighters. Champions.
And champions never surrender without a battle to the last breath.
Spain knew it.
Italy knew it.
Everyone watching knew it.
And so, with time slipping away, the Azzurri threw themselves forward.
Rodri was shouting orders, barking at his teammates to hold the line. Laporte and Le Normand braced themselves against the blue tide.
Cucurella was gasping for air after chasing Chiesa all game. Dani Carvajal, Spain’s oldest warrior, was still sprinting, refusing to break.
The Italians came in waves.
A shot from Chiesa—blocked by Le Normand.
A stinging drive from Barella—parried by David Raya.
A back-post header from Raspadori—Laporte cleared it off the line!
Spain refused to be broken.
And then—the break came.
A moment of hesitation in the Italian midfield.
A loose ball, spinning wildly near the center circle.
Pedri saw it first.
The moment Italy committed too many men forward, leaving just two men at the back.
Pedri’s vision snapped forward.
He didn’t hesitate.
A perfect, splitting pass—through the heart of Italy’s midfield.
And before anyone else could react—he struck.
A one-touch pass.
A single, splitting, deadly ball through the heart of Italy.
Straight to Izan and the Chase Began.
Izan took off.
The stadium roared as one.
He was clear.
Only two men stood between him and the kill shot.
Donnarumma.
And Bastoni, desperately trying to close the distance.
But Izan was faster.
His feet devoured the pitch, the ball glued to his boots.
Bastoni pumped his legs as hard as he could, arms flailing, chasing a shadow.
30 yards from goal.
Donnarumma had already decided.
He wasn’t waiting.
The giant broke from his line like a charging titan.
With every monstrous step, the gap between him and Izan disappeared.
He wasn’t diving early this time.
No, this time, he would smother the danger at the source.
25 yards to the goal and the mind games had already started.
Izan knew.
He saw the keeper rushing out, closing the angles.
He could feel Bastoni’s breath on his shoulder.
He could hear the screams of thousands around him.
And yet—his mind was silent.
20 yards.
Glancing up slightly, Izan saw Donnarumma’s trait activating.
[Aegis Reflex—Engaged]
The latter’s world slowed.
He could see Izan’s every twitch, every muscle movement.
Donnarumma wasn’t guessing—he was predicting.
Izan raised his leg.
The shot was coming.
Donnarumma committed.
A massive dive, body shifting to cut off the far corner.
But there was no shot.
Izan had raised his leg—but he had no intention of shooting.
Instead—he flicked the ball backward.
A delicate, feather-light backheel, caressed with the perfect touch.
The entire stadium froze.
The ball rolled behind Izan.
Straight into the feet of Morata.
Donnarumma was helpless.
He had gambled and lost.
His entire body was leaning the wrong way, momentum dragging him out of position.
And Morata?
He had time.
Enough time to look up.
To see the keeper scrambling back.
To know—this was over.
The chip.
It wasn’t just a shot.
It was a masterpiece.
The ball lifted gracefully, sailing into the night sky of Berlin.
Donnarumma, despite his massive frame, could only watch.
His outstretched hand grazed empty air.
The ball dropped.
And nestled perfectly into the net.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLL"
The Spanish fans erupted.
The Italian fans went silent.
The cameras shook with the force of the celebrations.
"MORATAAAAAA! IT’S GONE IN! IT’S GONE IN! SPAIN HAVE DESTROYED ITALY!
IZAN YOU NAUGHTY BOY AND MORATA WITH THE FINISH, SPAIN ARE CRUISING"
The commentator’s voice cracked, drowning under the roars of thousands.
People were hugging strangers, limbs flailing in ecstasy.
Some fans fell to their knees, unable to process what they had just witnessed.
The backheel assist. The audacity. The sheer disrespect.
Izan stood over Donnarumma.
The Italian keeper was still on the ground, hands planted, eyes locked on the ball inside his net.
His expression said it all.
He had been beaten.
Izan didn’t say a word.
He just turned—and ran.
Straight to Morata.
Morata was already pointing at him, laughing as he sprinted over.
"You cheeky bast—" Morata started, but before he could finish, Izan tackled him to the ground.
The entire Spanish team swarmed them.
Pedri jumped onto Izan’s back, shaking him violently.
Rodri was laughing, shaking his head in disbelief.
Even Carvajal, who had seen plenty of magic himself, was staring at Izan like he had just witnessed the impossible.
The replays kept rolling.
The moment frozen in time.
Izan flicking it backward without looking.
Donnarumma lunging the wrong way.
Morata lifting it over the helpless keeper.
One of the most disrespectful assists in Euro history.
One of the most iconic goals in Spain’s modern era.
And the world would be talking about it for years.
And then the aftermath.
On the Italian bench, players had their heads in their hands.
Luciano Spalletti stood motionless, staring at the pitch.
Donnarumma finally got to his feet.
But as he walked back to his goal, he didn’t look at Izan.
He didn’t need to.
He knew.
Tonight belonged to Spain.
And Izan?
He had just added another masterpiece to his legend.
.....
The final whistle rang through the Olympiastadion, a sharp, definitive sound that split the tension hanging in the Berlin air.
Spain had done it.
Players in red fell to their knees, some from exhaustion, others from sheer emotion. The substitutes stormed onto the pitch, engulfing their teammates in celebration.
But across the field, Italy weren’t dead.
They weren’t knocked out.
They still had one more game—one more chance.
And every player in blue knew it.
Donnarumma stood motionless in front of his goal, his hands still resting on his hips.
His gaze flickered toward the giant screen, where the replay looped for the fourth time. The flick. The chipped finish. The roar of the Spanish crowd.
Even knowing what was coming, it still stung.
He exhaled slowly. There was nothing he could have done.
But that didn’t make it any easier.
He finally turned away, lifting his gloves to his face before wiping the sweat from his brow.
Italy’s campaign wasn’t over.
But their margin for error?
Gone.
As Spain’s players celebrated near their fans, Izan caught a glimpse of Donnarumma.
Still standing. Still processing.
Izan didn’t hesitate.
Through the sea of bodies, he jogged toward him.
Donnarumma noticed. Their eyes met.
Izan stretched out his hand.
The Italian keeper hesitated, then gripped it firmly.
Neither spoke for a second.
Then Izan nodded. "I don’t think anyone else saves what you did today," he said through some slightly broken Italian.
Donnarumma’s brows furrowed before he exhaled sharply—half a tired chuckle, half frustration. "Didn’t feel like enough."
Izan shook his head. "It was. But football’s cruel."
A beat of silence.
Donnarumma’s lips pressed into a thin line. Then he pulled Izan in briefly, their shoulders bumping as he muttered, "We’re not done."
Izan smirked. "I hope not."
With that, Donnarumma turned and walked toward the Italian dugout.
They still had Croatia.
And if there was one thing about Italy—they never went out without a fight.
As Izan made his way back to the Spanish huddle, the first waves of reaction were already hitting the internet.
The goal.
The assist.
The sheer audacity at his age and it got Millions talking and football legends weren’t an exception.
• Cesc Fàbregas: "Izan plays like someone who grew up watching Zidane and Ronaldinho at the same time. The confidence? Unreal."
• Sergio Ramos: "That backheel assist was a crime. And I loved every second of it."
• Francesco Totti: "Italy are still in this. But that moment from Izan? Pure class."
And then there were the Spanish fans.
Some were still jumping in the stands, arms around strangers, singing chants that would echo through the Berlin streets long into the night.
Others were on their phones, watching replays of Izan’s flick, over and over, trying to convince themselves it had actually happened.
This was a moment that would be remembered.
Not just in Spain.
Not just in Italy.
But across the world.
As Spain walked down the tunnel, the reality of the tournament set in.
They had beaten Italy.
But there were bigger battles ahead.
The matches ahead would decide everything.
And for Izan, one thing was clear—
He wasn’t finished yet.