Chapter 351: Run Ragged (ko-fi Ladus)
The sky-blue section inside Camping World Stadium erupted immediately.
Bernardo turned away shouting while teammates rushed toward him near the corner flag.
And on the bench—
Lukas leaned forward slightly, watching everything closely.
The remainder of the first half stayed tense but controlled.
Manchester City dominated possession for long stretches, circulating the ball patiently while Al Hilal stayed compact and disciplined without it. Bernardo Silva and Reijnders constantly rotated positions in midfield trying to pull Ruben Neves and Milinković-Savić out of shape, while Doku remained the most dangerous outlet whenever City accelerated the tempo.
Still, despite the control, the second goal never came.
Bono made a sharp save from Haaland near the half-hour mark after a clever through ball from Bernardo, and moments later Koulibaly threw himself in front of a Reijnders strike that looked destined for the bottom corner.
Al Hilal survived.
And gradually, they started believing.
The whistle for halftime arrived with Manchester City leading only 1–0.
Inside the tunnel, Pep Guardiola barely raised his voice. The players sat listening while he adjusted positioning details on the tactical board, speaking calmly about transitions, defensive spacing, and the need to kill the game early in the second half before Al Hilal could grow into it emotionally.
But football rarely follows plans so neatly.
The second half began with a completely different energy.
Al Hilal came out aggressive.
Hungry.
The intensity immediately changed.
Suddenly City’s midfield was being pressed harder. The duels became more physical. Second balls were being attacked with urgency, and the Saudi side started forcing transitions instead of allowing City to settle into rhythm.
Only forty-six seconds into the second half, the equalizer arrived.
The move started down the right side where Cancelo whipped an early dangerous ball into the area. Ederson managed to get a touch to the initial delivery, but the rebound spilled awkwardly into traffic, and Marcos Leonardo reacted first, stabbing the loose ball into the net from close range.
1–1.
The Al Hilal supporters exploded inside Camping World Stadium.
Andrés Cordero’s voice rose immediately on commentary.
"WHAT A START TO THE SECOND HALF FOR AL HILAL!"
Danny Higginbotham shook his head beside him.
"That’s exactly what Guardiola would’ve wanted to avoid. Suddenly this game has completely changed."
On the touchline, Pep remained outwardly calm, but his jaw tightened slightly.
Meanwhile, on the bench, Lukas leaned forward watching carefully.
The game was opening up now.
Too open.
And Al Hilal smelled blood.
Six minutes later, they struck again.
This time it came from transition.
João Cancelo intercepted a loose pass near midfield and immediately released Malcom into space before City could recover shape. The Brazilian exploded forward between the center-backs with terrifying pace.
Nunes tried to recover.
Too late.
Malcom drove into the box and buried the finish low past Ederson.
2–1 Al Hilal.
The stadium erupted again.
Pep turned immediately toward his bench.
That was enough.
Three substitutions were prepared instantly.
The fourth official raised the board in the 53rd minute.
Rodri replaced Gündoğan.
Nathan Aké replaced Matheus Nunes.
And then—
number 17.
Lukas Brandt.
On for Savinho.
A noticeable reaction spread through the stadium the moment his number appeared on the screen. Cameras immediately tracked him as he pulled off his training jacket near the touchline.
"Here we go," Andrés Cordero said. "This is the moment many people have been waiting for. Lukas Brandt is about to make his Manchester City debut."
Danny Higginbotham leaned forward slightly.
"And what a situation to enter," he added. "Knockout football, your team trailing 2–1. No easing into it."
Savinho jogged toward the sideline breathing heavily, and Lukas exchanged a quick handshake with him before stepping onto the pitch.
Then he started running.
Not nervously.
Not cautiously.
As he crossed the touchline, he did a quick little side-step movement while accelerating toward the right flank, almost like loosening his body instinctively before settling into position.
Small.
Loose.
Natural.
The crowd noticed it immediately.
So did the cameras.
Pep pointed briefly toward the right half-space, giving him final instructions while Rodri organized the midfield behind him.
Then the ball restarted.
Lukas’ first touch in a Manchester City shirt came less than twenty seconds later.
Bernardo recycled possession backward under pressure before Rodri switched the play sharply toward the right side. The pass arrived quickly, bouncing slightly awkwardly toward Lukas with Renan Lodi closing aggressively.
No hesitation.
Lukas killed the ball dead instantly with the outside of his boot.
The control alone drew a reaction from the crowd.
Then, before Lodi could fully engage him, Lukas rolled the ball through his legs and spun away into space, accelerating forward immediately. He raised his head and saw Haaland’s run and with the outside of his left foot, he curled a pass towards the Norwegian.
Haaland’s first touch, however, was a bit too heavy as Bono was quick off his line to collect the ball.
The stadium noise lifted.
Even Pep’s eyes sharpened slightly on the touchline.
Welcome to Manchester City.
Lukas’ first real warning had already sent tension through Al Hilal’s back line.
Now he kept coming.
Again and again.
Every time City switched the ball toward the right side, Renan Lodi looked like a man preparing for another emergency instead of another duel.
A few minutes after the Haaland chance, Bernardo Silva received possession centrally and immediately turned toward the flank. Lukas was already asking for it, pointing to his feet while accelerating into space.
The pass arrived.
Lodi stepped forward aggressively this time, trying to stop him before he could build momentum.
Too late.
Lukas burst forward with his first touch, driving directly toward the byline. Lodi matched him stride for stride at first, shoulder tight against him, trying to force him outward.
Then Lukas shaped his body like he was about to whip in a right-footed cross.
Lodi committed instantly.
The Brazilian defender lunged to block it.
Lukas dragged the ball backward at the last second, completely taking Lodi out of the challenge before shifting it onto his left foot in one smooth motion.
The crowd reacted immediately.
Before Koulibaly could slide across, Lukas clipped a delicate left-footed cross toward the six-yard box.
Haaland attacked it like a missile.
The Norwegian launched himself forward and met the ball cleanly with his forehead—
CLANG!
Off the crossbar.
The rebound flew out harmlessly for a goal kick.
Haaland stood there for a second with both hands on top of his head in disbelief before looking toward Lukas and giving him a thumbs up.
Camping World Stadium applauded loudly.
Even some of the neutral fans were reacting now.
Because every touch from the teenager felt dangerous.
Lukas simply jogged back into position calmly, but the confidence was already growing inside him.
And from that point onward, Lodi was in survival mode.
The duels became relentless.
One time Lukas beat him on the outside with pure acceleration. Another time he stopped dead, rolled the ball backward, then exploded inside before Lodi could recover his balance. A few minutes later he nutmegged him near the touchline and forced Koulibaly to sprint across to clean up the danger.
Every attack seemed to flow through him now.
Bernardo started looking for him constantly.
So did Rodri.
Even Haaland had begun drifting toward the right half-space more often, anticipating deliveries before they came.
By the eighty-sixth minute, the pressure was overwhelming.
City recycled possession patiently near midfield before Bernardo Silva threaded another sharp pass into Lukas near the touchline.
Immediately, both Renan Lodi and Ruben Neves shifted toward him together.
Double team.
A/N: Thank you Ladus for sponsoring this Chapter. I am very grateful.
Thank you all so much for your support so far. Recently Chapters have been a bit difficult to write but I promise every tip will get their extra Chapter.
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Love y’all
Writ.
