The shrill whistle blew, signaling the end of the first half.
Bayern 0 – Leverkusen 1.
The players jogged off the field, heads bowed slightly, sweat dripping from their brows.
Inside the locker room, the atmosphere was thick with frustration and silence.
Coach Dietrich stood at the center, his face carved from stone.
He waited a full minute — letting the silence weigh down on them — before he spoke.
"You're being outplayed," he said, voice low but sharp enough to cut.
"They're not better than you.They're just tougher. Smarter.They're controlling the rhythm, dictating the space."
He paced slowly before them, each step deliberate.
"Second half, we play smarter.More physical.We control the tempo.We own the space."
He stopped abruptly and turned, his cold gray eyes locking onto one player.
Mateo.
"González," he barked.
Mateo straightened immediately.
"Warm up.I'll need you after the restart."
A jolt of adrenaline shot through him.
He stood up, heart hammering, and moved to the side of the locker room, starting his warm-up drills.
Stretch. Jog. Focus.
He wasn't just here to watch anymore.
He was about to step into battle.
The whistle blew again.
The second half began.
Bayern came out with new fire — pressing harder, fighting for every ball.
But Leverkusen was ruthless.
Five minutes in —a counterattack.A sharp cross into the box.
And once again —Florian Wirtz.
A deft touch.A clinical finish.
Goal.
Bayern 0 – Leverkusen 2.
The stadium groaned collectively.
Coach Dietrich didn't wait.
He turned to the bench, his voice cutting through the air.
"González, on. Now."
Mateo ripped off his warm-up jacket, heart pounding so loud it drowned out the noise of the crowd.
He ran toward the fourth official, nodded, and stood on the touchline, ready.
Before stepping in, he quickly crossed himself —a small, instinctive act of faith.
He closed his eyes for half a second.
"Thank you," he whispered inside —"for letting me be here."
When the board flashed his number, he sprinted onto the pitch.
The weight of the jersey.The roar of the crowd.The trembling joy of the moment.
All of it surged through him like lightning.
This was it.
No more dreaming.
No more waiting.
He was here.
And he was ready to give everything he had.