Dynasty Awakening: Building My Own Football Empire-Chapter 209: Absolute stunned silence

The ball had bounced off Leo Stone face and away from danger. But the danger was not gone. It was just taking a breath.

Michael Sterling stood in the rain. His suit was ruined. His hair was plastered to his forehead. He looked at the clock.

Minute 38

Liverpool were relentless. They did not care about heroic blocks or bloody noses. They just reloaded the cannon.

Florian Wirtz picked up the ball. The German maestro was finding space everywhere. He drifted past Endrick who was running on fumes.

Wirtz looked up. He saw Alexander Isak.

Isak made a run. Not straight. But curved. A run that split Diego Nunez and Sergio Ramos.

Wirtz played the pass. It was like a laser. It cut through the wet grass.

Isak collected it. He did not need a second touch.

He hit it.

Low. Hard. Into the bottom corner.

Jan Visser dived. But even the giant Dutchman could not reach it.

GOAL.

Liverpool 1. Barnsley 0.

The Kop exploded. The noise was physical. It shook the ground under Michael feet.

Peter Drury voice echoed through the televisions of the world.

"And finally the dam breaks! The resistance was noble. The resistance was brave. But you cannot hold back the tide forever! Alexander Isak with the dagger! Liverpool lead and Anfield roars!"

Arthur Milton sat on the bench. He put his head in his hands.

"It was coming Boss," Arthur moaned. "We were swimming with sharks. Eventually you get bitten."

"Get up Arthur," Michael said. "It is only one goal. We are still alive."

HALFTIME

The whistle blew.

LIVERPOOL 1 - 0 BARNSLEY

In the dressing room the Barnsley players looked shell shocked.

Leo Stone was holding an ice pack to his red nose. Diego Nunez was scraping mud off his knees. Endrick was breathing so hard his chest was heaving.

"They are too good," Endrick gasped. "Wirtz has eyes in the back of his head. I try to tackle him and he vanishes."

Michael walked to the center of the room. He needed to change the energy.

"Listen to me," Michael said. "We are losing 1 to 0 at Anfield. Most teams would be losing 4 to 0 by now."

He looked at Victor Osimhen.

"Victor. You are lonely up there."

"I am on an island Boss," Osimhen said adjusting his mask. "A very cold wet island."

"We are going to send you a boat," Michael promised. "Second half we stop respecting them. We stop sitting deep. If we die we die fighting."

He turned to Diego.

"Diego. Stop worrying about Isak. Let Ramos handle Isak. You handle the space. You handle Ekitike."

"I will handle him," Diego grunted. "I will be his shadow. A big bald shadow."

THE TURN

The second half began.

The rain fell harder.

Liverpool came out comfortable. They thought the game was won. They thought the Misfits were broken.

That was their mistake.

Minute 52

Liverpool had a corner. They sent everyone up. They wanted the second goal to kill the game.

Trent Alexander Arnold crossed it.

Jan Visser came out. He punched the ball.

It flew to the edge of the box.

Endrick was there.

The Brazilian Wonderkid controlled it. He looked up. He saw seventy yards of green grass.

And he saw one Liverpool defender. Robertson.

Endrick started to run.

"GO!" Michael screamed.

Endrick engaged the turbo. He flicked the ball past Robertson. The Scotsman tried to foul him but Endrick was too fast.

He was away.

Anfield went quiet. The sound of thousands of people holding their breath.

Endrick ran towards the Liverpool goal. Alisson came out.

Endrick did not shoot.

He saw a purple blur to his left.

Victor Osimhen had sprinted the length of the pitch.

Endrick squared the ball.

Osimhen had an open goal.

He tapped it in.

GOAL.

Liverpool 1. Barnsley 1.

The away section in the corner went wild.

Osimhen ran to Endrick. He picked him up and spun him around.

Peter Drury was screaming on the commentary.

"Lightning strikes at Anfield! From one end to the other in ten seconds! The Misfits have stolen a jagged dagger and stabbed the giant! It is one one! Game on!"

THE SHOCK

1 to 1 changed everything.

Liverpool were angry. They threw more men forward. They lost their shape.

Minute 62

The game was chaotic. It was end to end.

Florian Wirtz hit the bar for Liverpool.

Then Barnsley broke again.

Leo Stone received the ball in midfield. His nose was throbbing but his vision was clear.

He saw Erik Olsen on the wing. The Viking had been quiet. But Vikings are dangerous when they are quiet.

Leo passed to Erik.

Erik cut inside. He was twenty five yards out.

He wound up his leg.

"SHOOT!" the fans screamed.

Erik hit it.

It took a deflection off Van Dijk leg.

The ball spun. It looped high in the air. It looked like it was going over.

But then it dipped.

Alisson was scrambling back. He jumped.

The ball dropped just under the bar.

GOAL.

Barnsley 2. Liverpool 1.

Silence.

Absolute stunned silence.

Only the screams of the Barnsley players echoed around the stadium.

Diego Nunez ran all the way from defense to join the pile on top of Erik Olsen.

"WE ARE ROBBERS!" Diego roared. "WE ARE STEALING THE HOUSE!"

Arthur Milton fell off the bench.

"We are winning?" Arthur whispered from the floor. "Boss tell me it is real. Tell me I am not dreaming in a bakery."

"It is real Arthur," Michael said. His heart was pounding like a drum. "But now comes the hard part."

THE SURVIVAL

Minute 64

Liverpool were furious. Jurgen Klopp legacy was in the walls of this stadium and Arne Slot the new manager was feeling the pressure.

He made three changes. He brought on fresh attackers.

They laid siege to the Barnsley goal.

It was not football anymore. It was a bombardment.

Minute 66

Rio the wonderkid dribbled past three Barnsley players. He shot.

Jan Visser saved it with his foot.

The rebound fell to Isak.

He shot.

Sergio Ramos blocked it on the line with his chest.

"CLEAR IT!" Ramos screamed. "KICK IT TO MANCHESTER!"

Enzo Silva booted the ball away.

Minute 68

The clock was moving so slowly. It felt like time had stopped.

Liverpool had the ball again. They were encamped in the Barnsley penalty area.

Wirtz passed to Salah who had come off the bench.

Salah curled a shot.

It beat Jan Visser.

But it hit the post.

The ball bounced back into play.

Diego Nunez was there. He threw himself at the ball. He headed it while lying on the ground.

The ball flew out for a throw in.

The commentator Peter Drury was breathless.

"They are hanging on by a thread! By a single purple thread! Anfield is a cauldron of noise! The red waves are crashing against the purple rocks! How are Barnsley surviving this? It is defiance! It is stubbornness! It is the Misfit spirit!"

Michael Sterling stood on the line. He could not shout instructions. The noise was too loud.

He just watched.

He watched Endrick tackling Van Dijk.

He watched Leo Stone blocking passes with his sore face.

He watched Osimhen winning headers in his own box.

They were winning 2 to 1.

But there were still twenty two minutes left.

It felt like an eternity.

Arthur Milton crawled back onto the bench. He was chewing his tie.

"Boss," Arthur said. "If we survive this I will name my first child Diego. Even if it is a girl."

"Focus Arthur," Michael said wiping rain from his eyes.

The scoreboard glowed in the mist. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

LIVERPOOL 1 - 2 BARNSLEY

They had poked the bear. They had stolen the honey.

Now they just had to escape the cave alive.

The whistle blew for a foul. A moment to breathe.

Michael looked at his team. They were exhausted. They were battered. But they were leading.

"Hold the line!" Michael roared into the storm. "HOLD THE LINE!"