Chapter 17 – The Final Whistle (Part 2)
The second half began with no delay, no ceremony—just thunder.
Grêmio came out like they’d been caged.
From the first whistle, their press tightened. Their midfield surged forward with five-yard bursts like trap springs, and their right winger—number 17—began doubling Thiago every time he dropped near the touchline.
It wasn’t reckless.
It was mathematical.
Every time Thiago moved to receive, one body pressed, and another cut the lane behind him. They weren’t trying to win the ball. They were trying to erase his rhythm.
Minute 48.
He dropped short, pulled wide, called for a ball down the line.
The pass came. Clean.
But before he could turn, the tackle snapped in—legal, firm, brutal.
Ball out. Body on grass.