Three days... that’s all Barcelona had to recover from the war in Riyadh.
Three days since Sam’s wondergoal split Atlético’s fortress, three days since fireworks painted the Saudi night sky, three days before they were thrust back into competition, this time in the Copa del Rey Round of 16 against Cartagena.
In a way, FC Barcelona didn’t get the worst of it.
The worst of it would have been going to extra time against Atletico Madrid. That would have been Atletico Madrid dragging them into the deep, and in the abyss was where Diego Simeone’s men thrived.
The plan was working, right until Sam singlehandedly tore the script apart.
But despite Sam’s brilliance and winning goal, playing Atletico Madrid, in a final to boot was a grueling affair. All the FC Barcelona players felt the hangover after the game, including Sam though his system-given physical conditioning elixirs helped him heal fast unlike the others.
And now, just like Real Madrid, it was on to the Copa del Rey Round of 16, and their opponents was Cartagena.
The contrast was brutal. From the grandeur of a Supercopa final to a cold night against a lower-division side, played in a stadium where fans leaned on rusting railings and where floodlights buzzed faintly above.
But this was Spain. And in Spain, the Copa mattered.
The lineups were released ahead of time. For Cartagena, they started in a 4-4-2 shape with Martinez in goal, while ahead of him was the defensive quadruple of Alcazar, Datkovic, Alcala, and Jairo.
Musto, Sangali, De BLasis, and Jansson started in midfield, while the 2 strikers upfront were the duo of Ortuno and Poveda.
As for Barcelona, starting in their regular 4-2-3-1 formation was a lineup of Inaki Pena in goal, with a defensive force of Kounde, Christensen, Cubarsi, and Gerard Martin in front of him.
The midfield comprised De Jong and Marc Casado. Lamine Yamal started in right wing, Gavi as the attacking midfielder, Ferran Torres in left wing, while Sam led the line as the striker.
By now, it was no secret in world football that Samuel Moses had a remarkable ability of recovering from fatigue between games.
This was why despite being just 21, he’d played so many games.
Hansi Flick rotated heavily, resting the likes of Pedri, Araújo, Balde, Raphinha, and Lewandowski. But one name refused to rest... Samuel Moses. Fans had bought tickets to see the Ballon d’Or winner. Hansi Flick knew it, and Sam knew it.
Of course, the head coach only put him in the lineup because he knew that Sam was up to the task.
If Sam lacked match fitness or starting the game would have posed as an injury threat, Hansi Flick would have suppressed the pressure and benched the best player of his team. Fortunately, he didn’t have to be so cautious.
The game started and from the first whistle, it was clear Barça were running on heavy legs.
Cartagena smelled it, it didn’t take a genius to notice.
And once they did, they capitalized on the weakness. They pressed high, feeding off the crowd’s fire, snapping into tackles like men possessed. Every duel was a war, every long ball a dagger aimed at Barça’s tired legs.
And then, in the 12th minute, the unthinkable happened.
A cross whipped in from Jansson. Ortuño muscled Christensen in the box, and his header beat Peña at the near post.
The stadium erupted as smoke flares lit the sky, chants from the home fans becoming deafening. The underdogs were alive.
Sam immediately clapped his hands, urging calm. "Tranquilo! One goal doesn’t kill us". He could tell that the team was slightly rattled.
But even he looked sluggish, shoulders heavy from Riyadh’s marathon.
Even with the help of physical conditioning elixirs, there were just some games that always managed to leave a lasting imprint, and the Atleti game was one.
Barça pushed for the equalizer with warrior mentality, Gavi embodying it best as fought through midfield like a warrior. In the 31st minute, he snapped into a tackle and slipped a ball to Torres, who slid it into Sam’s path.
Sam feinted, shifted right, then cracked low.
Martínez saved brilliantly.
But then, the rebound fell to Yamal. Yamal chopped inside with deft footwork before whipping a curling effort in.
The goalkeeper dived full stretch, but the ball curled just past his grasp.
Relief washed over Barça’s bench. Yamal raised a fist in celebration, fierce and defiant as the home fans gnashed their teeth at his celebration.
But the rest of the half didn’t follow Yamal’s brilliance as they stuttered. Cartagena fought like lions, and Barça staggered into halftime with the scoreboard locked.
In the cramped dressing room during halftime, Hansi Flick was furious.
"You think trophies are won in Riyadh? No! They’re won here, in the cold, in the grind, against men who’d kill for your shirts. Wake up!"
Sam exhaled, nodding. "He’s right," he threw a glance at his teammates. "Enough dragging. Second half, let’s end this!"
Barça returned sharper and hungrier in the 2nd half; Sam lit the spark. Chapters first released on n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net
In the 53rd minute, he dropped deep, dragging both Datkovic and Alcalá. Then with a flick of his heel, he split them open, feeding Torres on the left. Torres surged and cut back for Gavi who hammered it in first-time.
That goal became the catalyst... the dam broke.
In the 67th minute, Yamal dazzled with footwork that left Jairo spinning, right before his low cross was tapped home by Torres.
Ten minutes later, De Jong controlled midfield, sending a lofted ball into space. Sam drew defenders before backheeling the ball into Casado’s path.
The energetic midfielder smashed a rocket from twenty yards.
The crowd fell silent; the dream was over.
Barca was on fire now, and they weren’t finished.
In stoppage time, Sam received the ball thirty yards out. He danced past two challenges, then rolled it to Yamal, who lashed it into the top corner.
The final whistle sounded, and the scoreline was unrecognizable from what both clubs played in the first half.
Cartagena had fought bravely, but Barça’s quality was just too good when the rust was shaken off; they were simply overwhelming.
Lamine Yamal won the man of the match award.
[FULLTIME: Cartagena 1-5 Barcelona]
Headlines screamed the next morning.
*["Barça Survive Scare, Then Destroy Cartagena."]
*["Yamal the Star, Sam the Conductor, Gavi the Engine."]
["Madrid, Barcelona March to Quarterfinals."]
Sam didn’t score, yet pundits noted the truth.
"He is just a level ahead of other players; he bends games. Even when silent, Samuel Moses makes others roar."
Flick’s smile after the game said it all.
"We needed this. Not just the win, but the reminder. We’re human. But when we wake up... we’re unstoppable."