The deafening roar of the Bernabéu faded to a low, nervous murmur as Leon trudged down the tunnel, his head bowed.
He sat on the bench, not looking at anyone, his mind replaying the goal, that split-second hesitation.
He was the one with the 'Vision', the one who was supposed to see everything, but he'd been too slow, too overwhelmed.
Lautaro Martínez, his face a mask of fierce determination, was the first to speak.
"Alright, listen up!" he growled, his voice cutting through the silence.
"First half is over. We're a goal down. So what? This is the Champions League. It's not supposed to be easy."
"We're Inter. We don't just give up. We fight. We fight for every blade of grass, for every ball. We show them what we're made of!"
The words were a jolt, but Leon still felt numb. He had seen the brilliance of Real Madrid, the seamless flow of their play, the blazing 'Current' ratings that shone like a galaxy of unreachable stars.
Suddenly, a hand landed on his shoulder.
It was Marco Rossi, the veteran midfielder, his gaze surprisingly gentle.
"Hey kid," Rossi said quietly. "Don't beat yourself up. This is the Bernabéu. It happens to everyone. You learn from it." Rossi leaned in, his voice dropping to a near-whisper.
Rossi's words resonated with Leon. He had been so focused on seeing every icon, every possibility, that he had missed the most important one. He had been drowning in data instead of using it to swim.
Coach Chivu walked over, a small smirk on his face.
"Leon," he said, "In the second half, I want you to play closer to Barella and Hakan Çalhanoğlu. Link up with them. Don't worry about trying to dribble past Vinicius every time. Use your vision for quick, sharp passes. Let the ball do the work."
A new feeling sparked within Leon. It wasn't a jolt of arrogance, but a quiet, focused resolve.
He took a deep breath, and as he did, he closed his eyes, consciously trying to filter the visual data his 'Vision' provided
. He thought of Rossi's words: see what matters most. He didn't need to see every potential run, every fake shot. He needed to see the most crucial icons. He pictured a mental firewall, a filter for the chaos.
When the whistle for the second half blew, Inter returned to the pitch a different team.
They were still up against the relentless pressure of Real Madrid, but now, they were pushing back. They were no longer just defending; they were attacking with purpose.
Leon, with his new mental filter in place, found a new rhythm. He was still seeing the icons, but hey were no longer a chaotic cascade.
He was focused, and now, he understood.
He saw the *foot with a lightning bolt* icon above Vinicius's foot, a sign of an explosive acceleration, but now, he was also seeing the *shield* icon above Stefan de Vrij as the defender calmly positioned himself to intercept the run.
He no longer needed to chase shadows; he could trust his teammates.
He was a part of the Inter team, a vital cog in the machine. He was no longer just the wonderkid with the special ability, but a teammate fighting alongside his brothers.
He started to make quick, crisp passes. He found Nicolo Barella with a one-touch pass, who then quickly shifted the ball to Hakan Çalhanoğlu. The ball moved with a speed and precision that had been absent in the first half.
The game was now a tense back-and-forth. The Bernabéu crowd, which had been in a state of celebratory roar, was now filled with a low, nervous hum.
In the 64th minute, Inter won a corner. Çalhanoğlu whipped in a dangerous cross.
It was met by the head of Alessandro Bastoni, who sent it screaming toward the goal.
But Thibaut Courtois, with a stunning, cat-like reflex, got a hand to it, tipping it over the bar.
"What a save from Courtois!"
"An absolute stunner! He denies Inter the equalizer!"
The Bernabéu erupted in cheers, but Leon, standing in the box, was already focused.
As the ball went out for another corner, his 'Vision' showed him something he hadn't fully understood before.
Above Lautaro Martínez, he saw a glowing *two players with a curved arrow* icon, a signal for a one-two with a run into the box. He also saw a smaller, fainter icon above the head of a Real Madrid defender - a *key with a lock*
It meant that the defender was about to cut off a passing lane.
As the ball was played short to Çalhanoğlu, he received it and saw the *two players with a curved arrow* icon above Lautaro Martínez glowing brighter than ever.
He knew what to do. With a deft, one-touch pass, he sent the ball straight back to Çalhanoğlu, bypassing the defender with the *key with a lock* icon.
Çalhanoğlu then played a quick pass to Leon, who had made a surging run into the box.
The ball came to him, and for a split second, everything went quiet.
He saw the goalkeeper's position, the defender closing in. He saw the glowing *leg and a ball* icon above his foot, and it pulsed with an intensity he had never felt before. This was it.
The ball left his foot, a blur of white, and shot towards the top corner of the goal. Courtois, out of position, lunged, but it was too late.
The net bulged, and for a moment, silence.
Then, a small cheer from the few Inter fans in the corner of the stadium, which quickly grew into a roar of defiance.
Leon stood for a moment, his heart hammering in his chest, the weight of the first half finally lifting. He had done it.
"GOOOOOOOOOALLLL! INTER HAVE PULLED ONE BACK!" the commentator's voice boomed, filled with a renewed energy.
"It's Leon! The wonderkid with the equalizer! He punishes Real Madrid's momentary lapse in concentration!"
He was immediately mobbed by his teammates, a whirlwind of hugs and pats on the back.
Lautaro Martínez ruffled his hair, a wide grin on his face. "I told you, kid!" he yelled, "We don't give up!"
The match was now alive. The 1-1 scoreline electrified the atmosphere. Both teams, sensing a possible victory, pushed forward with renewed vigor.
Real Madrid, shocked by the equalizer, went on the attack, with Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. creating chaos. Leon, his mental filter now perfectly tuned, was able to read their movements with a newfound clarity, helping his teammates to cover their runs and intercept their passes.
The game became a thrilling back-and-forth, a true test of wills.
Then, in the 69th minute, a Real Madrid attack was expertly thwarted by Stefan de Vrij, who cleared the ball high into the air.
The ball came down just outside the box, where a fierce battle for possession began between Federico Valverde and Nicolo Barella. Both players lunged for the ball, but a Real Madrid player, Rodrygo, suddenly received a pass, and he was alone.
A glowing *leg and a ball* icon appeared above his foot, and he prepared to take a shot!
"Rodrygo! Rodrygo receives it...?! This could be the winner!!"