Riyadh hit differently.
The sky was pale and silent. No humidity, no chenda drums, no mango trees. Just heat — dry and biting, like a silent dare. The Mrsool Park Stadium loomed like a fortress cut from marble and steel, bathed in floodlights and lined with gold-accented banners.
Inside the visiting locker room, Kerala Blasters huddled together like intruders in a royal court.
Coach Sameer's voice was low, calm.
"They won't let us breathe tonight. We walk into their house, we breathe their air. But we do it on our terms."
He turned to Arjun, who sat quietly taping his fingers.
"You remember what I said before?"
Arjun met his eyes. "They have lions."
Sameer nodded. "But we have an elephant. And the desert's never stopped an elephant from marching."
A few players chuckled nervously. But Faizan added, "Let's crack the silence tonight."
---
✦ The War Begins
The stadium was a thunderous ocean of yellow — Al Nassr yellow. Flags fluttered like royal seals. Cristiano Ronaldo stood at the halfway line, clapping rhythmically as the game kicked off.
0–0 in Riyadh.
1–1 on aggregate.
The match wasn't about who scored first.
It was about who blinked first.
---
✦ Minute 14
Al Nassr surged down the right. Quick one-two. Ghareeb cut inside, found Otávio in space.
Shot from distance.
Saved by Prabhsukhan Gill. Clean and calm.
Coach Sameer pumped his fist.
On the sideline, Rainer Graf leaned forward. Arjun's name was already circled twice in his notebook.
---
✦ Minute 27
Blasters recovered possession in midfield. Arjun slowed the game, dragged two players wide, and slipped in Rahul KP.
Low cross. Faizan reached — but missed by inches.
The away fans, small but defiant in the corner, began singing:
> "Ellam kodukkum, oru kshanam…"
> He'll give it all for one moment…
---
✦ Minute 39
Disaster.
Faizan chased back to intercept a ball but slipped on the edge of the box. Penalty called.
Protests. VAR check.
Still given.
Ronaldo stepped up.
Whistle.
1–0 to Al Nassr.
Riyadh exploded.
---
✦ Halftime: The Weight
In the locker room, the silence was suffocating. Faizan sat with his head in his hands.
"I messed up," he whispered.
Arjun sat beside him. "No," he said firmly. "You slipped. That's the grass, not your heart."
He looked around the room.
"You think we came here just to survive? We came here to be remembered."
Coach Sameer pointed to the board.
"They'll drop deeper now. Play to keep the ball. That's where we hit them."
Then he turned to Arjun.
"You said this jersey means something. Now go prove it."
---
✦ The Turning Point
Minute 63.
Arjun received the ball in midfield. Otávio charged at him. A touch to the left, then a pivot back. The entire rhythm of the game changed with that single feint.
He sprinted forward, eyes scanning.
A through ball — perfect weight — between defenders.
Sahal Abdul Samad didn't hesitate.
First-time shot.
Goal.
1–1 on the night.
2–2 on aggregate.
---
✦ But It Wasn't Over
Minute 78.
Corner for Al Nassr.
Cleared by Hormipam.
Counterattack. Arjun led the charge.
He passed wide to Jeakson, who found Faizan — this time, his footing steady.
Cut inside.
Shot — saved.
But it fell right back to Arjun.
One touch.
He didn't blast it.
He placed it.
Low and curling into the side netting.
2–1 to Kerala Blasters.
Rainer Graf stood up. "Mein Gott..."
---
✦ Final Minutes
Al Nassr launched everything forward. Ronaldo hit the bar in the 88th. The ball ricocheted. Chaos.
Arjun tracked back like a defender possessed.
A last-ditch clearance from Nishu.
The referee looked at his watch.
Blow.
Whistle.
Full time.
Kerala Blasters advance to the AFC Champions League quarterfinals.
---
✦ In the Silence That Followed
Arjun collapsed to his knees.
Not out of celebration.
But out of something deeper.
Something eternal.
The small pocket of Kerala fans chanted through tears:
> "Oru paadam, oru veeran…"
"Marannilla njangale!"
---
✦ In Thrissur
His mother had switched off the TV five minutes before the final whistle. She sat in silence, eyes closed, clutching his childhood photo.
When the phone rang, it was her neighbor screaming through tears:
> "They did it, chechi! They did it!"
She smiled.
She already knew.
---
✦ In Chennai
Kalyani stared at the screen backstage.
Her scene was up next.
But she waited.
One last replay: Arjun's goal.
His calm face after scoring.
That tiny breath he took.
Like he was remembering something from long ago.
She exhaled too.
"March well," she whispered.
---
✦ In Rainer Graf's Notebook
A final note, scribbled beneath Arjun Dev's name.
> "Mentally cold. Tactically fluent. Carries his team like a myth."
> Project: Europe begins.
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