60th Minute.
Score: Mumbai United 0 – 1 Bengaluru FC.
The stadium buzzed with tension. The crowd was restless. Mumbai were behind, struggling to break through Bengaluru's disciplined defense. And then—Coach Fernandes' voice sliced through the air like a razor.
"Sharma. You're in."
Karan Sharma stood, heart thudding like a drum. No more waiting. No more warming up. This was it.
He ripped off his tracksuit, slipped into his jersey, and jogged toward the fourth official. The substitution board went up:
Rajan OFF – Sharma ON.
A few murmurs echoed in the stands. Confusion. Curiosity.
A debutant replacing a veteran in the 60th minute? Was this desperation, or brilliance?
Karan ignored the noise. His heartbeat settled. His boots hit the turf like they belonged there.
His lungs filled with the cool, electric air under the floodlights. His eyes scanned the field—and the world slowed down.
The Eagle Eye activated.
---
The Turning Point
From the first moment he entered, the rhythm of the match began to shift.
Karan moved into the attacking midfield pocket. Not rushing. Not reacting. Reading. Calculating.
He saw players before they moved. Passed into spaces before they opened. The game became a chessboard, and he was three moves ahead.
67th minute.
A sloppy pass from Bengaluru's left-back rolled too close to the center.
Karan was already there.
Interception.
Two touches. Acceleration. His strides ate up the grass as he surged forward.
Then—a reverse pass. Smooth. Sharp. Disguised. Right into Aditya's run.
Aditya didn't break stride. He squared it back across the box.
Karan met it with calm instinct.
Left foot. Driven low. Bottom corner.
GOAL.
The stadium exploded.
1–1. Sharma, on his debut.
Commentators roared his name. The Mumbai United bench erupted. Fans leapt from their seats, chanting.
"SHARMA! SHARMA!"
Coach Fernandes clenched his fist—half-smiling, half-surprised.
Karan didn't over-celebrate. No knee slide. No dramatic gestures. Just a firm nod. A glance upward.
Then he turned and jogged back to position.
Focus intact. Hunger sharpened.
---
75th Minute
Mumbai had found their rhythm now. The tide had turned.
And at the center of it all was Karan.
Controlling the tempo. Dictating play. His passes cut through lines like scalpels.
Then—minute 78. A flicker of movement from the right-winger caught Karan's eye.
One glance. One thought. One perfect pass.
Weighted like poetry. Threaded between defenders like silk.
The winger latched on, beat his man down the line, and whipped in a low cross.
Aditya crashed into the box.
Tap-in. Goal. 2–1. Sharma assist.
Two contributions. Two goals.
A debut that legends dream of.
The crowd roared. The bench clapped. The scoreboard told a new story.
And yet, in the midst of Mumbai's momentum...
Fate was still writing.
---
Enter: Arnav Singh
Minute 81. Another substitution. This time, for Bengaluru.
Karan turned. He recognized the figure before the announcer even spoke.
Lean. Calm. Focused. Jet-black hair slicked back. No nerves. No hesitation.
Just silence—and intensity.
The stadium announcer's voice cut in:
"Substitution for Bengaluru FC. Number 27 – Arnav Singh."
Something shifted.
Karan felt it before he understood it. A subtle tightening of the air. On the Mumbai bench, some players exchanged nervous glances.
A whisper behind him:
"The Falcon's here."
Karan had heard the name before. Everyone in youth football had.
Arnav Singh. U-18 national team prodigy. The boy with movement so sharp, defenders feared the spaces he hadn't even entered yet.
He wasn't the biggest. He wasn't the loudest.
But he had one gift that changed games:
The Dive.
His terrifying off-the-ball movement. The sudden plunge into open space. As unpredictable as it was lethal.
---
83rd Minute
Karan tried to track him. He stayed tight. Read the angles.
But Arnav didn't run in straight lines. He disappeared—faded into shadows—then appeared where no one expected.
Like vapor.
Minute 85.
Bengaluru's midfielder spotted a sliver of space behind the backline.
Arnav had already made his move.
He ghosted past two defenders, latched onto the through ball, and finished with surgical precision.
2–2.
The bench screamed. Coach Fernandes roared:
"Track him! Don't lose him!"
But how do you mark a phantom?
Karan clenched his fists. He had dominated most of the match—but Arnav had just changed it in five minutes.
The rivalry was born.
---
90+2
Stoppage time. Final breath of the game.
Mumbai pushed forward. Desperate. One last attack.
A careless pass. Intercepted.
Bengaluru countered.
Karan sprinted back, lungs burning. His eyes darted across the field—
And there he was.
Arnav.
Wide. Calm. Patient.
Waiting.
Then—Dive.
He darted into space like a falcon in freefall. Past the fullback. Past the center back.
One blink—and he was gone.
The lofted ball sailed over the top. Karan screamed for the offside flag.
Nothing.
Arnav took it on the bounce. One touch. One glance.
The keeper rushed out—
But Arnav chipped it.
Ice-cold.
The ball kissed the net.
2–3.
Bengaluru had stolen it.
Silence swallowed the stadium.
The crowd fell flat. Mumbai's players collapsed.
And Karan—he dropped to his knees, staring at the grass.
A goal. An assist. A near-perfect debut.
And yet—defeat.
---
Post-Match
The stadium lights dimmed. The fans began to file out.
Karan sat alone by the tunnel. Still in his kit. Soaked in sweat.
He watched the field like it was still alive—like he could step back in and rewrite it.
But the scoreboard stared back at him, cold and final.
Footsteps echoed.
Arnav approached. Calm. Sweaty. Exhausted—but composed.
He stopped in front of Karan.
"You played well," he said. Not taunting. Just honest.
Karan looked up, jaw tight.
"You too."
A silence. Then Arnav gave a small nod.
"Guess we'll see each other again."
Karan stood slowly, his eyes locked on Arnav's.
"Count on it."
Two prodigies. Two philosophies.
Eagle Eye vs Dive.
A rivalry that would shape not just them—but the future of Indian football.
No one in the crowd had realized it yet.
But something special had begun.
Debut Match Stats:
Karan Sharma – 1 Goal, 1 Assist
Arnav Singh – 2 Goals (Including the match-winner)