CHAPTER 277: MIRACLE OF MIAMI

A goal... and an injury?

Henry had finally broken the deadlock yet, in a cruel twist of fate, it came at a price. Moments after flicking the ball past the keeper, he collided hard with the post and collapsed onto the turf. Blood trickled down his forehead as he was carried off on a stretcher, the crowd silenced in disbelief.

What on earth was happening to Manchester City?

Larsson had already gone down with a twisted ankle. Now Henry—fresh from being dropped by France’s Olympic squad—had scored, only to suffer a head injury in the very same moment.

Not to mention Ronaldo, who was suddenly left out of the squad today, leaving fans and media alike full of questions.

As for Ronaldo, the reason was more complicated.

It wasn’t that he was injured or out of form—far from it. But after Manchester City formally rejected the CBF’s request to include him in Brazil’s Olympic squad—refusing to let him go unless guaranteed real playing time—it would’ve felt inappropriate, even awkward, to throw him straight into a match.

It just wouldn’t have looked right.

So for now, Ronaldo remained out for today match.

Nonetheless, thanks to Henry’s brave goal, City now held a narrow 1–0 lead over Nottingham Forest. The fans applauded him and prayed for his recovery, hoping his injury wasn’t too severe.

City had finally broken the ice, and Walford promptly sent on Trezeguet to replace the injured Henry. With more than twenty minutes remaining and Nottingham Forest trailing, a fierce response was inevitable.

Clark was growing increasingly frustrated as the match wore on. Losing Stan Collymore two seasons ago had already taught Forest the importance of having a proper striker leading the line. This season, the club had spent £1.5 million to bring in Dean Saunders from Galatasaray in hopes of filling that void.

But so far, the new signing had yet to deliver.

Now that his team was behind, Clark hesitated to push too far forward. If they committed to the attack and left their backline exposed, City could exploit the space. Still, the gamble seemed worth taking.

Nottingham Forest began to commit more players forward. Their preference for intricate ground passing prompted City to send on Pirlo to reinforce the midfield—not with crunching tackles, but with clever interceptions and positional awareness.

The match grew tense, with both teams battling hard in midfield but struggling to create meaningful chances. As the game entered its final five minutes, Clark made his move. With a decisive wave from the touchline, he instructed his defenders to push higher up. He was going all in.

From the City bench, Walford recognized the shift. A flicker of optimism crossed his face. Even Robertson, watching from the stands, could see that Walford and Genoe had read the situation exactly as he would have.

And thankfully, they did.

Manchester City’s style thrived on space. The team operated like a spring—compressed under pressure, but capable of explosive release once possession turned in their favor. This was the rhythm of many great teams: against a compact, defensive opponent, the first goal is always the hardest. But once it’s scored, the floodgates can open. The underdog can no longer sit deep, and spaces begin to appear. Conversely, if the stronger team concedes first, it becomes an uphill battle.

During one Forest attack, a setup on the edge of City’s penalty area was broken up by Stam, who immediately sparked a counter.

From the second half onward, Lennon had pushed into a more attacking midfield role, supported by Finnan and Shevchenko out wide, with Trezeguet as the central striker. The four began moving forward in sync.

McNamara received the ball near the halfway line, executed a quick one-two with Finnan, and darted ahead. Near the center circle, he sent a precise diagonal ball to Shevchenko on the flank.

Shevchenko didn’t stop the ball—instead, he curled an early cross back toward the center, where Lennon was already arriving. The Irishman steadied himself, surveyed the collapsing Forest defense, and slid a measured through ball into the box.

Trezeguet timed his run perfectly, slipping behind the last defender and staying onside.

As the goalkeeper rushed out, Trezeguet remained composed—he shifted the ball to his right and slotted it low and cleanly into the bottom corner.

"City’s super sub, David Trezeguet, scores! The young striker showed the instincts of a seasoned finisher—ice-cold in front of goal! Nottingham Forest’s resistance is broken. With stoppage time looming, they now trail by two. Manchester City maintains an unshakable home dominance!"

After scoring, Trezeguet wheeled away in celebration before turning back to embrace his teammates.

There was joy on his face.

After Manchester City made it 2–0, Frank Clark’s determination and courage faded into oblivion. He simply waited for the match to end, with nothing left to say—there were no complaints about losing this game.

As stoppage time quickly ticked away and the final whistle blew, Manchester City fans rose to their feet and applauded their team off the pitch.

Full time: Manchester City 2 - 0 Nottingham Forest.

With the result concluded, Richard also rose from his seat and made his way toward his office, accompanied by Miss Heysen.

"Who was the one that scored for Japan again?" he asked, still curious about the earlier shock result.

"Wait a minute," Miss Heysen replied, flipping through her notes.

Since it was a Japanese name, naturally she hesitated for a moment—taking her time to pronounce it carefully.

"His name is Ito—Teruyoshi Ito," Miss Heysen finally said, glancing at her notepad.

Richard nodded slowly, filing the name away. What truly intrigued him, though, was the group itself—Group D.

Coincidentally, both Nigeria and Japan had landed in the same group as Brazil and Hungary. That meant Okocha and Nakata would go head-to-head.

As they continued walking toward his office, Richard pushed the door open. Just as arranged, Ramm Mylvaganam was already there, seated patiently—waiting as per Richard’s earlier request.

Without missing a beat, Richard strode toward his desk and got straight to the point.

"Ramm, pull up the Olympic tournament footage," he instructed, his tone focused. "Start with Group D. I want eyes on Jay-Jay Okocha and Hidetoshi Nakata."

He paused, then added with purpose, "If there’s ever a time to test your scouting module, this is it. Let’s see what you’ve got."