CHAPTER 61: CHAPTER 61 – FIRST WHISTLE

The city of São Paulo simmered with anticipation, its streets pulsing with the kind of energy that only comes before a derby of this magnitude. By Friday morning, the Palmeiras training center was surrounded—a fortress under siege. Journalists crowded the gates like vultures, their cameras clicking incessantly. Fans pressed against the barriers, their faces alight with hope and fear in equal measure, craning for glimpses of their heroes. Everyone knew who was coming. Everyone knew what this meant.

Palmeiras vs Santos. Semifinal. Neymar on one side. Thiago on the other.

For Thiago, the noise was distant—like thunder outside a closed window. The shouts of reporters, the whir of helicopter blades, the constant murmur of speculation—it all faded into white noise. Inside, he felt still. Calm. The eye of the storm.

The dressing room buzzed with its own energy—more contained, more real. Players taped ankles with practiced efficiency, laced boots so tight the leather creaked, leaned into last-minute stretches that pulled at tired muscles. The air smelled of liniment and sweat, of ambition and fear. Eneas stood in the center with a clipboard clutched in his hands, his voice low, steady, cutting through the pre-match chatter like a knife.

"No distractions," he said, eyes scanning the room. "They’ll want to isolate Neymar wide and draw pressure. We shift compact. We don’t chase shadows."

Thiago sat on the far bench, headphones resting around his neck rather than covering his ears. He didn’t need music to drown out the noise. The rhythm was already in his bloodstream, the beat of his heart syncing with the pulse of the stadium outside.

Kickoff was an hour away.

When he stepped out for the first warm-up, the stadium was already half-full, a sea of green and white banners stretching across the stands like a living tapestry. Chants echoed off the concrete walls, rising and falling like cannon blasts. The sun had dipped just enough to cast long shadows across the pitch, and Allianz Parque looked less like a football ground and more like a theater ready to burn.

As they jogged, Thiago caught sight of Neymar on the far side—juggling the ball with that effortless grace, laughing at something a teammate said, already drawing cameras with every flick of his foot. The Santos squad wore all white, pristine as ghosts against the emerald turf. Thiago didn’t stare. Didn’t linger. Just took the picture in, filed it away, and kept moving.

Focus.

In the tunnel, moments before kickoff, Nando looked over, his face a mask of concentration. "Stay sharp."

Thiago nodded. "Always."

The referee’s whistle blew.

And the match began.

From the first touch, the difference was clear.

Santos didn’t just play—they dared. Neymar dropped deep like a false nine, twisted free from double coverage with a shimmy of his hips, and sent an early ball wide that led to a low shot just saved by Palmeiras’ keeper. The crowd roared—a mix of awe and alarm.

Thiago found himself pushed back early, tracking the Santos right-back who overlapped constantly, his lungs already burning from the relentless tempo. The game was moving too fast to think—only react.

By the 12th minute, Santos had carved two dangerous openings. Neymar hadn’t scored—but he’d bent space around him like gravity, pulling defenders out of position with every feint and flick.

Palmeiras clawed back some control in midfield. Rafael dropped deep, linking with the center-backs to settle possession. Thiago drifted inward more than usual, trying to find the game—not just wait for it.

Then came the 17th minute.

A mistake.

A Palmeiras pass too soft, intercepted near the halfway line. Santos broke in a blur—four touches, a slotted ball to Neymar who curved a run behind the line, one-on-one with the keeper.

Goal.

0–1.

The stadium held its breath. Then a roar from the away end erupted, a wave of sound crashing over the stunned home supporters.

Thiago stared at the center circle as the ball was reset. No panic. Just awareness.

Eneas didn’t shout. Just gestured for calm, his hands pressing down in the universal signal to settle.

Palmeiras restarted—and slowly, the storm passed.

They began to work triangles on the right flank. Rafael’s control spread the tempo like a conductor’s baton. Thiago got more touches, dragging his marker into uncomfortable territory. He turned sharply in the 26th minute and fired a low cross—cleared, but now the rhythm began to shift.

In the 33rd minute, Palmeiras won a corner.

Thiago stood near the edge of the box, ready for the second ball. It fell short—pinged out—he took one touch to settle and curled it toward the far post—

Just wide.

A gasp rippled through the home stands.

At halftime, the score held: 0–1.

The locker room wasn’t tense. It was focused. Eneas walked slowly in front of the whiteboard, eyes scanning faces.

"They want you to overreact. Don’t. You play your game. Second half, we draw them wide and break central. Watch Neymar. He’ll drift more now that they’re ahead."

Thiago didn’t say anything. He just locked eyes with Rafael. No nod needed. Just understanding.

They stepped out again into the roar of lights and lungs.

The second half began.

And Thiago changed.

Not instantly—but with every possession, he became more dangerous. First it was a sharp turn between two markers in midfield, leaving them tangled in his wake. Then a quick one-two with Rafael that drew a foul near the edge of the box.

Palmeiras gained territory.

In the 58th minute, it happened.

Rafael cut inside, drew two defenders like moths to a flame, and slid a diagonal ball into Thiago’s path. He let it run across his body, stepped in front of the Santos right-back, and cracked a shot—

Off the bar.

The crowd screamed, a collective release of breath and hope.

The ball bounced back into play—cleared by a desperate defender. But the pulse had shifted.

Thiago didn’t sag. He sprinted back into position.

Every touch now sparked something.

The 67th minute. Palmeiras threw numbers forward.

The ball broke wide. Rafael again. A low cross. Thiago arrived late—volleyed it—

Saved.

Corner.

No goal yet.

But the stadium had found its voice again.

And Thiago had found the match.