The final match.
The scoreboard didn't lie:
> Kerala Blasters – 36 pts
Mumbai City – 35 pts
One point ahead. One game left. And their opponent? Chennaiyin FC, away, in a stadium known for swallowing pressure and spitting out chaos.
The title was within reach.
But only if they survived ninety minutes in enemy territory.
---
✦ Coach Sameer – Final Team Meeting
At the hotel in Chennai, Coach Sameer stood with a tablet in hand, silent for a long while.
Then he said quietly, "I have nothing left to teach you."
The room was still.
He looked around. At Arjun. At Faizan. At Sahal, Hakku, Nishu, Dheeraj.
"You've become more than players. You've become believers. Now go show the world why they believed."
He turned off the tablet. No tactics. No markers.
Just one sentence on the board:
"Make history."
---
✦ Arjun – The Morning Of
Arjun sat alone on the hotel balcony, headphones in, not playing music.
Just replaying voice notes from home.
His mother's last message played.
> "Monu, win or lose, don't forget to look up once after the match. Your appa would have liked that."
He closed his eyes.
Remembered juggling in Thrissur's dusty back alley.
His father clapping, grinning with pride.
The promise he had made quietly — I'll go farther than anyone ever dreamed.
---
✦ Chennai – Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Blue flags waved like crashing tides. Chennaiyin fans brought their own madness — loud, relentless, tribal.
> 🎙️ Commentator 1 (English):
"It's a full house here in Chennai! The ISL title race has come down to this. Blasters just need a win. But Chennaiyin love nothing more than playing spoilers."
> 🎙️ Commentator 2 (Malayalam):
"Ee aakri match! (The final match!) Ithanu nammal njangalude charithram ezhuthunna neram! (This is the moment we write our history!)"
---
✦ Kickoff
The whistle blew.
And from the start, Chennaiyin played dirty.
Early fouls. Tactical blocks. One yellow card. Then two.
But Arjun stayed calm.
He controlled midfield like a composer with a burning baton.
In the 18th minute, a pass to Faizan split the defense. Faizan cut inside — but was brought down inside the box.
The referee paused.
Pointed.
Penalty.
> 🎙️ Commentator 1:
"Blasters with a golden chance!"
But tension crackled.
Faizan placed the ball.
Took the run-up.
And hit the post.
Silence.
> 🎙️ Commentator 2:
"Oru paadam miss aayi… (One step missed...) but there's still time."
Faizan bent over, devastated. Arjun jogged over, pulled him up.
"No guilt today," Arjun said. "Just glory."
---
✦ 43rd Minute – A Spark
Arjun began turning tighter circles in midfield, dodging tackles, commanding the rhythm.
Then — a diagonal ball to Sahal.
Back to Arjun.
One flick.
Faizan, again, in space.
Low shot.
GOAL.
Chennaiyin 0 – 1 Kerala Blasters
The yellow section erupted.
> 🎙️ Commentator 1:
"He redeems himself! And it's Arjun pulling the strings again!"
> 🎙️ Commentator 2:
"Iniyum onnu koodi! (One more, please!)"
---
✦ Halftime – Whispered Fire
In the tunnel, as players filed out for the second half, Chennaiyin's captain muttered to Arjun: "You think you've won something already?"
Arjun looked him dead in the eye.
"No. I think we're about to."
---
✦ Second Half
The minutes dragged like years.
Chennaiyin attacked with fury. Dheeraj made two fingertip saves. Nishu cleared a shot off the line.
But in the 83rd minute — disaster.
A Chennaiyin striker volleyed a loose ball from a corner.
GOAL.
1–1.
> 🎙️ Commentator 1:
"And just like that, the title is slipping away from Kerala's grasp!"
Mumbai, playing simultaneously, was now winning their game.
Coach Sameer shouted from the sidelines: "We need this! One goal!"
---
✦ The Final Push – 88th Minute
A throw-in. A flick by Hakku.
The ball landed at Arjun's feet.
He surged forward.
One Chennaiyin player. Then another. A third lunged.
Arjun spun, stumbled — but didn't fall.
He lifted his head. Saw Faizan — again — darting toward the six-yard box.
One perfectly weighted ball.
Faizan didn't think.
He scored.
2–1 Kerala.
> 🎙️ Commentator 1:
"GOOOOAL! FAIZAN AGAIN! AND ARJUN DEV HAS DONE IT — ONE STEP CLOSER TO IMMORTALITY!"
> 🎙️ Commentator 2:
"Ithanu charithram! (This is history!)"
---
✦ Full-Time – History Made
The whistle blew.
Kerala Blasters — champions of India.
Players collapsed to their knees. Faizan buried his face in his jersey. Coach Sameer stared skyward.
And Arjun?
He looked up.
Just once.
---
✦ Later That Night – A Video Call
Kalyani appeared on screen, eyes watery.
"You did it."
Arjun nodded. "We did."
She smiled. "You looked up. I saw that."
He touched the screen, voice quiet. "He would've been proud."
---
✦ Final Scene – Locker Room
A fan snuck in a drum.
"Oru paadam, oru veeran…"
The whole team sang.
The elephant hadn't just marched.
He had led.
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