The second half began after a surprisingly short halftime talk from Pep Guardiola.

The City players had barely even sat down before Pep was already standing back up again near the tactics board. He did not raise his voice. He did not start lecturing them with long speeches either. The game was going largely according to plan. Fluminense had moments, but City were controlling the dangerous spaces and creating the better opportunities.

Pep only made a few quick tactical adjustments, reminded them to stay patient whenever Fluminense pushed higher, then stepped aside and allowed the players to continue their own conversations amongst themselves.

As they walked back out through the tunnel and toward the pitch, Lukas drifted beside Rayan Aït-Nouri for a moment. With one hand over his mouth, he quietly muttered something to the Algerian fullback while gesturing subtly toward the far side of the box. Aït-Nouri listened, nodded once, then pointed toward Doku before replying briefly.

The two exchanged another quick glance before jogging back onto the field.

The second half immediately felt different.

Fluminense could no longer afford to sit back and absorb pressure. One goal down against Guardiola’s Manchester City was dangerous enough already, and so the Brazilian side began stepping forward more aggressively, committing extra bodies higher up the pitch whenever they regained possession.

Naturally, spaces started opening everywhere.

It suited City perfectly.

Arias and Fuentes pushed higher up the flanks while Martinelli and Bernal tried to support attacks quicker, but every time possession turned over, there were massive channels left behind for City to attack.

In the fifty-eighth minute, Fluminense produced one of their better attacking moves of the game. Xavier combined neatly with Arias down the right before slipping a pass into Germán Cano near the edge of the area. The striker turned quickly and fired a low shot toward goal, but it lacked power.

Ederson collected it comfortably.

And instantly launched the counterattack.

Without even allowing Fluminense to reset their shape, the Brazilian goalkeeper sprinted forward and hurled a long throw toward the left touchline where Jeremy Doku was already accelerating.

The Belgian brought it under control at full speed.

Xavier immediately rushed across to confront him while Ignácio slid over as cover behind, trying to trap him near the sideline.

It did not matter.

Doku burst forward anyway.

The crowd rose in anticipation as his touches became faster and faster, driving directly at the retreating defenders. Then, from deeper inside the pitch, Aït-Nouri exploded into an underlapping run between Xavier and Ignácio, giving Doku another option.

The moment Doku spotted the movement, he slipped the pass perfectly into the space ahead of him.

Aït-Nouri reached the ball just inside the area.

Immediately, chaos followed.

Martinelli sprinted across toward him while Thiago Silva also stepped out, wary of the danger developing near the byline. Bernal and Freytes, meanwhile, were entirely focused on Erling Haaland, who had positioned himself near the penalty spot like a gravitational force pulling defenders toward him.

Haaland even pointed angrily toward his feet, already expecting the inevitable cutback.

But Aït-Nouri never looked at him.

With his very first touch, the Algerian lifted the ball delicately toward the back post.

Everything slowed for a second.

Thiago Silva twisted around too late.

Fábio hesitated between coming off his line or staying rooted to it.

And arriving at full speed from outside the box came Lukas Brandt.

Nonato, who had been tracking him moments earlier, had completely lost him during the transition. By the time he realized where Lukas had gone, it was already over.

Lukas launched himself forward.

THUD!

His diving header powered violently across goal and into the net before Fábio could react.

"GOALLL! Manchester City double their lead!"

The City supporters exploded.

Lukas slid across the grass on his knees near the corner flag while Doku sprinted toward him laughing wildly, followed immediately by Haaland, who grabbed him around the shoulders and shouted something directly into his face over the noise of the stadium.

Pep Guardiola stood near the touchline with both hands on his hips, smiling broadly.

A goal and an assist.

On his first start in midfield.

Against South American opposition known for technical quality and tactical discipline.

And Lukas arriving late into the box completely untracked before burying the header.

"That," the commentator said as the replay rolled again, "is elite attacking midfield movement. He starts the action outside the box, disappears from his marker completely, and attacks the space at exactly the right moment."

The game effectively died after that second goal.

Fluminense still tried to fight back, pushed on by the relentless noise of their supporters, but City now had complete control over the rhythm of the match. Rodri dictated possession calmly while Bernardo Silva endlessly recycled passing triangles around tired Brazilian legs.

Lukas continued causing problems whenever he received between the lines.

One sequence in the 64th minute even drew applause from Guardiola himself after Lukas escaped pressure from two midfielders with a spinning touch before threading a pass through toward Doku that nearly resulted in another goal.

By the 68th minute, Pep finally decided enough was enough.

The fourth official raised the board.

"Number 10, Rayan Cherki, on for number 17, Lukas Brandt."

The entire stadium applauded as Lukas jogged toward the sideline.

Even sections of neutral supporters stood to clap.

A goal.

An assist.

Relentless work in midfield.

An unforgettable first start.

Lukas clapped toward the fans on all sides of the stadium while sweat dripped from his hair and neck in the Florida heat. As soon as he reached the touchline, Pep Guardiola wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him into a brief hug before tapping him twice on the side of the head.

The manager was smiling the entire time.

Not the restrained tactical smile he sometimes gave after a good sequence.

A genuine smile.

The kind that appeared when a coach realized a player understood exactly what he wanted.

Up in the stands, Javi, Joanna, and João were already on their feet applauding along with the rest of the Manchester City supporters as Lukas made his way toward the sideline after his substitution. The giant stadium screens briefly showed him clapping toward the fans, sweat dripping down his face after a brilliant performance, and the applause only grew louder.

João had his phone raised, recording everything with a grin that he was not even trying to hide.

"I still can’t believe this guy is actually out there playing with Bernardo Silva, Rodri, and Erling Haaland," João said while shaking his head in disbelief. "Like... this is real life now."

Joanna laughed softly beside him as she continued clapping toward the pitch. "You better train harder then," she teased. "Maybe you’ll catch up soon."

João scoffed dramatically without lowering the phone from his hand. "Of course I will. Gotta trust me."

Javi chuckled from beside them, arms folded as he watched Lukas exchange a hug with Guardiola near the touchline. Even he still found moments like this surreal sometimes. Just a little over a year ago, Lukas had still been a boy trying to prove himself at Frankfurt, and now entire stadiums were rising to applaud him in a Manchester City shirt.

And somehow, it still looked like he was only getting started.

Lukas dropped onto the bench beside Reijnders, still breathing heavily, while the crowd continued applauding him.

The game looked like it was drifting off into a routine end and 2-0 win for City, but then, Fluminese had to have a say in how Manchester City’s season would start.

A/N: This Chapter is sponsored by Arthur. Great thanks for the tip, although I know I’m massively late.

Your support is deeply appreciated.

-Writ. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

P.S.: I’M NO LONGER SINGLE GUYS!!

I used to pray for... times like this.