Harbinger Of Glory

Leo stepped onto the pitch, and Carlo followed a second later, but no action could be seen from the opposing technical box.

”Wigan have made their changes,” the commentator said. ”Calderon is back on, and Carlo Regutti returns from suspension. Dawson clearly feels this is the moment to regain some control.”

Despite the changes, the formation remained a 4-4-2.

Leo moved into the position beside Reyes before dropping deeper and immediately looking for the ball.

It took longer than he would have liked.

Newcastle were still pressing aggressively, and for the first few minutes Leo barely had a chance to settle.

Whenever Wigan recovered possession, the nearest Newcastle player was already closing down the receiver, forcing the ball elsewhere before Leo could become involved.

And it wasn’t until five minutes had passed that the ball finally came his way.

Dan Burn won a clearance near the Newcastle penalty area and sent it back upfield, and the ball travelled towards Leo, or where he stood generally.

”Now Calderon has a chance to get involved,” the commentary came through as Leo moved towards it, but the pressure arrived at the same time.

He tried to take the ball under control, but he had perhaps mistimed it because it was too heavy.

The touch carried the ball away from him and left it bouncing loose between the two sides.

”That’s not what he wanted,” the commentary judged as Leo reacted immediately, trying to correct his mistake before Newcastle could take advantage, but he was a tad bit late.

Joelinton got there first and with the strength that he was known for, the Brazilian stepped across Leo and shouldered him away from the ball.

Leo stumbled and fell, but he didn’t stay down for long.

He pushed himself back up almost immediately, already turning towards the play.

But by the time he got to his feet, Joelinton had sent a teasing ball into the penalty area.

”It’s Joelinton with the delivery!”

Whatmough tracked the ball as much as he could, and lunged to head the ball away, but he missed and right behind him was Aleksander Isak.

The Swede, with ease, got his chest to the ball, cushioning it just enough to bring it into his path before striking the volley.

Amos, seeing this, sprang out instantly, looking to cover all the shooting angles, but by the time Isak’s leg came through on the volley, it was already too late.

”IT’S ISAAAAKKK,” the commentators roared as the ball flew past Ben Amos and then smashed into the back of the net.

”GOOAAAAAAAL!”

St James’ Park erupted as Isak rose to his feet.

The Newcastle players raced towards the corner, arms raised as the home supporters celebrated around them, and the man in question, Isak, was quickly surrounded, with Gordon and Bruno among the first to reach him.

”Newcastle have their equaliser, and after all that pressure, it had been coming. It’s equal here at the St. James Park.”

The co-commentator picked up immediately.

”And you have to look at Calderon there. He was trying to get himself involved, but that first touch let him down. Joelinton was able to win it, Newcastle turned the loose ball into an attack, and Isak has punished them.”

As the two spoke, the broadcast camera found Leo, who was looking guilty as ever, and the co-commentator didn’t let it go.

”Leo knows it. It might have been a good attack by Newcastle, but he knows, even if they won’t say it, that he started the attack for them.”

Leo lowered his head for a moment before turning back towards his own half.

There was no complaint, no attempt to blame the pressure or the challenge.

He simply jogged back as Newcastle’s players finished celebrating.

The referee stared the home side into repositioning themselves in their respective half, and it didn’t take long after that for the match to restart.

From the touchline, both Dawson and Newcastle’s manager were now constantly involved.

Instructions were being shouted from both technical areas, players were being moved a few yards here and a few yards there, and every time one side tried to gain an advantage, the other responded.

The result was a game that became increasingly difficult to open up.

Newcastle no longer attacked with the same freedom they had shown immediately after the break, while Wigan were unwilling to commit too many players forward and leave space behind them.

The match settled into a stalemate, until, like always when it mattered, Leo found an opening.

He received the ball near the right side of Newcastle’s midfield with Newcastle’s full-back closing him down.

But rather than trying to turn inside, Leo shifted the ball onto his weaker left foot and slipped a pass around the defender into the space where Carlo was already moving.

”Calderon has found Regutti! Talk about Italian telepathy!”

Carlo reached the ball first but then chopped back onto his right foot and pushed it forward before sliding a pass towards Reyes.

Bruno Guimarães had returned towards the play and tried to intercept, but Reyes got there first with his left foot; he scooped the ball onto his stronger right foot and took a quick touch.

Then before any of the Newcastle players could close in on him, he curled an effort from outside the box and towards the far corner.

”AND HE’S GONE FOR IT!”

The ball flew from Reyes’s feet and got past the Newcastle bodies that were trying to throw themselves into the path of the ball, though it was all for nought.

The Newcastle goalkeeper, however, stretched at full length and managed to get enough of a hand to the ball to push it beyond the post.

”Oh, that is some save. That is a brilliant save from Pope!”

The home supporters rose almost as one, putting their hands together heavily as Pope landed heavily, then quickly got back to his feet.

”That looked like it was going in,” the commentator added. ”Reyes has caught that beautifully, but Pope has read it all the way.”