Chapter 666 Calls Of Distress! [Monthly Bonus]

As the clock approached seventy minutes, Henderson found himself surrounded.

He had received a pass with his back towards City’s goal, but Bernardo was already closing from one side.

De Bruyne moved in from the other, while Rodri blocked the passing lane ahead.

Henderson tried to turn out of the pressure, but there was nowhere to go.

Leo saw it and moved towards the space beside the captain, giving him an immediate passing option.

Henderson managed to slip the ball into his path just before De Bruyne could close the gap, but the Belgian immediately changed direction.

He had read the pass and stepped forward to press Leo, expecting him to take the ball across his body.

Leo received on the turn and, with his premonition correct, De Bruyne lunged.

But instead of carrying the ball forward, Leo redirected it backwards with one touch, sending it through the space De Bruyne had just abandoned.

The Belgian’s momentum carried him beyond the ball and by then, Leo had already turned away.

By the time De Bruyne recovered his footing, the Wigan midfielder was accelerating into the space ahead.

"Calderon gets away from De Bruyne! Lovely turn from the Wigan number eight!"

Leo pushed the ball forward and looked towards Reyes.

The midfielder had moved into the channel, and Leo slipped a pass into his feet, but Reyes returned it first time, allowing Leo to continue his run without breaking stride.

"Here’s Leo again! Wigan beginning to find something here!"

Before Leo could make use of the break, Rodri stepped across his path.

The Spaniard was positioned perfectly, with one eye on the ball and the other on the space behind him.

There was little room to pass through, and trying to take him on directly would have been difficult, so Leo slowed.

For a moment, it looked as though Wigan would have to start again.

But he wasn’t particularly interested in backing down.

And so without warning, or anything suggesting his next action, Leo nudged the ball into position, lifted his head and struck from outside the box.

"CALDERON, LET’S ONE FLY!"

The sudden shot flew through the space between the defenders.

Ortega watched it travel, shifting his weight as the ball rose towards the goal, but it kept climbing and passed just over the crossbar by inches.

"OH, THAT WAS CLOSE! Leo Calderon nearly caught Ortega out from distance!"

The Wigan supporters applauded, with several rising from their seats.

Leo, though, winced and jogged away from the shooting position, shaking his head at the narrow miss.

Across the pitch, Pep Guardiola looked furious.

He turned towards his players and gestured sharply, demanding to know why nobody had stepped out to close Leo down.

Rodri looked towards him, while De Bruyne briefly glanced back at the space from which the shot had been taken.

"You said not to press him recklessly," Rodri muttered with a wry scoff as he glanced at his manager.

City restarted after that, but Leo had begun to change the rhythm of the game.

Whenever City tried to build through midfield, he was there to disrupt the passing lanes.

He followed the ball rather than chasing individual players, cutting off the easy options and forcing City to move possession towards the touchlines.

De Bruyne tried dropping deeper to collect, but Leo followed the movement and made the Belgian play backwards.

Rodri attempted to switch the play quickly, only for Leo to step across the intended route.

On another occasion, he pressed Nunes into rushing a pass that Henderson intercepted and slowly, Wigan began to grow into the game.

Their passes became quicker.

Reyes started finding more freedom between the lines, while Carlo and Ezra pushed higher on either flank.

City were still dangerous, but they were no longer enjoying the same comfort in possession.

Then, near the seventy-eighth minute, the ball found its way towards the left touchline.

McClean was battling Bernardo Silva for possession with the two men leaning into each other as the ball threatened to roll out of play.

Bernardo tried to use his body to shield it, but McClean refused to let him.

He stretched out a foot and managed to lift the ball away from the City captain, sending it towards the centre of the pitch.

And Leo was already on it.

The ball dropped towards him, and for a moment, it looked as though he intended to lift it over the defender behind him.

De Bruyne was closing from his back and Leo raised his leg.

But rather than flicking the ball over him, he cushioned it onto his stronger right foot, taking it away from the Belgian’s reach.

Leo took advantage of the little gap to look up.

He saw Kyle Walker was positioned ahead of him, covering the space towards the right flank.

But he also saw Carlo had already started moving beyond the fullback, recognising the opening, and Leo didn’t hesitate.

He drove a low pass through the narrow gap beside Walker, sending it directly into Carlo’s path.

"That’s a brilliant pass! Carlo is away!"

The Italian collected it in stride and pushed towards the penalty area all while Leo followed.

Amidst the crowd urging him on, Carlo carried the ball towards the right side of the box, cutting inside as Walker recovered and tried to get across him.

The two came together just before Carlo could get another touch, and instantly Walker caught his legs, sending Carlo face first into the grass.

And the referee’s whistle sounded a second later.

"THAT’S A TRICKY POSITION. CARLO’S GONE DOWN, AND WIGAN WANT A PENALTY!"

Hearing the calls from the home fans, Walker immediately turned towards the official, shaking his head and wagging a finger.

"No, no! I got the ball! And how is that even a penalty!"

Leo arrived at the scene a second later, where Carlo was sitting on the turf, adjusting his boot after the challenge.

Leo looked down at him and smiled.

"Good job."

After that, he offered a hand and helped him back to his feet.