[75'.]
Aviero on for Eze. The Holmesdale stood for Eze the way they stood for the players they had decided were going to be legends here in five years.
Eze came past me on the touchline. Touched my hand on the way past.
Aviero into the ten. Eighteen years old. On for the rest of the European semi-final first leg in front of twenty-five thousand at Selhurst Park with three goals on the board. He had not changed expression in nine months. He did not change it now.
On the bench behind me Pato turned to James and said something in Spanish. James grinned. The two of them were a metre apart on the bench in their tracksuits, both Real Madrid men, both loaned to a Premier League side that had just gone three-nil up in a European semi-final first leg, and they were laughing in Spanish at something the home crowd would never hear.
[81'.]
Wilf came off for Bowen.
