Ekitike was already moving, already attacking the space behind the high line, timing it as Romero stepped up and van de Ven shifted across.
The pass came instantly.
Clean.
Weighted perfectly.
Split between the defenders.
"That's a brilliant ball!" Fletcher called.
Ekitike was onto it.
First to it.
Van de Ven turned and chased, stretching every stride to recover, while Romero scrambled across to cover.
But Ekitike had the advantage.
He drove forward, one-on-one, the ball slightly ahead of him as he approached the box.
Vicario rushed out, narrowing the angle, making himself big.
Van de Ven lunged from the side.
Full commitment.
But Ekitike got there first.
He poked it through—
through the goalkeeper's legs—
and the ball rolled into the net.
"HE'S SCORED—!" Fletcher roared.
