On the pitch, the Apex players were buzzing with a newfound, glorious confidence.

"He's following you like a lost puppy, Emre!" Jonathan Rowe cackled, as Marcus Thorne dutifully trailed the young Turkish midfielder into an inoffensive position on the wing.

"Keep dragging him out there!" Grant Hanley's voice was a triumphant roar from the back. "He's useless to them as a left-back!"

The half-time whistle blew on a 2-1 scoreline that felt like a tactical checkmate.

The Apex dressing room was a hive of joyous, controlled energy.

"Gaffer, that was... that was genius," Kenny McLean said, shaking his head in a state of profound, professional admiration. "Using their best player against them. I've never seen anything like it."

Ethan just grinned, a feeling of deep, satisfying pride washing over him. "It only worked because you lot executed it perfectly. But don't get complacent. They will change things. Their manager is smart, and more importantly, Marcus Thorne is a legend. A legend with a bruised ego. He is going to come out for the second half like a man possessed. Be ready for it."

Across the corridor, the Derby County dressing room was a morgue.

The manager was in a silent, cold fury.

And in the center of it all, Marcus Thorne sat, his face a mask of thunderous rage.

He was one of the greatest strikers of his generation, and he had just been made to look like a fool by a couple of kids.

The professional in him had been humiliated.

The second half began, and the atmosphere in the stadium had changed.

The confident roar of the home fans was gone, replaced by a tense, nervous energy.

And on the pitch, Derby County was a different animal.

The patient, tactical game was gone. This was personal.

Tackles flew in with a new, vicious intensity.

It was clear the Derby players were under instructions to leave their mark on the young Apex side.

"And the second half has started with a real, fiery intensity!" the commentator's voice crackled. "Derby County are playing with a wounded pride! The tackles are flying in, and the referee is having a hard time keeping a lid on this!"

But Apex, a team that had been forged in the fires of chaotic comebacks and gritty defensive stands, did not buckle.

They gave as good as they got. Grant Hanley and James McCarthy were a wall at the back, winning every header, making every tackle.

The game was a tense, brutal stalemate. Until the 62nd minute.

The ball broke to Marcus Thorne just inside the Apex half.

For the entire game, he had been a shadow, a tactical pawn. Now, the legend decided to remind the world who he was.

He received the ball, dropped his shoulder, and with a burst of acceleration that defied his age, he was past Kenny McLean. He drove at the heart of the defense.

Ben Gibson came across to challenge, but Thorne did a perfect 'Cruyff turn', sending the defender sliding into another dimension.

He was now on the edge of the box. Grant Hanley, the captain, came out to meet him.

Thorne feinted to shoot, Hanley went to ground to block it, and Thorne just calmly, effortlessly, dribbled around him.

He was one-on-one with Angus Gunn.

The keeper rushed out, a brave but futile gesture.

Thorne just rolled his studs over the ball, gliding past the sprawling keeper with an arrogant, beautiful ease, and passed the ball into the empty net.

It was a goal of such breathtaking, individual brilliance that the entire stadium, both home and away fans, rose to its feet in a standing ovation.

2-2.

"OH, MY WORD! MARCUS THORNE! THAT IS WHY HE IS A LEGEND!" the commentator screamed, his voice hoarse with a mixture of shock and awe.

"HE HAS JUST DRIBBLED THROUGH THE ENTIRE APEX UNITED TEAM! A GOAL OF PURE, UNADULTERATED GENIUS! He has single-handedly dragged his team back into this match! An unforgettable, unbelievable goal!"

The Apex players just stood there, their mouths agape.

They had just been dismantled by a living legend.

The tactical plan, the clever tricks... it was all useless in the face of such overwhelming, god-tier talent.

And Thorne wasn't done.

The goal had sent a jolt of pure, unadulterated belief through the Derby team.

In the 70th minute, they won a corner. The ball was whipped into the box.

It was headed clear, but only to the edge of the area.

A Derby midfielder hit a blistering volley. It was blocked.

The ball ricocheted high into the air, a chaotic, looping pinball in the packed penalty area.

The players on the pitch all looked up, tracking the ball's descent. And in that moment, time seemed to slow down.

Marcus Thorne, his back to goal, saw his chance.

As the ball dropped, he moved into position, took off, and with a display of agility, power, and technique that was simply not human, he launched himself into the air and connected with a perfect, thunderous, unstoppable bicycle kick.

The ball flew like a cannonball, a blur of white against the green, and smashed into the top corner of the net.

The stadium exploded.

It was a goal of such impossible, audacious, and beautiful violence that it broke the very concept of football.

3-2 to Derby County.

"I... I... I QUIT!" the commentator shrieked, his voice now just a series of happy, hysterical sobs.

"I QUIT! FOOTBALL HAS BEEN COMPLETED! MARCUS THORNE HAS JUST SCORED A BICYCLE KICK TO COMPLETE THE COMEBACK! I have never seen anything like it! The greatest goal I have ever seen, from the greatest player on this pitch! It is 3-2, and that is surely, surely, the greatest comeback in the history of this grand old competition!"

Ethan just stood on the sideline, a slow, disbelieving smile spreading across his face. He wasn't even angry.

He was just... in awe.

He had been beaten.

Not by a system, not by a tactic, but by a legend. By a single, unstoppable force of nature.

His players were on their knees, not with despair, but with a kind of profound, respectful shock. They had just been a witness to history.

As the Derby players celebrated, a final, clinical, blue-colored notification appeared in Ethan's vision. It wasn't a reward. It was a lesson.

[SYSTEM ALERT: 'Legend' Trait Activated]

[Player 'Marcus Thorne' has entered a 'Takeover' state. For a temporary period, all of his individual attributes are increased by +10. Your team is currently experiencing a 'Fear' debuff.]

Ethan looked at the notification, then at the celebrating legend on the pitch.

And he just started to laugh.

Of course, he had a 'Legend' trait. Of course, he did.

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