"Tweet! Tweet!"
"Tweeeet!"
With two short blasts followed by one long one from the referee's whistle, the thirty minutes of extra time came to an end.
The match was going to a penalty shootout.
After Leon's last-gasp equaliser, the ninety minutes had already been up from the moment Barcelona B kicked off again.
Throughout extra time, both sides played with extreme caution, and not a single shot found the frame of the goal.
Leon allowed himself a small sigh of relief.
The one-on-one save card was not a penalty save card.
In open play, Leon's ability was simply not enough to withstand Barcelona B's relentless bombardment and keep his goal intact.
Penalty shootout!
The home supporters in the stands tensed up all over again.
From 0-2 down to 2-2 level.
If they were to fall at the penalty shootout after all that, it would be something very hard to accept.
"Can Leon do it?"
"Of course he can! He's been in such good form tonight!"
"Leon! Come on!"
Without quite realising it, the Leoia supporters had already changed the way they referred to Leon.
For a goalkeeper, a penalty shootout was essentially a lottery.
Only if you happened to dive the right way did you stand any chance of making the save.
Beyond that, all you could do was hope the taker failed to keep the ball on target.
This shootout was no different.
Leoia kicked first, and all five penalties were converted.
Barcelona B, kicking second, had also scored four.
Leon had done his best to read the direction, but had dived the wrong way three times.
Once he had dived correctly but never got near the ball.
Now, in the standard five-kick shootout, only Barcelona B's final penalty remained.
If Barcelona B scored this one, the two sides would go into sudden death.
The man stepping up to take the last kick was Mari Dongou.
Despite squandering two one-on-ones in the match, Mari Dongou remained Barcelona B's most dangerous striker.
The pressure had clearly shifted squarely onto his shoulders.
The home supporters all willed Leon to save this penalty and end the match.
Mari Dongou stepped up to the spot, picked up the ball and turned it in his hands, then placed it back down on the mark.
'System! Select and use the [Penalty Save Experience Card], apply it to myself!'
Leon said the words quietly in his mind.
Using both [Random Experience Cards] from the system reward in a single match was costly, but as long as it brought victory, every bit of it would be worth it.
The moment the [Penalty Save Experience Card] was activated, Leon's entire perception shifted.
When he looked at Mari Dongou again, he felt as though his opponent's every next move was already within his read.
He was going to his right.
Leon looked straight at Mari Dongou and pointed to the right side of the goal.
"Whoa! What is Leon doing? Mind games?"
Leon's gesture clearly sent another ripple of excitement through the stands.
Mari Dongou felt a bead of sweat break out on his forehead.
'Left or right?'
'Left or right?'
"Thud!"
Mari Dongou completed his run-up and struck the ball with real power.
To the right side of the goal.
Leon launched himself in a single explosive burst, stretching his entire body out flat in mid-air.
Leon felt an energy surge through him far beyond anything he could normally produce, and pulled the ball clean into his hands.
This was the second time in the match that Leon had caught a shot from Mari Dongou directly in his hands.
"Bloody hell! He did it again?"
"Unbelievable!"
Saving a penalty was one thing, but catching it cleanly in both hands was another matter entirely.
The visual effect was simply stunning.
"We've won!"
"We've won!"
Leoia's players charged towards Leon in a frenzy.
Mari Dongou dropped to his knees on the spot.
His mental composure had completely shattered.
In the second round of the Copa del Rey, Leoia defeated the formidable Barcelona B of the Segunda División on penalties.
They advanced to the next round, the last thirty-two.
Sarria Stadium, which held a mere two thousand supporters, had become an ocean of pure joy.
Leoia's players went on a lap of honour, smiling and waving to the home supporters.
Leon, as ever, kept his head down from habit.
"Hey! Head up!"
Hachim Mastour clapped Leon on the shoulder and said with a grin.
"You're the hero of this match!"
"Listen!"
Hachim Mastour pointed up at the supporters in the stands.
"Leon! Leon! Leon!"
In the stands, the Leoia supporters began chanting his name in perfect unison.
Leon raised his head, a faint smile crossing his face, and gave the supporters an unsteady wave.
"Leon! I'm a fan now! Keep it up!"
"Leon! I'm sorry for the stick I gave you before! You were brilliant tonight!"
"Leon! Keep playing like that!"
Seeing Leon wave up at the stands only drove the home supporters to cheer even louder.
From this moment on, everything was going to be different.
Sitting in the stands watching the match, first-choice goalkeeper Ituniotz was already trembling.
Good grief.
His place as the starting goalkeeper was in serious danger.
'Ding! Congratulations, Host, on completing the mission [Win the Match]!'
'Ding! Mission reward: 100 System Points!'
'Ding! Match settlement! Two one-on-one saves at 10 points each, plus one penalty save at 20 points, one goal scored at 10 points, match victory at 10 points. Total System Points earned: 60.'