CHAPTER 152: KICK OFF

"Please don’t scare me like that next time," Lukas said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Really, though, how are you feeling tonight?" he asked, worried.

"I am feeling better. Especially after teasing you," she replied.

Lukas lay on his bed, phone pressed to his ear, the dim yellow light from the bedside lamp soft against his face. The room was quiet except for the faint hum of the air vent and the occasional murmur of traffic below. Joanna’s laughter faded into a sigh on the other end of the line.

"So how do you feel?" she asked softly. "Before your debut, I mean."

Lukas smiled faintly, running a hand through his hair. "Honestly? I don’t even know if I’ll play. There’s so much talent in this squad, and it’s Italy we’re facing. I might just be watching from the bench."

"You’ll play," Joanna said, her voice warm and certain. "Even if you don’t, I’m proud of you. You’ve worked so hard for this, Lukas. Six months ago, you were playing in front of a few thousand people. Now the whole world’s watching."

He closed his eyes, a quiet breath leaving him. "Thanks, Jo. That means a lot."

"I’ll be watching tomorrow," she said. "You better smile at the camera when they show you."

He chuckled. "You’re crazy."

"Crazy for you. Now go sleep, Superstar."

Just as they were saying their goodbyes, the door creaked open. Musiala stepped in, towel slung around his neck. He raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Ah, so that’s the secret. A girlfriend, huh?"

Lukas put his phone down and grinned. "Guilty as charged. Don’t tell me you don’t have one."

Musiala hesitated, scratching his head. "I mean... I might."

"Might?" Lukas asked, leaning forward. "So there is someone."

"Maybe," Musiala replied slyly, walking toward his bed.

"Name?"

Musiala grabbed his pillow and threw it lightly at him. "Not telling. You didn’t tell me yours."

Lukas laughed. "Touché."

For a moment, there was a comfortable silence as Musiala sat by his bed, scrolling through his phone. Then, with a smirk, he said, "You know, you’d look good in red."

"Red?" Lukas asked, feigning ignorance.

"Bayern red. Come on, you and I on the same team again. Kompany’s building something special. You’d fit right in."

Lukas chuckled. "I didn’t realize you were an agent," Lukas teased.

"Well, I am a man of many talents. Or so they say," Musiala replied.

Lukas chucked and looked at him for a brief moment. "You realize we play the same position, right? One of us would have to sit."

"Anything for my club," Musiala said, grinning. "I’m sure Kompany would find a way. Just like Nagelsmann will tomorrow."

Lukas shook his head with a smile. "I’ll think about it."

Musiala laughed, tossing his phone aside. "So, nervous?"

"Maybe a little," Lukas admitted. "It’s the San Siro. You can’t not feel something."

"You’ll be fine. Just do what you always do — make everyone else look like they’re moving in slow motion."

They both laughed quietly. The lights dimmed soon after, the room falling into stillness. Lukas lay awake for a few minutes longer, staring at the ceiling, his mind calm but alert.

Tomorrow could change everything.

And he was ready for whatever came next.

* * *

The San Siro stood under the floodlights like a cathedral of football.

Sixty thousand fans packed the historic arena, their voices merging into a thunderous hum that rolled across the tiers. The green, white, and red of the Italian flag rippled proudly across one end, while a smaller section of travelling German fans in black, red, and gold waved their flags and sang their chants with defiance. The night sky above Milan glowed faintly orange, heavy with anticipation.

The pitch below was immaculate — freshly watered, glistening under the lights. Every step players took seemed to echo the weight of the occasion. It wasn’t just another match. It was the UEFA Nations League Quarterfinals — first leg.

"This stadium is electric," João said as he adjusted himself on the couch and threw some popcorn in his mouth.

"Don’t chew so loudly," Joanna said as she tried to increase the volume on the TV in his room.

"Bruh, leave if you’re gonna complain all night. No one’s forcing you to be here. By the way, aren’t you supposed to be sick or something? That was just an excuse to get out of chores yesterday, right? I knew it!"

"I don’t have the strength to go back and forth with you this night, João. Let’s watch the match in peace, please."

João looked at his twin sister who was clearly not in the mood for his jokes and gently pushed the bowl with the popcorn in it towards her side of the table.

No words were exchanged as Joanna reached for the bowl and took a handful of the snack.

It was a family watch-along session of Italy vs Germany.

...Well, not really.

Their parents, Carlos and Sofia, were watching Portugal vs Denmark in the sitting room. As they were Portuguese. But João and Joanna insisted on watching Lukas make his debut so they decided to have their own watching session in João’s room.

The broadcast cut to the booth where the commentator’s screen was showing the footage from the skyline on the pitch.

"Good evening, everyone, and welcome to a packed San Siro Stadium in Milan!" said lead commentator Derek Rae, his voice brimming with energy. "It’s a mouth-watering matchup tonight — Italy versus Germany — two of Europe’s footballing giants, colliding once again under the lights."

Beside him, co-commentator Lee Dixon chimed in. "Yes, Derek, this is as classic as it gets. You can feel the tension in the air. Both teams are loaded with talent, both are chasing a place in the semifinals, and this place: it’s absolutely electric."

The cameras panned over the sea of Italian supporters waving scarves, then down to the tunnel, where players stood ready to walk out.

"Let’s take a look at the starting lineups," Derek continued.

The animations came up on the screen.

ITALY (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Captain)

Defenders: Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Alessandro Bastoni, Riccardo Calafiori, Destiny Udogie

Midfielders: Nicolo Barella, Nicolò Rovella, Sandro Tonali

Forwards: Matteo Politano, Moise Kean, Giacomo Raspadori

"Luciano Spalletti going with a strong lineup tonight," Lee noted. "Tonali and Barella will run that midfield, and they’ll need to, because this German side is full of players who love to dominate possession."

GERMANY (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Oliver Baumann

Defenders: Joshua Kimmich, Jonathan Tah, Antonio Rüdiger, David Raum

Midfielders: Pascal Groß, Leon Goretzka

Attacking Midfielders: Leroy Sané, Jamal Musiala, Karim Adeyemi

Striker: Jonathan Burkardt

"Julian Nagelsmann has stuck with the core group that impressed in the last window," Derek said. "And it’s an interesting setup: Goretzka and Groß offering balance, while Adeyemi, Sané and Musiala will look to unlock that Italian defense."

"And don’t forget about the bench," Lee added. "There’s plenty of firepower there. Kleindienst, Undav... and of course, the name on everyone’s lips — Lukas Brandt. The 16-year-old prodigy making his first senior call-up for Germany tonight. He starts on the bench, which isn’t unusual, but what a moment for him."

The camera cut sharply to the touchline, where Lukas stood near the bench in his warm-up jacket, his expression calm but eyes focused. His right hand rested over his chest as the opening notes of "Das Lied der Deutschen" — the German national anthem — filled the air.

Around him, the squad sang in unison. Behind them, the traveling German fans belted out every word with pride, their flags waving in rhythm with the anthem.

Lukas’s gaze was fixed forward; the stadium lights reflecting in his eyes, the enormity of the moment settling quietly over him.

For the first time in his young career, he was standing among Germany’s finest, in one of football’s most iconic arenas, about to witness, and perhaps soon join, history.

"Pffft!" João couldn’t hold back his laughter as the broadcast lingered on Lukas’s face. "Look at him trying to stay composed."

Joanna did not say a word as she continued watching, a smile tugging on her lips as she continued her tradition of sneakily recording Lukas whenever he came up on screen.

Meanwhile on the pitch, Lukas was completely oblivious to what was going on back in Germany, his mind was completely engrossed in the game as Sané kicked off the game for Germany.

And right from kick-off, even in the middle of the spring night, the animosity from the Italian crowd was as clear as a summer day.

The crowd jeered as the German players passed the ball around in their own half while the Italians pressed measuredly. As more time passed with German possession, the boos and whistles got even louder.

Nagelsmann’s team did not let that deter them, though. They already knew what kind of atmosphere they were getting into and they retained possession in the early stages.

A side pass from Tah to Rudiger and a long ball from the Real Madrid defender down the flank was chased down by Adeyemi who got there before Di Lorenzo.

Adeyemi’s cross into the box, however, was blocked by the defender as the ball spun away for the first corner of the night.

The German bench, including Lukas, clapped at the chance as Raum jogged to the corner flag to take the first corner of the game.

It was a good start to the half, but Germany would end it trailing.