The Champions League semi final
Two legs
One shot at the final
The kind of match that writes legends
Cristiano stood in the tunnel
Eyes shut
Breathing slow
Outside the crowd was roaring
Inside he was silent
First leg was away
Hostile
Cold
Fans throwing insults
Whistles so loud they shook the pitch
Cristiano smiled
This is where greatness grows
The match was brutal
Tackles flying
Midfield packed
No space to breathe
But he carved it
One run
One fake
One pass that split the defense like glass
Assist
He didn't score
But his fingerprints were on everything
Every attack
Every threat
Every heartbeat
When the whistle blew
It ended 1–1
Job not finished
But the edge was theirs
Back in Manchester
The city buzzed
Fans couldn't talk about anything else
Banners flew
Kids wore number 7 on their backs with pride
Cristiano didn't hear the noise
He blocked it all out
The only sound in his head was the ball bouncing
Over and over
Over and over
The second leg came fast
Rain fell like drums
The pitch slick
The pressure thick
Sir Alex gave one sentence in the dressing room
Go take what you came for
From the first second
Cristiano pressed
Ran
Screamed
Not angry
Focused
He didn't score in the first half
But he kept pushing
Pulling defenders
Creating chaos
Second half
Minute 67
Free kick just outside the box
He placed the ball
Stepped back
Looked up
Silence
Then the run
Boom
Ball dipped over the wall
Straight into the net
The stadium erupted
He didn't celebrate wild
Just raised a fist
Eyes burning
That goal meant final
The rest of the match was a blur
United held strong
The whistle blew
Finalists
Cristiano dropped to his knees
Not in tears
Not in relief
In focus
Because he knew
The job wasn't done
The dream was one step away