The final whistle had fallen like a hammer.Germany 3 — Argentina 2.
Victory was Germany's.The dream of Argentina was broken.
On the field, emotions swirled.
Argentina: Two Faces
Many Argentine players collapsed in devastation.Some cried.Some screamed into their jerseys.
But others—like Nico Rivas—stood tall, furious, burning with hatred.
His eyes locked on Mateo across the field.Pure venom.
Cold promises.
"This isn't over," his gaze seemed to say.
Mateo met that glare with calm indifference.
There was nothing more Nico could take from him.
Nothing left to fear.
But not all was anger.
As the teams prepared to leave the field,one figure broke away from the pack:
Valentín Cabrera —Argentina's talented young striker.
He approached Mateo, hand extended.
Mateo blinked in surprise, then accepted it.
Cabrera's handshake was firm, sincere.
"You were incredible," Cabrera said, voice raw with emotion.
"I feel ashamed we lost you.If I had been there for the friendlies...what happened wouldn't have happened."
He smiled sadly.
"But what's done is done.Good luck, González.You deserve it."
Without hesitation, they exchanged jerseys —a silent pact of respect in the middle of a battlefield.
Mateo tucked Cabrera's jersey under his arm carefully,almost reverently.
Return to the Locker Room
As he entered the German locker room,a wall of sound hit him:
Cheers.Shouts.Laughter.
His teammates rushed toward him,hugging, patting him on the back.
Even Lukas, suspended but allowed to rejoin them after the win, was there —smiling wide despite the bruises on his knuckles.
Jonas shouted:
"ALL HAIL OUR HERO—"
But before he could finish,Mateo raised his hands, shaking his head.
He looked around at every face, every teammate,and then pointed directly at Lukas.
"The real hero today... is him," Mateo said, voice cracking slightly.
Silence.
And then—
An explosion of cheers.
Players surged toward Lukas, lifting him onto their shoulders, chanting:
"Lukas! Lukas! Unser Löwe!"(Our Lion!)
Lukas laughed helplessly, tears brightening his eyes.
Mateo clapped along, heart full.
They had survived together.
They had fought together.
Meanwhile, In the Outside World
Across Germany,screens lit up with headlines:
Bild: "González: Heart and Legend in Santiago!"
Kicker: "One Hero, One Lion: González and Lukas, Immortalized."
Der Spiegel: "The Night Germany Claimed Its Future."
In Argentina,the media was in chaos:
Olé: "The Traitor Who Shattered Our Dreams."
TyC Sports: "Mateo González: Our Greatest Mistake."
Fans divided brutally between regret and anger.
Mateo's name was no longer just known.
It was engraved in history.
System Notification (Pending)
Inside his mind, the System patiently pulsed:
[Legendary Quest Completed.][Special Reward Available.][Waiting for Host to Initiate Reward Retrieval.]
But Mateo ignored it for now.
He wasn't ready yet.
Tonight wasn't about System rewards.
Tonight was about people.
About loyalty.
About a battlefield shared with brothers.
He closed his eyes briefly,listening to the laughter, the songs, the pounding of fists against lockers.