Izan's sheer pace ripped through Liverpool's defensive shape like a blade.
Robertson and Konaté backpedaled furiously, but Izan was already past the midfield line, Havertz breaking forward alongside him, Martinelli flying up the left.
A glance up. Izan saw the whole pitch like a grand puzzle unfolding.
Options everywhere.
The easy choice would have been to slide it left, where Martinelli had acres of space. But that wasn't Izan's style. He wanted to cut deeper.
He pushed the ball forward, Konaté stepping out to engage, but the Frenchman mistimed it.
A lightning-fast feint—right, then left—sent the defender stumbling, his balance thrown off.
"He's left Konaté eating grass! He's going straight at Van Dijk!"
And suddenly, it was Izan against Liverpool's captain, one-on-one.
Van Dijk held his ground, his massive frame an imposing wall. But Izan wasn't afraid. If anything, he was excited.
How would it feel to come against the best Defender in the premier league?
