Haaland charged into the penalty area with his long, bounding strides.
Facing the onrushing Kepa Arrizabalaga, the Norwegian cyborg didn't hesitate.
He opened his body and unleashed a ferocious strike that ripped past the Spanish keeper and into the back of the net.
2-0.
Just before the halftime whistle, Haaland had doubled Norway's lead.
Looking at the statistics for the first forty-five minutes, Spain had utterly dominated possession, holding the ball for 80% of the half.
Yet, they had only managed a paltry two shots on target.
La Roja simply had no solution to break down the iron-clad Norwegian defensive block.
After the restart, Spanish coach Robert Moreno made several tactical adjustments, desperately trying to inject some verticality into their play.
The reality, however, was that the effect was negligible.
On the other side, Lars Lagerbäck's men executed his game plan to absolute perfection.
The entire Norwegian team dropped behind the ball, effectively parking the bus for nearly forty minutes of the second half.
Through relentless running, aggressive interceptions, and total commitment in physical duels, they suffocated Spain's intricate passing networks.
In the 86th minute, Theodore Bjorn struck again defensively.
Reading the play flawlessly, he stepped in to intercept a tired pass from Sergio Busquets.
Without breaking stride, Theodore instantly threaded a ball forward to Haaland.
However, Haaland received the pass with his back to goal.
Spanish center-back Raúl Albiol was touch-tight, and full-back Juan Bernat had tucked inside to double-team the striker.
In 2019, Haaland was still a raw diamond.
Shaking off a coordinated double-team from two experienced Spanish internationals with his back to goal was a difficult task.
Recognizing he was isolated, Haaland made the mature decision.
He shielded the ball and laid it back into the center for Martin Ødegaard, who was arriving late to support the counter.
With the Spanish defense scrambling to recover, the Real Madrid prospect found himself entirely unmarked at the edge of the box.
Ødegaard didn't hesitate.
He stepped into the pass and unleashed a venomous, curling strike with his left foot.
Boom. Once again, the ball flew past a helpless Kepa and nestled into the net.
3-0!
The final whistle blew.
The three young prodigies—Theodore, Haaland, and Ødegaard—had each etched their name onto the scoresheet.
By dismantling Spain at the Ullevaal Stadion, Norway officially secured the top spot in their qualifying group, booking their ticket to the main tournament of the European Championship.
Originally scheduled for the summer of 2020, the tournament would ultimately be postponed to 2021 due to unforeseen global circumstances.
From a purely footballing perspective, the delay was a massive blessing for Norway.
By the summer of 2021, both Ødegaard and Haaland would have matured significantly, seeing dramatic improvements in their individual abilities and tactical understanding.
Haaland, in particular, was on a terrifying trajectory.
By 2021, he would evolve into one of the most feared and sought-after number nines on the planet.
This extra year of development would make the Norwegian national team a formidable dark horse in the tournament.
...
Following the historic victory, the international break concluded.
Theodore wouldn't have any major commitments with Norway until the following autumn, allowing him to shift his entire focus back to club football.
The next morning, he boarded an early flight back to Birmingham.
The Premier League schedule offered no respite.
In just two days, Aston Villa were scheduled to host Leicester City at Villa Park.
Currently, Brendan Rodgers' Leicester side sat comfortably in 7th place.
The Foxes were riding a wave of momentum, having secured five consecutive Premier League victories, and were playing some of the most attractive football in the division.
Securing three points against Leicester would be a stern test of Villa's title credentials.
...
December 11th. 8:00 PM.
Under the floodlights at Villa Park, the clash between Aston Villa and Leicester City kicked off.
Theodore retained his place in the starting eleven, operating in the heart of the midfield.
From the opening whistle, Villa did not sit back in a defensive shell.
They took the game by the scruff of the neck, immediately seizing the initiative.
Having rattled off 15 consecutive victories and established an iron grip on the top of the table, Dean Smith's men played with the swagger of champions.
Against the "Big Six," Villa often employed a pragmatic, counter-attacking strategy.
But against teams outside that elite bracket, Villa backed their quality to dominate possession and go toe-to-toe.
In the 4th minute, the hosts sliced through the Foxes' defense with a breathtaking passing sequence.
John McGinn threaded a sharp through ball, finding Theodore in the attacking third.
The moment Theodore received the ball near the top of the penalty arc, the Leicester defensive structure collapsed into panic mode.
Multiple blue shirts swarmed him instantly.
Wilfred Ndidi and Youri Tielemans—the dual engines of Brendan Rodgers' tactical system—both lunged in to close the space.
Even under the intense, combined pressure of the two elite midfielders, Theodore remained composed.
He executed a lightning-fast drag-back, opening a sliver of space, and instantly whipped a pass out to Jack Grealish on the left wing with the outside of his right boot.
Grealish didn't take a touch to settle it. He fired a vicious, first-time cross into the mixer.
Inside the penalty area, two Villa targets were waiting: Wesley and Theodore Bjorn.
Theodore had released the pass to Grealish and immediately launched a late, surging run straight into the heart of the box.
Leicester's defense was hyper-focused on the teenager.
Having seen his aerial dominance on highlight reels for weeks, the moment Theodore appeared in the penalty area, the alarm bells rang.
The two Foxes center-backs, Wes Morgan and Jonny Evans, both gravitated toward him, jumping simultaneously to contest the expected delivery.
However, Grealish's cross wasn't aimed at Theodore.
It was a driven ball toward the near post.
With both Morgan and Evans occupied by the teenager's decoy run, Wesley found himself entirely unmarked.
The 191cm Brazilian striker simply had to guide the ball.
He met the cross with a firm, glancing header that flashed past Kasper Schmeichel.
1-0!
Aston Villa had drawn first blood in the opening minutes!
Going a goal down seemed to snap Leicester City awake. They immediately showcased the attacking verve that had fueled their own winning streak.
In the 10th minute, the Foxes began pressing aggressively high up the pitch.
James Maddison, Leicester's creative talisman, received a pass in midfield and instantly drove forward.
Using his low center of gravity and quick feet, Maddison glided past both McGinn and Douglas Luiz, carrying the ball dangerously close to the edge of the Villa penalty area.
Inside the box, Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho were already making their trademark, darting runs across the defensive line.
Maddison slipped a perfectly weighted, slide-rule pass into the path of Vardy.
Receiving the ball inside the box, the veteran English striker used his body brilliantly to roll Ezri Konsa before unleashing a fierce, instinctive shot.
The strike flew past Tom Heaton and buried itself in the back of the net.
1-1!
The visitors had silenced Villa Park, answering back just six minutes later!
Conceding so quickly infuriated Dean Smith.
He stormed to the edge of his technical area, barking furious instructions at his backline for losing their shape.
Simultaneously, Smith urged his midfield to push higher.
He firmly believed that Leicester's defense, despite their form, was brittle and could not withstand a sustained Villa bombardment.
Smith's assessment was entirely accurate.
In the 15th minute, Aston Villa reclaimed the lead.
Once again, Theodore Bjorn was the architect.
After executing a crisp one-two with Douglas Luiz in the center circle, Theodore received the return pass in stride.
Without looking, he knew where his captain was.
On the left flank, Jack Grealish was already in a dead sprint, tearing toward the Leicester penalty area.
Boom!
Theodore delivered a sweeping long pass.
The entire Leicester City defensive line had their attention focused on Wesley, seemingly unaware of Jack Grealish, who had already charged into the penalty area.
When Theodore's pass landed perfectly in Grealish's stride, the Foxes' defenders finally realized the danger.
By the time they scrambled to close him down, it was too late.
Grealish didn't hesitate.
He smashed the ball inside the near post!
2-1.
The Villa Park faithful threw their fists into the air in celebration.
"A stunning counter-attack!" Ian Darke announced from the broadcast booth. "Jack Grealish restores the lead for Aston Villa!"
Ten minutes later, Aston Villa struck again.
John McGinn intercepted the ball from James Maddison in midfield and passed it to Theodore in the attacking third.
Only Wilfred Ndidi stood between Theodore and the goal. Instead of looking for a pass, Theodore opted to take the defender on directly.
Ndidi is a physically robust ball-winner; relying on pure strength to overpower him would be a mistake.
Theodore chose another method: a nutmeg.
Wary of the teenager's passing range, Ndidi bit hard on a feint.
As the Leicester midfielder stretched his leg to block the anticipated pass, Theodore gently nudged the ball with his left foot.
The ball slipped cleanly through Ndidi's legs.
Emerging on the other side, Theodore glanced at the goal.
He noticed Kasper Schmeichel's positioning was slightly biased toward the near post.
He set his feet and struck the ball.
It arrowed toward the top right corner.
Schmeichel launched himself into a dive, but the shot was placed with absolute perfection. He had no chance.
The ball nestled into the back of the net!
3-1.
Trailing by two goals, Leicester City had no choice but to push forward.
In the 27th minute, their creative linchpin, Maddison, was on the ball again.
Maddison possessed exquisite technical skills, consistently weaving past defenders. This time was no different.
Marvelous Nakamba, McGinn, and Douglas Luiz converged on him simultaneously, yet they couldn't halt his advance.
Slippery as an eel, Maddison used subtle changes in pace to evade the challenges.
Just as he prepared to burst into the penalty area, Theodore stepped up.
As Maddison tried to accelerate, Theodore initiated a physical challenge. He understood Maddison's strengths and weaknesses perfectly.
While the Englishman boasted precise passing and superb dribbling, his physicality was relatively average.
Theodore drove his shoulder firmly into Maddison.
Maddison lost his balance and crashed to the turf.
Theodore cleanly won the ball.
The referee, seeing the shoulder-to-shoulder contact, waved play on.
No foul.
What should have been a Leicester City scoring opportunity transformed into an Aston Villa counter-attack.
Boom!
Theodore once again showcased his signature long pass. A few seconds later, the ball dropped perfectly into Grealish's path.
Only Ricardo Pereira stood between Grealish and the goal. Grealish shifted his body weight and accelerated.
Relying on his raw speed, he blew past the Leicester full-back on the outside.
Grealish charged into the penalty area. The recovering Leicester defenders were thrown into disarray, caught in two minds whether to close down Grealish or mark Wesley in the center.
While they hesitated, Grealish made the decision for them. He unleashed a fierce shot.
The ball flashed past Schmeichel's right hand and into the net.
4-1!
Grealish was in phenomenal form, registering two goals and an assist.
Theodore matched that output with a goal and two assists of his own.
Conceding in such quick succession shattered Leicester's morale.
However, Brendan Rodgers demanded his players continue to attack from the touchline, figuring they had nothing left to lose.
"Rodgers is rolling the dice here," Ian Darke observed. "But he might be underestimating Villa's defensive structure and overestimating his own team's firepower."
Over the next ten minutes, Leicester's frantic attacks failed to pose any real threat.
Theodore took it upon himself to man-mark Maddison.
Whenever the Leicester number 10 received the ball, Theodore engaged him physically, smothering the playmaker and denying him any time to pick a pass.
The match reached the 40th minute.
A Leicester defender tried to find Maddison in midfield.
This time, Theodore executed a crisp sliding tackle, sweeping the ball away before Maddison could take a touch.
From the ground, Theodore hooked a pass forward to Wesley.
Recognizing Leicester's high defensive line, he knew an early ball into the space behind would leave Wesley one-on-one.
The pass was immaculate.
The Aston Villa striker did not disappoint. Receiving the ball in stride, Wesley charged toward the penalty area.
Facing the onrushing Schmeichel, the Brazilian calmly slotted the ball into the far corner.
5-1!
"Five for Villa before halftime!" Ian Darke exclaimed in disbelief. "They are dismantling Leicester City!"
On social media, the global reaction was pure awe.
@EPL_Scout: "This is a massacre. Aston Villa are playing like champions."
@Villan82: "5-1 at halftime against the team in 7th place... I have no words. Theo and Jack are unplayable."
@FoxesFan99: "We are getting completely ripped apart. Bjorn is bullying Maddison out there!"
During the halftime interval, Dean Smith substituted Theodore, bringing on Conor Hourihane.
With the match effectively over as a contest, Smith opted to rest his star player for the grueling fixtures ahead.
Without Theodore orchestrating the play, Aston Villa managed the second half comfortably without extending their lead.
The final score remained 5-1.
Theodore finished with one goal and three assists in just forty-five minutes, driving Villa to their 16th consecutive Premier League victory!
As the final whistle blew, the familiar mechanical voice echoed in Theodore's mind.
[Ding! Mission issued: Break the Premier League single-season consecutive win record!]
[Mission reward: David Beckham peak free-kick card!]
---------
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