The stadium buzzed with anticipation as FC Köln prepared to face their biggest rivals. Ondrej Duda stood at the center circle, adjusting his captain’s armband and scanning the opposing formation like a general reading a battlefield. The floodlights glinted off the wet pitch, and the ball at his feet felt electric with potential.

“You ready for this, Ondrej?” his teammate asked, bouncing on his toes.

Duda didn’t look over, just smirked. “I was born ready. Let’s give them something to chase.”

From the first whistle, he orchestrated the game with effortless poise. A quick touch here, a no-look pass there — he threaded the ball between defenders like a tailor stitching silk. When the moment came, Duda didn’t hesitate. He cut inside from the left, glanced up, and curled a perfect strike into the top corner from outside the box.

The crowd erupted. He pointed skyward, calm amidst the chaos.

Later, in the tunnel, a reporter stopped him.

“Another goal, another masterclass. What drives you?”

He gave a faint smile, wiping sweat from his brow. “I don’t play to impress. I play to express.”

And with that, he walked off — boots muddy, heart full, mind already on the next game.