The halftime break in the Wembley dressing room felt short. It felt like five minutes.
Michael Sterling stood in the middle of the room. He looked at his players. They were sweating. They were breathing hard. But they were smiling.
Lorenzo Ricci was using a small portable fan to cool his face.
"My pores need to close," Lorenzo explained to Diego Nunez. "If I sweat too much I shine in the bad way. I want to shine in the good way."
Diego Nunez looked at the fan. He opened his mouth.
"Fan me too," Diego demanded. "My tongue is hot."
Lorenzo sighed but he pointed the fan at Diego. Diego closed his eyes and made a happy noise like a giant cat purring.
"Okay," Michael said clapping his hands. "Focus."
"It is one to one. Manchester City are angry. They are not used to fighting. They are used to winning easy."
He looked at Vladimir Petrovic. The Serbian giant was sitting calmly. He looked like he was waiting for a bus.
