[Philip Stadion Media Room]
The press room was packed.
Dozens of reporters crammed into the seats, some still scrambling to set up their recorders and phones on the long table where the Arsenal stars would soon sit.
Laptops clicked with frenzied rhythm.
Voices murmured in anticipation.
The Arsenal media officer had to politely quiet a few journalists who had already begun whispering amongst themselves — speculating, theorising, waiting.
Then the door opened, and in walked Mikel Arteta, followed closely by Izan, who wore the same black tracksuit top he'd warmed down in.
Sharp and unreadable, his face betrayed little — only the faintest ghost of a smile hung at the corners of his lips.
Behind him, a UEFA official held the signature starry "Man of the Match" trophy awkwardly, unsure whether to present it before or after the questions began.
Flashes flickered like lightning, and the cameras buzzed.
Every angle wanted a piece of him.
