Their manager stepped forward, shouting instructions toward the defence and midfield. One player pointed toward the bench, asking how they should reorganise. Another gestured for his teammates to retreat.
Chaly's reaction was immediate.
He wanted the remaining players to become compact, to protect the central channel and prevent Liverpool from exploiting the extra space. Rubin would have to accept long periods without possession. They needed to reach half-time without conceding again.
But the dismissal also created a new weakness.
With Kuzmin gone, the right side of Rubin's defensive structure needed to be reorganised. The replacement would not arrive until later, and the remaining defenders would have to cover greater distances.
Liverpool had a chance to punish them.
Coutinho placed the ball for the free kick on the left.
Azim moved toward the centre of the penalty area.
He was tall enough to be a serious target in the air, but he knew that size alone was not enough. Rubin's defenders would identify him as a threat and try to prevent him from gaining a clean jump. Kvirkvelia positioned himself close to Azim's left side, while Kambolov stood a step behind, ready to challenge if the delivery travelled toward the far post.
Azim watched them.
He had trained this movement repeatedly.
The target-man role was not simply about standing still and waiting for the ball. He needed to use his body to gain a starting advantage, time his movement to attack the delivery, and make contact before the defender could establish a strong position.
Coutinho glanced toward the box.
Azim took a small step backward.
Kvirkvelia followed.
Then Azim shifted forward, trying to force the defender to adjust his feet.
Coutinho began his run-up.
The ball left his boot, curling toward the central area of the penalty box.
The delivery was slightly higher than Azim wanted.
Kvirkvelia jumped with him, extending his arms to challenge for the ball and prevent the striker from directing it toward goal.
Azim rose.
For a fraction of a second, both players were contesting the same space.
Azim felt the defender's shoulder press against him.
He concentrated.
The ball dipped slightly sooner than its trajectory suggested it should, dropping into the space just above his forehead. At the same moment, an invisible force nudged Kvirkvelia's upper body away from the line of contact.
It was a tiny intervention.
A fraction of balance lost.
A fraction of space gained.
Enough.
Azim reached the ball first.
He drove his forehead through the centre of it, directing the header down toward the far side of the goal.
Ryzhikov reacted, dropping sharply and extending an arm.
The ball bounced in front of him and skipped beyond his reach.
The net rippled.
LIVERPOOL 3–0 RUBIN KAZAN.
Anfield erupted into absolute chaos.
Azim landed, stumbled one step, then turned toward the corner flag as the sound crashed over him. He ran toward the supporters, arms spread wide, his face transformed by joy.
The crowd was deafening.
He reached the corner and punched the air once.
Twice.
Three times.
Each punch was directed toward the stands, toward the sea of red that seemed to surge toward him from every direction.
He roared.
His teammates arrived in a rush. Lallana grabbed him around the shoulders, Firmino leapt onto his back, and Coutinho pushed his way into the celebration, laughing as the group nearly toppled into the advertising boards.
Azim broke free just long enough to point toward his family again.
He had wanted to give them a moment they could remember.
Now he had given them three.
On the touchline, Klopp was ecstatic.
He sprinted several steps along the technical area, both fists pumping before he turned back toward Buvač.
The assistant coach was laughing, shaking his head as the German shouted with delight.
"Three! Three goals!"
Buvač nodded toward the pitch.
"And he is involved in all of it!"
Klopp pointed at Azim.
"That's it! That's what we need! Work, movement, and then the finish!"
He clapped both hands together, then turned toward the substitutes, urging them to keep the energy high.
The commentators were shouting over the roar.
"Azim again! Another goal for Liverpool, and this one comes from the set piece!"
"Watch the movement! He gets across his marker, attacks the delivery, and directs the header down before the goalkeeper can get across. Rubin are down to ten men, and Liverpool have punished them almost immediately!"
"And what a half this young striker is having! He scores from open play, creates a wonderful second goal for Coutinho, and now he rises to head in the third!"
The first commentator's voice climbed higher.
"Jürgen Klopp's first European night at Anfield is turning into a dream for Liverpool! The new manager wanted intensity, pressing, courage, and movement, and his side have given him all four!"
The second commentator added, "And it's not just the goals. Azim has been leading the press, forcing errors, closing passing lanes and helping Liverpool win the ball back in dangerous areas. He's changing how Rubin can build their attacks."
On the pitch, Ryzhikov was shouting toward his defenders.
"Stay together! Don't give them another!"
Kvirkvelia turned away from Azim, still frustrated by the header. Kambolov gestured toward the area where the contact had occurred, apparently asking whether the defenders should have dealt with the delivery more aggressively.
The dismissal had already hurt them.
The goal hurt even more.
Rubin's players returned to the centre circle with their heads lowered. Their manager called them toward the touchline during the brief pause, telling them to remain organised and avoid allowing the score to spiral further.
Azim returned to his position.
His breathing was ragged now. The repeated bursts of running had taken their toll, and the effort required to maintain his awareness while using telekinesis had left him with a dull ache behind his eyes.
He ignored it for the moment.
The goal had given him everything he wanted from the set piece.
But he knew he could not keep manipulating the ball as though there were no consequences. If he tried to force another moment immediately, he might lose the concentration that had made the earlier interventions possible.
He needed to manage the rest of the half.
The match was not over.
Three goals were a magnificent lead, but the clock had not yet reached forty minutes.
Rubin would still try to attack if they found a route forward.
Liverpool still had to defend.
Azim took a long breath and looked toward Firmino.
The Brazilian nodded.
No words.
They both knew what to do.
Keep the press organised.
Keep Rubin away from the centre.
And if another chance appeared, take it.
The restart was hesitant.
Rubin passed backward from the centre circle, then shifted the ball toward the right side. With only ten men, their passing options had become more limited, and the absence of Kuzmin meant they needed to reorganise their defensive cover.
Azim began pressing Kambolov.
The defender looked toward Georgiev.
Firmino narrowed the lane.
The pass went wide instead.
Coutinho moved toward the receiver, forcing the Russian fullback to turn back toward his own goal.
"Назад! Назад!"
(Back! Back!)
The defender played a hurried pass toward Kvirkvelia.
Azim anticipated the return and accelerated.
The centre-back tried to clear the ball toward the halfway line.
Azim reached him just in time to make the defender rush his contact. The clearance flew toward the touchline, where Can moved across and challenged for the second ball.
Can won it.
Milner collected the loose possession and immediately played forward to Firmino.
The Brazilian turned toward goal.
Azim had started moving before the pass arrived, drifting into the left half-space to offer an option beyond the first line of pressure.
Firmino found him.
Azim controlled the ball and looked up.
Rubin's defenders had retreated into a narrow block. There was no clear passing lane behind them, and an attempt to dribble through the centre would have invited a challenge.
Azim resisted the temptation.
He passed backward to Milner.
Milner switched the ball toward Coutinho, who moved inside and tried to find Lallana on the opposite flank. Rubin's remaining defenders shifted across, protecting the centre and forcing Liverpool to work the ball around them.
The attack slowed.
That was acceptable.
The objective now was not to turn every possession into an immediate shot. Rubin were down to ten men, and if Liverpool remained patient, the spaces would eventually appear.
Azim moved between the centre-backs, occasionally dropping away to receive the ball and draw one of them forward.
Kvirkvelia refused to follow him.
So Azim moved back into the line and occupied the space between both defenders.
He was no longer chasing a goal.
He was making himself an option.
The distinction mattered.
Liverpool circulated possession until Coutinho received the ball near the left side of the penalty area. He looked toward the centre, then attempted a pass through the gap between the defenders.
Azim moved to meet it.
Kambolov anticipated the pass and intercepted.
The crowd groaned.
But Azim immediately turned and pressed the defender, forcing him to clear the ball rather than attempt to build another attack.
Can won the clearance.
Liverpool recovered.
Another cycle.
Another forced decision.
Another minute in which Rubin could not establish a rhythm.
Klopp watched with a mixture of delight and concentration. He was pleased with the result, but he continued shouting reminders about positioning and recovery. He wanted the team to remain aggressive without becoming disorganised.
Azim was doing exactly what he had asked.
His constant movement was setting the pace, but the important part was that his teammates were following it. Firmino understood when to close the middle. Lallana and Coutinho narrowed when they needed to deny central passing options. Milner and Can stayed connected behind the attacking players, ready to cover the space if Rubin found a way through.
The press had become a team action.
And that was why it was working.
As the final minutes of the half approached, Azim began to feel the cost of his effort more clearly.
His thighs were heavy. Every sprint required a greater act of concentration, and the strain behind his eyes had become difficult to ignore whenever he reached for his deeper awareness.
He did not panic.
He adjusted.
Instead of trying to sense every player on the pitch, he focused on the area around the ball. Instead of accelerating toward every defender, he maintained his position until the movement of the pass gave him a clear reason to close the distance.
He trusted his teammates to handle the spaces beyond him.
That trust was part of the system too, even if it did not appear on any invisible display.
A few minutes earlier, Azim might have tried to chase Kvirkvelia all the way toward the touchline. Now he recognised that Firmino was already positioned to block the central outlet, while Coutinho was close enough to pressure the receiver if the pass went wide.
Azim held his ground.
Kvirkvelia looked forward, saw the lanes closing, and played the ball backward.
Liverpool advanced together.
The supporters applauded.
Azim moved into position for the next phase, ready to attack when the trigger appeared.
Rubin attempted to switch play.
Can shifted across to cover.
The ball reached Georgiev, who tried to turn away from Milner.
Azim moved into the passing lane.
The midfielder hesitated, then played a weak pass toward the left side.
Firmino stepped forward and intercepted.
Liverpool had the ball.
The Brazilian looked up and saw Azim moving away from the centre-backs.
He passed immediately.
Azim received the ball in the left half-space and turned toward goal, drawing Kvirkvelia away from his line. Lallana began a run down the right, while Coutinho moved into the central channel.
Azim considered the direct pass.
The lane was narrow.
The defender was recovering.
He chose to secure possession instead, moving the ball back to Milner and allowing Liverpool to build again.
The crowd gave a frustrated murmur at the loss of forward momentum, but Azim was unconcerned.
There was no reason to force a pass that might give Rubin an opportunity to counter.
The next opening would come.
And until it did, Liverpool could keep the ball, keep the team connected, and keep the opposition moving.
The referee checked his watch.
Rubin tried one final time to play through the centre.
Azim pressed the receiving midfielder, forcing a rushed touch. Can moved forward to challenge, and the ball was deflected toward Milner.
Milner collected it cleanly.
Liverpool had possession again.
The captain looked toward the attacking line, then played the ball sideways to Can remained nearby and offered the safe option. Milner chose Can, who passed toward Moreno on the left.
Moreno advanced a few steps before returning the ball inside.
Liverpool continued to circulate possession.
Rubin could not reach them.
Not because they had stopped trying, but because Liverpool were no longer forcing the game to move faster than necessary. The home side understood that the pressure did not always need to end in a tackle or a shot.
Sometimes it was enough to make the opponent retreat.
Sometimes it was enough to keep the ball.
And sometimes, as Azim had shown three times already, all it took was a single forced mistake for the entire match to change.
The referee raised his whistle.
Then it sounded.
Half-time.
LIVERPOOL 3–0 RUBIN KAZAN.
Anfield roared as the players began walking toward the tunnel.
Azim slowed to a walk, letting himself feel the exhaustion that had been waiting beneath the adrenaline. Sweat ran down his face, and his shirt clung to his back. His lungs burned from the repeated sprints, while the dull ache behind his eyes reminded him of the concentration he had spent reading movement and manipulating the ball.
Three goals.
Two for him.
One for Coutinho.
Three attacking moments built on different decisions, but connected by the same principle: win the ball, move it forward, and attack before the opponent can recover.
He had come to Anfield wanting to help Klopp establish his system.
He had done more than that.