Chapter 26: Chapter 26
The next match started much like the others with the same line up, same formation and same sense of malaise around the club. The players walked on the pitch and took their positions quietly with many thoughts running through their minds. The players would never admit to it, but the majority of them believed they would lose this game and had already come to terms with it. It was only a single player who appeared the same as the rest on the surface who thought differently. Facundo had his head down, shoulders hunched, and hands gripped into fists. The uninitiated would have thought he was scared, or the occasion was too big for him, but the quiver of his shoulders betrayed his true feelings. The young forward was struggling to keep his energy contained in his small frame and was waiting for the moment the whistle blew to explode on that pitch. The preparations were carried out diligently for the start of the game with the manager completely focused on that one player. He had absentmindedly replied to his assistants when he was spoken to, but it was clear his mind was somewhere else.
He couldn't help but be drawn to the moment a player who he believed would be a future star announced his presence to the world. This moment would be one that would go down in history and he meant to witness every bit of it.
The whistle blew and possession was in the hands of the opponent who quickly passed the ball around in midfield. His team tried pressed as best as they could, but it was piece meal and the quick passing of the opponent allowed them to break out easily. The opposing winger received the ball and tried to go around Matheus who stuck a strong leg in forcing the ball out of play. The resulting throw in was sent to a full back who had managed to get behind Matheus and find a position with which he could cross. The cross was devilish and teasing, the striker climbed above the centre backs well placed to meet it and deliver an early shock to the Blues. Kjell had read it well though and come out of goals very early. He launched himself in the air, utilising all of his prodigious height to claim the ball in the air. The attack had been smothered by good play from the Dutchman and he felt pleased with himself.
It was at that moment, when he looked up to scan his options that he had a premonition of where the goal would come from. The sense was momentary, but he could pinpoint it on the right side of the field and standing there making eye contact with him was Facundo Farias.
Intuition is a concept which is often misunderstood as being some sort of supernatural sense but that isn't strictly true. The human mind is geared towards recognising patterns, it stores information as it comes in and collects insights from past experiences to help you make future decisions. Intuition is the form in which the subconscious mind suggests the best possible action to the user. It is able to make these suggestions faster than the rational mind is able to and is hence a valuable tool in the hands of a competent footballer.
Kjell was currently twenty-two years old having been on the books a professional club since the age of seven. Those fifteen years of playing football at a high level had given him a well-developed intuition about certain situations and it was telling him that sending that ball to Facundo would result in a goal. His rational mind balked at the idea, seeing the two opposing players who were close to the forward, but he trusted his intuition and sent a low kick in his direction.
The ball seemed to glide across the pitch in the direction of Facundo. The players around him were numerous and it seemed like they would either intercept the ball or crowd him out and get it as soon as he took a touch. The young forward decided to move in the direction of the ball, this meant that its natural landing point where he could get an easy first touch was gone but he would have a bit more time to take it down before the opponents got around him. The defensive midfielder had decided to prioritise safety and moved behind him as well. This meant that he had one player right at his back, a full back and a centre back to beat. This wasn't including the winger who was currently tracking back and would likely get involved in a moment as well. Facundo was fearless though and he only had a single goal in mind, he received the ball on his chest and killed the momentum dead. He could feel the defensive midfielder breathing down his neck and pushed the ball around the corner. He turned his body and chased after it immediately, but he was followed by the midfielder who had a smaller distance to travel.
At this point, the young forward utilised a technique he had practised multiple times over. This was to push his hips back and put them between himself and the opposition. The act gave him an even lower centre of gravity than he had before and allowed him to keep control of the ball even with the physical challenge. The momentum of his opponent was also transferred to him which he used to pull away from the midfielder and bare down towards the opponent's half. The minute positional work that had been engrained into him was finally being shown to his greatest effect.
The centre back decided that he had gone far enough and came out to intercept him. The big defender was baring down on him with all of his speed and strength which was an intimidating sight for one so small. Facu was adamant on taking this ball all the way though and immediately slowed his sprint down. Switching to the dribbling style synonymous with the country of Argentina, Gambeta. This style meant keeping the ball as close to your feet as possible, dropping the shoulders and quacking changing the direction of the hips. The greatest exponents of this style, who were Messi and Maradona, had conquered the world with just their dribble. He turned to the left and then the right, attempting to throw the determined defender off. At the last moment, he dropped his shoulders indicating the direction he would move and instead stood on the ball. The defender lunged to the direction of the feint, and he pushed the ball the other direction sprinting free. The full back had begun to cover for the defender from the moment he moved and hence was already behind the pair. Facundo knew his next challenger had arrived already, what came as a surprise to him was the centre back not being ready to give up. The centre back left his leg trailing which made connection with his as he sprinted past him causing him to begin to fall to the ground. The momentum of the ball was going to cause it to leave his control and the full back who had seen what happened was already coming to take it.
The fire that was currently in his heart was too great to allow him to simply accept defeat though. The anguish and pain of his past spurned him on to not give up and make this moment his. He planted his dangling foot into the ground and pushed off with all his force. This propelled him away from the ground and he managed to find unstable footing with his other foot as well. The opposing player had already begun to slide forward to get contact of the ball before he did, but he wouldn't let that happen. He managed to get his toe on the ball and poke it upwards, this made the ball lob over the sliding defender. He then proceeded to jump to the right and dodge the tackle. The full back grabbed at his shirt to prevent him, but he shrugged him off violently.
At that moment, he felt like a climber first seeing the view from the peak after a gruelling ordeal. The pitch in front of him seemed so green and majestic, it was also most importantly clear. The other defenders were already scrambling to get themselves in position to stop him, but he wouldn't allow this opportunity to go awry. He took possession of the ball once again and set off at full speed. The sound of the crowd was deafening as they had been climbing decibels ever since he beat the first player. Amongst this cacophony of noise, he crossed the eighteen-yard line and the goalkeeper had already started to come off his line. The two men faced each other, one intent to score and the other intent to stop him. The outcome had already been written and though the keeper made himself as big as possible. The ball sailed into the top corner and young man ran to the dug out to celebrate with the manager who had believed in him.
The rest of the team also gathered together, and it was like a wind of change had passed through them all. The excitement of the goal hadn't disappeared when the game restarted either and the team moved the ball around quicker than they had in weeks. The best play was still coming out of Facundo though and his teammates would try and find him whenever they could. A strategy which proved rewarding as he scored another and set up one of the goals. The second goal had come when he stole the ball at the feet of one of the defenders while pressing. The defender had dawdled on the ball for a second too long and was punished for it with the young man snapping at him and claiming possession. The goal was still difficult, and he had a lot to do but was able to smash a low driven shot at the near post which the keeper had been able to stop. The assist came in the second half when the opponents who had begun to fear him, tried desperately to mark him out the game. He managed to find a moment to break free on the right side and Jobe had threaded a pass between the full back and centre back. He had grabbed the ball and taking it towards a very tight angle at the near post and the opposing team were well aware of his ability so tried to close him down. Only for him to cut the ball back into the box to a grateful Marcelino who passed it into the other corner.
The final whistle blew to no change in the crowd, who had been celebrating jubilantly for a long time now. The players went to the travelling fans and thanked them for their support which had generated roars of approval from the crowd.
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