Chapter 9: Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern
Dan stood in silence as he stared into the open net. He scored, he couldn't believe he had scored of all the people on the team. He was only trying blindly to dribble past everyone, he didn't expect his efforts to bring any fruition.
He only wanted to disrupt Lucas and his team's defensive structure. Never did he foresee the attack becoming a success.
No. Dan shook his head. It's not that his attack was successful. But him! He changed the entire way we attacked, it was him that created the chance from nothing. That series of combination plays are simply sublime, who is he? I have never seen him playing in the youth league.
There wasn't much of a celebration, only a few cheers.
"Tsk. You're a smart one, aren't you."
Kai eyed the player that made the remark. It was Lucas. No, the person who said this looked just like Lucas, but it wasn't him.
"Twins?"
He shook his head. "We're brothers. I'm Theo and he's Lucas." He explained whilst pointing a finger at his older brother.
Checking the two, Kai couldn't help but be surprised at the similarity between the two brothers. They look exactly identical. If not for the different sports gear they were wearing, it would be impossible to tell them apart.
A restart. The brothers had the ball in their possession. The team was as followed:
~~~
Lucas | Right Defender
Theo | Left Defender
Maxwel | Striker
vs
Dan | Defender
Kai | Right Winger
Christopher | Left Winger
~~~
Kai had assessed the situation on the field. With his world-class vision, nothing could escape his eyes. The opponents defended well. Lucas man-marked Christopher to stop the most dangerous threat. Theo and Maxwell would zonally defend their area, patrolling their side of the pitch and stopping any threat that came their way.
It was this lack of coordination between Theo and Maxwel that Kai took advantage of. His sudden movement to change positions with Dan caused this moment of internal confusion. Theo and Maxwel didn't know who was responsible for who, and Kai made the best use of this moment.
'My football?' Kai believed he was one step closer to the truth. He didn't have the best passing range. He wasn't confident in hitting those cross-field passes with pinpoint accuracy. He wasn't strong defensively, he couldn't stop a threatening attack that came his way. But the thing he is good at is identifying space and opportunities in the attacking phase. But his ball control was not good, he doesn't have confidence in his technique to execute difficult passes between tight gaps.
However, he could move. He could make movements to drag players out of position, and then make those passes that would unlock the defence. This… was what Kai can do. He just has to keep practising. This "take the ball, pass the ball" philosophy.
Theo and Lucas kept the ball between themselves as they slowly progressed into their half. Kai and Christopher were doing nothing more but chasing the shadow of the ball. Their incoherent press was ineffective, at best they were making it difficult for the brothers to pass the ball to their real threat in goal: Maxwel.
They had played for a while now, and everyone on the two sides was feeling the opposition. They were all assessing their opponents, understanding their strengths and their weaknesses. So it wasn't surprising that the opponent decided to target Kai's right wing. Theo suddenly, using Lucas as a pivot, exchanged passes to attack down the wing.
Kai gritted his teeth as he tried to keep up with Lucas's brother, his arms and barging at the robust defender with all his might in an attempt to make him lose his balance, but his frail arms and weak body were nothing more than an itch for someone like Theo.
"Get on him! GET ON HIM!" Dan shouted in between his breaths as he struggled to keep Maxwel under control.
The black-haired youth knows his weakness very well, his shortcomings would always be exploited, and his weak physical body would always be seen as a weakness. This wasn't something to hold him back. Knowing your own weakness is a way to overcome your limitations. Even when his efforts were nothing more than futile attempts, Kai resisted with all his might.
Kai blocked the passing lane to Maxwel. If he can't outmuscle Theo, he would stop the pass!
'Oh?'
Kai kept a distance from Theo. They were in a standoff, and a psychological battle between the two players ensued as they attempted to outsmart one another. Theo was only amused, he played as a wing-back for his club. He was solid defensively, but his offensive ability wasn't something to laugh at either!
Theo and Maxwel exchanged glances before making their offence down the flank. The brother dribbled as he intended to make the score even! Kai had his arms outstretched as he wished to contain Theo at all costs.
Unbeknownst to Kai, support was coming from his blind side, an invisible player that came to support the offence. Dan realized it one step too late.
A dribble and a pass. A one-two. Theo and Maxwel linked up as they made a dent in the wing. Theo cut inside as he dribbled straight on goal. He had lost Kai completely, but out of nowhere, a leg outstretched poked the ball away right under his nose.
The smaller brother was dazed as he bewilderedly stared at the ball that was out of bounds, and the player that made the interception.
"You really are a smart one…" Theo gruntled in a menacing manner as he prepared for the kick-in.
Maxwel had a bitter smile as he shook his head. He knew that was a promising attacking movement, who would have known this Asian player read their intention like a book, stopping the attack and dispelling the danger expertly.
Christopher was too busy fighting Lucas to notice the close shave they had on the wing. He only gave a thumbs-up to his teammate as a sign of approval.
Yet, these players didn't notice one detail during that whole sequence of play. Only Dan that played as the last line of defence could have noticed it. How? How could Kai have known a one-two was coming when… when Kai didn't even look over his shoulders? Maxwel was moving into Kai's blind side. Kai shouldn't have seen it coming, yet he had still anticipated it happening and even made an interception.
It's like… it's like he has eyes at the back of his head!
Dan's head was in overdrive as he processed everything he had known about Kai. That he can't dribble, he has subpar ball control, he sucked at defence. Yet, he had this talent, this vision, this uncanny ability to read the situation on the field like a book. It was as if nothing could escape Kai's perspective, everything that was happening on the field Kai could decipher. The robust defender thought back, he tried to break down their first goal. Wasn't their first goal all because of Kai? Wasn't it all because Kai noticed an even better attacking opportunity than himself? This young man's understanding of the game is almost… freakish!?
But Dan couldn't continue down this train of thought, it was a kick-in for Theo and the danger hadn't ended just yet.
A drip of condensation dripped down Kai's forehead as he indifferently continued his defensive duty. He was tired, incredibly tired. He had been training like a madman until his throat was dry as a desert. He barely had a break before joining this 3 vs 3 futsal match. Kai was like an inflated balloon, his energy levels are dropping and he doubted he can continue for much longer.
'Just a little more, hang in there.' He whispered.
Theo passed the ball back into play, he found his older brother anchoring his side. Christopher was putting on the pressure as he made life uneasy for Lucas. But an attacker was only so good at defence, and without too much of a hassle, Lucas controlled the ball at feet as he judged the options available to him.
3 vs 3. Everyone was man-marking one another across the pitch. There were much fewer tactics, but more about physical prowess and who could outrun one another.
Who was the most tired player on the pitch?
Lucas threaded the needle down the wing as the two players engaged in an all-out sprint to the ball. Theo and Kai raced to the ball, but the Asian youth was on his last legs, his heart pumping and throbbing in pain and his legs aching as he struggled onward.
He couldn't keep up. Theo was faster not because he had the pace, but because he had more stamina.
"Sh*t!" Dan cursed as he tried to stop Theo and Maxwel by himself. In a situation like this, a 2vs1 was hopeless at best. Dan knew the odds were against him, but he still gave his best shot. Trying is better than doing nothing.
Dan vacated his position as he tried to intercept the pass. He couldn't stop both players at once, so he would simply get to the ball first and kick it out of bounds! However, Dan's speed wasn't the best, and Maxwel wasn't just going to let such an opportunity not result in a goal.
Maxwel "accidentally" gave Dan a slight shove, this small action was enough to stagger the towering defender and make him one step slower to the ball compared to Theo. Dan gritted his teeth at this unethical sportsmanship, but he could do nothing but lower his head and stop the danger!
The shove was fatal. Theo was first to the ball. His instinct as a wingback screamed out as he instinctively did what he was best at, he did what his coaches and managers always instructed him to do when he was down the wing.
A devastating cross was delivered, with enough pace and curve to make everyone doubt its trajectory. Maxwel had eyes gleaming at the chance as he lurked into the location. The cross was meant for him, the assist was for him, and the goal would soon be his.
The ball didn't arrive.
It was intercepted.
His black-hair and scrawny build made him almost invisible.
Yet he was the most frightening player on the pitch.
Disappearing into obscurity, but always appearing in the most dangerous of situations.
His touch was rough, but he stopped it. Kai stopped the goal.
Maxwel was pissed. Theo was speechless. Dan had his mouth hanging.
But Kai only stared straight into Christopher's eyes, whispering in the tiniest of voices.
"~counter."
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