Chapter 34: Goalless (2)
The next few minutes of the match, Merseyside Red had relinquished control of possession. Teesside had the ball and were putting together smart passes.
They played like Merseyside Red did from the get go, the only difference being that while Merseyside Red were content to sit in their own half and defend, Teesside had taken a more attacking approach. The defenders even played a high defensive line so that they could help the attacking players.
24'
The match took another interesting turn. While Teesside were with the ball and were playing offensive football, they failed to create any feasible chance due to the strength of the Merseyside Red defense. It was only at that point that Jurg and Steve who were watching the match realized what was happening.
Mark Collins (Merseyside Red Left Back) wrestled the ball from Joshua and sent a long pass to the centre of the pitch, Jeremy Winthuer (Merseyside Red Central Midfielder) took the ball and went dribbled forward a bit before sending a well timed pass to Dylan who was already making a run.
Dylan was able to get to the pass, but he was immediately marked by two Center Backs. His lips curled upward as he teased a shot and cut back to his other feet. The two Center Backs had already tackled in the direction where he teased a shot and basically left him one on one with Ayanfe.
Even though he was in a good scoring position, Dylan didn't underestimate the opposition and shot the ball with all the strength he could muster in his leg. He was sure that he had scored a goal and was about to begin his celebrations when he saw a palm push the shot away from the post.
'What a save from Ayanfe Adeogun! Dylan Skriz simply looks flabbergasted. How on earth did Adeogun manage to make the save. From the perspective of everyone watching, that looked like a sure goal!'
'That's better from Merseyside Red. They're really giving Teesside something to think about now. What a counter, what a chance, and at the end they were thwarted by world class goalkeeping from Adeogun'
'Well Merseyside managed to win a corner from that chance, let's see what they can make from it'
"What the?" Dylan was shocked. How did Ayanfe manage to make the save? How could any keeper manage to make the save.
The referee blew his whistle soon after, snapping him out of his thoughts. He glared at Ayanfe and went to position himself for the incoming corner.
Ayanfe screamed some 'constructive criticism' at the defenders and positioned some of them to his liking in preparation for the incoming corner.
His extravagant preparations paid off. The resulting corner was headed away by Blake Sheldon to Omari, resulting in another chance for Teesside.
Omari dribbled forward all the way to Merseyside Red's side of the pitch. He felt the defenders behind him catching up and sent a through ball to Anthony who was making a run in the center.
Anthony teased a one-time volley but cleverly flicked the ball to Joshua who was making a run into the box. Without slowing down to place the shot, Joshua recklessly smashed the box towards the post.
Anthony's fake had already gotten the attention of the keeper and the defenders inside the box with his fake. The keeper had already made a dive in a particular direction. The defenders all went to ground in an attempt to block the 'shot'.
With that as the situation, all Joshua had to do was to make sure his shot was on target and he would score a goal. The chance he got wasn't far off from a tap in.
His attempt had the Merseyside Red players heart stop beating for a few moments. They simultaneously let out sight of relief when they saw his shot fly over the bar.
'Ant it's Omari on the left, what a run he's making. He offloads the ball to Anthony Waller and the striker shoots one ti- oh! Its's a fake, and the ball's come onto Joshua. The winger shoots it one time and oh! The shot's gone over the bar!'
'What a counter by Teesside, really unlucky there, that shot should've hit the back of the net. What a miss from Joshua, I'm sure that he must be Livid with himself'
'That is every Forward's dream chance. Joshua really should've done better there. It all shows on his face'
"Fuck!" Joshua used his hands to cover his head when he saw his attempt fail to hit the target. He looked around and saw his teammates glaring at him.
Omari wasn't part of the teammates glaring at him. He just stood still as if he was in a daze while looking at Joshua. His gaze didn't contain any form of aggression, just surprise and maybe disappointment.
How on earth could a forward miss such a clear cut chance?! Anthony had already diverted the attention of the goalkeepers and the defenders inside the box with his fake. All Joshua had to do was to make sure that his shot was on target. He had one job, and he fucked it up.
For the rest of the half, both sides produced clear cut chances. However, thanks to quality goalkeeping from Ayanfe and poor finishing from Teesside, the match remained goalless.
The referee blew the whistle which signified the end of the first half and both teams made their way back into their respective locker rooms.
Steve and Jurg also made their way back to the locker room. And while Steve had a frown on his face, highlighting his displeasure with his team's performance, Jurg had an eerie smile on his face.
'What an interesting first half here at Merseyside. Both teams had the chance to run away with it, but thanks to some quality goalkeeping and terrible finishing, the match remains level'
'I'd think Teesside would want to re-organize themselves before the second half. They started the first half so well but ended on a low. Poor finishing, poor defending, everything just changed all of a sudden'
'I'm sure that the manager would speak to his players about that during the break. What a first half, can't wait for the second half to begin. Chaos is definitely brewing here at Merseyside!'
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