Second Chances: Indonesian Football Player

Chapter 116's

Sage glanced at his watch. Six o'clock past twelve minutes official kick-off time. "The team has to get out right now" he said excitedly to Monica, a friend sitting to her right.

Before Monica could voice her answer, the stadium loudspeakers came alive, blaring and dwarfing the surrounding chatter. And without delay, the live commentary in Norwegian began.

"Good night everyone! Today, we bring you the Belgian Football Cup tournament that will determine the Belgian Football Champion of the year," the melodious voice of a female commentator was heard from the loudspeaker.

"I'm Anne Rimmen, your beautiful commentator, bringing you live commentary for this Belgian Cup second round match alongside our special guest Aad de Moss, former Anderlecht player and legend. He will be our expert for today's game. Signore. Moss, can you greet our listeners?"

"Good night, everyone," Sage heard the loud voice of Aad de Moss coming at him through the loudspeaker.

"Hehe," Anne Rimmen, the first commentator, chuckled. "We're glad you're here, Mr. Moss ."

"Thank you, Anne."

"For this second-round match, on the one hand, we have Lommel SK, a club that plays quite well in the second division. On the other hand, we have RSC Anderlecht, the most successful club in Belgium. They have won the Belgian Cup nine times like I am. So, what do you think of these two teams, Mr Moss?"

"Well, I don't think I need to give an in-depth analysis of Anderlecht" replied Mr. The Aad de Moss. "They are a team that has performed well in the top league over the last two decades. There is no doubt that they are the favourites to win this second round Belgian Cup tie. With the performance of Alexsandar Mitrovic, their centre-forward, active, they can score at any time. We just hope Mr Marcel, the new head coach, does his job well. Anderlecht shouldn't have any trouble winning the game."

"Then, Lommel SK..." Anne Rimmen investigated.

"Oh," said Mr. Aad de Moss. "Lommel SK is a good team. They really did and have done well in the second division. They won against KMSK Deinze in the first round of the Belgian Cup with a score of 7:0. That should say something about the talent of the players compared to others in the lower divisions. But comeon. They're facing Anderlecht here. To win, they needed a lot of luck on their side."

"Does this mean you believe that Anderlecht will win this game?"

"You can't be one hundred percent sure in football" replied Mr. The Aad de Moss. "What I'm saying is that Anderlecht have a very high chance of winning the game. It all depends on how the new coach handles the game."

"OK, thank you, Moss," said Anne Rimmen. "Now let's focus on the games that exist and..." He paused in the middle of the sentence as the teasing cheers rose to a brief peak, interrupting every other sound in the stadium.

The crowd suddenly came alive, releasing pent-up energy at the long-awaited kick-off. For the next minute, the singing of the fans was deafening.

However, the Sage was not at all bothered by that voice.

He has been a fan of Anderlecht for as long as he can remember and has attended many games since he was young. He always felt at home in the stadium crowd and could sing and celebrate freely with other Anderlecht supporters.

So, he clapped his hands, following the rhythm of the crowd. But he did not forget to keep his eyes fixed on the exit of the dressing room. He really wants the game to start.

"Leaded by three-match officials, both teams entered the field of play," Anne Rimmen, commentator, announced after a while amid the majestic music.

Sage soon realized that the players of both teams had finally appeared. They marched onto the pitch in two rows, holding hands with adorable youngsters wearing match jerseys of both teams. Among Anderlecht's players, he could see a very tall Nero in his white Anderlecht away shirt. He walked behind the other players his head held high with a grim expression on his face.

"With yellow jerseys, blue shorts, and yellow socks, is Lommel SK, the home team." Sage heard Anne Rimmen, the commentator, begin the introduction as the players lined up to shake hands on the pitch.

"In Lommel SK's goal, there's Yannick Toelsen, number 1 and captain."

“In the defense there are four players. No.14 centre-back Sam Vanaken and No.15 Bart Goossens. No.24 left-back Glenn Neven & No.4 right-back Jeroen Gossens."

“Coach Stijn Vreven seems to also use a 4-3-3 formation this time. In midfield, there are three players: No.3, Loris Brogno, No.26, Christophe Delende, and No.8, Johanna Omolo."

"And finally, Lommel SK's attackers are No.22, Romero Regales, No.16, Zinho Gano, and No.22, Thomas Jutten. In the White shirt, we have a team that everyone knows; Anderlecht..."

Sage listened carefully as the commentator announced all the players. He nodded in agreement when he heard the names of Olivier Deschacht, the new captain, and Alexsandar Mitrovic, the centre-forward. Both have been playing well since the start of the new season. But what worries him is that most of Anderlecht's other first-team members are not in the line-up.

Placing one or two midfielders would be fine. However, coaches take risks using only young players without much experience in midfield. He seemed to take the game lightly, and it was not at all convincing as far as he was concerned.

The four friends sitting to his left laughed at it.

"I feel sorry for Lommel SK" Damon Kvennson, Nero's former teammate, said, shaking his head. "Playing against Nero when you've never seen him work with the ball is the worst mistake any club can make."

"Right," Amelia Leroy agreed. "I just remembered the goal he scored against Real Madrid in the SIA Cup. If he could score a goal like that, he would soon become the superstar of Anderlecht. I wonder if he'll still remember us after that."

"Do you really think Nero will be able to survive this match?" Kristin inevitably asked after seeing the relaxed atmosphere that Ryandi and his friends were projecting. They do not seem to be the least bit worried about Anderlecht, who played his debut match and allegedly their friend.

Ryandi smiled, throwing a glance at him. "When was the last time you saw Nero play?" She asked.

"About two years ago, I guess," Sage replied honestly. "Why are you asking?" He has been traveling and studying for the past two years. So, he could not take the time to watch the academy match.

"Then get this from us who have been playing with Nero for the last two years" Ryandi said. "He's not the perfect guy off the pitch. But when the ball is at his feet, he turns into something else. You just have to wait and see. He should have given us a lot of surprises in this game."

**** ****

At exactly 18:00, the referee blew his whistle.

Hearing the whistle, something appeared in Nero's mind. All the background fanfare disappeared instantly from his mind, leaving him in a state of calm. The loud cheers from the fans seemed like a distant frenzy to him at that moment. His focus was entirely on the match, with no random thoughts running through his mind. In that state, he watched Thomas Jutten, Lommel SK's centre-forward, raise his feet high and kick the ball back into his own half.

The second round match of the Belgian Cup finally began with the kick-off of Lommel SK.

Johanna Omolo, Lommel SK's attacking midfielder, received the ball in midfield with a simple touch. He then pulled it back with his right foot and passed it across the pitch to Glenn Neven, the left-back.

The latter immediately controlled the ball close to the touchline on Lommel SK's left wing. With a very fast movement, he kicked it towards Romero Regales who had already dashed forward. In the first minute of the game, Lommel SK started attacking. It seems the Lommels players intend to score early by attacking through the wings.

Nero adjusted his position in midfield, moving to the right as he watched Romero Regales pass Matias Suarez, Anderlecht's right-hander. With his high game intelligence, he smelled some 'danger' as soon as the attacker touched the ball. Romero is one of those fast wingers who can beat any defender for speed.

Nero's football intuition had already warned him that if the captain did not stop on the wing, he would be a problem for centre-back Anderlecht.

So, with a one-way mind, he went straight into action. He decided to stop the winger before he moved further towards Anderlecht's goal. As a midfielder in a 4-3-3 formation, he cannot just think of attacking. He also has to help the team defend against possible threats to the goal. Otherwise, Leander Dendoncker, Anderlecht's central defensive midfielder, would have had problems with the opponent's attackers unguarded.

So, he started tracking Romero's run from the sidelines his mind quickly processing all possible routes the attacker might take towards goal. Meanwhile, his spatial awareness and A-grade risk analysis allowed him to create mental maps of other Lommel players around him.

When he made sure that there were no unguarded Lommel players around, he ran across the field towards Romero Regales who ran like the wind. He accelerated his top speed in an instant, his legs pumping like the pistons of a race car. In no time at all, he cut the left forward as he passed Sandy Walsh, Anderlecht's right-back.

Nero maintained his composure, slid in, and handled the ball without making physical contact with Romero's feet. He made sure to catch the ball when Romero had just turned, cutting back into the field towards goal.

Challenge succeeded.

Nero stopped the ball with his left foot outstretched and made Romero fall to the ground.

Nero was sure he was answering the challenge correctly.

He did not even glance at Romero, who was pretending to be injured on the grass.

He quickly got off the ground and passed the ball to Leander in defensive midfield immediately.

He didn't want to make a complicated game when the game was just starting. He will follow Coach Marcel's advice and grow with the game slowly. He wanted to play it simple until he set the skill level of the opponent. That way, he would avoid repeating the mistakes of his previous life.