Second Chances: Indonesian Football Player

The Chapter 119

Waves of intense excitement flowed through Nero after he scored. When he sees the ball lodged behind the net, excitement overwhelms him. A wide grin softens her facial features that often look intense.

Before firing off that shot, he thought he felt the most satisfied after making it into Anderlecht's starting eleven and stepping onto the field to play his debut game. But he was mistaken because nothing beats what he feels after scoring. So, he ran towards the corner flag and clenched his fists repeatedly to let go and not go crazy with pure happiness.

He finally understood why the players always perform celebrations like they go crazy after scoring. Over the past two months, he has built up some pent-up frustration because he cannot get into the squad. What's more, he always felt like there was an invisible line separating him from his Anderlecht team-mates because he had never participated in any match. However, after playing and scoring goals, his frustration was gone. He could finally relax and let the deep sense of satisfaction from scoring swell in him.

"That's great, man. That goal is out of this world." Alex Mitrovic was the first to run towards him and slap (rather than pat) his back to congratulate him. "Whatever you take before the game, give me a little bit" he joked, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Other players also came and patted his back slightly to celebrate the goal.

Nero felt the sense of alienation he had previously felt among his team-mates begin to disappear. He was surprised by their team spirit. He hasn't interacted with them much over the last two months, but they still consider him a teammate during the game. They didn't isolate him and even celebrated the goal with him. He finally felt like he was fully integrated into the team.

*PRIITTTTT*

The referee blew the whistle, gesturing for the players to reclaim their starting positions. The game immediately restarted with the kick-off of Lommel SK.

Nero did not let a brief feeling of success cover his head. He understands that he has to show a better-than-perfect performance to get into Anderlecht's starting eleven. Providing an assist and scoring one goal against a second division team may not be enough for that. He needs to show the coach and his team-mates that he is reliable and has a definite ability to win games. Only then would they stop taking it for granted.

So, he got rid of excessive thoughts and forced himself to focus only on the game. He kept playing simple football, passing, running into empty spaces, and receiving passes in midfield. He didn't do something as complicated as trying to dribble past more than two opponents, as he always did in the academy. When a Lommel SK player tries to close it, he will immediately release the ball. He felt like he became more in control of midfield as the game progressed.

As the match progressed towards the final stage of the first half, Nero noticed that the Lommel SK players had arranged themselves in a 4-5-1 formation instead of the 4-3-3 they had played in the beginning of the game. Both their right and left attackers have moved slightly backwards into their defensive areas to better handle the pressure from Anderlecht's nonstop attack. It seems they also want to limit the impact of Anderlecht's midfield on the game. So they narrowed their formation by clamping down on space and crowding the midfield.

However, their strategy could not stop Anderlecht's dominance. The Anderlecht midfielder no longer tries to play Tiki-Taka style in the middle of the pitch but starts to play the ball as quickly as possible. Whenever Nero or any other Anderlecht midfielder had the ball, they would always pass towards the wing thereby releasing attacks from left and right forward. That way, Anderlecht can continue to dominate the game through the wing game.

Another goal scoring opportunity soon came for Anderlecht in the 33rd minute. Olivier Deschacht, Anderlecht's centre-back, intercepted another long-range pass that failed to be met by Lommel SK's attacker deep inside Anderlecht's defensive area. He headed the ball back into the middle of a crowded midfield.

Nero was chasing the ball. He leapt high and dueled an attacking midfielder from Lommel SK, before heading the ball towards Leander Dendoncker, the defensive midfielder of Anderlecht.

Leander controlled the ball beautifully before passing it to the flank where Sandy Walsh, right-back, lurked. Sandy ran with him along the touchline and darted past Regales, Lommel SK's left-hander, before releasing a cut-back pass into the middle of the field where Youri Tielemans was waiting.

Youri Tielemans, Rosenborg's left midfielder, had the ball well, passing one of Lommel SK's defensive midfielders, in the process. Without a pause, he then handed it to Nero, who had just positioned himself behind him.

Nero received passes and played some one-twos with Leander Dendoncker and Youri Tielemans as the three of them continued to pierce deep into the half of Lommel SK's field.

Midfielder Anderlecht is on fire. They not only pass the ball quickly between themselves but intelligently and quickly swap positions so they can create space and a pass path for others to take advantage of. They only use the superiority and fluidity of their position to overcome their opponents. They managed to produce overload in one part of the field, forcing the defence to tilt unevenly to the right side. Thanks to that, Massimo Bruno, the left-wing attacker Anderlecht was left unattended.

Massimo had the ball with no difficulty and no direct pressure. He then controlled forward and ran towards Lommel SK's box quickly. He was so fast that he managed to reach the edge of the Lommel SK box in just seconds.

He raised his foot as if about to open fire, causing all Lommel defenders to jump or slide towards him to block the ball. Instead, however, the left attacker kicks the ball backwards, releasing a cut-back pass into the middle of the box.

Alex Mitrovic is always in the box. However, he has not reacted to the ball since it was played behind him. Instead, it came straight to Nero, who had just entered into the box. He started running from midfield as soon as Massimo had the ball on the left wing. That way, he has created the perfect goal-scoring opportunity for himself.

However, Lommel's defenders reacted immediately and blocked all corners of his shot. Nero still raised his leg to shoot but slowed down a bit later. From the corner of his eye, he saw Matias Suarez also go into the box.

So, he made a quick decision. He continued to swing his legs down as if he was about to fire another missile. All Lommel defenders attempt to jump or slide to defend the ball once more. However, they were immediately disappointed.

Nero deliberately missed the ball, letting it continue forward towards Matias Suarez, Anderlecht's completely unguarded right-wing attacker.

Matias Suarez did not hesitate to strike from inside the box. He hit the ball right into the bottom right corner, and it was lodged in the net. Lommel SK's defense couldn't even react. They have been defeated and plagued by Anderlecht's smooth passing and positioning.

3:0.

Anderlecht scored the third goal in the 36th minute. The stadium exploded into cheers once again.

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Coach Marcel watched the game from the technical area. He is satisfied with the performance of his players because they have dominated Lommel in all fields.

But he was also quite surprised by how NEro dominated in midfield. It had only been a few months since he graduated from the academy. However, the boy had developed his play to fit the professional stage in such a short period of time. He no longer runs and dribbles for long distances like he did in the academy. Instead, he developed his passing and vision of the game to another level. His new style of play is the most suitable for professional teams because football is not a one-man game.

Coach Marcel was worried that Nero would try to show off and blunder during the game. He was afraid that the boy would do one of his autographs and possibly pull an injury. But he doesn't seem to be worried. The boy was just a genius and had developed his game to a higher level.

Coach Marcel was quite happy and surprised by Nero's performance. A gentle smile adorned his face as he continued watching the match until the referee blew the whistle for a pause. At that time, the score was still 3:0 for Anderlecht.

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