Second Chances: Indonesian Football Player

Chapter 125's

"Nero and Matt, I especially want you to do two things after you're on the pitch" said coach Marcel, staring at them intently. They had just finished dressing after the warm-up. They are already wearing full white Anderlecht away jerseys, ready to enter the field.

"Number one: You two have to try to connect with other teammates so that our football can flow again" continued the coach. "That means you have to be involved in building and playing a lot of one-twos with the centre-forward and other midfielders to create scoring opportunities." He raised his voice slightly to make himself heard amidst the cheers of the Gent fans.

"In particular you, Nero I want to see creativity in the final third when we put pressure on the opponent. Make sure you keep the football flowing in the attacking midfield. Use quick but precise passes to break up their diamond-shaped midfield. Give it your best, Nero, and let's start by dominating that midfield. Are we together?"

"Yes, coach," Nero replied as he stretched his arms. He made use of every minute before entering the match to warm up his body in the right way. That will minimize the risk of injury on the field.

"Matias," said the coach, turning to the substitute forward from the American continent. “Try running behind their defensive line whenever you get a chance. I'm sure Nero will always try to release the pass to you as quickly as possible whenever you show the intention to run. When you receive the ball in the final third of the field, join the other attackers, and do your best to keep their defenses agitated. Are we together, Matt?"

"Yes, coach" replied Matias Suarez.

"Task number two" said the coach after glancing at the process on the pitch. "I want you two to try to shoot at the goal every time you get the chance. Nero, if you're 20 yards away, take that hard shot of yours. Matt, the same goes for you. Try to test the goalie as much and as possible by putting in a lot of effort. That's the only way to get a chance to score and start our comeback. Are we clear?"

"Yes, coach."

"Nero" continued Coach Marcel, putting an arm over his shoulder. "When you're on the field, tell Ronald to play with a high line immediately. Also, let him know that he can start moving forward along the wings to help Matias during our attack. Make sure you tell him I expect a good cross from him into the box. Okay?"

"Yes, coach," answered Nero.

Coach Marcel nodded. "A question?" He turned his gaze for a moment to Nero and Matias.

"No, coach."

"No, coach. Everything is clear."

"OK, then," Coach Marcel said as he nodded. "Please and follow the game. I'm hoping you're lucky, and hopefully we win the game. Make sure you do your best." He slapped both of their backs before pushing them towards the fourth official, who was already on the sidelines, waiting to make a substitution.

*PRIIIIIIITTTTT*

The referee blows the whistle and signals for a throw into Gent. The fourth official finally got a chance to put up the board, calling for a change of players.

Nero replaced Luka Milivojevic, a defensive midfielder who had already received a yellow card. Instead, Matias Suarez replaced Massimo Bruno, a left winger who has not been at his maximum since the start of the game.

Nero first ran to Cheikhou Kouyate and whispered the coach's message in his ear before taking his place in the right midfield, close to the midfield line. Ronald Vargas, the player who previously occupied the position, retreated a few yards and took his place in defensive midfield. Matthias, on the other hand, settled on the left wing. In just a few seconds, Anderlecht have adjusted their formation to a 4-1-2-3 wide formation with the addition of two substitutes.

Nero glimpsed around the field as he waited for the throw-in. He saw KAA Gent players still lined up in a 4-4-2 formation. He was not surprised, considering they had used the setting since the start of the match. They didn't even make substitutions or adjust their game plan because they were two goals ahead.

Since Nero had been watching the match from the sidelines, he had not spent much time analyzing the positions of the players. He did so while still on the bench and could easily create a mental map of his teammates and opponents in his mind. So, without worry and with a calm mind, he refocused his attention on the Gent player who was about to throw in for KAA Gent.

*PRIITTT*

The referee blew the whistle. That player, right-back KAA Gent, threw the ball along the line, trying to find it to his teammate a right midfielder. The latter ran along the line, trying to connect with him, but it was all in vain. Fabrice N’sakala, left-back Anderlecht, beat him. He slid in and kicked the ball out of the game with his left leg outstretched.

The line judge raised his flag, gesturing for a throw into another Gent KAA. However, the man in blue was in no hurry to pick it up. They make sure to waste a little time before restarting the game once again.

Nero knew they were starting to set the game to run all the time as it was already the 64th minute. They hope to slow down the tempo and prevent Anderlecht from gaining momentum and scoring.

However, none of Anderlecht's players will support him. After Gent's right-back threw a second inside, Mikael Dorsin went straight into action. He outscored midfielder KAA Gent, number 23, and headed the ball into the defensive midfield where Ronald Vargas waited.

Ronald, Anderlecht's defensive midfielder, reacted immediately and hooked the ball and steered it to the right wing with a deft second touch.

Anthony, a right-back, received it near the touchline on the right wing with a simple but skilful first touch. Without a pause, he then started running towards the half of Gent's defense. He was a fairly quick player and made it past, left midfielder KAA Gent, before continuing to the other side of the field.

The latter noticed him a few seconds later and released the ball to him.

Nero received Anthony's pass as he stepped into Gent's defensive area. He then continued running towards half of Gent's field as if his life depended on it.

He intends to live up to his coach's expectations by first helping Anderlecht dictate the tempo of the game. So, he ran with the ball to attract the attention of the opposing midfielders and create space for his team-mates.

One of the defensive midfielders KAA Gent, immediately came to close it. However, Nero did not try to dribble past the defensive midfielder as he is still aware of the fact that he is still new to the Pro Ligue.

So, he looked across the field and then released a breakthrough pass to the left wing, where Matias was already waiting. He did not stop his run but avoided Jason Morrison and continued to push towards Gent's penalty box.

Meanwhile, Matias, Anderlecht's left-hander, controlled the ball like a pro on the left wing before speeding towards Gent's box.

Hugues Wembangomo, a right-back, tried to tackle him and pull his shirt as he cut inside onto the pitch towards goal. However, his speed is not a match Anderlecht number 10 from Argentina. Matias flicked the ball forward with his left boot and beat right-back Gent with speed. He immediately chased the ball with only two centre-backs standing between him and the goalkeeper.

Matias, however, was in a tight corner and did not try to shoot and score. Instead, he fired a high pass into the middle of the box where Fede Vico, Anderlecht's centre-forward, lurked.

Bait into the box finds Fede Vico unguarded. Without delay, he carefully shot into the lower right corner. However, the Gent kipper made a brilliant final save, pushing the ball slightly away from the goal with his fingertips.

Nevertheless, Anderlecht's chances are not over. The ball hits the right post and bounces back to the field of play. The situation inside the box immediately turned chaotic as the players in black and orange jerseys chased the ball.

After all, Matias managed to get there first. He managed to get the ball before the other players and fired another shot into the net with his left foot.

A Gent defender jumped into his lane and blocked the ball, deflecting it away from the goal. Tension rises in the box. All the players in the area turned to chase the ball. But it had already far surpassed them heading outside the 18-yard box.

Nero did not join the commotion within the area. Instead, he positioned himself on the edge of the 18-yard box and waited for an opportunity. He is basically a gambler and only bets on the ball that comes his way when he chooses a spot. However, the goddess of luck did not seem to side with him that day. He had been waiting for a few seconds, but the ball was still in Gent's box. He's already impatient.

However, when he was about to head into the box and scramble the ball with his other team-mates, he finally saw the ball veer off the defenders and come towards him. He smiled inwardly, thinking that he had finally won the gamble once again.

But a moment later, he realized that the ball came to him with an awkward trajectory that was above head height. With A-grade spatial awareness, he concluded that it would land behind him for no more than an instant. Furthermore, he can easily conclude that he needs to jump high and dribble to the ground before firing a shot at goal. But the opposing defenders will never give him time when he is so close to their box. So, he made a quick decision at the time, choosing to try something he had never tried before.

With her heart pounding and adrenaline flooding her system, she turned around and tracked the trajectory of the ball using her edge vision. When he judged that it was starting to go down, he jumped off the ground with his left foot, launched and threw himself into the air to greet the ball with a bicycle kick in the air.

**** ****

"What the fuck?!" Coach Marcel couldn't help but swear loudly at what was happening on the pitch. With wide eyes, open mouth, open mouth, he saw the tall Nero rotate his body six point four feet in the air and dip his upper body back to perform a superb bicycle kick from outside the 18 yard box.

Coach Marcel couldn't believe it.

Nero seemed to be floating in the air for a very long time before making the right timing and with the sweetest connection his foot was connected to the ball that had just been deflected from the defender. What followed was a remarkable reverse finish with his shoes on top of his head.

Coach Marcel was shocked beyond measure as he watched the ball dart over the players inside the box before curling up behind the net.

THE EXCITEMENT! BE SURPRISED! And then the excitement once again! That sums up Coach Marcel's state of mind at the time.

2:1.

Anderlecht pulled a goal back in the 67th minute. Some of the Anderlecht fans who had travelled to Gent to watch the game all started cheering a while later. They seemed to take a second or two to recover from the shock of seeing Nero's stunning goal.

Coach Marcel's corner of the lip curled into a gentle smile as he watched Nero hurriedly take the ball from the net and return it to the halfway point without celebration. He was glad the boy still knew that his priority was to level the scores as quickly as possible. It seems Anderlecht have a chance to come back. He can feel it.