Second Chances: Indonesian Football Player
Chapter 54's
Next day.
Coach Marcel invited the players to take a survey at the Skonto Arena in the morning. It was an indoor stadium where they would face Riga's academy in their opening match.
"I advise you to take a walk and familiarize yourself with every nook and cranny of the pitch" said the Coach as he led a procession of Anderlecht's academy team players past the stadium gates.
The interior design of the arena mimics a greenhouse with a dome-shaped roof that holds back snow. Nero's mood was powered by a well-preserved synthetic turf under his feet. He was relieved that the pitch would not limit his performance against Riga the next day.
After they completed the survey, they played a short warm-up game on the grass before returning to their hotel. The organizers only allocated one hour of training time in the stadium. Several other teams were supposed to use the stadium after they left.
"Have a good rest today" Coach Marcel said as they entered the hotel lobby. "Eat well, drink well, and make sure you stay away from anything that could interfere with your performance tomorrow. And stay away from alcohol." He warned solemnly, turning to face the players. "Are we clear?"
"Yes, coach," answered Nero and his team-mates, more or less in unison. They drew some curious gazes from the hotel occupants and the uniformed waitresses in the lobby.
"I hope you remain committed to our cause here. Our goal is to win. No less." He glared at the players grimly before adding: "We'll meet at 20:00, right after dinner for a pre-match tactical session. See you soon." He concluded and turned around as he moved away from the players.
Nero spent most of his time in the Virtual Dungeon System, except for the short time he ate or went to the restroom. He practices The Miracle Shoot of Lionel Messi all the time. Since he was going to face a strong and foreign opponent, he wanted to have an edge, something that could win the game. If his team-mates defend well, the dead ball will work.
After training in the evening, he dined lavishly at the hotel restaurant with his teammates before heading to one of the boardrooms to attend Coach Johansen's tactical meeting.
Nero and his team-mates found the coach in a somber mood as they entered the meeting venue. He always frowned, his expression akin to that of a veteran fighter before dropping or defeating his opponent.
"Hurry and calm down" he said. "We've only got a little time for this. Remember our game will start at 8:00 am tomorrow. I want you all to sleep in your bed before 10 p.m"
The players hurriedly sat in their seats and waited for their coach to continue.
"We play against Riga tomorrow" the Coach began. “As we have been training for the past few weeks, we will use the 3 - 4 - 2 - 1 formation in this game. Hope you stay focused throughout the game. Especially the defenders. Remember to close all spaces quickly, use a high defensive line to create an offside trap, and most importantly, make no mistakes. We don't want to give chances on the silver platter to our opponents..."
Coach Marcel spoke at length to the players about the tactics they would employ in the game the next day. He then gave a spirited speech to move them to win the game. When he was done, he went on to the pre-match routine by mentioning the starting line-up.
3-4-1-2
Goalkeeper (GK): Damon Kvennson
Centre-back (CB): Larsen Maguel
Central Defender (CB): Miguel Alaron
Central Defender (CB): Van Rochefort
Right Midfielder (RCM): Kierst Donovan
Midfielder (LCM): Antonio Mitchell
Midfielder (CM): Nero Juniar
Midfielder (CM): Isaac Newton
Right Wing (RM): Ryandi Ferdianur
Left Wing (RM): Stefan Kvennson
Striker (ST): Bjorn Smirkson
**** ****
In another sports hall at Riga Academy, a similar meeting also took place.
"RSCA Youth Academy is the weakest team in this group than any other team" said the short-bodied, slightly distended coach. He spoke to the players under 18 who will face the RSCA Youth Academy the following day.
"We have to win by a big margin in the first game against the Belgian side. That will increase our chances of qualifying for the semifinals..."
**** ****
After the meeting, Nero returns to his room with Ryandi. He took a shower and got into bed before 22:00 However, due to habit, he opened the system interface to check if there were any new notifications.
He felt a sudden sense of excitement upon realizing that a mission had appeared under the Mastery Quest menu once again. System missions mean rewards or exp points that can help him improve his skills to the next level.
****
Mastery Quest
# NEW MISSION: Riga Cup Serial Challenge
->System has detected that users are taking part in international academy tournaments. The system has designed a related mission for the event.
->Users must receive the mission in advance to get a chance to win a prize after completing the below achievements.
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- Achievement 2: Help your team win the semifinals of the tournament.
- Achievement 3: Help your teammates win finals and become tournament champions.
- Achievement 4: Become the top scorer in the tournament.
- Achievement 5: Becoming the tournament MVP.
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* Gift:
-> Achievement prize 1:250 points Exp
-> Achievement prize 2:500 points Exp
-> Achievement prize 3:1000 points Exp
-> Achievement prize 4:250 points Exp
-> Milestone completion gift 5: Elixir Improvement Agility Class-B
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-> Users can choose not to accept missions.
Accept | reject
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*Punishment if no achievement is achieved after the specified time (If the user accepts).
->Minus 3000 Points Exp
*Users must complete at least one achievement before the tournament ends to avoid penalties.
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****
Nero's spirit brightens after perusing through the mission of the new system. He had the chance to win 2,000 experience points and agility enhancer potions if he completed all the achievements successfully.
He did not hesitate to click the receive button on the system interface. He had long wanted to obtain a high-grade elixir to increase his agility to the next level. Furthermore, he would get a chance to improve the system if he won 2000 exp points and still had the remaining 1000 points to buy more items from the system store.
**** ****
Nero and his team-mates arrived at Skonto Arena on an allocated team bus at exactly 07:15 the next day. They quickly warmed up and returned to the dressing room to replace their fixtures for the match. They wore their black black jerseys, with an urgent feeling, while listening to the final instructions of Coach Marcel.
At exactly 07.50 WIB, they followed the referee and marched towards the field to start the first game of the tournament.
Cheers, mixed with the occasional laugh, rose into the air as the two teams marched onto the field. The voices enveloped Nero, capturing his brain, nearly numbing his senses. He soon realized there was a noise problem associated with playing in the enclosed dome. He just hopes his teammates are quick to adapt to the changes in their playing environment.
Teams go through the formalities of exchanging handshakes with their opponents before parting to the opposite part of the field.
* PRITTTTTT !*
The referee blew the whistle, gesturing for the captain to enter the middle circle for a coin toss. Nero adjusted his armband before running towards the referee in the middle of the field.
"OK, you know the rules" the referee said. Nero and the captain of the opposing team had just entered the center circle. "You will both choose the side of the coin first the head or the tail. I will then proceed with the coin toss. If you win a coin toss, you'll decide who will kick off in the first half or choose which side of the field at this first half." He stopped and looked back and forth at the short blond captain of the team Riga and Nero, who were wearing black jerseys. "OKay?"
Nero and Team Captain Riga both nodded.
Riga wins the coin toss and decides to kick the ball. Nero was not the least bit discouraged by his bad luck. He shook hands with captain Riga and the referees before returning to his territory.
He observed the opponent in a white shirt and noticed that they had arranged themselves in a possible 4-4-2 formation. He is not yet sure about their exact position as their winger is also on the halfway line waiting for the game to start.
Meanwhile, striker Riga stepped towards the ball in the centre circle, sending fans into a frenzy as they cheered for their home side.
* PRITT PRITTT PRITTTTTTT! *
A clear whistle sounded amidst the cheers. The first match in the Riga Cup tournament between JFC Riga and RSCA Youth Academy starts at the Indoor Skonto Stadium.
