Second Chances: Indonesian Football Player

The Chapter 70

The referee blew the whistle and the second half started with a Zenit kick-off.

Nero returned to defensive midfield to intercept the long aerial ball from Zenit. He's itching to score. He had to take the ball first.

Zenit still use a 4-4-2 formation with two strikers leading the attack. Nero noticed that they immediately positioned themselves among the RSCA Youth Academy centre-backs as the match restarted.

The long pass from the wing came quickly into the penalty box. Van Rochefort, the RSCA Youth centre-back, jumped high and headed the ball back into midfield. Nero chases after him, struggling to get there first before Artem Simonyan, Zenit's attacking midfielder.

However, Artem was closer to the ball. He got there faster and fired him back into the RSCA Youth Academy goal.

Miguel Alaron another centre-back from RSCA Youth Academy, hit back well, making it clear to send the ball back to where it came from. Over the next twenty minutes, the game became a long ball-like spectacle in the first half. The score remains locked at 0:0 when the time reaches the 70th minute.

Zenit players managed to isolate Nero by 'just' choosing to pass the ball over the midfield. They hardly play short or grounded passes. Nero was confused on how to get the ball into the field in midfield.

The opponent also defended well as a team. Markov and Sheydaev, their two strikers, did all the attacking while the midfielders and defenders to thwart any attempt on their goal. They doubled down or tackled young academy player Anderlecht who was lucky enough to pick up a stray ball. More often than not, they win back control of the ball instantly and send long passes to their strikers, without moving from their position.

Nero sighed at the genius and stupidity of the tactic. As Zenit could not put more players forward, they could not score. They left no loopholes that could be exploited in their defence but also condemned themselves to remain goalless. That is unless they can take advantage of set-pieces or exploit the mistakes made by the RSCA Youth Academy defenders.

However, the defenders of the RSCA Youth Academy are focused and in their best form since the start of the tournament. Coach Marcel has deployed four defenders to oversee two Zenit attackers. Nero believes they will not make mistakes that can lead to conceding goals.

The second half was a monotonous long pass game that left most fans upset.

The match remained 0-0 as the digital clock on the big screen slowly approached the 90th minute.

Everyone in the stadium, including the players, slowly began to believe that the match would be extended to extra time or even to penalties.

However, Nero never gave up on his belief that he could still win the game. He believes there is still a chance to bag the win before the final whistle.

The goddess of fortune seemed to support her patience and gave her a chance in the 88th minute. The Zenit players became a little weak after a long time of concentrating and running. They started making some mistakes.

One of Zenit's central midfielders mis-entered the ball when Nero was close enough to pounce on it. The other Zenit players did not anticipate his teammate losing the ball at that point. Before they could react, Nero had already dashed past them, piercing deeper into their defensive section.

Ryandi, Stefan, and Bjorn join the lightning-fast attack, running on his left and right. They pulled some opponents from his path. He quickly advanced towards the goal of Zenit, zig-zagging around Zenit defenders.

Nero looked good on his way to scoring again with one of his moves.

However, Zenit are an experienced young team. The two centre-backs quickly closed it off as he ran down the green, trying to find his way into the box. They protected his potential path to force him to the sidelines.

Nero slowed his pace slightly as defenders approached. But when they loosened their attitude, probably thinking they had it, he immediately sped up to avoid them. He ran past two defenders on his way to the goal, his movement smooth.

However, he suddenly felt a strong pull on his shirt before he could rejoice. He tried to flick the ball to Bjorn, who had just preceded him, but the defender at the back made him fall to the ground before he could lift his foot. The tall centre-back did not even attempt to hide his offense.

Amidst the heat of the moment, Zachary was upset and turned to face him.

*PRITTT*

The referee blew his whistle and came to separate them.

"Cold, calm," the referee said to the two of them, raising his hand in a calming manner. He showed a yellow card to centre-back Zenit and offered a free-kick to the RSCA Youth Academy.

He let Nero go with a warning.

The foul took place about forty-five yards from Zenit's goal. Nero could not hit the target with a powerful shot from that distance. So, he asked his other teammates to advance towards the Zenit box.

"You all go forward and attack, except Ryandi," he yelled at his team-mates. "This is our last chance."

Nero decides to leave Ryandi back behind to guard against a possible Zenit counterattack. Ryandi is the only person on the team who can match his speed to some extent. Moreover, he is a short guy and will not be of much use against the air ball.

"Stay in the middle circle," Nero told Ryandi while positioning the ball on the artificial grass. "Prepare to react to Zenit's counter-attack if we fail to score. You can commit an offense if you need to."

"OK," Ryandi replied with a smile. "Hopefully lucky." He patted her on the back before running into the middle circle.

The referee blew the whistle, gesturing for Nero to take a free kick. He has finished setting the walls of two players, a few yards from the ball.

Nero raised his hand to signal his teammates to get ready. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and scanned the entire playing field in front of him. He took a few steps back and assessed the distance to the goal once again, concluding what type of ball he could use against the goalkeeper.

Nineteen players stood between him and the goalpost. Every player on the pitch, except Ryandi and Damon, is ready to attack or defend against free kicks. The soccer brain assesses the risks and deduces the best path for the ball.

*PRIIIITTTTT*

The referee blew the whistle once more, prompting Nero to take a free kick.

Nero decided to go with his instincts. He detonated the ball with the inside of his boots, sending it into a curved path. It flashed past the two men who formed the wall towards Isaac, the tallest player on the field. The accurate long-distance curved bait was precise, leading to number six among a sea of players.

Isaac jumped over everyone around him and swept the ball with the top of his head. He steered it into the top right corner, past the Zenit goalkeeper.

The stadium held its breath watching, wondering if the ball would find the back of the net.

Nero started running towards the Zenit box while the other players watched the ball which could finally decide who would advance to the semifinals. He once saw a shadow of the ball bouncing off the top post using Andres' Vision Iniesta.

"BANG"

As he expected, the ball hit the top right corner of the goal post. The sound of the impact was quite felt in the quiet stadium.

The fans sighed, more or less simultaneously.

The RSCA Youth Academy players struggled to chase the ball for rebounds. However, the tall centre-back, who tackled Nero, got there first. He cleared the ball from the box with a timely volley.

The ball moved in the air, out of the box, with Zenit players and RSCA Youth Academy chasing it. Ryandi, positioned in the center of the circle, is getting ready to face a highly likely Zenit counterattack.

However, they all stopped their action as Nero greeted the ball about thirty-five yards from Zenit's goal. He worked with instinct to measure his direction and speed before being able to bounce. He caught it with a first time volley with the top of his left shoe, blowing it back where it came from.

The ball follows a seemingly impossible curved trajectory, first moving to the right then suddenly, turning to the left at incredible speed, spinning back towards the goal. It goes into the back of the net like a ballistic missile, unstoppable.

The Zenit goalkeeper could only stare in disbelief. Nero has scored “screamer” from thirty-five yards using his lethal shot.

1:0.

Cheers burst out abruptly inside the stadium as fans marveled at the spectacular display. In the 90th minute, Nero became the last to laugh, taking his team to the semifinals.