Second Chances: Indonesian Football Player

Chapter 78's

When Nero returned to his hotel room, he could not resist the temptation to open the system interface. Despite only having a small window to clean and grab his lunch before returning to the bus, he decided to check if there were any noticeable changes in the interface.

The magical state of extreme focus that allowed him to score the second goal was still fresh in his mind. He only made it in twice; first, during the match against JFC Riga and then in the match of the day against Borussia Dortmund.

During both instances, he had performed at a much higher level than his baseline. However, he still had no conscious control to enter that state of mind. So, when she went to the bathroom, away from Ryandi's eyes, she opened the system interface to look for clues.

Nothing seems to have changed since the start of the game. Most attributes are still in A rank while factor X still shows a D value and 'limited information available' when he clicks on it.

Nero only saw significant changes under the Mastery Skills tab. Andres Iniesta's vision has soared from 72.021% to 77.072% first-rate progress in just one match. He was struck by an unusually large hike.

Andres Iniesta's Vision Progress seems to have stalled when he achieved 70% progress%. Nero has been looking for ways to increase his repair rate for months. He tried to watch footage of the game and read books on soccer tactics to speed up the skill-mastering process.

Despite this, it continues to increase only by about 0.1 - 0.5% every month.

However, in one match where he managed to enter a mysterious state of extreme focus, his skills had improved by a little over 5%. He's dumbfounded.

Nero hypothesizes that the extreme focal state is somehow related to Andres' Vision Iniesta.

He wished he could master Andres' Vision Itiesta by a hundred percent and see if he would gain control to achieve an extreme state of focus. However, he understood learning the skill was a slow process.

The only skills in the system he had managed to master up to level 1 100% completed so far were Cruyff Turn and Deadly Shot. It was because he had been training regularly in his previous life. Otherwise, he would have taken longer to learn it. Nero could only wait to enter a mysterious mental state again unknowingly before continuing his investigation.

"Ner!" Ryandi's voice came from behind the bathroom door, interrupting her musings. "We're almost late for the game. You better hurry up because we have to pick lunch before we go to the bus."

"How many more minutes of our time?" Nero asked, closing the system interface.

"Now it's 1:30" Ryandi replied. "We have to be on the bus in 10 minutes if we want to go with the rest of the team."

"Well then" answered Nero. "I'll be done in five. You can go down first. Please bring me lunch on your way too. I'll meet you downstairs in less than ten minutes."

"Okay," Ryandi agreed. "But hurry. I don't know why you spent so long in the bathroom." He grumbled.

Nero quickly finished cleaning. He then wore a fresh dark blue sports outfit and a thick jacket before running down the stairs to catch the bus to the stadium.

"Ner!" Ryandi yelled at him, waving his hands as soon as he headed for the bus. "I'm providing a seat for you here. Come on."

Nero nodded at Coach Marcel by the door, muttering an apology before sitting next to Ryandi.

Thirty minutes later, they sat in the stadium watching the match between VfB Stuttgart and Atletico Madrid, with their lunchbox in hand.

The RSCA Youth Academy squad members sat down together with their technical team, overseeing the progress of the game. They enjoy their takeaway lunch at the same time.

The VfB Stuttgart players in white again wore a 4-3-3 formation. They attack relentlessly, with the three midfielders often committing forwards to support the three attackers. They passed the ball quickly through the gap between Atletico Madrid players, waiting for an opportunity to penetrate the box.

Joshua Kimmich stands out in midfield. Its placement on the pitch was perfect, making it a control tower for the entire team.

Nero could immediately tell why Kimmich was so good in his previous life, playing for Bayern and winning such a big competition as the UEFA Champions League. He is a highly skilled central midfielder with good spatial awareness.

Both on and off the ball, Kimmich knows the position of his teammates and opponents. Nero could feel his persistence from looking at his playing style. Other players on Stuttgart's VfB team have sometimes lost one-on-one or misplaced passes, but not for Kimmich.

That was how he managed to launch an attack in the 20th minute which resulted in the first goal of VfB Stuttgart. He made room for himself by missing a challenge from Rodri, one of Atletico Madrid's central midfielders who will also play for Manchester City. Even without looking up, he sent a high pass that defeated the entire ATM defense. It landed right in the path of the running Felix Lohkemper.

Felix, the Stuttgart VfB attacker on the right wing, did not waste that incredible opportunity. He reacted quickly to precede the centre-back and fired a close-range shot that ended in the top right corner. The German team had taken the lead since the 20th minute, giving the impression that they would come out victorious after 90 minutes.

However, ATM players do not laze around. They lurk like predators, waiting for VfB Stuttgart players to make a mistake before pouncing on them. They created a pressing zone using three players around Kimmich, trying their best to mess up the midfield control tower.

In particular, Saul Niguez and Rodri, the Atletico Madrid central midfielders who are both outstanding players, marked Kimmich superbly, leaving him unable to breathe while holding the ball. Saul beat the German midfielder with every chance he got, sometimes a foul.

His stubbornness helped the ATM keep the control tower and his team-mates' game coming to life, playing with spectacular counter-attacking flair every time they won the ball.

They profited from their relentless efforts in the 38th minute. Nacho Monsalve, the ATM centre-back, won the ball with fair and square, snatching it from Felix Lohkemper near the penalty box. He then quickly released a pass to Rodri, who ran on the left wing.

The counterattack is underway.

Rodri, an ATM attacking midfielder, passed the ball past VfB Stuttgart, sending it into the path of Ivan Alejo, the left winger.

The left winger has set his running time perfectly, beating the defenders for pace. He cut back into the field and darted into the box. He quickly kicked the ball past the goalkeeper, levelling before halftime.

In the second half, the two teams continued to attack each other non-stop. VfB Stuttgart continues to use his steady style in passing the ball around the pitch, looking for opportunities. On the other hand, the Atletico Madrid players intensified their counter-attacks. Any mistake made by Stuttgart's VfB team will result in a deadly counter-attack that threatens to be a goal.

The ATM came close to scoring a few times as the match approached the 60th minute. But the stable number 1 goalkeeper VfB Stuttgart kept the balance. He made some superb saves, thwarting the ATM attacker's chances of scoring in the second half.

The game remained deadlocked until VfB Stuttgart stepped into higher identity in the 70th minute. Joshua Kimmich, Philipp Forster, and Sinan Gums (three midfielders) all came alive, setting up some groundbreaking passes that split the defence ahead of them.

The attackers did not disappoint.

Timo Werner punished a slightly off-guard ATM goalkeeper with a brilliant and instinctive strike after receiving a fantastic precise pass from Kimmich in the 75th minute.

The attacker nearly sealed his position as the tournament's top scorer with twelve goals. He is already ahead of Nero with two goals in the scoring tally.

Nero could only sigh in annoyance while continuing to watch the match.

Felix Lohkemper, one of the other attackers, scored VfB Stuttgart's third from a slick finish after receiving another pass that split the defence from Kimmich.

VfB Stuttgart then held on to capture the second semi-final with a score of 3:1. They will face the RSCA Youth Academy in the final.

**** ****

"What do you think of VfB Stuttgart?" Coach Marcel asked Nero as they left the stadium, heading to the bus after the game.

"They're a better team than us" Nero replied honestly. "The style of their game is stable, and most likely they will dictate the tempo of the game against us in the final."

Coach Marcel nodded without any reaction. "In which position do you think you will be most effective against them?"

Nero was surprised because the coach never bothered to ask the tactics of one of his players. But he still answered. “I think I would have played better against Stuttgart if I played as a central midfielder. It happened at my chosen position. I will need help in the middle of the field. We need to pack our midfield with five players to stop the mobility of VfB Stuttgart there. Only then do we have a chance of winning."