Second Chances: Indonesian Football Player

Chapter 81's

"GODAAAAL..."

Nero sighed and covered his face as he saw Stefan howling like a hungry wolf after scoring.

Stefan stretched his hand as he passed his team-mates like a rugby player and ran towards the corner flag to celebrate his goal. He didn't stop there. He added some flamboyant backflips to good measure before settling in to celebrate with his other team-mates.

Nero did not participate in the celebration. He instead reminded his team-mates to return to their positions. They need to stay focused on the game because only two minutes have passed. The RSCA Youth Academy still has a long way to go to beat VfB Stuttgart.

He knows one of the most likely moments to concede in a football match is right after scoring. Players tend to be complacent after getting a clue. They will then end up making mistakes that could result in goals.

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In the stands, Bella Anderson felt the excitement flaring within her after Stefan Kvennson scored. The match had just begun, but the RSCA Youth Academy was already leading the way. He wondered what the commentators who put their money on VfB Stuttgart's win would say after seeing Nero's assist.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he heard Ricardo Andres, a commentator who spoke with a thick Spanish accent, blabbering after the cheers had subsided. "RSCA Youth Academy has done it. Geez! How about that? RSCA Academy took the lead in the second minute, no, the first minute. Vincent, what do you think of that goal?"

Bella heard Vincent McManaman, the second commentator, cleared his throat before replying. “As I said a few minutes ago, VfB Stuttgart will have to look after Nero if they want to win the final. This goal represents his quick thinking and brilliance in the middle of the pitch. It only took a few minutes.seconds for him to take advantage of Ryandi's pace on the left wing. And fortunately, Ryandi did not disappoint. He gave Nero the right cut-back pass. Number 8 did their best. He ran towards the defenders, diverted their attention from his team-mates, and sent a small, intricate ball through the defence. That kid is a genius. RSCA Academy is leading, thanks to him."

"I have to say that Ryandi Ferdianur and Stefan Kvennson were instrumental in building this goal" said Ricardo Andres, the first commentator. "Even Bjorn Smirksson, the centre-forward, should be given credit. Don't you think so, Mr Vincent?"

"Of course" replied Vincent McManaman firmly. "Nero wouldn't hold the ball that long if his team-mates hadn't run across the defensive line of VfB Stuttgart. They gave Nero Juniar plenty of options to choose from as he gave his final pass. And by doing that, they confused the defense further, winning time for Nero to create chances. And special praise should be given to Stefan Kvennson, the left winger. He set his running time perfectly, avoiding the offside trap with the width of a hair. He was no less calm and punished VfB Stuttgart."

"Well, let's stop there" said Ricardo Andres. "Gameplay has restarted, and it looks like VfB Stuttgart are trying their best to score an equaliser soon. Mr Vincent, do you think this will be a game with a lot of goals?"

"I really don't know right now" replied Vincent McManaman. "If the RSCA Youth Academy can score again, we might see a multi-goal thriller in the final. However, if they focus on defense as I thought, we might have to sit through a long game and draw.The last game was like their quarter-final against Zenit."

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*PRIIIIITTT*

The referee blows the whistle, gives a throw in. Isaac, one of the two holding midfielders of the RSCA Youth Academy, had just slid the tackle, snatched the ball from Sinan Gums and pushed the ball out of the game.

Phillipp Mwene, the left-back of VfB Stuttgart, threw in, quickly letting go of Timo Werner on the left wing. Timo used his incredible pace, passing Kierst Donovan, the right-back of the RSCA Youth Academy, and sending a cross into the box.

Adrian Grbic, VfB Stuttgart centre-forward, skipped centre-back RSCA Youth Academy to chase the ball. He planted a powerful header towards the goal from around the edge of the box. However, his effort soared high above the crossbar.

The referee signals for the goal kick.

Nero sighed and turned around to return to the middle circle. His team survived another attack from the tireless VfB Stuttgart attacker.

The RSCA Youth Academy was under tremendous pressure during the first ten minutes of the match. The players of VfB Stuttgart come towards them like predators chasing prey, starting from the moment they concede. They attacked relentlessly using long and short passes, looking for opportunities to penetrate the box of the RSCA Youth Academy penalty.

Nero was surprised as the match progressed to the 15th minute. He noticed that only Philipp Forster, number 8 VfB Stuttgart, marked it. The other midfielder thought of other aspects of the game without bothering to track his movements. For the first time, Nero felt as free as a bird on the field of play. It has been a long time since he enjoyed the freedom afforded by being marked by one player.

However, he did not get many touches on the ball. The VfB Stuttgart players have improved their style of play to a higher level after conceding. They set themselves up in a 4-3-3 triangle formation and pass the ball through their midfield quickly, looking for weaknesses.

Nero noted that Joshua Kimmich is a defensive central midfielder, placed in front of four defenders. He plays behind two attacking midfielders who in turn play behind three attackers.

Adrian Grbic is a centre-forward. Timo Werner and Felix Lohkemper play on the left and right wing respectively. The latter, two, ran on the wing, forming a passing triangle with Sinan Gums and Joshua Kimmich the midfielder who did not keep Nero.

Joshua Kimmich was outstanding as the control tower of the entire VfB Stuttgart formation. Nero noticed that he played almost like a German team maverick that day. He has no defined role in midfield and is unpredictable on the ball.

Sometimes, Kimmich would slide the ball from right to left, release his fullback on the wing or look for strong runner Timo Werner on the left wing. Other times, he will play quietly by passing the ball slowly to his teammates, both in defense and midfield. And when the RSCA Youth Academy players least expect it, he can run through the middle.

He managed to cause the RSCA YouthAcademy some problems with his superb passing ability. In the 18th minute, he made room for himself by passing Simon Kevlar, one of the defensive midfielders of the RSCA Youth Academy. He immediately unleashed a sweeping pass that soared over the defense and fell right in Timo Werner's lane.

Timo, number 11 VfB Stuttgart, collected a sweet pass on the edge of the penalty box and in one fell swoop, fired towards goal. However, Larsen Maguel, number 4 of the NF Academy, slid in to block the ball and deflect it away from its intended path.

Miguel Alaron, his partner in central defence, pounced on the resulting ball and cleared it from the box heading into the middle of the pitch.

Isaac, a high-profile RSCA Youth Academy defensive midfielder, outperformed his ability and headed the ball towards Nero in left midfield.

Nero controlled it like a professional, dropping it to the ground in one fell swoop. And without a pause, he spun with the ball hooked to his left foot, passing Philipp Froster, his marker, before taking off like a racehorse towards the Stuttgart VfB parrot.

Joshua Kimmich, number 6 VfB Stuttgart, immediately approached him, trying to block his run. However, Nero did not try to dribble past him. He lifted his foot and fired a ground pass into the left wing, where Stefan Kvennson was waiting.

The RSCA Youth Academy winger appeared to be at the top of his game that day and did not disappoint. He controlled the ball like a professional, spun, and ran along the edge line of the field, darting into half the VfB Stuttgart pitch like the wind. Meanwhile, Nero continued to run in sync with him through midfield.

Simon Wilske, the right-back of VfB Stuttgart, came to intercept Stefan Kvennson once he was about a dozen yards into the opposing half of the pitch. However, Stefan maintained his composure and unleashed a groundbreaking pass towards Bjorn Smirksson, the RSCA Yuth Academy centre-forward. Bjorn had just escaped his marker and made a one-yard distance for himself on the edge of the box.

The centre-forward controlled the ball beautifully and tried to get past centre-back VfB Stuttgart to get into their box. But the defenders held on and didn't give him a chance to run with the ball.

"Bjorn" cried Nero as he ran towards the box of VfB Stuttgart. "Oper's here."

The centre-forward did not linger after hearing him shout.rjan flicked the ball to his right and unleashed a timely cut-back pass towards Nero.

Nero didn't even bother to control the ball. He only whipped it with his left foot on first contact, firing a missile at the goal.

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