Second Chances: Indonesian Football Player

Chapter 85's

Nero felt anxiety flooding into his system as he watched Miguel run lethargic off the field. His heart was racing like trying to break away when he saw Timo Werner stepping forward to take the penalty. The striker has always been clinical in his previous life. It is very unlikely that he will miss the penalty kick.

As he silently watched the process, he felt a bead of sweat dripping down his brows. Throat's thickened. He could not complain or argue with the referee over the decision, even though he had a strong argument.

He believed that it was not handball but ball-to-hand, but there was nothing he could do. The referee pointed to the penalty spot. He can only hope Damon will do wonders and stop the penalty.

Nero was never a religious man. But at that moment, he recited a prayer in his heart to the Almighty to help the RSCA Academy survive the penalty.

He hopes his team will go on and win the final despite losing one player after a red card. He wants victory. He needs exp points.

He knows better than to try to give Damon, the goalkeeper, any advice on the approach to taking the penalty. That would even confuse him. He even moved away from the group of players clustered in front of the RSCA Academy's eighteen-yard box, choosing to stay close to the middle of the field instead. Back then, he had to trust his goalkeeper. It was the only thing he could do.

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On the sidelines of the goalposts, Damon skipped along his line. He waited for Timo Werner, VfB Stuttgart's top scorer, to take a penalty.

He did not forget to look down at the striker. Penalty taking is always a clash of wills. However, Timo ignored his antics, choosing to glance at the referee instead.

If Damon were to be honest with himself, he would admit that he was a bit anxious. RSCA Academy will play with one player in the rest of the game. Judging by the way VfB Stuttgart played from the start of the second half, they would have increased their chances of winning significantly if they had converted a penalty. Damon is determined to stop that from happening.

So, he held back a little anxiety and focused on the ball instead.

Nero and his brother Stefan, have done a lot of good at the RSCA Academy by scoring two goals. It's his turn to do his part and save them from conceding. That is his responsibility as a goalkeeper.

*PRIIIIITTT*

The referee blew the whistle, gesturing for Timo Werner to take the penalty.

At that moment, Damon focused all his attention on the attacker, trying to gauge the direction the ball would take from his kicking posture.

His knees were slightly bent forward to give himself more strength as he made the rescue. He has made sure to stretch his hands wide in an attempt to make himself look 'bigger' in the net.

Supporters were silent, impatiently waiting for the penalty kick.

Timo Werner finally started his short run to the ball. Without giving Damon much time to negotiate, he kicked the ball with the top of his right boot.

Damon did not manage to gauge which way the ball was heading from Timo's kicking posture. So, he made the quick decision to leave with his instincts.

As soon as Timo Werner's shoe touched the ball, Damon jumped to his left, fully committed to diving. He was hoping the ball would come his way.

The goddess of luck seemed to like the RSCA Academy that day. Damon smiled in the air as he saw the ball coming straight at him. He won the bet, and all that was left was to push the ball out of the field.

However, it had walked so fast that it reached him before he could push his hand. It hit his folded arm and bounced to the left side of the eighteen-yard box.

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Nero almost started celebrating after Damon made a spectacular save. However, he stopped himself when he saw the ball had bounced back onto the field of play.

The danger has not passed.

Felix Lohkemper, another VfB Stuttgart attacker, rushed in for a rebound and shuffled the ball as he slid to the ground.

Damon got up to save the ball once more. With flamboyant acrobatics, the goalkeeper got off the ground and quickly blocked the shot.

Ryandi pounced on the resulting loose ball and kicked it out of the box. His only intention was to clear it to a safe place without bothering to control its direction. As a result, it almost went straight to the edge of the box, where many VfB Stuttgart players were waiting.

Nero frowned when he saw Kimmich welcome the ball around the arch of the box and fired back into the net.

He already regrets staying away from the box to defend against penalties. To his delight, the RSCA Academy survived once again.

Because the area before the penalty box was crowded with players, some pounced on it and ended up fumbling around.

And once again, the RSCA Academy is in luck.

Nero was immediately in action when he saw Stefan finally pull the ball out of the box. The Norwegian kicked him hard enough to make him soar high in the air towards the edge of the field.

NF Academy finally survived the penalty.

Most players are under the impression that the ball is out of play. They thought it would result in a throw-in. That would easily give them a much-needed break to sort out their formation after the red card. They even started toting Damon to congratulate him for saving the penalty.

But not everyone in the RSCA Academy squad has the same mindset.

Nero had already started running when Stefan kicked the ball out of the box. With his A+ spatial awareness, he only took a moment to judge that the ball would bounce on the playing field before passing the touchline.

He was determined to do it before it happened. So, he ran across the field, his legs moving like a boxer's fist working on a mini punching bag.

He did not forget to track the trajectory of the ball high above him as he raced to the left wing, like a cheetah running in the wild.

His efforts bore fruit.

He managed to get the ball right inside the half of the RSCA Academy because the ball was bouncing, just inches from the edge of the field. It almost escaped him, but he slid to control it with his legs outstretched.

Without wasting any time, he got up from the ground and turned around quickly facing the playing field. He moved quickly, intending to make full use of his freedom before the VfB Stuttgart players shut him down.

But he was surprised to find Timo Baumgartl, the VfB Stuttgart centre-back, running towards him. Number-5 is fast and will hit it in just a few seconds.

Even so, he did not panic. He loosened his position and flicked the ball to the left. He made it seem as if he intended to run with the ball along the sidelines.

And as he had expected, the VfB Stuttgart centre-back bought his trick. He stretched out a leg, trying to handle the ball from Zachary's foot at the time.

Nero smiled as he hooked the ball with his left boot, pulling it back to himself. Without a pause, he then pushed it between the legs of the centre-back. He moves as smoothly as a fish that wades the sea.

Number 5 came down and stayed seated on the ground, wondering what was going on.

Nero did not relax in the slightest after passing the defender. He's even running wild.

The counterattack is underway.

At the time, Nero could have passed to Stefan or Ryandi, who joined the counter as soon as they saw him collect the ball on the left wing. However, he felt like he was possessed by something that urged him to keep moving.

He sped up for a while, slowed down a bit, and then wildly ran past a few of Stuttgart's VfB players who managed to get back to defend against his lightning-fast attack.

VfB Stuttgart's wicket is approaching. Nero continued running, almost out of breath. His lungs screamed as he ran past the last defender and faced the goalkeeper.

As usual, he maintained his composure. He dug his foot under the ball and flicked it over the defenseless goalkeeper.

3:0.

RSCA Academy managed to enlarge the lead in the 87th minute, right after escaping a penalty.

The audience was surprised.

The entire stadium exploded into a storm of cheers as Nero found more stamina to run into the technical area to celebrate.

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