Chapter 50: A Counterattack

FC Riga kicked-off the first half strongly, passing the ball around the pitch from end to end. Their players arrayed themselves in a 4-4-2 attacking formation. The Latvian fans cheered them on loudly, boosting their morale as the scales tilted in the Riga team's favor.

The NF academy players followed Coach Johansen's instructions to the letter. Ten men stayed behind the ball and left the Riga boys to pass the ball around as much as they wished. Their goal was to lure the Riga team into a false sense of security before killing them off with counterattacks. They were playing a style similar to that adopted by Greece in the 2004 Euro Cup. They were focused on defending first and scoring later if an opportunity arose.

The Riga team pushed Zachary and his teammates back into their half without giving them many opportunities to win back the ball. For the first 12 minutes, they held the majority of the possession, almost 75% percent by Zachary's estimation.