Capítulo 16: Stunning Freekick
As Coach Jansen praised Team A's effort, they gathered around him and listened carefully.
The scene on Team D's bench was different on the other side. The players clustered around their coach, clearly hostile to one another.
Among the defenders, allegations were made as emotions rose.
"You're not tracking back fast enough!" The left fullback was yelled at by one of the center backs.
"That's rich, coming from the one who miss-timed two headers!" The fullback on the left fired back.
In the middle of the dispute, Lars stood indignant in silence.
His teammates were throwing blame at each other, but deep down, he knew they were all frustrated with him for failing to contain Benjamin.
He clenched his fists, his jaw tight with anger. 'It's not all on me,' he thought furiously. 'They let him through too.'
As soon as he saw the tension building, their designated coach intervened. "Enough!" he yelled, his voice breaking the argument.
The guys stopped talking and turned to face him. "Scouts are watching this game, and I understand how frustrated you are. Do you wish to express yourself? You perform it on the field. You can fight back and show them. Now, in the second half try to relax, concentrate, and give it your all."
Lars clenched his teeth but the coach was correct. He needed to establish his worth. He thought, "If I'm going down, I'm going down fighting."
There was a discernible change in intensity as the second half began. With fresh vigor, Team D emerged, and in the first five minutes, the tone of the match had changed.
Fouls were increasing in frequency and tackles were flying in harder.
The intensity of the game hit Benjamin right away. In the first half, Lars had been quite cautious, but now he was marking him much more aggressively.
Lars was always present when Benjamin had the ball, thrusting a leg in, throwing him off balance, and interfering with his ability to play fluidly as normal.
In the 32nd minute, Lars went in hard on Benjamin, knocking him off his feet just as he was about to make a pass. The referee blew his whistle and reached for his pocket, brandishing a yellow card for the foul.
Coach Jansen at the sidelines furrowed his brows, concerned about the foul on Benjamin. He still remembered what the doctor had told him concerning the chance of Benjamin's injury reoccurring.
He thought about substituting Benjamin but decided to wait for a bit.
'It was still early in the second half and that defender had received a yellow card. He should be cautious with his fouls.' he thought to himself.
Benjamin winced as he got to his feet, brushing dirt from his knees. He felt only a mild throb in his leg and nothing more. But nonetheless, shot a warning glare at Lars, who gave him a dismissive shrug.
'He's getting desperate,' Benjamin thought, rubbing his shin where the studs had connected.
The game continued and Team D wasn't just aggressive with their tackles. In an attempt to surprise Team A's defense, they began throwing long balls forward.
One of those optimistic passes paid off in the 35th minute when Team D's striker slipped through on goal due to a misunderstanding between Daarn and Johan.
As the attacker raced for the box, Benjamin's heart went into his throat, but Team A's goalkeeper was alert and quick to go off his line and block the shot before it could do any damage.
Benjamin could feel the pressure on his teammates following the near miss.
Team A, on the other hand, kept up the pressure. They had three good chances to end the game, but the score remained at 2-0 due to bad finishing and the stubborn goalkeeper of Team D.
Pieters was played in by Luka, but his effort missed the post by an inch. This was the first opportunity lost. As the ball sailed past the post, Benjamin moaned and placed his hands on his head.
"We need that third goal," he said to himself.
The second opportunity came a few minutes later. Elias' cross found Benjamin unmarked, and this time he was inside the box.
He rose for the header, but mistimed it, and the ball skimmed off his forehead, bouncing harmlessly wide.
Frustration began to creep in. 'F*ck! I should've buried that,' Benjamin thought, shaking his head as he jogged back into position.
The third miss was even more agonizing. After dribbling past two defenders, Luka fired a powerful shot from the box's edge.
It smacked off the crossbar after beating goalkeeper and bounced back into play before Team D's frantic defense cleared it.
On the pitch, the tension increased with each lost chance.
By the forty-first minute, the match was heating up. Team A was given a free kick on the left flank, about 25 yards from goal, following yet another aggressive challenge from Team D's defense.
Standing over the ball, Luka and Benjamin were deciding who should take it.
Luka remarked, "You've got a good angle here," as he looked at the players' wall. "But if you're not feeling it, I can whip it in."
Benjamin took a deep breath, looking at the setup. 'I've been practicing my shooting techniques,' he thought, remembering the hours spent during his recovery, firing free kicks at an empty net.
Still, his mind was tingling with nervousness. He was aware that everyone was watching him because it was a crucial moment.
"I've got this," Benjamin said following a pause. Luka moved aside and nodded.
Benjamin took a step back and mentally measured the distance. As he had done innumerable times during training, he took three steps back from the ball. He glanced at the goal, examining the wall and the position of the goalkeeper.
It was time, and the referee's whistle sounded in the air.
Benjamin released his breath quickly, concentrating only on the ball. With his non-kicking foot firmly planted next to it, he ran in its direction. He hit the ball with power and a little curl after his right foot made perfect contact.
The ball shot upward, arching above the wall of defenders. It appeared for a split second that it may rise too high and sail over the bar. The goalkeeper paused, unsure whether to commit or hold back.
The cost of that hesitation was significant.
The ball curled sharply, dipping at the last moment. It clipped the top left corner of the goalpost with a resounding thud and ricocheted into the back of the net.
For a heartbeat, there was silence, followed by an eruption of cheers from the stands.
As his teammates hurried toward him, Benjamin stood frozen in the moment. Luka put an arm around his shoulders and a smile came to his face.
"Told you you had it," Luka said as he laughed.
Unaware that he was holding his breath, Benjamin released it and answered, "Yeah,"
He was still amazed at how cleanly the ball had hit the post and entered. It was... instinctive.
With the score now at 3-0, Team A appeared to be well on their way to victory.
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