章 34: Depths Forgotten II
Eze wasn't one to back out of a foot race. Even if the opposition left-back had shuttled him wide, in his mind, that was just the perfect excuse to run on the outside of the pitch. The makeshift wing-back clenched his teeth, his vision laser-focused as his body tensed, strengthening him as he kicked in a higher gear, running even faster to beat the defender.
This mentality seemed to work as Eze speed passed his opponent using his sheer physical superiority to the best of his ability. The wingback felt the momentum and circumstances shifting to him as he smelt an opportunity brewing under the surface. The make-shift wingbacks eyed into the box, looking for none other than the mobile moving target, Bernard Pape to receive his devastating cross.
"EZE BEATEN HIS MAN! EYES THE BOX..."
The raised arm from the big man up top was all Eze needed to continue down his attacking play. He planted his left foot firmly on the ground, as he dragged his right foot, skidding across the field as he was focused to deliver an inch-perfect cross. Yet as he was in this motion, an overwhelming force was sent his way as Eze crashed on the ground before he could even deliver the cross.
"OH! — THAT'S A BIG TACKLE FROM THE QUEVILLY-ROUEN DEFENDER!... A CHALLENGE THAT WAS LEFT FAR TOO LATE..."
Lanier was already off his picnic chair as he dashed to the fourth official, making his anger at the irrational challenge clear as he intimidated his target. Players from both sides gathered at the scene, but the referee dispersed the approaching players before abruptly sending the defender a clear warning.
"No option than to give Le Havre a free-kick. A clear foul that was inexcusable." Sébastien voiced as he gave his thought on the hustle that occurred only minutes into the game.
As Eze patted his shorts and club shirt, Séverin came over to the Cameroonian as he delivered an open arm.
"Need a hand?" Séverin asked with a light smile as he offered his help
"Thanks." Eze pulled on his teammate's far-reaching arm as he got himself back on his feet. The tackle was light, but nothing serious had affected Eze as he was healthy and able to play.
"I will take it from here." the midfielder stated as he carefully placed the ball right where the referee has pointed. He had his eyes scanning his options carefully as he prepared for the free kick. Normally, set pieces like these would be hogged by Chevalier and Roys. Players like Séverin rarely, or even never, have the opportunity to deliver.
Sébastien: "It's a bit far from the goal, but the free-kick is right at the edge of the penalty box. He's not gonna have a crack at goal this far out, will he?"
The old man shook his head. "If Séverin has a decent left foot, he might curl the ball into the goal, but he only has a right foot. Hard to get a good angle this way... he won't shoot."
Players lurked in the penalty box as they fought for optimal positions to be at the receiving end of a cross. Le Havre jostled against the Quevilly-Rouen players, much to the lament of the coaching staff as they understood that as youth players are concerned with developing their ability, set-pieces are often neglected as not much importance was placed on them.
Marley shook his head, not expecting much to happen as no member of the team rehearsed any set-piece routines.
Séverin had taken his time as he dragged out stoppage time as best as he can to allow Le Havre plenty of time to prepare for his free-kick, and to give his teammates a breather. But his actions can only be tolerated for so long until the referee urged him on.
The midfielder nodded to the players tussling in the box. Was that a message, was it a clear indication of where he was going? But this thought didn't continue as Séverin performed his run-up. The playmaker long understood the situation on the box. Defenders were marking the clear aerial threats like Pape, Simon, Allard and Rivera. But in his eyes, delivering the ball to them was just too obvious, and his delivery would certainly not connect. That was why Séverin looked for a player that was neglected, a player that posed the smallest threat in the opponent's eyes.
"SEVERIN PUTS IN A CROSS!!!"
Séverin couldn't identify his target due to the sheer amount of bodies blocking his view, but he was sure he must've been one of the players being neglected by the defending team. Le Havre had all their big boys, the tall players fought it out in the box, so there was a lot of movement as the time ticked by.
The free-kick took on a curious form. The left side of the box was empty. There was no one near that half of the box, but Séverin placed the ball there anyway. In the fifteen-hundredths of a second, Séverin noticed his teammate in the sky and navy blue shirt, standing right next to the far post. He also noticed that Pape had left the opposition preoccupied, too distracted to notice the hidden threat.
Séverin knew his teammate Leroy was the type of player that played simple football. He would not do anything extreme like shoot or curl the ball into the net, though that was probably because he can't shoot... He would go for a simple pass, an easy tap-in, something that would be easy and impossible for him to mess up.
"INTO THE FAR POST!"
The cross was flying in the air but whipped in with a devious amount of spin that made the ball's movements unpredictable. The youngsters watched as the cross travelled into the box, but it was overshot as no players can reach that delivery.
The Quevilly-Rouen keeper moved away from the goal line, intending to insert his authority by claiming the ball by himself. But halfway through his actions, he stopped dead in his tracks as he realised the threat. The cross was overshot, but perfect in the sense that it would be a 50-50 chance of going either way, that there's an equal chance of Leroy getting the ball first, or the keeper getting the ball first.
The box was too busy, preoccupied with aerial threats but neglected the small but speedy Leroy that left the defensive line in the dust using his sheer speed. The keeper realised his mistake, arms outstretched as he cover the angles of the goal.
Everyone was wild-eyed, arms raised. The Le Havre players were screaming and laughing hysterically, euphoric over their teammate's genius.
"SON, SON, YOU BEAUTY!!"
Everyone watched as Leroy's right foot gently pushed the ball out of the keeper's reach, past the towering goal protector and hit the back of the net.
"GOAL!!"
Leroy ran towards his teammates in ecstasy. His mind was still in his own time zone, so he was taken aback when the other players started celebrating with him. The celebration was then cut short when Lanier urged the players back. That the game still hasn't yet concluded.
"Your job hasn't finished yet! Focus! Focus!" Lanier screeched on the sidelines. "Have you forgotten about Amiens? Have you? Get back to shape and carry on..."
"Thanks, Lanny."
.
"What a brilliant set piece! There was an element of luck in that play, but they surprisingly found Leroy in the crowded box to tuck away that goal. Pure genius from Severin!" Sébastien wasn't holding back in his praise, showing his optimism in the young Le Havre midfielder.
Horace nodded. "It is the 14th minute of the match and Le Havre leads in the game 1—0 following a fantastically worked free-kick just outside the box."
"Well... I always complained about how Le Havre U-19 conceded goals early, but that goal sure shut me up. Eh?
*starts to giggle*
"Oi! Old man, don't laugh."
"I... I was just... well... couldn't help myself.."
.
The game restarted under the stewardship of the referee. Quevilly-Rouen had not expected for them to concede, not at the least prepared to accept they are 1—0 down because of a free-kick. But this seemed to give the home team motivation like nothing before as they began to play the way they always played. Quevilly-Rouen was no longer testing the waters, playing cautiously or whatnot, but they were going direct, a measured direct footballing style that they have long mastered.
The pace of the match began to pick up following the Quevilly-Rouen manager's direction. The other team's U-19 manager has made a mistake by playing cautiously and has now changed to an attacking mindset.
Marley and Lanier spectated silently, heavy in deliberation as they analyse the match situation through their observation skills. They understand how their opponents thread their matches, and what they must do to counter their game plan. After all, Le Havre has actually drawn to Quevilly-Rouen in the previous match earlier in the league campaign: 2-2, and Lanier knows personally how gut-wrenching it is to play against this team.
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