With his bib on and sitting on the dugout, both teams were poised for the game's commencement. The atmosphere on the field became increasingly tense, and even the coaches noticed, quickly rallying the players with words of motivation. Winston's gaze swept the entire stadium; the stadium ranked fourth in the youth league. Inside the stadium, the layout was uncomplicated. Two tiers of seating were positioned on each of the stadium's lengths, and on one of the widths, there stood an immense wall covered in diverse murals and graffiti. And on the other side of the width, there was an enormous fence overlooking a 'T' shaped road leading into beautiful suburban family homes.
Fweerrret! Fweerrret! Fweerrret!
The referee's whistle sounded, drawing Winston's attention to the match as the Giant Hawks began the game. Oswin adjusted his captain's band on his left bicep as the Giant Hawks commenced the game at a measured pace, exchanging passes in the center of the field. They avoided reckless passes, knowing full well how deadly Westminster under-19 was in quick transitions. Their vigilance showed they had truly studied Westminster, and they became excited when they saw that Winston was benched for this match. The news about his injury hadn't spread widely, as the details of the match against Maximillian were still undisclosed. Furthermore, only Winston and Maximillian sustained injuries, which was peculiar given that the entire team participated in the match.
Most people would ignore this match, even if it became known, as it was a training game and most injuries occur during practice.
The Giant Hawks were now preparing for attack, their passes were now firm and sharp. With each pass, the sound of the players' cleats connecting to the ball could be heard. Despite the crowd's noise, the Westminster team defended their positions effectively, challenging their opponent. They too studied their opponent, the game went on for about twenty minutes, and both teams were truly neck and neck. Oswin had a few brief moments of dribbling in the center, and though he had opportunities, the opposing team quickly shut him down.
Oswin was now agile and his dribbling ability was too clean; it was like he had put butter on his feet after the Westminster defense closed down the forwards who were trying to close in. The right and left back through ball to Oswin, who chest-trapped and smoothly placed it on his feet, and he darted toward the giant Hawks' defense as if he was gliding on air. He roulette his way to the edge of the box, One of the center defense lunged at Oswin with his hip, the strength of might threw Oswin out of balance, tumbling forward. He blasted the ball, and it chirped the goalpost inches away.
The entire dugout rose to their feet, including Winston, all anticipating a goal, but they were let down by the missed shot. Oswin was screaming at the referee for not giving them a free kick, and the referee held his hand open, busy checking his earpiece. After a while, the referee gestured at the Giant Hawks goalkeeper to resume the game, Oswin shook his head and jogged back to his position.
Now the game was on its thirtieth minute and it was starting to pick up. With the Giant Hawks applying more pressure to Westminster, the singing crowd erupted in cheers following the team's strategic move. With the giant Hawks on the right side calling the ball, the Westminster player reacted quickly to close them down. giant hawks player passed to the center midfielder. The open right side of the field space was not occupied, and the right midfielder of the Giant Hawks moved in and occupied that space.
The giant Hawks player darted with the ball into the corner of the box and quickly low crossed the ball. The central defender of Westminster quickly stumble awkwardly kicked the ball over the crowded box, unfortunately, he didn't kick the ball far—it landed in the feet of the Giant Hawks striker who blast the ball and it flew ricocheting over the inside of the goalpost.
Thwack!
Giant Hawks 01 - 00 Westminster F.C
A loud roar erupted from the Giant Hawks fans, while the young scorer celebrated with a confident chest-thump. Now the atmosphere around the Giant Hawks was different, now they were confident they could win this match. In their previous matches, they never scored the first goal; it was always the other way around. Perhaps this goal they scored first gave them the confidence of winning this match. In the next twenty minutes the game continued, now in a stalemate, the ball went back and forth, none of them reached each other's edge of the box. The ball only reached the middle of the field. The game continued for an additional five minutes, with the score remaining tied until the final whistle.
Fweerrret! Fweerrret! Fweerrret!
In the changing room, the head coach, with his whiteboard at his side, scribbled instructions on the whiteboard, he even gestured tactics with his hands. Winston remained seated, uncertain if he'd enter the game as a substitute immediately or after thirty minutes. "Winston, get ready, you will play now," said the head coach, As he approached Winston, he wrapped an arm around his shoulder, "Listen. Don't overdo it, we are not fully sure about your fitness. The assistant coaches were happy with your warm-ups—I need you to cut behind the defense. Careful not to be injured, Okay team, keep the same pressure,"
[Acquired Skills]
[Activated skill: Spear]
[Activated skill: Technical]
[Activated skill: Gamecharger]
[Activated skill: Finesse Shot]
While making his way to his designated spot after leaving the tunnel, he continued his jog and, at the same time, fist-pumped Oswin as he ran. When the match resumed, Westminster exhibited a more measured approach than in prior games, choosing to pass the ball among themselves rather than acting impulsively.
The team's offensive strategy had evolved into a fluid, connected pattern akin to a blanket stitch, effectively luring the Giant Hawks' players into their defensive formation, which consisted of two players focused on protecting their established lead. However, the strategic approach of deliberate, slow play adopted by Westminster led the Giant Hawks to believe that their opponents were not urgently attempting to score, despite the inherent risks involved in such a tactic. Although Westminster's relaxed style of play could be seen as a strategic maneuver, the Giant Hawks' forwards and midfielders nevertheless advanced with confidence to actively mark the ball. When the ball was passed to Winston, the Giant Hawks went back to their positions to hold the line. With a smirk, Winston shook his head and just passed the ball to the midfielder, who passed to the left of the field, the Giant Hawks players pursued the ball again. It appeared as though Westminster were holding their breath for the moment the fourth Giant Hawks player.
To cross the white width line that served as the demarcation between the two teams, at which point Westminster swiftly initiated their quick attack, skillfully utilizing both long and short passes to advance. Until it reached Oswin who quickly and smoothly nutmegged the Hawks player with his outside foot.
After dashing a few meters into the left side of center field and reaching the box, Winston continued on the right side, occasionally casting glances in Oswin's direction. Looking up, Oswin low passed the ball with his weaker foot.
As the ball curved, all the Giant Hawks, in their attempt to stretch their legs, ended up missing the ball. The ball was expertly trapped by Winston, who then proceeded to dribble past the sliding youth players before firing a shot that astonishingly curved 80 degrees into the top corner.
Thwack!
[DAILY USER CHALLENGES]
[Score a hat trick: 01/03]
[Finesse Shot: 01]
Winston, after sprinting towards the corner of the field, adopted a distinctive posture with his hands held aloft in a manner resembling a pigeon, subsequently embracing Oswin and his entire team. "Yo, bro, what was that? I didn't know you could dribble and kick the ball like that. Thank you, Dumi, got my boy looking good," Oswin said, nudging Winston's head.
After they jogged to their respective positions, the Giant Hawks restarted the entire event. The situation evoked a feeling of déjà vu for them; however, it was not a true instance of it, as their previous studies of Westminster by Giant Hawk had led them to discover this exact same tactic being utilized by Oswin and Winston. In order to avoid succumbing to this particular fate, they redirected their focus towards both Oswin and Winston.