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Ben calmly crossed the halfway line rapidly, wanting the opposing central midfielders to take him on. They did just that as one of the two stepped forward looking to close him down. Not fussed by the opposition the midfielder came to a quick stop before abruptly accelerating past his opponent.
Not waiting for their second defender to close him down he released the ball to his left flank. At the end of the pass, Rakim was there to pick it up cutting towards the middle of the field with the opposing right-mid hot on his trail. Dodging the shoulder tackle from one of the central midfielders he performed a chop pass back to the left flank as his marking crashed into the midfielder.
Ben latched onto that ball as he cut across from behind racing down the left flank. Finding himself free on the flank the midfielder picked up speed quickly arriving at the edge of the box. One of the opposing defenders stepped up to close him down but before he could get close Ben slotted a through ball into the box.
Anticipating the through ball Tom slipped past his marking as he dashed into the box to meet the ball. The Keeper seeing the precarious situation decided to leave his line trying his best to clear the ball. He was a second too late though as Tom managed to get to the ball first. Like a fish in the water, he skipped past the keeper's outstretched arms nimbly manoeuvring the ball.
Having passed the keeper Tom crisply slotted the ball into the net running off to the sideline to celebrate. Happy at being able to add to his tally of goals scored this season he performed a cat wheel to express it. His enthusiasm at scoring the goal was reciprocated by the fans who jubilantly cheered to express their joy.
Their chants had a thunderous undertone as the sheer number of home supporters celebrated the first goal. The enthusiastic reaction from the crowd stupefied their opponents having some question if they were playing their arch-rivals. Eagle's players however relished in the applause of their fans further boosting their morale after having just taken an early lead.
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With the score 1:0 in the Eagle's favour, the tigers started to panic a little. Unlike what you'd expect though they didn't make more mistakes instead, they started fighting even more desperately. It was as if the first goal had flipped a switch for them waking them up from their dazed state.
Managing to retain possession since the match resumed is the result of this and that is despite the Eagle's fierce pressure. Having speedy forwards and wingers almost resulted in them losing the ball in their own box quite a few times. Luckily for them though they managed to continue three the ball in the last moment. In the 15th minute, their patience paid off after one of their defenders sent a pass to the left winger. He only narrowly avoided losing the ball to Tom who was only a hairbreadth away from the ball.
The tiger's left winger hurriedly took control of the ball after a sloppy pass from his defensive teammate. Nimbly evading a tackle from Max on the wing, as continued dribbling down the flank. Ben wanting to lend support came to close him down but the winger opted to pass the ball to the now-free central midfielder.
Utilising their midfield numerical advantage they continued to retain possession of the ball always looking for the free man. Launching a threatening attack proved to be hard though as the eagle's defensive line remained steadfast. By applying pressure when necessary they continued to force their opponents to hold onto the ball in midfield.
However, at this moment one of their midfielders seemed to spot an opportunity to attack as he daring launched the ball in the direction of the box. The ball rapidly spun in the air heading straight toward's the tiger's lone striker's running path. The boy with a tall stature and sturdy body managed to equally contest in strength with Henric.
Both boys fought with each other for an advantageous landing point using their bodies to try and dominate the other. Henric is disadvantaged by having to make sure to cover the direction of the goal lost in this battle. Not giving up though he bravely jumped into the with the opposing striker doing his best to contest.
Luck wasn't on his side though as the striker utilised his better arial position to his advantage by using his body as a sort of springboard. He could only watch as he stopped rising any further in there and as the striker violently headed the ball in the direction of their goal. Before even landing on the ground he heard the sound of the ball nestling into the back net.
Having scored the equaliser the opposing striker violently slapped his chest as he pumped himself up. However, he did not dare to go and celebrate near the touchline seemingly fearing the crowd's reaction. Opting to celebrate with his teammates he quickly sprinted back to his half.
1:1 is what the scoreboard now read and Henric looked the most devastated at the turn of events. Knowing that his defensive error cost his team the lead only served to further dampen his mood. Sighing at his mistake he angrily punched the grass on the ground before deciding to get up from the turf. Before he could get up though a helping hand appear outstretched in front of his face.
Looking up he was met with the calm gaze of their Captain Ole who didn't seem to be bothered by the loss of the lead. Not leaving him hanging he accepted the hand getting up from the ground ready to face his teammate's criticism.
"Don't worry about the goal I know you'll clear the next one," Ole said to him surprising the defender as he was not expecting his words. Before he could even respond Ole Joged into the goal to pick up the ball ready to restart the game.
Running the ball all the way to the centre spot you could hear the captain enthusiastically encouraging his teammates. From pats on the back to words of encouragement he seemed to have just the right words. His whole presence which seemed to be calm throughout the match was now fully unleashed. A sense of confidence and dependable aura started to exhume out of him.
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Spurred on by their captain's unyielding spirit and belief in them the Eagles players quickly shook off the sudden goal they conceded. Confidant in their ability to create goals they decided to focus on just that. Eagerly awaiting the referee's whistle the players lined up in their positions ready to score as soon as possible.
They didn't have to wait long as the match restarted with Tom calmly hitting the ball back to Ben. Who unlike last time didn't wait to calmly receive the ball but instead met it with speed charging straight to the opposing half. Arriving in front of one of the opposing midfielders he didn't slow down in the slightest instead he opted to thread the ball to his right between the gaps of the opposing players.
Max was there to receive it fighting hard to keep his man at bay through utilising his arm and body weight. Not wanting to slow down the tempo though he immediately sent a pass forward to Tom who was in front of the defensive line. The striker with his back to the goal used his body to push himself forward towards the ball.
He didn't hold onto it though as he curled his left foot around the ball chipping it past the head of the defender furthest to the left. Rakim was the one to run onto the ball managing to trap it in the air plucking it to the ground with his right foot. Along the left flank, the winger didn't waste time scanning the box as he seemed to have already picked out a cross. Just like an arrow leaving the string, he let loose a curved cross into the box.
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To Be Continued...
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