With the No.10 on his shirt, the Le Harve player found himself hugging the touchline as Lanier and Kai had instructed, he raised his arm for the ball, which came flowing down the wing right to his feet. He had no hesitation in finding the open man, or in seeing his options and making a choice. Séverin was focused, more than eager to make amend for his mistake. When the ball arrived under his feet, he had no desire to stare at the floor, but his head raised high as he scanned the pitch, observing the details surrounding him to evaluate his next option. He was in space, with time to pick the inch-perfect pass. Yet he found no concrete options, Leroy was marked by three defenders. The Left Winger Chevalier was on the wing, yet he was slow in his running.
The No.10 was about to abort his attempt, but the words of his coaches lit up a new direction in him. As he firmly remembered Lanier's bombardment of criticism, yet his wise tactical observation.
Sébastien: "Séverin receives the ball... OH, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL ONE-TWO TO UNLOCK THE WING! EZE FINDS HIMSELF NEAR THE CORNER POST..... WHAT WILL HE DO?"
Eze continued his sprint and started picking out the curviest angle of the ball's trajectory, preparing to hit it towards the goal. The whole world was with him, the wind, the snow, the frozen cold weather. His movement was slow, but he had all the time in the world to deliver the best cross he can do.
Sébastien: "HE CROSSES THE BALL INTO THE BOX!"
The ball came at an abrupt angle, yet it wasn't any kind of cross that floated to the box, but a low, hard, and fast cross that skidded across the snowy field. Almost like a curved shot on goal.
The Amiens defence panicked as they fought to scramble the ball away from the box. Yet they found they were a foot behind. As the ball wasn't high across the air, but a low-driven cross that was directed just behind the backline, yet just far enough for them not to reach it.
The defenders stretched their legs as they dived their feet, stretching themselves to get any kind of touch on the ball. But they could only watch in dismay as the ball rolled past their toes. But the agile striker, the forward that has an abundance of pace wasn't like the defenders. The moment he saw the cross the ran to the goal, he beat the offside trap as he sliced past two defenders. The ball reached his feet, but Leroy could only grit his teeth as he could only watch the ball brush against the tip of his boots.
"OH, AND THE BALL ROLLED ACROSS THE BOX AND NO ONE COULD GET A SLITHER OF TOUCH ON IT. The defenders would be glad to see such a dangerous opportunity not converted by the Le Harve striker."
The Amiens team players collective released a heavy sigh of relief when they realised that they weren't going to be punished. They all for a moment felt thunders within their heart as they feared for the worse. Lanier and Kai could only shake their heads in disappointment at such a chance gone missing. Yet they found solace in that getting players to attack down the wide areas more aggressively to be working in their favour.
But Le Harve wasn't dismayed for their missed chance as it wasn't long before another big chance came their way. In the midfield battle, whilst Delmeida was caught in a moment of hesitation, Crescenzo Rivera realised this weakness and doubt in his opposition, and when the midfielder was caught unfocused, was dispossessed with the ball.
"Delmeida with the ball... pass to Andre.... BUT RIVERA INTERCEPTS THE PASS!"
The Italian midfielder didn't do much but watch the ball roll between his midfield opposition, but this allowed him to inspect and learn his opponent's tendencies and habits, and this is what caused him to read this change in mentality from the Amiens midfielders.
"Rivera with the ball dribbles through the centre..."
The Le Harve Destroyer possessed the ball, but he didn't know what to do with it. Even though he is dribbling up the pitch, he inevitably understands that with the midfield battle being a 2vs3, he will soon be tackled and challenged for the ball. Pass to Roys?
Rivera looked to his right, yet found the team captain in a pickle as he observed Andre tightly marking his fellow midfielder. But an instinct called on him, as the flow of the game assisted him in his choices, and remembering what his team did previously to break down the Amiens defence. Without even taking a second look. He arched his leg backwards before spraying the ball up the pitch.
"AND RIVERA Punts the ball to the left wing…. " There was a moment of doubt in the talkative commentator as he observed Rivera's pass. He saw clearly that the midfielder didn't even take a look at where he kicked the ball to... but Sébastien watched as the ball flew up the pitch and... "AND TO THE FEET OF CHEVALIER!.... THE WINGER GETS TO THE BALL!"
The Le Harve left winger expertly taps the ball past his marker as the defender attempted to recover and challenge his man, but it would have been futile as the Frenchman put one of the world's most beautiful touch to face head-on to the goal.
Chevalier had his ever-confident smile of his, an arrogant smirk as he cuts inside the pitch as he realised that the Amiens midfielders were in a disarray and had left plenty of space in the middle. But the moment he steps in, the Amiens Centreback Bain, positioned himself fantastically as he redirected the ball to his desire. The next touch would be crucial for Chevalier's ball distribution, and as the Frenchman placed the ball in his path, he sprints faster to beat Bain, but the defender was stern and determined to stop another goal going against their way.
The winger realised that space was soon closing, and his window of opportunity was diminishing faster than he could ever expect, with his choices limited. But Chevalier darted a sneaking glance down the wings as he expected his presence by now.
"Chevalier cuts to goal... Bain is closing down the space..... But the winger does backheel pass to find Arbelaez!"
The Spanish wing-back found himself higher up the pitch than he could have ever expected, with himself almost positioning parallel with the Amiens backline. Arbelaez was free... unmarked and unchallenged for the ball. Before he found the ball rolling to his feet, he even questioned whether Chevalier had spotted him. But he laughed... nothing could escape Chevalier's vision.
The wing-back measured his strength, using his familiar left foot as he struck that ball beautifully across the goal and into the penalty box. The youth could close his eye and prey. Hope for the best that his cross can be miraculously converted into a goal.
Sébastien: "The Le Harve No.3 crosses the ball....."
The ball left the touch of Arbelaez as it flew into the penalty box. But the ball dipped and swerved in the air as it approached ever closer to the goal. But the ball wasn't going straight into the box, the ball's trajectory was heading just outside the box. The Amiens midfielders rushed back as they attempted to be the first to the ball. But before them stood a player. A player dressed in navy blue and adorned the No.10 on his back as he elegantly accepted the ball with his foot.
Yet, without even the need for a second touch, he released the ball as he rolled the ball across the ground into the box. A rapid change of the ball's trajectory caught all the defenders ball-watching. The Amiens defenders rationally left his backline as he attempted the head the ball away. This gap was what the striker saw. This gap was what Séverin, the magic No.10, saw.
"Séverin gets to the ball... A FIRST-TOUCH PASS INTO THE BOX!!!"
Leroy didn't eye back, he didn't see Severin, nor did he see Chevalier. His eyes were locked onto the goal at every moment of the match. Leroy saw the gap created in the defence, and he sprinted to that opening, not even certain his teammates have spotted his run.
But this time, just when he drilled his way into this area between the centre-backs, right under his foot, he saw the round structure of the ball miraculously appearing right next to him.
The defenders slide tackled to stop Leroy's shot. All was too late as the striker had no hesitance and fired his challenge at the goalkeeper. But the Amiens goalkeeper knew something that the defenders didn't. They didn't see Leroy's surprise and inadequate planning.
"LEROY SHOOTS!!!! OH BUT IT GOES STRAIGHT TO THE KEEPER...."
The Amiens keeper held firmly to the ball in his chest as he stopped the shot. His whole body lying down on the field as he put his whole body weight onto the ball. The Amiens team had another close call as they once again flirted with the possibility of going 2—1 down to Le Harve.
The bald Lanier bit his fingertips as he witnessed the scene before him. The tactic is working, but there is only so much they can do if the players don't perform to their standards. Kai released a heavy breath as he had been holding on to it ever since the promising attack was started by Rivera's successful interception of the pass. He was so certain that could turn this situation around.
Sébastien that a silly look on his face as he smiled to only himself. "Man... what a sitter! That shot looked harder to miss than score! Leroy had failed to score such an easy opportunity. He will be kicking himself for that miss."