Manchester City players
Elian Slade-RF
Asher Sanders-LF
Noah Benjamin-ST
Oliver Riley-CAM
Henry William-CM
Jack Owen-CM
Samuel Hudson-DM
Julian Wyatt-CB
Santiago Carter-CB
Ivan Zachary-CB
Dean Tyler-GK.
***These are the names of the players starting the match for Manchester City's U-19 team, the opponents aren't listed, so once an unfamiliar name sounds, the ball possession is with the opponents. I'll also specify it the first time any unfamiliar player is mentioned.***
The match began in earnest, with City passing the ball.
Noah passed the ball to Oliver who returned the ball to their defense. They were going to start passing the ball from behind.
The defenders exchanged a few passes amongst themselves before the ball was launched forward by Ivan Zachary.
Mateo nodded from the sidelines where he stood. So far, they were getting it right. This was just what he wanted.
Elian calmed himself as he saw the ball flying in his direction, he had to do this now, the ball had come a bit earlier than he expected but no worries, he had to prove himself as soon as possible, so the more balls he got the better.
Jude, PSG's defender immediately ran towards Elian, he leaned on Elian, expertly pushing Elian further and further away while trying not to foul him.
Elian controlled the ball, still using his body to protect the ball from the defender, he passed the ball back to Jack.
"That's good, Elian. You're doing just fine." Meta spoke into his head.
"First start slowly, don't overextend yourself or try to hold unto the ball for long, it'll do a lot in allowing your opponents to relax around you."
Elian nodded. "Okay."
Elian understood what Meta was saying. He was already an underdog in this match, no one was expecting much from him. At things stood, no one was really paying attention to him, even from the getgo.
Jack turned around, he passed the ball to Samuel. But the pass was bit too slow. Arlo, PSG's striker was onto the ball in an instant.
His control sent him dribbling past Samuel and he knocked the ball forward, looking to zoom past the defense, but it wasn't that easy.
Three players had already magnetized him, pushing and pulling him within few seconds of making contact with him.
Pii!
The referee blew his whistle, stopping play immediately. PSG had won a free kick.
Samuel shot Jack an angry look. There was absolutely no need for Jack to make a mistake such a a that, not to talk of putting him in such a dangerous situation.
Pii!
PSG took the free kick but nothing came out of it, it wasn't a direct free kick, and they lost the ball, ushering in a mad counter for City.
Oliver knocked the ball forward, accelerating madly, he didn't dare slow down as if he did this for a second, the opponents would be able to recover and cover their positions.
Elian was running forward along the flanks, patiently waiting for a pass. However, a pass would never come if he did that, it would be intercepted easily. It was fortunate that he had an extremely intelligent AI who was specialized in the world of sports.
"Don't do that." Meta spoke immediately. "In situations like this, the striker is supposed to be the man for the ball, but Noah isn't in his position because he was the one who cleared the ball. The midfielder is trying to buy time by running with the ball, you aren't giving him an option by running straight like that!"
Elian nodded. The message was clear, he wanted to take over the striker's position, right? Noah had given an opportunity to do so, so what he still waiting for?
Elian quickly changed his position, he ran into the middle and acted as a striker. The moment Oliver saw him making that run, Oliver released the pass, letting the ball fly with a backspin.
Elian jumped and tamed the ball. A defender was running madly at him, but he wasn't going to give in this time around. This is where the system comes in handy.
Elian inhaled for a moment.
"Skill Boost…Activate!"
In that instant, Elian felt like he was someone else, he also felt game reading working on full throttle in his head. It seemed that even passive skills had moments when they worked faster and easier.
Elian's body felt more flexible as he suddenly faked a run in one direction, carrying out an extremely realistic feint.
The defender marking him could have never guessed that the move was a fake. he accelerated madly in the same direction, thinking he was still marking Elian. But in the next second, he blinked, and he realized that Elian hadn't moved at all.
Elian ran speedily, knocking the ball forward and running with each and every step of his.
More defenders swarmed around him, but this was just what he needed. Skill boost was already on full throttle, he needed this moment to prove to the world…
Three defenders blocked Elian, forcing him to a stop. Elian calmed the ball, then he placed one foot on it, dragging the ball backwards as he hopped behind too. The defenders slowly closed in, as if they were about to get into a fight.
The first defender went forward, poking his foot at the ball. But Elian was faster, Elian knocked the ball forward ever slightly, so he would still have space to do his thing.
Elian carried out a few scissor lifts, then he used a roulette to skip away to the right, the defenders panicked as Elian was almost away from them. The second defender slid towards Elian, but Elian used his heels to raise the ball upward a bit, heighting the defender, then he played the ball over the second and the third defender, completely beating them.
The defenders still chased him, but he seemed just far too nimble and easy flowing for them. Elian raised his leg to power up a cross, but the defenders slid into his vision. Elian simply cancelled the shot, then knocked the ball forward again, leaving the three defenders on the floor.
Elian moved forward still, wanting to finish what he started, but Meta's voice brought him back.
"Don't score, assist. Don't forget you have to level up soon." Meta said.
Elian nodded as his eyes locked on Noah was in the far post, SetPiece Expertise kicked in immediately.
Thud!
Elian released the cross with pin point accuracy. Noah rose valiantly into the air, it was a real super jump he exploded into.
Noah got a clean header to the ball and he wasted no time in finishing the goal.
The stadium paused, as if trying to verify if everything had truly happened. And when their verification was complete, they burst into a frenzied celebration.
GOALLL!!!!!