They walked off the field slowly, sweat clinging to their shirts and brows glistening under the early afternoon sun. No one said much at first, their breathing heavy, hearts still racing from that final sprint. Cleats crunched lightly over the grass as the U15 boys made their way to the touchline, where their coach stood waiting.
Noah came up beside Sebastian and exhaled loudly. "Two nil," he muttered, half in disbelief. "We're actually leading two nil."
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "You make it sound like a miracle."
"It is," Anton said from just behind them. "When was the last time the U15s were up at halftime against the seventeens?"
William chuckled. "Does it matter? We are now."
They reached the coach, who quickly gathered them in a semicircle just off the field, making sure they stayed focused. "Listen," he said, voice steady but firm. "You guys are just coming off a wonderful first half. You were solid in the defense and made beautiful work of the chances you got on the attack and that's why we are two goals up."
He pointed toward the backline. "Abdi, Henrik, Joel, Jakob, and Kasper, you five have been excellent. Keep communicating. Elias, that was a very good save at the end. That fingertip kept us in it."
The goalkeeper gave a small thumbs-up.
He looked toward the midfield. "Neto, Lucas, and Anton, good job breaking up their plays and keeping us moving forward."
Then he turned to their striker. "William, that pressing on their center backs has been exactly what we needed. Keep it up."
"And Sebastian…" the coach paused slightly, looking at the person who singlehandedly produced the two goals they had scored earlier. "Excellent job out there."
A few of the boys gave Sebastian a nudge or a tap on the back. He didn't say anything. He just nodded back at the coach, his attention on the coach as he listened to his instructions.
A few of the boys gave Sebastian a nudge or a tap on the back. He simply nodded, eyes still on the coach.
"But this game is far from over. They're going to come out twice as aggressive in the second half, so you boys need to stay switched on from the get-go."
"Especially in the first fifteen minutes of the second half, as they would want to get a goal as fast as possible to lessen the pressure on them."
The U15 boys kept nodding as they listened attentively.
"Defensive lines stay compact," the coach continued. "Midfield, I want you tracking runners. Don't give them space. Don't get dragged out wide."
"Second half, same attitude," the coach said, looking around the circle. "We win our battles. We keep our shape. There's no rush to score again, that is, unless the chance is clear."
"They're the ones chasing the game now. Let them make the mistakes."
He looked at William. "And William, remember to keep pressing the center backs and make sure you're smart about it, else they'll tire you out or bait you into committing a foul."
"Got it," William nodded.
The whistle for the second half hadn't gone yet, but already the U17s were back out on the field, stretching and talking among themselves. Their coach stood farther back, arms crossed, the frown on his face hard to miss.
He did notice a few changes to their lineup. They had brought on another center forward and they had changed one of their center backs.
Sebastian glanced at them for a moment. Most of the older boys had their heads down. A few were bouncing on their feet, locked in already. He spotted Viktor pacing, muttering something to Mattias. Their pride had been hurt, and that made them dangerous.
"Let's go," the coach clapped once. "Water, then back out."
The boys grabbed bottles and took short sips. No one wanted a full drink. Just enough to clear the mouth and keep the legs fresh.
As Felix and Martin jogged onto the pitch, replacing Lucas and Anton in the midfield, Sebastian waved them over. Diego remained seated on the sidelines, watching intently, perhaps waiting for his chance later in the game.
Felix grinned. "I'm ready to get my name on the score sheet," he said, half-joking.
Sebastian smirked. "I don't know if you'll get a goal, but you're definitely going to run a lot."
Felix tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
"Having a more compact defense and midfield helped us a lot in the first half," Sebastian said. "But now that we're two goals up, we can afford to take a few more risks. So you're going to be playing like an inside forward and winger at times so we can properly use your speed."
He turned to include Martin and Noah. "Also, I want us to really keep possession and pass the ball among ourselves."
Noah frowned slightly. "What if we lose possession? We could cause real problems for ourselves if we get dispossessed, maybe even concede."
Sebastian shrugged. "Then pass me the ball. Whether I'm being marked or not, if you think you're about to lose it, just give it to me."
Martin nodded. "Alright."
Noah looked at him in disbelief. "Alright? That's it? You're not questioning it?"
Martin chuckled. "Relax. We'll be fine." He glanced toward the U17s and added with a small grin, "In fact, I think we're about to have an even better second half."
He jogged away to his position, leaving Noah momentarily dumbfounded.
Noah turned to Sebastian, who gave him a quick smile and a thumbs-up.
"Nope, I'm not even going to think about it," Noah muttered, shaking his head as the whistle blew.
**********
The U17s started strong, pushing high and playing quick one-touch football. A sharp through ball from Mattias Svanberg split the midfield and found Onur Körhan sprinting into space down the left. He took one touch and whipped a cross into the box.
Henrik Andersson rose well to head it clear, but the ball fell to Victor Kristiansson just outside the area. Without hesitation, he laid it out wide again to the same winger. This time the delivery was low and hard into the box.
Isak Redzic, the substitute striker, lunged and got a boot on it, redirecting it toward bottom right of the goal, but Elias reacted sharply and smothered the ball just before it crossed the line.
Under pressure from a closing forward, Joel Törnqvist quickly cleared it out for a corner to relieve the pressure.
The U17s set up quickly for the corner, and the cross came curling in. Again, Henrik climbed high and nodded it away, this time toward the right side of the field, about to head out for a throw-in.
Martin sprinted after it, arriving just in time to keep it in play. He spotted Sebastian running alongside him and slipped the ball into his path.
Sebastian pushed forward with the ball, but Mattias was already chasing hard, staying tight. The other U17 players were tracking back quickly to shut down any chance of a counter. Then, without warning, Sebastian stopped dead in his tracks and used the sole of his foot to roll the ball between Mattias's legs. He turned smoothly, collected it again, and passed back to Martin.
The U17 players were caught off guard. They had expected a lightning counterattack in an attempt to increase the goal difference, but instead Sebastian had killed the momentum before it even started.
Even his own teammates looked puzzled, exchanging quick glances as if to ask what he was doing.
"Calm down, guys, no rush." Raising both palms toward his teammates, Sebastian motioned for them to calm down. He did not like the way the match had been flowing. If he had continued with the counter, he knew it would likely lead nowhere.
They were ready for it, and when they eventually lost possession, the U17s would simply come again, the cycle repeating itself until they conceded. They were dictating the tempo of the game, and he did not like it.
So his plan now was to slow the pace, keep possession, and get his team settled into the rhythm of the game.