After Tyler scored the opener, Giannis Academy pressed for the equalizer. Not willing to repeat their mistakes against Valhalla Academy, Rising Stars Academy didn't just sit back and absorb pressure, they also actively sought to increase their lead.
In the next ten minutes, the two goalkeepers on the pitch had been called into action multiple times, bailing their teammates out of trouble.
After his solo goal, Tyler wasn't much involved in the match again. It was a simple one-touch, pass-back movement for him. After he mercilessly embarrassed quite a few of their players, the Giannis Academy players were wary of him and double-teamed him.
That didn't bother Tyler though. He knew why he was playing static. While it seemed like he was just passing back due to the press, in reality, he was observing the players that were on him, their movements and most importantly, the space they left behind for his teammates to exploit while they were on him.
So while the Giannis Academy players thought that they had locked Tyler down, they merely made him sleep for a while.
But as they say, the sleeping lion will eventually wake.
In the thirtieth minute, Tyler got the ball again. As usual, he was ganged up on and he turned around, as if he was going to make his routine pass back. This time though, after passing back to the left back, he turned around and made an overlapping run.
The left back didn't make him waste his time and sent a perfectly timed through ball after him.
The two players marking Tyler obviously gave chase, trying their best to stop him from entering the penalty box, or even getting a cross in.
Tyler moved his body as if he was going to send a cross into the box with his left leg as he ran down the flank. He faked the cross, cutting back to his right foot, successfully deceiving the two players on him who had slid to block the path of the cross.
He then sent a pass to the center of the penalty box that had remained unmarked.
Jason, who started the match this time around, saw the space in behind and ran towards the ball. He was being chased by Giannis Academy's right back and their center backs were moving to clear the pass so it was a race against time.
Against all odds, he got to the ball first, and shot the ball with his first touch, sending a powerful shot towards the top corner of the near post.
The Giannis Academy goalkeeper stood no chance when faced with such a shot. He could only watch as the net bulged as Jason scored the second goal of the match.
Jason ran towards the corner flag and gave it a karate kick while pumping his fists.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Mateta's in the room". He shouted as he imitated the Crystal Palace Striker's celebration.
He scored for the second match in a row. All of a sudden, he started to become hopeful. If he could keep up this performance then he could get scouted.
Tyler was a few paces behind his friend and hugged him when he turned around. The rest of their teammates celebrated with him and then they were back to their side of the pitch, assuming their positions.
After Rising Stars Academy's second goal, Giannis Academy took the match by the scruff of the neck trying to find a goal. They were already two goals down and they were doing everything in their power to reduce the deficit.
In the next five minutes, Rising Stars Academy's goalkeeper had to make a couple of saves to keep the match level.
They tried and tried and tried to get a goal but Rising Stars Academy's defense didn't let them. The clock continued to run down and before everyone knew what was happening, it was the first minute of added time.
Rising Stars Academy's striker lost the ball deep in the opposition half to the Giannis Academy defensive midfielder. The midfielder drove the ball forward before passing it to his teammates. They continued exchanging the ball, eventually moving play to the right-hand side. Eventually, the game was being played on the right.
With a sharp pass, Giannis Academy's central midfielder switched the play, sending a cross pass towards his team's left back that had quite a bit of space on his hand.
The left back got the ball under control with his first touch and started driving the ball forward. After moving a couple of steps, he passed the ball to his team's left winger.
The left winger started charging at the box. His legs rapidly moved across the ball, performing a series of complex leg movements as he took on Rising Stars Academy's right back. After he did his little stunt trick, he kicked the ball between the legs of the stunned right back.
He ran after the loose ball, managing to get it mere seconds before Rising Stars Academy's right center back. He used a roulette to guide it away from the center back and sent a cross into the box.
Giannis Academy's striker rose higher than the other players inside the box and headed his effort towards the top corner of the far post.
Rising Stars Academy's goalkeeper immediately dove for the ball, fully stretched in an attempt to keep it out. Unfortunately, he couldn't get to it. Giannis Academy scored. 2-1.
After the Giannis Academy players celebrated, the two teams went back to their halves and the referee blew his whistle to restart the match. Immediately after, he blew his whistle again to signify that it was half time. The two sets of players walked back through the tunnels and into their respective locker rooms.
Tyler had a small smile on his face as he walked through the tunnel. His eyes briefly scanned the small crowd that turned up to watch the match, hoping to catch anyone that looked like a scout. He thought he played well enough so far. He just hoped the scouts thought so as well.