Julian's pass was anything but sloppy; it was decisive and sudden, much like an assassin's fatal blow.
At that moment, the center of gravity of the sparring team's formation was still focused on the left side. There were only two defenders in the penalty area, tasked with marking Glider and Sissy. Faced with Julian's long-range attack, these two defenders were utterly unprepared.
Seizing the opportunity, the glider opened up a gap, turned away from the goal, and jumped high to connect with the header. Julian had passed the ball directly to the sissy positioned at the back!
Without wasting a beat, the sissy followed up and slammed the door with incredible force!
The football shot out like a cannonball, aiming straight for the lower left corner of the goal!
The training team's goalkeeper had been distracted by the glider's imposing figure and was too late to react.
The ball scored! It hit the net with a satisfying thud, bouncing joyfully a few times!
The players of the main team went wild with cheers, rushing towards the sissy and the glider in a frenzy.
Although they had scored numerous goals against the training team, this one brought them the most pride.
The scoreboard updated to reflect the new standing: the main team had drawn even with the training team at 1-1.
This goal was a harsh blow to the sparring team's morale, as they had been guarding their lead for 85 minutes.
No one on the training team had anticipated that Michael, their main offensive force, would run to the left, allowing a newly-joined left back like Julian to cut in diagonally towards the center and deliver a precise, deadly long pass.
The flawless coordination between Michael and Julian's positional exchange was as if they had rehearsed it countless times before.
While the goal was scored by the sissy and assisted by the glider, the real star was Julian. His swift transition from defense to offense had been instrumental in securing the equalizer.
Even Coach Carter, observing from the sidelines, couldn't resist a slight nod of approval.
Julian had been playing for only five minutes, yet he had touched the ball three times and made two such dangerous long passes, one of which had directly led to the goal.
This staggering performance, when considering the brevity of his playing time, could easily be considered the highest-rated of the match!
However, as the main team's players huddled together to revel in their victory, Julian remained stoic, walking back to his left defensive position.
After all, it was merely a training match.
And after all, it wasn't him who scored the goal and assisted it.
And after all, it was only his first day with the school team; Julian didn't want to get too close to his second-year teammates and risk getting caught up in their drama.
While strolling across the lush green field, Julian struggled to contain the excitement surging through his veins.
Dopamine rushed through his bloodstream, a feeling long lost to the days of playing unstructured street soccer!
If he could bring this kind of performance to a professional club and a proper league... just the thought made his heart race!
"Hey—you, Asian kid!"
Michael called out to Julian, halting him in his tracks and nodded approvingly. "...not bad."
Julian replied with a proud smile, "...I know."
With that, Julian turned and strolled back to his position on the left half of the field, oozing coolness.
The corner of Michael's mouth twitched slightly. "Damn it, this guy is even more arrogant than me..."
The main team's celebration soon came to an end.
There were less than 5 minutes left in the game, and they needed to score another goal to keep their hopes alive.
The game continued, and the sparring team kicked off from the middle circle.
Following the equalizer, the sparring team appeared somewhat timid, only daring to play defensively in the second half, not risking any attacks.
But the main team pressed on with all their might, and the tension in the stadium was palpable.
In the last 2 minutes of the game, the blind man successfully intercepted the ball on the right and made a short pass to Michael, who had arrived in support.
Michael and Octo executed a perfect two-for-one play. Octo did not hold onto the ball this time; instead, he decisively passed it back to Michael when the latter made his move.
Michael then delivered the ball to Sissy on the left side of the penalty area, and Sissy took a powerful shot at the goal.
The kick was strong, but the angle was slightly too direct, and it was blocked by a defender from the training team with his back.
The football ricocheted off the penalty area and headed towards the left touchline.
Everyone assumed the ball was going out of bounds, and both teams' players ceased their pursuit.
But then, Julian dashed to chase the ball at full speed!
—Never abandon any opportunity!
Julian's adrenaline spiked as he sprinted 21 meters in just three seconds!
As the football was about to leave the field, Julian managed to stop it on the sideline!
"Awesome—" Rusty Stripe bellowed hoarsely.
The main team's spirits soared as they aggressively advanced into the training team's penalty area!
With no clear passing options, Julian chose to cut inside with the ball directly!
The training team's players were stunned, rushing to intercept Julian.
Julian swiftly created a gap in their formation!
Julian then spun around to shield the ball and passed it back to the supporting midfielder. He continued his run without the ball, cutting inside once more!
The defensive players of the training team focused solely on Bun, the player with the ball, ignoring Julian's position.
Julian signaled to Bun with an outstretched hand once he had run out of space.
—If not for the previous goal, Bun would never have had faith in Julian's abilities. But now, he admired Julian's skills.
Strength is the bedrock of trust!
Julian received the ball and, without waiting for the training team to surround him, immediately launched a long pass into the penalty area.
This long pass was almost identical to his first one!
Once again, the big, tall Glider leaped up and claimed the first touch!
But this time, there were more Michael's in the midfield.
Glider passed the ball to Michael, who had made a run behind the defensive line!
Michael faced the onrushing goalkeeper, faked a shot, and placed the ball into the far corner...
The ball went in! ! !
At the final moment of the game, the main team scored to take the lead!
All the tension dissipated from the main team's players, who rushed to the field and piled on top of Michael to celebrate!
They had won...
Won! ! !
Julian took a deep breath, savoring the incredible dopamine rush coursing through his body.
For a moment, Julian truly desired to rush over to the pile who had folded Michael with his teammates.
But Julian held back:
No, no, no...
This is just a team training match!
I, Julian, am on the brink of becoming a top player in the world. How can I get overly excited by a mere training game?
Just then, as Captain Bread dashed past Julian, he called out, "Julian! Join us!"
This is a form of acknowledgement from my teammates!
Integrating into an established team is indeed challenging, but as long as one possesses strength, the team will actively seek to integrate them.
However, this integration is merely the starting point.
To genuinely become a part of the school team, one must endure a long journey and participate in numerous games.
No rush, no hurry! Take it easy!
Julian worked to restrain the excitement within him, smiled at Bread, and shook his head, "No, I'm not accustomed to that."
Bread chuckled in response, "In time, you will get used to it."
Without another word, Bread sprinted to Julian and leaped.
"Ahhhh-"
The pile of teammates erupted in a cacophony of high-pitched but thrilled shouts.
Even Rusty Stripe, who had been in the backcourt, came rushing over, gasping for breath. He threw his arms around Julian's shoulder, saying nothing at first.
"Haha! Julian! You're truly amazing! Let me just say it now, the reason I lost to you twice before wasn't because I couldn't beat you, but because you're so good! Your sprinting speed just now was incredible! Yes, based on today's performance, I'm sure you'll be on tomorrow's 18-man roster, and you might even get to play in tomorrow's group match!"
Could he possibly take part in the national competition tomorrow?
Julian's heart began to race with anticipation.
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Ripple in Time - HP Fanfic is my newest fanfic released in Webnovel.
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