The match continued for a couple more minutes before the referee blew the whistle for halftime.
Winston and his teammates gathered in the changing room.
"Good game so far. Right now, we need to strengthen our back line. Dia—" Ethan paused. "I mean, their wingers are too dangerous on the flanks. I need everyone to pressure them whenever they have the ball."
His teammates nodded.
"Oh, almost forgot. We need to play an all-out defensive game whenever they have possession. I want us to gang-press them."
The rest of his teammates nodded in agreement.
Why are we using a gang press? The match isn't that tough yet. Maybe Ethan is sensing something… or maybe he knows about Diago and Diego's skills.
Winston sat on the bench, waiting for one of the academy instructors to call them back onto the field. He grabbed his bottle of water and took a sip. With his index finger extended, he swiped upward.
Ding!
[User Daily Challenge]
[sprint speed: 90 km/h]
[shot: 90 km/h - Completed]
[Goals: 01/03]
Winston smiled at the translucent screen before taking a long gulp of water.
One down, three to go.
Maybe in the second half, I should start with the sprinting challenge. It requires me to maintain a speed of 90 km/h. But to do that, I'll have to track back into our own half. I need to be in Zone 14, and I'll only have a split second to increase my pace. How much Nethen essence should I channel? And how much do I have left?
Fuck. If I use too much of the remaining essence, I won't be able to complete the hat-trick.
What do I do? What do I do?
Winston's troubled expression caught Ethan's attention. Ethan walked over and sat down between Winston and another player.
"Are you worried about being all alone when we start the gang press?" Ethan asked. "Don't worry. The midfielders I recruited are good at explosive bursts of speed. When you need them, they'll be there."
Ethan leaned back against the bench.
"No, it's not that." Winston moved his finger downward, closing the Core system. "I made a bet with myself that I'd score three goals today."
He glanced toward the field. With the Core now hidden, he had already noticed two opportunities within their game plan whenever their opponents had possession. Winston could drop deeper and still contribute to the press.
"Hey, Ethan, can I request a change?" Winston asked. "Can I drop deep when we gang-press them? But instead of staying central, can the wingers move into the middle of the field?"
Ethan looked surprised. He stroked his smooth chin as he considered the idea.
"Wow. You want to play as a false nine?" He tilted his head toward Winston. "That could work."
Ethan paused before continuing, "Are you sure you'll be able to cover your position? I mean, that's going to be a huge undertaking."
Winston gave him a wry smile. "Don't worry, one of my friend does this a lot. He plays as a winger, and I've studied him a lot, so I think I can pull it off."
"If you're sure, then let's do it." Ethan patted Winston on the shoulder before standing up and heading toward the midfielders.
At least now I don't have to worry about depleting my Nethen essence. I'll just use it once to complete the 90 km/h sprint challenge. Then I can wait for the wingers to provide their support.
Winston let out a sigh of relief. Just as he was beginning to relax, one of the academy instructors walked over.
"Halftime is over. The other team is waiting for you."
Winston and his teammates rose to their feet. Ethan nodded at him with a wide smile.
Winston surmised that the two wingers had agreed to his request. He nodded back before walking out of the changing room and through the tunnel.
The afternoon air had begun to cool, and Winston quickly went through a few warm-up exercises. Then he walked onto the field and took his position in the center, waiting for the referee to blow the whistle.
The referee's whistle sounded.
Winston immediately passed the ball to Ethan, and his teammates scattered into space, creating passing lanes for one another.
Eli and his team's forwards immediately pressed Ethan and the defenders. As they applied pressure, Ethan's teammates spread out, forming a diamond with their passing options.
The ball moved between them in sharp, firm one-touch passes. The plan was to lure Eli's attackers and midfielders forward, creating space for a quick counterattack.
In the middle of the field, Winston channeled his Nethen essence into his lower body. He hoped it would be enough to reach the required 90 km/h. He allowed the remaining essence to circulate through his abdomen.
Ethan, acting as the anchor in front of the defense, sent a long pass toward a midfielder sprinting into space on the opposite flank.
The midfielder leaped to beat Eli's midfielder to the ball before passing it to Winston. Winston immediately redirected the ball toward the winger waiting in open space.
With a quick touch, the winger dribbled down the sideline. As he reached the crossing area, two defenders closed him down—one positioned in front of him and the other cutting off his route along the side.
They didn't want to give him any room to turn back toward his own half. With nowhere to go, the winger attempted a series of dribbling moves. One of Eli's defenders stuck out a foot and nicked the ball away. The winger dramatically threw himself to the ground and raised his hand toward the referee.
The referee simply gestured for him to get back up. Eli's defender quickly passed the ball into midfield, and the midfielder immediately moved it to the central midfielder, creating a rapid sequence of one-touch passes.
Ethan and the other two midfielders, along with the defenders, dropped deeper into their defensive shape. Winston tracked back behind Eli's midfielder, the ball was passed to Diago, who was positioned in front of him.
Seeing two players closing him down, Diago quickly shielded the ball. As they attempted to force him backward, he performed a quick body feint, twisted his body, and burst toward Zone 14.
Ethan's defenders reacted immediately, but Diago feinted past them as one of the defenders slid in behind him.
With a series of quick touches, Diago drove into the box, where even more players converged on him. He spotted Diego in the center and passed the ball toward him.
Two players were already marking Diego. He stretched out his leg and managed to make contact with the ball. The ball shot forward—but the referee had moved into its path while trying to make himself as big as possible.
It struck his chest and bounced back toward Zone 14.
Winston held his breath, the sounds around him seemed to fade. His ears became muffled as the Nethen essence surged through his legs. Veins stood out along his lower legs, and his calf muscles twitched.
Then—BOOM!
Winston exploded forward, the ball remained glued to his feet as he accelerated into the open space.
Eli and his teammates were caught off guard. The players covering the back rushed toward him, desperately trying to close the gap. But they were too late, Winston's speed was simply too much.
Within seconds, he had already reached the edge of the six-yard box. The goalkeeper panicked and rushed off his line. Winston calmly tapped the ball between the goalkeeper's legs.
The ball rolled into the net.
Thwack!
In the stands, Oswin suddenly stood up, a concerned expression on his face.
Not again. Goddamn, Wis.
His sudden movement startled the three friends sitting beside him. They turned their attention toward him.
"Did you guys see that? Wis… I've never seen someone run that fast before. What does he eat?" Bongani asked, his face filled with amazement.
"Oswin, is something wrong?" Elijah asked.
"Yeah. We have to go down there. Wis is in a lot of trouble." Oswin said, "Last time Wis ran that fast he slept for two days in the tour bus,"
"What? why would he do something stupid like that?" Elijah asked as he rose to his feet. "Does he not care about his football career? He just woke up, for God's sake!"
Oswin, Bongani, and Elijah scrambled to their feet. Before getting up, Hickman glanced toward the field. "Look. Winston seems fine, and he's trying to say something."
The trio whipped their heads toward the field. To their surprise, Winston was standing there with a thumbs-up directed at them.
The three of them sighed in relief before sitting back down. "This guy is going to give me a heart attack," Oswin said. "I'm definitely having a few choice words with him when this match is over."
Bongani, Elijah, and Hickman nodded. They, too, wanted to know what other things Winston had been hiding from them.
On the other side of the stands, Lucas was completely taken aback. Winston's explosive speed was similar to Sebastian's—it might even be better. Maybe our plan was a blessing in disguise. Lucas shifted his gaze toward Sebastian.
Sebastian's expression had hardened. His jaw was clenched so tightly that Lucas could hear his teeth grinding. After a moment, Sebastian leaned back and released a long breath.
His eyes gleamed with anticipation. He couldn't wait to see the showdown between him and Dumi's prodigy.
A chuckle escaped his lips, "Truly interesting."