The stadium erupted in roars of jubilation. The crowd came to life, and the stadium’s atmosphere turned festive.
The Madrid fans lit up in excitement, their faces etched with elation. Flinging their banners and scarves, they celebrated the goal.
On the pitch, Hiro ran to the sideline.
Upon reaching the sideline, he stood with his arms folded, surrounded by an aura of nonchalance. Even though he had scored a brilliant goal, he didn’t look exhilarated. Instead, he wore a solemn expression.
The crowd buzzed with excitement while he stood still in silence.
Hiro could hear the buzz of the crowd. The stadium had come alive. Shimmered in the bustling atmosphere of the stadium, Hiro stood still before he was swarmed.
“It’s an equalizer for Atletico Madrid, and who else could it be besides their number 10?” one of the commentators said.
Soon after the equalizer, the match resumed.
The score was now 1-1.
Both teams engaged in a heated competition as they competed for the lead. Tackles and fouls became common. With each passing second, the game became even rougher.
Desperate, both sides spent their effort to secure the lead.
The game witnessed even more attempts than before. The important ones from both sides stepped up to produce the result.
However, each attempt was met with failure, and the score remained tied until the 42nd minute of the match.
The two prodigies battled it out in the midfield, using feints, footwork, and psychology. They put each other to the test.
Every time the two dueled, it tested their skills.
Just like earlier, once again in the 42nd minute, Lucien and Hiro faced each other. Though their position should have made it difficult to cross paths, both still crossed paths often in this match.
Part of the reason the two crossed paths was that both had dropped deep.
Lucien played as a shadow striker. Meanwhile, Hiro had dropped to the position of a central mid. This allowed the two to meet each other often.
Perhaps, Lucien had deliberately dropped deep to face Hiro.
Even if he had switched position intentionally, Enrique didn’t seem to mind at all. Similarly, Diego had no complaints over Hiro’s role.
It seemed like both the manager trusted their prodigies.
Backed by the faith of their manager, both looked even more threatening. They rarely made any mistakes. Instead, both were the most crucial players in the match by far.
Coming up against Hiro again, Lucien couldn’t help but feel excited.
A sharp glint of determination flashed past his eyes as he tried to trick Hiro with feints and footwork. However, Hiro followed him closely and stuck with him.
Sparks were sent flying as the two engaged in a fierce duel.
From afar, it looked like both were dancing.
Defending wasn’t Hiro’s forte. Even so, he stuck with Lucien and didn’t lose sight of him. Hiro’s ability to keep up with Lucien made it seem like he was a skilled defender.
“When did he get this good at defending?”
The others on the bench couldn’t help but ponder. Though they knew Hiro was fairly good at defending, he was on another level in this match. Hiro’s level of defending even mesmerized the defending coach of Madrid.
While others were praising Hiro, he could barely keep up with Lucien.
‘To the left? No, it’s right… Wait, but his hands are swinging in the other direction. Will it be left or the right?’ Hiro had to rack his mind to predict Lucien’s dribbling pattern.
Until now, he could keep up with Lucien because he had successfully predicted his moves. The consequences would have been devastating if he had messed up even once.
However, Hiro was confident in his prediction.
Even if he failed, he kept a watchful eye on his surroundings. He made sure that there were backups. Otherwise, he wouldn’t attempt to stop Lucien, who is regarded as one of the greatest talents on his own.
Hiro only kept up with him because he could.
However, with every passing moment, it was proving harder to keep up with him. Now was one of those moments.
Hiro found it daunting to read his moves.
Lucien’s patterns were getting more unpredictable each time the two competed. It should have been otherwise. With time, he should be more comfortable. But it was quite the opposite.
The more the two competed, the more unpredictable it got.
Perhaps, both were learning from their duels in the mid-game.
‘Is he evolving amid the match? Is he learning and evolving from our every encounter?’ Hiro’s brows furrowed as he realized.
The realization struck him like a freight train, instilling fear in him. Just like him, he was someone who was capable of evolving even in the middle of the match.
Lucien wasn’t just a prodigy but a talented learner.
He was someone who became more threatening and refined with time. The more time passed, the more powerful he’d become.
Just then, he felt his senses tingle.
Hiro immediately reacted to the looming sensation he felt and moved his body. However, for the first time, the two faced each other, Hiro’s prediction was wrong.
Instead of moving to the left or right, Lucien made a pass.
Hiro had been too much occupied with him. Hence, he couldn’t see this coming. Hiro was caught off guard.
But he didn’t give up.
Instead, he quickly adjusted himself to brace for the impact.
Panicking wasn’t an option. Even if he were beaten, he had to think about the solution rather than concern himself with the problem.
Hiro was quick to react and positioned himself.
However, even his quick reaction wasn’t enough as Lucien burst past him and left him in the dust. Hiro couldn’t bring himself to chase Lucien since he didn’t even have the ball.
He had to trust his teammates to stop him.
Now, he had to focus his attention elsewhere. He had to fill the gap he had left while chasing Lucien. Hence, instead of chasing Lucien, Hiro sprinted to the gap he had left open.
However, to his surprise, the opposition played the ball to Lucien despite the mark.
Completely disregarding Lucien’s position, the opponent played the ball back to Lucien.
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