"Misjudged tackle, and it's going to cost them."
"Space has opened up for Dovetown's forward."
"And he's got the shot!"
BRRF!
"Punched away by Dogo!"
"It'll be a corner kick for Dovetown FC."
Bello stepped up to take the corner.
"There!"
Dogo leaped for the ball and punched it clear.
The loose ball fell to Andol.
He passed to Lexar, who took a few strides forward before slowing down at the sight of approaching defenders.
As Andol overlapped on his right, Lexar threaded a through pass into space.
Without hesitation, Andol flicked the ball across to the opposite flank.
Riley was there.
Riley controlled it and passed to Leiser.
Leiser returned the ball to Poker as Bello rushed to press him.
Poker shielded the ball before passing back to Leiser.
Leiser found Riley again.
Riley pushed forward.
An opposing midfielder stepped up to challenge him.
Riley slowed the ball, caught sight of Lexar's run, and passed it back.
Lexar immediately returned it with a through ball.
With Dovetown's midfielder beaten, only the wing-back remained.
Lexar pushed the ball past him.
The touch was heavy, but he managed to reach it.
Stretching with his toes, he poked a pass toward Samba.
Dovetown's center-back was already marking him tightly, limiting his options.
"Man, the pass is coming, but this guy won't budge. If I could just..."
Samba moved forward.
The defender followed.
Instantly, Samba body-feinted him and won the ball.
Was it enough?
No.
The defender stretched his leg and got a touch on the ball.
Samba reacted immediately with a roulette spin as the center-back recovered and continued applying pressure.
The ball remained in play.
Fortunately for Samba, he was faster than his marker.
He reached the ball first.
Nineteen yards from goal.
He prepared to shoot.
Then suddenly...
Everything became calm.
For a split second, he noticed Dovetown's goalkeeper stepping off his line.
Instead of shooting, Samba cut inside.
A fake shot sent the last defender the wrong way.
Then, as if that wasn't enough, he nutmegged the right-back.
Now he was one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
Samba shifted his body weight as though preparing for a powerful strike.
The keeper braced himself.
Instead...
Samba chipped him.
Goal.
MATCH SCORE: 0–1
(Samba 38')
The yellow supporters erupted.
It was Samba's first goal in over a year.
The winger leaped into the air and pumped his fist.
His teammates quickly surrounded him.
"Whoa... what just happened?" Kibb wondered.
"I think Samba just scored."
"But I don't even know how he scored."
"..."
"Hold on... have I been zoning out?"
"What exactly was I thinking about?"
Kibb tried to recall.
Nothing came.
"Maybe I—"
The crowd erupted again.
His thoughts were interrupted.
"And it's another goal from Jolar!"
(45+2')
"What a strike!"
"The young I.Land forward continues to show great promise for the club this season."
Kibb watched quietly.
"They're all playing well."
"Jolar's the same age as me, and he's already making a name for himself."
"Meanwhile, I'm just... here."
He folded his arms and leaned back in his seat.
His eyes slowly closed.
Moz noticed.
"He's been like this since Spain," the coach thought.
"It's obvious he's not in the right state of mind to play."
Even in training, the difference was clear.
Kibb used to throw himself into challenges.
His clearances weren't always perfect, but he fought for every ball.
Now that fire was gone.
He looked dull.
Uncertain.
Like he had lost something important.
The referee's whistle signaled the end of the first half.
There wasn't much to discuss.
I.Land entered the break with a comfortable two-goal lead.
The second half began.
The yellows fought hard, but they would soon learn a painful lesson:
Scoring two goals in the first half does not guarantee victory.
When the final whistle blew, I.Land had dropped points in their opening league match.
FINAL SCORE: 2–2
One point.
Gameweek One.
15th place.