The rain started pouring like curtains; for a few minutes, the coaches from both clubs looked at the assistant referee who was talking to his earpiece. After a long deliberation, they came to the conclusion that they should continue the match. The intermittent rain began lightly and, following the coin toss, the Western Park F.C. started the match. Western Park's gameplay was more relaxed and easygoing, with quick passes and the ball moving around their players for a few minutes. Winston, Oswin, and two wingers continued pursuing the ball; the four of them kept the pressure on the Western Park players.
[Retain a speed rating of: 66]
Winston sprinted to the Western player with the ball and slide-tackled him after he feigned an injury. And Winston received a warning from the referee; moments later, the Western Park restarted the game from a free kick in the middle of the field. Winston ran and kept chasing the ball. Western Park players, their form was firm; they didn't make any mistakes when shielding the ball from the Westminster players. The match went on like this with brief possessions from Westminsters, with Western Park holding the ball for a period of time. Both teams exchanged ball possession for the entire first half of the match. Winston, shaking his head in disappointment he jogged toward the tunnel. In the changing room the head coach came up with different tactics for the team to use, he wrote on the whiteboard, the head coach pointed at each player and instructed them how to box a player who had the ball and how to cut behind players.
[Retain a speed rating of: 45]
He still couldn't shake the anxiety of this challenge; if he left this anxiety, he would never win other challenges the core system piled on him. Every challenge he faces from the core seems to push his limits stretched. Exhaling, Winston thought, "Fuck it. If the core wants me to push myself to the limit, then so be it." Winston stood up now, determined. He stretched himself, and the rest of the team walked out of the changing room and through tunnels leading to the ground.
The rain was now lightly pouring. Winston started the game by passing to the center midfielder, who continued passing the ball down to the other teammates; their tactic was more of a pressure. Westminster pressed forward, pushing the Western park back into their side, after pressing Western park—Westminster passed back to the defenders who were guarding on the center field. Western Park midfielders and forwards pursued the ball, only to be met with a quick tiki-taka from Westminster. The swift tiki-taka from the defensive line toward the flank side where Oswin dribbled. Swiftly beating the Western Park players with different dribbling techniques, the first one was elastico, and he followed it up with a clean Matthews move and he sprinted in the center where Winston and Oswin exchanged passes, until Oswin cut behind the defenders where blast the ball between the goal keepers legs.
Thwack!
[DAILY USER CHALLENGES]
[Hat-trick: 00/03]
[Goal Assistant: 01/01]
[Retain a speed rating of: 56]
After celebrating, Oswin said, "Now it's your turn, They will focus on me, use this chance to score Wis. I got you, bro,"
"Thanks, bro,"
Both jogged back into their side of the field, as Westminster waited for Western Park to restart the game. What was surprising was that Western Park players were not panicking. They continued with their passes this time around; it was firm. They passed the ball with more diligence—they even passed the ball into the Western players who were in the pocket within the Westminster players. Some try burst sprinting toward the Westminster defenders, but this time Westminsters held their own and intercepted the ball, and in quick succession they built up toward the front.
This time Oswin didn't receive the ball since he was heavily marked; the winger on the right side was dribbling the ball and passing it to Winston. Taking a deep breath as the ball landed between his legs, he used his speed to sprint. Dribbling towards the midfielders, he employed various techniques like the Rivelino move to evade the Western player attempting a standing tackle. Once past the defender, he accelerated even further towards two players approaching from the sides. The next moves he performed were cut move, which he performed to the right player who held Winston's T-shirt and let go after stumbling forward and face plant. The other player on his left swiftly Puskás move past him.
[Retain a speed rating of: 69]
Winston sprinted forward to the defenders; the left-back and the right-back were marking Oswin and the other right winger. The only defenders left were two center defenders who sprinted toward Winston; one of the Western defenders attempted a slide attack in a swift motion. Winston Rainbow flicked past the sliding player. Running toward the last defender, Winston performed a Scotch move. But he heavily touched the ball, and the goalkeeper came outside his goal-post Winston pushed himself even more, and he blasted it over the goalkeeper's side shoulder.
Thwack!
[DAILY USER CHALLENGES]
[Hat-trick: 01/03]
[Goal Assistant: 01/01]
[Retain a speed rating of: 75]
Winston felt his lungs burning. He jogged toward his club dugout and grabbed a bottle of water and removed the bottle cap. As his teammates and club staff celebrated, he drank the water down to the halfway mark. Winston attempted breathing exercises to calm his chest from collapsing—after they were done, they jogged back to their side. When Western Park restarted the game, they now had a determination. They were now the ones who were pressing Westminster to go back on the defensive. Their tactics were on both flanks; they kept crossing the ball inside Westminster's goal area, and the Westminster players headed the ball away, but Western Park kept on with the pressure from the different flanks. They crossed from the left flank, and one of the Western player leaped higher than everyone and headed the ball toward the top left corner. The Westminster goalie stretched and palmed the ball away, and it landed outside the box.
Oswin, advancing down the left flank, received a through ball from a Westminster player. He dribbled and ran inside the field; Winston fully sprinted from the back to the front and periodically glanced at Oswin with his hand up. With his outside foot, Oswin passed the ball behind the Western players, Winston felt something tickling inside his feet. The same icy feeling he felt when he was testing, or rather playing back in the bus. Winston's speed felt like he was gliding over the field like a surfer on the ocean. He felt the Western Park players in the dusty. Approaching the goalkeeper, the Western Park goalkeeper made himself big by stretching his arms and legs. Winston chipped the goalkeeper who threw his hands up to stop the ball, the ball brushed over his tip.
Thwack!
[DAILY USER CHALLENGES]
[Hat-trick: 02/03]
[Goal Assistant: 01/01]
[Retain a speed rating of: 90]
He perceived a distinct throbbing within the muscles of his feet, giving the impression of an internal pulse. Winston couldn't feel his feet when he touched them, they were cold and numb. Winston was scared for a moment until the referee blew the whistle and Western Park were now shocked and depressed. While their possession statistics surpassed those of Westminster, they ultimately failed to demonstrate the necessary intent and drive in their goal attempts. The motivation speech the Westminster head coach gave the defense seems to be working.
As they started the game with his speed, Winston intercepted the pass and dashed toward the Western goal box. He carried this pursuit alone; he dribbled around the Western players with different techniques; some techniques are from Oswin. When Winston was training with Oswin, he studied some of his dribbling techniques, and of course the Western players tried to box him in. But the shielding techniques he had learned from Dumi and how to use his body from Boris. Again, some Western Park players try to fake injuries, but the referee was looking at the match intently. Winston dribbled back, making the Western Park players slip, and he used this opportunity to finesse shot the ball into the right side of the low corner.
Thwack!
[DAILY USER CHALLENGES]
[Hat-trick: Completed]
[Goal Assistant: Completed]
[Retain a speed rating of: 96 Completed]
Winston staggered back to his side of the field, his heavy breaths ragged—he was at his limit. He had reached his limit when he glanced up at the scoreboard. Winston was relieved that the match was now in its eightieth minute. He jogged toward the head coach and asked to be substituted. Upon observing Winston, the head coach and the medical staff noticed that his eyes had become significantly sunken, prompting an immediate substitution and the administration of five energy syrup packets. And Winston sat on the dugout, going in and out of sleep. The Nethen essence took hours for him to restore his energy. And when he looked at the core notification from the changing room showers when the game was settled.
Ding!
[Voltage Core: 90%]
[Nethen Essence: 90%]