‘Today is going to be a complete walkover,’ he whispered excitedly as his eyes shifted hastily between each of the Rovers. ‘I’ve done a little investigating and the Wanderers’ star striker is out, and they’ve sidelined their usual sweeper because of an ankle strain.’ His face exploded into an almost hysterical grin. ‘This game is ours.’
Jasper looked at Aamir, both remembering what Coach Wallace had told them. No good team wins because of one player. It’s a team effort or it’s nothing. So what if the Wanderers’ star striker and sweeper were out; there were still the other players and the reserves. Tricky, though, was just as keyed up. ‘Yeah, we can beat them. It’ll be a slaughter.’
‘That’s the spirit, Tricky.’
Jasper frowned as Nannu’s words shot into his head. ‘Never underestimate your opposition. Even the greatest teams have been beaten by less experienced ones who have played better on the day.’
‘Coach …’ Jasper began, but the coach’s cold, hard look warned him not to go any further.
‘Zammit. Did I ask for any questions?’
Ronaldinho growled.
‘No. It’s just that –’
‘I’ve been coaching for a long time,’ he smiled poisonously, ‘and I know when a team has victory in their hands. I’m sorry if you don’t see it the same way.’
Jasper knew what he had to say was important, but he also knew his only choice was to stay quiet.
‘And I don’t need you to bring the team down when we have such an important game before us.’
Jasper’s chest sank. He hadn’t been trying to bring the team down.
‘Any other questions?’
No one said anything or even made a move.
‘Good.’ He looked at his clipboard. ‘Nippy, keep close to your opponent; you’re a sloppy marker from what I’ve seen. Mugger, guard that goal and keep your eyes glued to the field; I don’t want one ball passing those hands of yours. And everyone look out for Aamir and Tricky; give them as much support as you can to help them kick goals.’
He clapped so hard it even rang through Noggin’s bright earmuffs.
‘Now go out onto that field and win!’
‘Yeah!’ Tricky cheered, buying everything Coach Riley had said.
Coach Riley turned sharply and nearly tripped over Ronaldinho. ‘And who owns this fleabag?’ he barked. ‘The soccer field is no place for a dog.’
‘Come on, boy.’ Jasper patted Ronaldinho and sent him over to his parents.
‘He’s wrong,’ Lil whispered as they made their way towards position. ‘The Wanderers are a good team. How can he say they’ll be a walkover?’
‘A walkover?’ Aamir asked.
‘Easy,’ Jasper explained.
‘There is no such thing,’ Aamir shrugged.
‘I know, and Nannu says if you go into any game thinking you’ve already won, you might as well hang up your boots before you start.’
They looked up and saw the Wanderers going through their final drills before the game. They looked sharp as they worked the ball around quickly and efficiently, using skilled footwork to defend, intercept and pass.
‘There will be no walkover,’ Aamir sighed.
Lil stopped abruptly and held her fists up before her chest. ‘Forza?’
Aamir and Jasper repeated the gesture. ‘Forza,’ they replied quietly, but they all felt unsure about the game in front of them and walked to their positions with uneasy steps.
Jasper looked up to search out his dad on the hill, and that smile of his that had started almost every game Jasper had played since he was five. He looked through the throng of parents and kids but couldn’t see him. On the field, the ref lifted the whistle to his lips. Jasper’s eyes flicked around the hill. He had to find his dad, but when he did, he saw him talking to Coach Riley.
He’ll look up, Jasper thought. He’ll make it just in time, but the ref blew his whistle and Jasper’s opponent was off and there was no time to look any further.
The Wanderers were in good form. They controlled the ball well and kept possession with short, sharp kicks and pinpoint passing. The Rovers had them covered, but no chance opened to steal the ball. The Wanderers moved confidently into the Rovers’ penalty area as Nippy moved in on her opponent who had the ball. She kept light on her feet, her eyes sharp, looking for any opening to poke the ball away.
Then she saw it. If she was to stop the Wanderers’ attempt at a goal, she had to act fast.
Nippy momentarily unbalanced her opponent. Noggin was just beyond her and their eyes locked for a second, ready for the challenge. Keeping her eyes firmly planted on the ball, Nippy threw her striking leg forward, bent her supporting leg and held her arms outstretched for what she hoped would be a well-timed tackle. She’d flick the ball to a waiting Noggin who would be ready to reverse the momentum for the Rovers, but as her foot slid forward, only centimetres from touching the ball, her opponent regained his balance and Nippy’s foot struck his ankle instead. He tripped up and rolled to the ground.
Nippy turned from where she’d slid to a stop.
The ref blew his whistle and pointed directly in front of the goal, awarding the Wanderers a penalty kick.
Nippy lowered her head to the ground.
‘It’s okay, Nip.’ Jasper offered his hand.
Nippy smiled sadly and accepted his hand as the Rovers prepared to defend if the Wanderers’ shot on goal failed.
Mugger bounced lightly on his feet in front of goal. He was the expert at being calm and relaxed. In fact, it was rare to see Mugger anything but calm and relaxed. He stared at the striker, trying to read his moves and work out which way he was going to shoot.
The striker stood composed and still. His shoulders rose and fell as he took a final deep breath. Mugger steadied himself, ready to leap into action. Their eyes met, briefly, before the striker stepped forward and drove the ball to the right. Mugger lunged and leapt into the air, throwing his body and outstretched hands at the ball, but it sailed just beyond the tips of his fingers and ripped into the inside of the net.
Mugger landed heavily on the ground. Nippy’s head sank forward.
The Wanderers had scored the first goal.
‘Come on, Rovers!’ Coach Riley yelled from the sidelines. ‘You can play better than that.’
He made it sound like he was talking to the whole team, but he made sure he looked straight into Nippy’s eyes and gave her a look that made it clear the goal was her fault.
As the players moved back to their positions, Tricky walked up behind her. ‘We’re actually trying to win this game in case you hadn’t noticed,’ he hissed.
‘I thought we were here to play soccer,’ Nippy shot back.
‘Yeah, but I don’t fancy being a loser if that’s all right with you.’
‘Leave her alone!’ Josie stood in front of Tricky with her hands firmly on her hips.
‘I will if she stops playing like a girl.’
That was it. Josie had had all she was going to take from Tricky and his loud mouth. As he walked away she held out her boot and he tripped, falling face first into the dirt. The ref turned when he heard the thud on the ground. ‘Everything okay over there?’
‘Yep. Fine, thanks,’ Josie called as she offered a hand to help Tricky up.
The two parted ways with an icy air tidal-waving between them.
The rest of the game was even worse. Tricky refused to play with Josie after what she’d done. He intercepted a Wanderers pass and, after a quick-footed piece of dribbling, made his way towards the goal. It was the first real break the Rovers had made since the game began. Jasper brightened up. It felt good to be back in their opponents’ half of the field, rather than playing only in defence.
Josie broke free from her marker and raced towards the goal area, ready for Tricky’s pass.
‘Josie’s free!’ Lil called, happy that the Rovers seemed to be finding their rhythm in the match at last. ‘Go the Rovers!’
But Tricky had other ideas.
He gave Josie a half sneer and kept dribbling forward. In the next few seconds another player firmly blocked him from the front. Tricky had to get rid of the ball quickly or he risked losing it. He looked up to see where his options lay, and drove a long pass to Noggin on the wing, who was instantly surrounded by two players.
‘What?’ Lil held her palms up trying to understand.
Noggin had no chance. The Wanderers easily forced the turnover and regrouped to sweep the ball down the field. The Rovers back-pedalled into defence, trying to cover the entire field, but the Wanderers had complete control of the ball and kept it just out of their reach.
The Rovers couldn’t even get close.
Mugger stood in the goal area as the ball sped towards him. He steadied himself again with his legs shoulder-width apart, head up and arms in front of him, determined that this time the ball had no chance of getting past him.
Josie kept pace with the player in attack who had the ball. She tried to steal it from him, but he kept it so close to his feet that it would have been hard to tackle without fouling him. With a quick flick, he tapped it away and to the safe boots of a winger. Diego quickly moved in to jockey the ball loose, but the winger turned his back to him and passed to a free team-mate. Bursting into open space with a perfect wall pass, they didn’t waste another second; the sweeper turned towards goal and chipped the ball into the air.
Mugger, caught standing too far forward in the goal area, jumped high into the air, stretching his arms to their limits, but the ball curved expertly over his reaching fingers and fell through the gap behind him. He hit the ground and turned just in time to see the net tremble with the unmistakable jostling of the ball.
The Wanderers had scored their second goal of the match, and they were as loud and excited in their victory as the Rovers were silent and moody in their dejection.
‘Good one, Tricky,’ Josie murmured.
‘At least I was playing for my team, not pulling dirty tricks.’
Jasper moved between them, grabbed Tricky’s arm and led him away. ‘Hey, Josie was free.’
‘She should have supported me like the coach said, but she didn’t.’
‘She was trying to support you.’
‘Not hard enough.’ Tricky pulled his arm away.
The cheers of the Wanderers and their supporters hovered over the field as Jasper watched Tricky walk away. What was happening? Two weeks ago the Rovers were a good team, not because they won games, but because they were solid together. They liked each other and respected each other on the field. That’s what made them great.
The ref blew the half-time whistle, and Jasper slowly turned towards the sidelines. He felt as if he’d been the one to miss the goal – to miss a hundred goals – but what made him feel even worse was the look on the coach’s face. He was walking towards them and in each step was the simmering anger of a man about to let them have it.
JOHNNY SAYS:
It’s all about options – a bent ball, a chip, a dip. Maradona had such legendary control of the ball that he was able to score unassisted from a corner kick by putting so much spin on the ball that it would bend towards the near post, hit the ground and skid in.
‘It’s half-time, Richy. How do you think the game’s going so far?’
‘Well, Higsy, I’d say if someone doesn’t stop this train, it’s going to crash.’
‘I know what you mean, Richy. The great thing about this beautiful game is that when teams play as one, it feels like a magic ride, but when they don’t, everyone better get out of the way.’
‘Young Zammit’s out there playing his heart out, but it can’t be left to one man to pull a team together.’
‘No it can’t, Richy. It needs everyone to come together, from the players to the coaches and even the fans.’
‘Someone’s got to take a stand, Higsy. For the sake of soccer! We’re witnessing a great team come apart and it’s a crime. A crime, I tell you!’
‘Is there hope for the Rovers, Richy? Do they have what it takes to get them through the finals?’
‘It’s hard to say, but there is one question I’d like to know. What I’d like to know is …’
‘What’s going on out there?’
Jasper looked up from his daydream to see Coach Riley standing before the Rovers, his eyes still wide and excited, but this time with anger rather than victory.
Someone’s got to take a stand. Jasper heard it again in his head.
‘Anyone care to tell me what they think is going on?’
Tricky went to speak but Jasper cut him off.
‘We need to play more as a team.’ As far as Jasper could see, it was as simple as that.
The coach brushed him off. ‘It’s no good how you play as a team if individuals are messing up.’ He zeroed in on Josie, Mugger and Nippy. ‘I need more commitment from you or we may as well give up now. And Tricky?’
‘Yes, Coach?’ Tricky answered a little nervously.
At least this was the part where Tricky would get it for not passing the ball to Josie, thought Jasper.
‘Keep it up. I like your aggression. You play like you know what you want and you go and get it, and it’s keeping the opposition on their toes.’
Keep it up? Jasper thought. Coach Wallace would have gone nuts over what Tricky had done, and here he was being congratulated for it. Jasper bit down hard into his orange.
‘I want some side stretches, lunges and jogging on the spot.’
The coach looked down at his clipboard and that was it. Nothing about how everyone was trying. Nothing about how Tricky had hogged the ball. He just scribbled on his clipboard in a barely controlled fury and didn’t speak to them for the rest of the half-time break.
Vince came over as the Rovers took to the field for the second half and grabbed Lil’s arm. ‘You okay? What’s going on?’
‘This game doesn’t feel right.’
‘I noticed. Is this how it usually is?’ The Rovers seemed a different team from the one Lil had described to him in her emails.
‘No.’ She shot a look at the new coach. ‘Just the last few games.’
Vince looked his younger sister in the eye. ‘This half’ll be better, you’ll see. Have fun out there, yeah?’
Lil met her brother’s gaze. ‘Yeah. Thanks.’
She turned back to the field, feeling a little better. ‘I think I will have fun,’ she whispered angrily before shouting, ‘Go the Rovers!’
Josie turned and smiled. ‘Go the Rovers!’
Diego joined in, followed by Noggin and Nippy.
Jasper perked up. If the coach wasn’t going to believe in them, maybe they’d just have to do it themselves.
The ball moved slowly around the midfield, as possession changed from one team to the other, then back again. There were no shots on goal, just cautious play with both teams looking for a scoring opportunity, until Aamir saw one open up before him.
His opponent trapped a high pass and Aamir closed in, jockeying around him, trying to force him into making a mistake. Lil and Jasper saw what Aamir was trying to do and got ready to back him up if he stole the ball.
Aamir’s opponent tried to spin away and make a break for it, but Aamir was too quick. He tackled the ball mid-turn before the attacker even had a chance to see that it was gone.
‘Hey!’
Lil bounded forward. ‘Go Aamir!’
Aamir quickly passed the ball to Jasper, who nodded to Lil. She nodded back and moved to where he’d signalled. He sent the ball directly to her in a sharp push pass. The Wanderers moved into a strong defence. Aamir ran past Lil, breaking into open space in front of the penalty area. He winked and nodded towards the goal. Lil smiled broadly and chipped it over his head. The ball fell before him, landing directly at his feet so that all he had to do was nudge it gently and watch it sail between the legs of the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.
The ref blew the whistle.
‘Goal!’ Aamir turned back to his team-mates and threw his han
ds into the air.
Lil and Jasper raced over and smothered him.
‘Goal! Goal!’ Jasper wanted to keep yelling it over and over. He was starting to worry that they’d never score another goal again the way they were playing, but they’d done it. Soon the rest of the team came crashing towards them, shouting and cheering Aamir’s goal.
‘Go the Rovers!’ This time it was Vince. Lil looked up and held her fists out to him. Vince smiled and nodded.
When play restarted, the Wanderers played as if they weren’t going to give the Rovers another chance at goal. Tricky ran at his opponent and attempted a block tackle. He tried to steal the ball with every trick he knew, but his opponent was too good and managed to wrong-foot Tricky by pretending to run one way, then moving another. Tricky turned, tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground.
Diego moved quickly, determined not to let the Wanderers make any more ground. He caught up with the player in possession and stuck close to him, forcing him towards the sidelines where he had less options and little space. Nippy ran in to help and soon the player mistimed a kick and the ball spun behind him. Nippy flashed Diego a cheeky smile and wasted no time in racing the ball back towards the Wanderers’ goal.
‘Go Nippy!’ Noggin called.
Nippy was the fastest player on the Rovers and easily made ground, dodging slide tackle attempts and twisting away from challenges on the ball.
Lil and Jasper moved in as backup, but Noggin had already sped into action. Nippy was being closely followed and knew she could only hold on to the ball for so long. Seeing Noggin moving towards goal, with one last burst she hit the ball at the base and sent it spinning into the air.
Both Wanderers and Rovers players saw the rising ball and raced to get beneath it. Noggin had it in his sights and marked it as his. He ran towards the ball and, leaping into the air, arched his back and thrust his upper body forward, heading the ball with powerful force.
It took only one second to hurtle over the heads of the other players and bounce securely into the back of the net.
Jasper Zammit Soccer Legend 3 Page 6