Match against Asendavia.
Vistaraland.
“3 - 0”
The embarrassing end to their first match reverberated through their skulls. The team sat in their locker room, largely silent. They tried to remain professional and cheerful, but there were apparent tensions.
“What happened?” Sulmeen Kharnoud asked himself.
As the coach, he was responsible for evaluating the game and plotting a path forward.
Well, the game opened with the national anthems of the two teams. As the mixed species Asendavian team standing adjacent to the Packilvanian team was a diverse range not only of genetics but also of talents and capabilities. Kharnoud wondered, “Should I have used more players who were not feline? Was there a deficiency in strength, mental acuity, stamina, or agility that made us lose?”
He shook his head and concluded, “Nonsense! Felines are just as capable as any species and football is more than all those things. Tactics, training, unity, effective communication, talent and fortune are what win in football”.
The weather that day was colder than most of the Packilvanian players were accustomed to, but beyond that, it was a pleasant day.
The game opened with the coin toss going to the Asendavians. Munhadim Erkhadel and his team of forwards and midfielders played in a notoriously aggressive playing style. Not 10 minutes after the game began, Farmeed Jamalhad got a yellow card for unintentionally kicking an Asendavian player in the ankle.
As football players are infamous for their theatrics, it was no surprise that the referee gave him a yellow card, dampening his spirits somewhat.
Not another 10 minutes passed before the ever-advancing Asendavian team breached the flanks, midfielders and defence. Shamdan Fumeed put up a good fight, but with two Asendavian players coming from both sides and quickly passing the ball between them - preventing the defenders from capturing and rerouting the ball. Shamdan miscalculated their foot movements and flung his body counter to the direction from which the ball entered the box. With the enmity that they felt for Packilvania and their shared faith with the Asendavians, the predominantly Vistaran crowd roared with joy like jet engines in an airport going off at once.
Possession and attacks on the goal seemed to gradually slip to the Asendavian side. about 8 minutes before halftime, the ball entered the box. There was a minor dispute regarding whether the Asendavian player who had knocked it in was offside. After consulting the infamous Video Assistant Referee (VAR), it proved the player was barely a hair within his designated part of the field.
Shumeel Kharnoud decided to instruct the team to fall to plan B i.e., assume a more defensive posture.
The team kept the ball on their side of the field through short passes and prioritised their mid-fielders towards a defensive rather than offensive stance. Remaining as aggressive as ever, Wasool Varjhad got a yellow card for (again unintentionally) hitting an Asendavian player on the collarbone with his elbow.
Despite the team seemingly keeping the Asendavians at bay, in the final 6 minutes, an unexpected goal penetrated the box. Despite 3 minutes of overtime, the Packilvanians were unable to get their own goal in and the victory of the Asendavians was a foregone conclusion.
After his replay of the match, Kharnoud addressed the team and said, “I blame myself. You all played well. But it seems that there are teams against which we must adopt a more defensive approach and teams against which we must adopt a more forward approach. Ironically it seems an aggressive stance suits the defence better than an offence. A great lesson learned I would say. Keep your ears up, we can do this! meSkhimatir! meSkhimatir!”
He began their team chant and the team joined him slowly clapping their hands and gradually increasing their speed and intensity until they ended with a roar. Hopefully, they next game would not render them with a purr.
