It's Always Been You

Chapter 5

September 2021 - Lyon, France

It was time for the second leg of our Champion's league qualifying match against Levante. It was a home match, so we had that advantage, along with the first leg score of 1-2 to us. It would be a hard competition, as Levante were a strong team. Daan and I were starting, along with Damaris in the middle, and we had come to an unspoken agreement that we were a pair on the pitch and simply acquaintances off of it.

The match started of well, although very physical. Yellow cards were being handed out left and right, starting with a tackle by Damaris. Then, three Levante players each received yellow cards in a span of less than ten minutes. A lot of pushing and unnecessary tackles were going on, with lots of free kicks being given out, but no goals for either side, and it remained 0-0. Around the 40th minute, we had a free kick situation around 30 yards away and I knew I could score. Free kicks were my set piece speciality, and I had scored a number of stunners from the exact spot. However, Daan proposed a different idea, wanting to play it short, which we ended up doing despite my reluctance. It turned into nothing however, with a misplaced pass starting a counter attack for Levante instead.

During our half time talk, Sonia was annoyed, and said, "Although we are 2-1 up on aggregate, as soon as they are able to score a goal, which they will at this rate, it's all square again and with even less time. We want to score, score, score, take the lead and make it impossible for them to come back."

The second half started out with even more pressure than before. The determined Levante side knew they needed to get a goal in soon, or else there was no chance of them progressing. In the 60th minute, after another tackle from our opposition, there was another free kick, around 35 yards this time. I wasn't confident that it would go in, but Sonia was yelling, telling everyone to let me take it. Although it was a decent angle, I knew I had to bend it, in order for a chance of scoring. The sun was shining intensely in my eyes, but I was able to just float it over all the awaiting heads, with the ball bouncing in at the last second. 3-1 up with aggregate. I raised my arms in celebration, and everyone came to hug me. Even Daan celebrated, although she didn't say anything to me, just high fived few people around her, with all of us then going back to our half to recommence play.

A couple minutes later, I had dropped back to defend, and was able to grab hold of the ball in our penalty area. Dribbling down the pitch, I passed to Daan, who had made her way to the left wing. It was hit a little hard, but Daan was able to play a cross just before it went out, with Cat getting her head on it, scoring a powerful header. I shouted in delight, and ran over to celebrate with the rest of my team. Daan and I still didn't celebrate with each other, but I shouted praises to her when we were heading back to our starting positions. I thought she heard me, as she nodded her head slightly in recognition.

The next minute however, Levante were able to get a goal back, but we knew if we could keep our defensive shape, we would be able to keep the win. Daan was subbed off, and I was instructed to stay back and play as defensively as I could. The game finished with us winning 4-2 on aggregate, and we progressed to the group stage. Relief filled me, as it was definitely a closer game than what we thought would be the case. I had also won player of the match, and Sonia was happy with my performance. With the exception of Daan, my time at Lyon had been going great so far, and I felt like it was the right place for me to be.

In the locker room after the game, Sonia congratulated us, saying, "You all played great. Next time, make sure to not be caught out and allow them to score any more goals than they should've. This one today and the last match were easily preventable. Other than that, good job today. Rest and we'll be back for training to talk about the more technical things."

Damaris and Ellie had invited me out for dinner that night, for some Italian food, which I was excited for. Thankfully, the restaurant was near enough for me to walk, so after doing some recovery at home for a bit, I made my way there. Was I surprised to find Daan there? Yes and no. It seemed as though Damaris and Ellie had invited both Daan and I, as a form of a peacemaking plot. I didn't know whether I appreciated their efforts, and Daan wasn't making her opinions obvious.