Brighton Facilities, 19:45.
Dozens of students from the Seyek Institute and a few more passionate local Brighton fans filled the stands of the main pitch at Brighton's training center, chanting to support the team.
"Good old Sussex by the Sea, Good old Sussex by the Sea, You may tell them all we stand or fall, For Sussex by the Sea!!!" 🎶
It was the second match in Group F of the Champions Youth League, and Brighton was up against Sevilla, both with clear objectives: Brighton needed a win after their defeat against Dortmund, while Sevilla was looking to rge their lead after beating Spartak.
The narrators ward up the online audience with their analysis.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlen! A crucial ga here at Brighton Stadium. The ho side, led by Carlo Jinez at the helm, face a Sevilla side with a formidable squad. Brighton can't afford to drop points today, coming off the back of a defeat against Dortmund."
"And it's a Sevilla team with a very strong possession ga. Expect a match full of movent and intensity!"
The whistle blew in the stadium. Brighton began with possession, with Lucas coming out short to Javier in midfield. Felix imdiately stepped up to receive and laid it back to Lucas on the right.
'Today we're going to work the ball. No rush. That's what Jinez asked us to do.' Lucas thought, remaining calm as he controlled the ball.
Raphael, positioned on the left wing, raised his hand to ask for the pass. Lucas looked at him, but opted for a short touch to Javier, who played it back to Luiz Fernando at the back.
"¿Tienes miedo de jugar de delantero, chico?" shouted Hugo Bueno, Sevilla's full-back, in Spanish when he saw Lucas hesitate.
Lucas smiled in a corner, ignoring the provocation. Brighton needed to get their act together first, before taking any risks.
Brighton imposed their new style of play, working the ball from side to side with horizontal passes, frustrating Sevilla. The fans were impressed with the team's patience, as they often tried to go too far forward and try to make plays.
"They're trying to bait Sevilla into opening up space. It's a ga of patience," comnted the narrator.
Suddenly, Lucas received the ball in the middle and saw a gap in the opposing defense. With a precise touch, he laid the ball off to Miguel on the right wing.
"Yes, Lucas!" Miguel said, already taking two steps back to take hold of the ball near the sideline and run.
Miguel controlled the ball with style, but before he could advance, Antonio Zarzana, who made a tackle from behind, brought him down.
"Hey, are you crazy?" Miguel, out of pain, got up angrily and confronted Zarzana.
"Football is contact, kid," replied Zarzana with a wry smile.
The referee interrupted, giving Zarzana the first yellow card of the match.
Lucas, who found Raphael on the left, quickly took the free-kick. The winger advanced, but was surrounded by two Sevilla defenders. With no options left, it was back to Felix, who restarted the move.
"That's it, team! No rush!" shouted Jinez from the sidelines, instructing the team.
Sevilla pressed higher up the pitch, forcing Daniel and Luiz Fernando to co out and play with more skill, and it was tricky for him.
In a quick switch, Daniel found Aidan on the left wing.
"Run, Aidan! Go!" encouraged Anton from the goal.
Aidan shot down the wing, which had beco a free runner. Seeing the Sevilla team tighten up, Aidan kicked the ball with all his might and crossed low into the box, only for the Sevilla defense to cut him off before Arthur could finish.
"Almost! This move is working!" said Lucas, clapping his hands to motivate his teammates.
And so, after ten minutes, the ga heated.
The ga heated. Sevilla tried to impose a physical ga, and the taunts increased. In a move in midfield, Pablo Pérez brought Javier down.
"Levántate, it was nothing," said Pérez, offering his hand to Javier, but with a provocative smile.
"You only know how to hit?" Javier retorted as he stood up, ignoring the help.
The referee asked for calm, but tempers were clearly flaring.
"They're nervous. Keep spinning the ball," said Lucas to Felix, who scratched his bald head and said:
"If they get too aggressive... Captain, you're going to have to set an example for them."
"I know." Lucas said.
Sevilla regained possession and launched a rapid counter-attack. Zarzana advanced down the right, but was intercepted by Luiz Fernando, who made a clean tackle and imdiately laid off to Felix.
Felix passed to Lucas, who turned quickly and found Raphael. The winger advanced and tried a shot from outside the area, but the ball went wide of the goal.
"Calm down, Raphael. Work harder," said Felix, gesturing to keep control.
"Good try!" shouted Lucas, encouraging Raphael, who shook his head in appreciation.
Brighton clearly had the lion's share of possession, but Sevilla was still dangerous in quick transitions. In a mont of carelessness, Hugo Bueno advanced down the left and crossed into the area. The ball found Iván Roro, who headed towards the goal, but Anton made a spectacular save, drawing applause from the fans.
"ANTON! WHAT A SAVE!" shouted the narrator, as the fans erupted in celebration.
"LET'S WAKE UP, GUYS!" shouted Anton, furious at the lack of marking.
However, Brighton responded imdiately. Lucas picked up the ball in midfield and started an individual move, dribbling past two opponents before being stopped with a foul by Genaro.
"You're getting on my nerves, kid," Genaro teased, as Lucas stood up with a defiant smile.
"Let's see if you can stop until the end," replied Lucas, setting the ball up for the free-kick.
He took it quickly to Felix, who found Miguel free on the right. Miguel crossed into the area, but Arthur couldn't reach it.
25 minutes into the first half, Brighton was putting Sevilla under pressure in their own half. Lucas received the ball in midfield and, with a keen eye, spotted Raphael's movent in the left wing. With a precise pass, Lucas found Raphael, who advanced towards the by-line.
Raphael, with his characteristic speed, outpaced the Sevilla defender and crossed the ball low into the area. Arthur, the center forward, was well positioned, but was disard at the crucial mont. The ball fell to Lucas, who coolly finished with great force, and the ball exploded into the back of the net.
"BRIGHTON GOOOOAAAL! LUCAS OPENS THE PLATE!" shouted the narrator as the fans erupted in celebration.
Lucas ran towards the crowd, raising his arms in thanks. His teammates surrounded him, celebrating the crucial goal.
Sevilla, visibly shaken, tried to react quickly after the restart. Hugo Bueno advanced down the left flank, looking for an imdiate response. However, the Brighton players were alert, and he didn't even see Felix behind him when he went to retreat. Felix made a precise tackle, stealing the ball.
Having regained possession, Brighton continued to work the play with horizontal passes, controlling the tempo and frustrating Sevilla's attempts to press.
However, Sevilla soon had a golden opportunity. Iván Roro received a deep pass and ca face to face with Anton, the Brighton goalkeeper. Roro tried a shot, but Anton made a spectacular save, stretching to his right and preventing the goal.
"WHAT A SAVE, ANTON! AWESO!" exclaid the narrator, as the crowd gave him a standing ovation.
In the 40th minute, Sevilla had another chance. Antonio Zarzana received the ball on the edge of the box and, unmarked, took a strong shot. The ball glanced off Anton's right-hand post, scaring the Brighton fans.
"Almost, almost! Let's keep our concentration!" said Lucas, encouraging the defense.
In the last minutes of the first half, Brighton kept possession, controlling the ga and preventing Sevilla from creating more chances. The referee blew the whistle for the end of the first half, and the players headed to the changing rooms with Brighton leading 1-0.
"A solid first half from Brighton. They're showing patience and control, frustrating Sevilla with horizontal passing and keeping possession." Comnted the narrator.
"Sevilla tried to press, but Brighton remained calm and tactically disciplined. It will be interesting to see how Sevilla reacts in the second half," replied the comntator.
In the dressing room, the new coach, Jinez, seed pleased with the performance so far and rallied the team.
"Great work, guys. We're in control, but we can't relax. Keep possession and take your chances. Lucas, it was great to have you there in the box to score. But I need you to focus a bit more on the team. I saw you go up several tis to try to finish."
"Sir, one of my strengths is scoring goals. I played a lot of gas as a striker in Japan before coming here, so wanting to score is as much in my DNA as it is in Arthur's DNA, for example." Lucas replied.
"I know, but the team does better when you're at the back. Your vision gives us an advantage in stopping counter-attacks and other moves."
"But sir..."
"That's all, Tanaka." Jinez said with a serious countenance and then turned to pull out a whiteboard and explain the tactics for the second half.
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