My Football Legends Chat Group-Chapter 87: The sleeping giant

Around an hour later, both teams had finished their warm-ups and lined up to shake hands before the beginning of the match. Arsenal won the coin toss and elected to kick off, forcing Leeds United to defend the North Bank end.

There had been no late changes to the lineup announced by Farke, so Rio was relegated to the padded luxury seats for this game.

Rio glanced at Dan James who had taken his position on the right wing with a serious expression framing his features.

’Don’t get too comfortable out there, speedster,’ he mused, in good spirits.

"PEEEP!"

The referee announced the start of the game, to which a round of cheering began from the 60,000-strong Emirates crowd.

Arsenal was a titan of English football, a club that had recently re-established itself as a title contender under Mikel Arteta. Until recently, they had struggled in the post-Wenger era, yet somehow their fate had changed seemingly overnight.

The Premier League was difficult to survive in. The top spots were generally vied over by the Manchester clubs and Liverpool.

Yet with a few key additions to the squad, Arsenal had taken the league by storm. Rio’s eyes moved to a player in the opposition dugout who had short dark hair and an intense focus.

Mateo Joseph, who was also of Spanish-English lineage, was the "Secret Weapon" who had been ripping up the U21 league and making cameo appearances for the first team.

There was word that he had already been promised a new contract to ward off interest from Real Madrid.

THUD.

"Nice save."

"Whoa, that keeper is massive."

"His reflexes must be elite."

A few substitutes in the Arsenal dugout commented on Illan Meslier’s save, assessing his reach and effectiveness after a shot from Eddie Nketiah.

Mateo on the other hand had no reaction. He seemed disinterested, as if the shots weren’t worthy of his attention.

"I reckon Mateo could easily bury that if he was playing."

A young academy player commented, seemingly sucking up to the rising star.

"Bah, a save like that is just standard." Another chimed in.

"Come on man, you know Mateo never starts in the early rounds. Not unless Arteta needs a goal."

The man in question sat quietly, chewing his gum, watching the game disinterestedly. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Meslier seemed to be in top form as he swiftly gathered both the first and second crosses. He was currently staring down Gabriel Martinelli who was isolating the full-back, yet there was not a hint of panic on his face.

A blitzing reflex save at the near post was executed perfectly, giving the Arsenal forwards no choice but to settle for a corner and end the attack.

Manager Farke stroked his chin, his usual poker face painted on.

’Illan really has come a long way in such a short time,’ he commented inwardly.

Rio too noticed the changes, making him feel a little odd. In his previous life simulations, while Meslier did go through lengths to improve his distribution, his confidence was never this rock solid.

’Is it because the defense is so much more organized that it’s affected him?’

[Chat Room Active]

The_King: The goalkeeper is awake today. Good. A strong spine allows the rest of the body to dance.

Total_Football_14: Arsenal are pressing high, but they leave gaps behind the full-backs. Look at Zinchenko. He thinks he is a midfielder. Punish him.

Since he would never be able to find the correct answer, Rio quickly put it to the back of his mind. It was now Leeds’ turn to attack.

Crysencio Summerville made his way down the left flank, shifting his body around and getting ready to dribble.

"Whoa! That guy is so quick!"

"Is he a winger or a sprinter?"

Hearing the words of the opposing fans gasping at him, a sleek smile filled Summerville’s features as he squared up to Ben White.

"I’m fired up!"

WHOOSH.

The very first move was a step-over to the outside, which quickly sent Ben White scrambling to recover his balance. By the time the defender turned, Summerville had already burst towards the byline, securing a dangerous crossing position.

"Nice work Crys!"

"Let’s go! Rinse him!"

The more vocal players on the Leeds bench called out words of praise, inflating Summerville’s confidence even more.

"Whoa! This guy is also techy, is he Brazilian?"

It was now Georginio Rutter’s turn to receive the ball inside the box. However, unlike Summerville, he was playful, not necessarily enjoying the direct route.

Despite this, he was just as talented as his winger.

FLICK

"A-A backheel!?"

Not expecting a backheel pass on the first touch, the Arsenal center-back Gabriel scrambled towards the ball which had been perfectly delivered into the path of the onrushing striker.

Since there was a delay before the defender arrived at the ball, Rutter’s fast thinking had already secured the team a golden chance.

Now Leeds were already in a great scoring position with the keeper exposed and runners flooding the box.

"Let’s go Joel!"

"Bury it, Piroe!"

Joel Piroe stepped up to the penalty spot with a determined expression. His clinical finishing record made the Arsenal backup goalkeeper, Ramsdale, feel intimidated even from a distance.

Ramsdale looked at his defense, almost as if he didn’t want to be left alone.

However, Arteta merely shouted from the sidelines, giving no clear directions on who to mark.

"Why am I even exposed like this..."

Ramsdale let out a sigh, mumbling complaints to himself. His usual position was the number one, but he had lost his spot to Raya recently. At first, there was only excitement when he discovered his name as the starting keeper for the cup.

Yet now he knew that he was in over his head against this counter-attack.

Having only faced two shots, he was already in a tight position.

’Looks like I have no choice...’

After finally accepting his situation, he rushed out and spread his body, hoping to smother the shot and at least make a save.

Unfortunately for him...

BOOM!

Piroe sent the ball flying with such power that it sailed past Ramsdale’s ear, notching an easy goal for the visiting side.

"Woohoo! Nice hit Joel!"

"GET IN THERE!"

The Leeds bench came alive, hollering and cheering for the spectacular hit which sent them into the lead despite it only being the 15th minute.

Rio nodded, not expecting anything less from the "Dutch Assassin." This was especially the case since he knew that the Arsenal defense was rotated and lacked chemistry.

"Fuck yes!" Archie Gray screamed, jumping up on his crutches next to Rio. "Did you see that flick by Georgie?"

"I saw it," Rio grinned, looking over at the Arsenal dugout.

He saw Mateo Joseph stand up. The disinterested look was gone. Mateo was staring at the pitch, his eyes burning.

’Oh?’ Rio thought. ’The sleeping giant is awake.’