My Football Legends Chat Group-Chapter 88: Let the rival shine

’Looks like we’re not the only team that wants to hide their trump cards before the second half,’ Rio mused, watching Mikel Arteta whisper something to his assistant.

Without their captain Odegaard and star boy Saka in the starting XI, Leeds’ 1-0 lead felt secure to the fans. While this would be good for morale, Rio had no interest in watching a comfortable 1-0. He knew Arsenal wouldn’t roll over.

He stood up slowly from the padded bench seat and began to stretch his hamstrings, limbering up.

"Willy, let’s go. It’s time for our activation."

A whimper came from beside him. It was so high-pitched and full of despair that he wasn’t even sure if this was a sound a professional footballer was capable of making.

After a few moments without a proper answer, Rio had no choice but to grab the small Italian winger by the bib and haul him off the comfortable heated seat.

’N-No please NO! It’s only the 25th minute!’

Gnonto screamed inwardly; however, no words came out of his mouth as he stared at Farke, hoping for salvation. But the boss was too busy screaming at Junior Firpo to notice.

By the time Fabio Vieira curled a free-kick just wide, Rio and Gnonto had already disappeared to the warm-up area beside the corner flag and began their intensity drills.

In the first twenty minutes, the Arsenal goalkeeper Ramsdale had looked shaky, conceding that Piroe thunderbolt. The Leeds away end was bouncing, singing "Marching On Together" loud enough to drown out the home fans.

"Nice shape, lads!"

Cooper shouted from the bench, encouraging the backline.

"Just hold it until halftime, right? That’s all we have to do?"

Archie Gray, sitting with his leg propped up, smiled and nodded. "We’ve got this, Coops."

However, on the pitch, the tide was turning. Arsenal began to wake up. Their passing became sharper, crisper.

Gabriel Martinelli isolated Luke Ayling on the wing. He dropped a shoulder, accelerated, and left the veteran for dead.

WHOOSH

The cross was like a laser. Nketiah met it at the near post.

GOAL.

1-1.

The Arsenal fans erupted. The "North London Forever" chant began to rumble.

Leeds tried to reset, but Arsenal smelled blood. Five minutes later, Trossard picked up the ball in the pocket. He danced past Ampadu, ignored Rodon, and slotted it into the bottom corner.

GOAL.

2-1.

The score had flipped in the blink of an eye. The Premier League quality was showing. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Leeds was in low spirits as they kicked off again. However, they were surprised to see that movement was happening on the Arsenal bench earlier than expected. An injury? No. A tactical statement.

"Number 14 coming off... Nketiah. Number 42 coming on... Mateo Joseph."

"Strike them down, Mateo!"

"Show them why Madrid wants you!"

If Rio was watching the substitution board, he would recognize this person as his childhood best friend and fiercest rival. While he was still young, one could tell by his demeanor that he was a force to be reckoned with.

Archie Gray instinctively knew that the new player entering the pitch was strong, merely by his presence. His eyes narrowed as Mateo Joseph sprinted onto the turf, not even looking at the crowd.

THUD

SMACK

The first touch from Mateo was electric. He controlled a high ball with his chest, held off Joe Rodon, and laid it off to Martinelli in one fluid motion.

’What the hell was that?’

It was as if the ball was glued to his boot, moving through the grass on its own whim, leaving the defenders guessing.

Archie shook his head, clearing out the worry.

’Rodon will pocket him next time.’

"Foul!"

"Play on!"

Mateo was forced to the ground two minutes later, but he bounced up instantly, grinning at Rodon.

"His hold-up play is tricky, Coops. Be careful," Archie told the club captain next to him.

Meanwhile, in the warm-up area next to the corner flag, Rio was currently doing high knees and watching over Gnonto whose expression made it look as if he was being tortured by a drill sergeant.

"No slacking off, Willy. Knees higher!" Rio barked out between sprints, narrowing his eyes at his friend.

"D-Die... I’m gonna die..."

Gnonto’s voice was meek, reminiscent of someone on their last legs.

’He’s so dramatic...’ Rio thought to himself, a smile creeping onto the corner of his lips.

However, to Gnonto, this made Rio look like even more of a demon, armed with a limitless stamina bar.

"Eeeek!"

In truth, today was a rest day for Gnonto, but Rio knew that if they went down, Farke would throw the kitchen sink at Arsenal. As long as the boy could persist, he would be ready to impact the game.

Rio could only get through half of his activation routine before he needed to assist Gnonto with completing the dynamic stretches. Like a personal trainer, he guided his friend through the rest of the movements, providing as much physical support as necessary.

Quite a while later, he was interrupted by a familiar voice behind him.

"Rio, why aren’t you watching the match?"

It was Archie Gray, who had hobbled over on his crutches to the edge of the technical area, his eyes moving to the collapsed Gnonto who was covered in sweat and panting heavily on the astroturf.

"There’s no need, I already know he’s playing well," Rio said simply, doing a lunge.

Archie rolled his eyes in response. "Maybe you should check out the score then?"

"Hmm?" Rio seemed a little surprised at Archie’s tone, yet he still went to the advertising board and peeked in.

It was currently the 40th minute and the score was 2-1 to Arsenal.

"Huh? They scored two?" He asked.

"Nketiah and Trossard. But then Arteta put Mateo on, and we’ve barely touched the ball since," Archie explained grimly.

"Did the Boss tell you to come get me?"

Archie shook his head in response. "No, I just thought you might want to see him. He’s... different."

Rio was thoughtful for a while, wiping sweat from his neck. He eventually nodded. "Thanks, Arch. But I’ll watch from here."

With that, Rio took up position at the edge of the warm-up zone and once again began his shadow-boxing movements, visualizing the game. He still wanted to get his heart rate up to match tempo before halftime.

[Chat Room Active]

The_King: Your friend has fire in his belly. Look at how he hunts the defenders. He is not playing a friendly.

Total_Football_14: He drops deep to create space, then spins. Rodon is too heavy-footed for him. You see the gap he leaves?

Zizou_5: The stage is yours, Rio. But first, let the rival shine. It makes the victory sweeter.

"Is that who I think it is?" Rio’s eyes narrowed, seeing the striker make a run across the near post.

The teen had a sharp jawline and the Arsenal cannon on his chest, giving him a slight elite aura. His movement was sharp, matching his confident hairstyle and overall aesthetic.

"Mateo Joseph... I don’t remember him being this aggressive in the academy," Rio mumbled, his intrigue slowly rising.

The ball flew forward from Odegaard (who had also subbed on? No, Martinelli). Martinelli crossed it.

WHOOSH

BANG

He hit it on the volley. The ball rocketed past Meslier before he could even blink.

GOAL.

3-1.

The Emirates exploded. Mateo ran to the corner, sliding on his knees, kissing the badge. He pointed to the Leeds bench. specifically at the warm-up area.

Rio’s eyes widened in response.

He wasn’t pointing at the bench. He was pointing at him.

"Now it’s become interesting," Rio said with a smile, his blood boiling.