In the cramped away locker room, the air was thick with a mix of sweat and hope. Coach Mark's voice was steady and passionate as he addressed the team. "We're right back in this, boys. At 0-2, you could've folded, but you didn't. Now it's 2-1, and Ajax is under pressure. Keep playing our football. They're starting to make mistakes; press them, and we'll get our chances." He drew a few quick tactical adjustments on the whiteboard: the fullbacks overlapping more, quicker switches of play to stretch Ajax's shape. Then he looked to Amani. "Amani, how are you feeling?"
Amani sat on the bench, catching his breath, his jersey drenched. He lifted his head, meeting the coach's eyes. "Feeling good, Coach. We can outrun them. Let's push the pace." In truth, Amani felt a fiery energy coursing through him, buoyed by the mission and the goal he'd scored.
He glanced around at his teammates' faces: sweaty, red, and determined. "They think they can mark me out, but they can't mark all of us. Use me. If they send two men, someone else will be free." The players nodded. Tijmen punched his palms eagerly. Malik bounced on his toes.
Before heading back out, Amani stood and addressed the group one more time, voice calm but filled with emotion: "Forty-five minutes. Give everything. No regrets. We didn't come here to be second best. We're going to fight for every ball, every blade of grass, together. Let's show them our heart." A collective "Come on!" echoed as the team broke out of the huddle, adrenaline pumping.
As the team huddled and rose to return to the pitch, Amani took a brief moment to himself. In his peripheral vision, a faint translucent overlay flickered – the System interface only he could see. Four objectives glowed softly, reminding him of his mission for this match.
***
Score or assist 3+ goals (Progress: 1)
Win 8+ ground duels (Progress: 3)
Maintain 85%+ pass accuracy (Current: 82%)
2+ defensive clearances/blocks (Progress: 1)
***
He inhaled slowly. One goal down, two more goal contributions to go. Five more duels to win. A few percentage points to raise his passing accuracy. And at least one more crucial defensive play. Amani blinked, and the overlay faded, leaving only the roar of the crowd outside. We can do this, he thought to himself, clenching his fist. Objective or no objective, he would give everything.
Back out on the pitch at Sportpark De Toekomst, the chilly April air greeted him. The modest crowd of about 2,500 was lively, buzzing with anticipation for the second half. Families, local fans, and scouts mingled in the stands.
A pocket of Utrecht supporters unfurled a banner, cheering loudly to lift their boys' spirits. Across the way, clusters of Ajax fans chatted confidently, expecting their academy to see out the win. Amani trotted to his midfield spot, pulling his black and orange Utrecht jersey (number 37) down at the waist and bouncing on his toes.
The stadium lights flickered on, illuminating the grass in a bright green glow. He glanced at the scoreboard 2-1 and then to the far side where Ruud Gullit, the Dutch legend, sat in the VIP section with arms crossed. The sight sent a jolt of inspiration through Amani; he knew a figure like Gullit watching was a rare opportunity to make a statement.
The referee's whistle shrilled to start the second half. Amani immediately pressed forward with purpose. Within minutes, Utrecht's intent was clear: they would not sit back. Amani dropped deep to collect a pass from his center-back, then quickly turned between two Ajax midfielders.
One opponent lunged in, but Amani was quicker – he shielded the ball with his body, winning a ground duel as he neatly spun away and burst upfield.
***
Duel won (4/8)
***
Flashed briefly at the corner of his vision. He barely noticed it; he was already scanning for an opening.
In the 50th minute, an opportunity came. Amani picked up a loose ball from the right back after yet another tackle – he had stripped an Ajax player cleanly, eliciting cheers from a few neutral spectators who admired his tenacity. He charged forward and saw Malik making a run off the last defender's shoulder.
Malik, his closest friend and left winger, had been relatively quiet in the first half, but Amani knew he just needed the right service. With a deft touch, Amani slid a perfectly weighted through-ball between Ajax's center-backs. The ball skidded across the six-yard box, eluding a defender. Tijmen was first to react at the far post; he stretched a leg and hooked the ball back across the face of the goal.
It wasn't a shot, more of a desperate stab to keep it alive, but it turned into the perfect assist. The ball looped toward the center of the box where Malik had spun off his man. In a flash, Malik met it with a thunderous header, powering it past the flailing keeper into the net.
Goal! Malik Scores, FC Utrecht had equalized 2–2 barely five minutes into the half.
The Utrecht fans erupted in celebration, a wave of red-and-white scarves twirling. On the field, Malik let out a joyous shout and pointed back at Amani, acknowledging the build-up. Amani sprinted over and wrapped him in a brief hug, grinning ear to ear.
No wild antics – just pure elation and a fierce sense of we're back in this. All around them, teammates high-fived and clapped. Even the Ajax supporters gave a respectful round of applause at the quality of the play; a few disappointed groans were drowned out by general appreciation for the well-worked goal.
Up in the commentary box, the play-by-play announcer's excitement crackled through the speakers: "What a response from Utrecht! Malik with the finish – and look at that pass from Amani! The young number 37 carved open the Ajax defense there."
His co-commentator, a former player, added in admiration, "You have to love the vision from Amani. He's been pulling the strings all game; Ajax can't afford to give him that space."
Amani jogged back to position, chest heaving, as the scoreboard now showed 2–2. In his mind, a quiet ping from the System signaled progress:
***
Goal Contributions: 2/3.
***
He allowed himself a determined smile. The mission was closer but far from done. As Ajax kicked off again, the match's intensity racheted up another notch.
Ajax, stung by the equalizer, pushed forward aggressively. Their captain, a sharp-eyed forward, started finding pockets of space. Utrecht's defense had to weather a flurry of attacks. Amani dropped back frequently to help, remembering Coach's words: no passengers, everyone defends.
At one point, Ajax earned a corner. The ball swung in dangerously from the left; an Ajax attacker rose highest and powered a header toward the top corner. Heart in throat, Amani reacted instinctively on the near post – he leaped and managed to glance the ball away with the top of his head, clearing it off the line! The ball ricocheted out of the penalty area to safety.
A collective gasp, then relief, swept through the crowd. One of the Ajax fans behind that goal exhaled in astonishment, turning to his friend: "That kid just saved a goal!" he said, reluctantly impressed. Amani's vision briefly highlighted ***Defensive Clearance (2/2 ✓) ***, but he was already back in position, blood pounding with adrenaline.
Minutes later, Ajax came again. Their winger streaked down the right flank and cut inside. Amani saw the danger as an Ajax midfielder laid off a pass at the top of the box to a teammate lined up for a shot. Sprinting with everything he had, Amani threw himself in front of the 18-yard line just as the Ajax player unleashed a drive.
The ball smashed against Amani's thigh and deflected wide – a crucial block that drew appreciative shouts from the Utrecht bench and applause from spectators of both sides. Pain stung in his leg, but he grit his teeth and popped back up. *** Block – Objective Complete *** pulsed faintly. He had met his defensive task with that second heroic intervention, but more importantly, he'd kept the score level.
"Amani is everywhere right now – defense, attack, you name it," noted Abigail, Utrecht's youth team journalist, into her recorder. From her spot in the small press area, she watched the Kenyan-born midfielder cover every blade of grass. "You can't teach that kind of commitment at this age," she murmured as she jotted down the moment in her notebook. She could hardly keep up with the notes – tackle, interception, block – the kid was on a mission.
Despite the resistance, in the 69th minute, Ajax struck again with a gut punch. It started with a moment of brilliance from Anwar El Ghazi. Ajax cleared a Utrecht attack and caught Utrecht with numbers pushed forward. El Ghazi received the ball on the right wing near midfield and immediately drove at the retreating Utrecht defense.
Van der Heyden tried to chase him down, but El Ghazi was quick and strong, shrugging off the challenge. He cut inside, about 25 yards out, and unleashed a curling left-foot shot toward the far post. Amani, sprinting back, could only watch as the ball arced beyond his goalkeeper's reach. It smacked the inside of the post and bounced in. In a flash, Ajax had reclaimed the lead: 2:3.
The Ajax supporters jumped and screamed in jubilation, relief etched on their faces. El Ghazi celebrated with a knee slide near the corner, arms outstretched as his teammates swarmed him. On the Utrecht side, hearts sank momentarily. Van der Heyden kicked the ground in frustration for failing to slow the winger.
The scoreboard now showed twenty minutes left and Utrecht trailing once more. Amani bent over, hands on his knees, catching his breath and wrestling with disappointment. They had worked so hard to draw level, and now another uphill battle. For a fleeting second, doubt flickered. How many times could they claw back?
But as he looked up, Amani saw the faces of his teammates. Malik, wiping sweat and staring defiantly at the ball in the center circle. Tijmen already motioning for everyone to gather and restart quickly. They were exhausted, yes, but not defeated.
And neither was he. Amani straightened up and rolled his shoulders. He jogged to each player nearby, urging them on: "We'll get it back! Come on, we've done it once, we can do it again!" He gave Van der Heyden a pat on the back. "Keep your head up, I need your crosses," he encouraged, and the winger nodded. Even as Ajax's celebration died down, the Utrecht fans found their voice again, chanting, "UTRECHT! UTRECHT!" a steady, rhythmic clap accompanying the chant. They believed, so the team would too.
High in the stands, Ruud Gullit leaned forward, stroking his chin. The youngster wearing 37 had caught his eye long before this final, and now Gullit watched intently to see how Amani would respond to this setback. Down on the touchline, even the Ajax coaching staff were gesturing for their players to stay focused – they knew Utrecht's midfield maestro was far from done.
The next few minutes tested Utrecht's resolve. Ajax, with the lead once more, tried to slow the tempo, confidently knocking the ball around midfield. But Amani refused to let them dictate play. He closed down space tirelessly, orchestrating Utrecht's pressing. Twice he nicked the ball off an Ajax midfielder's feet, winning crucial ground duels that prevented dangerous attacks.
The tally in his mind ticked up: 6… 7 duels won. Each successful challenge fueled his determination further. The crowd began to buzz whenever Amani went into a challenge, sensing he often emerged with possession. Even some neutral spectators were now firmly rooting for the underdogs in red and white, enthralled by the fight in Amani's team.
Utrecht pushed forward in search of another equalizer. Malik and Van der Heyden stretched Ajax's defense wide, opening gaps. In the 72nd minute, Utrecht won a corner after another desperate clearance by Ajax. Amani jogged into the box, jostling for position among the tall Ajax defenders. The Utrecht fans were on their feet, a wall of noise trying to will the ball into the net.
Van der Heyden placed the ball for the corner and raised his hand to signal the play. He whipped in a fast, curling delivery toward the near post. The cross was a bit low, and an Ajax defender met it, but his header only flicked the ball toward the far side of the box, not clear of danger. It fell to Amani, who had anticipated the trajectory and peeled away to the back post.
Chesting the ball down, Amani found himself with his back to goal about eight yards out, a defender tight on him. In a split second, he knew what to do improvisation and trust in his teammate. He cushioned the ball off his chest perfectly into the air behind him and to his right.
"Tijmen!" he shouted, knowing the forward was lurking there. Without hesitation, Tijmen reacted, launching himself into the air. He executed a spectacular bicycle kick, connecting sweetly with the falling ball. Time seemed to pause as Tijmen's acrobatic volley flew through the air. The Ajax keeper dived, arms outstretched, but the shot was placed just beyond his reach, bulging the left side of the net. GOOOAL!!! Tijmen scores with a bicycle kick – 3:3!
Amani watched, jaw dropping, as the ball soared into the top right corner of the net. The goal was unbelievable – pure instinct and technique. For a split second, there was silence born of shock. Then, an eruption of noise. Utrecht fans screamed in delight, jumping from their seats. Even many Ajax supporters stood up, hands on heads, some applauding despite themselves. They all knew they had witnessed something special.
"Oh… my… word! Tijmen van de Ven with an astonishing bicycle kick!" the commentator shouted, his voice cracking. "That has to be one of the goals of the tournament! Utrecht are level, 3-3!" Next to him, the co-commentator let out a low whistle. "Take a bow, son. What a moment for the young man – and credit Amani for the vision to pick him out with that pass under pressure." Cameras caught the Ajax bench; a few coaches were shaking their heads in disbelief.
On the field, Tijmen rolled up to his knees after the spectacular strike, eyes wide in exhilaration. He was instantly mobbed by teammates. Amani was the first to reach him, grabbing Tijmen by the shoulders and laughing in pure joy. Players slapped Tijmen's back and tousled his hair as he grinned, slightly amazed at himself.
They kept the celebration respectful – a cluster of grinning teenagers hopping in excitement – but quickly, Amani pulled them back into focus. He knew they had to channel this momentum. He exchanged a knowing look with Malik and Tijmen: the job wasn't finished yet.
As the players headed back for kickoff, the stadium was still crackling with energy. The scoreboard read 3–3 now, with about fifteen minutes left in regulation. In the press section, Abigail hastily scribbled notes, already imagining the headline: "Bicycle Kick Brilliance at De Toekomst!" She underlined Amani's name twice in her notepad; the youngster had been involved in almost every Utrecht goal. In the stands, one Ajax supporter turned to another and admitted, "You can't even be mad at that – what a goal!" There was a certain admiration in his voice.
Up in the VIP box, Ruud Gullit found himself on his feet like everyone else. He clapped politely, a smile playing on his lips. The spirit of fight in Utrecht – especially in that number 37 – reminded him of his own youth. Gullit could see it: the drive, the all-around influence, the knack for rising to the occasion. This kid has something, he thought quietly.
As they untangled and trotted back to position, Amani quickly swiped a hand in front of his face, pulling up the System interface faintly in his vision. The mission tracker glowed:
***
3 goal contributions were achieved.
***
He allowed himself the briefest grin and then closed the interface. Not done yet. The scoreboard showed there was a lot of time left. The match was tied; would it go to extra time? Amani didn't want to think that far ahead. He wanted to finish this now.
And as the cheers continued to echo, the referee blew a whistle and motioned for the game to resume.
***
Any Kind Of Engagement is appreciated.