Metz moved forward immediately.
Yellow dropped behind the ball and crowded the middle of the pitch. The first cross came from the left, but the nearest centre-back stayed between Rafael and the delivery and headed it away.
Metz recovered outside the area and transferred possession toward Yanis. He attempted to enter from the right, but the full-back forced him toward the touchline and blocked his cross.
During the next attack, Rafael positioned himself between the centre-backs and asked for the ball. A midfielder attempted to find him through the narrow space, but one defender stepped forward and intercepted.
Yellow countered.
Their winger carried possession over halfway before Metz’s right-back recovered and forced him away from the penalty area. The move ended with a poor shot from distance, but it warned Metz against sending everyone forward.
Rafael returned to the middle during the next attack.
Both centre-backs narrowed around him again.
Remaining between them gave Metz nowhere to pass.
Rafael moved toward the right channel and combined with Yanis instead. The nearest centre-back followed far enough to prevent him from turning, allowing Rafael to set the ball backward and continue toward the edge of the area.
Metz shifted possession inside. A midfielder attempted to shoot through the space Rafael had left, but the ball struck a defender and rolled wide.
The coach announced ten minutes remaining.
Metz increased the speed of their passing. A cross from the left travelled behind the goal, and Yanis had a shot blocked after cutting inside.
The mission remained active.
Rafael could have begun forcing attempts whenever the ball reached him. Instead, he continued moving across the defensive line and returning possession whenever the defenders prevented him from turning.
With less than three minutes remaining, Metz worked the ball from left to right through midfield.
Yanis received near the corner of the penalty area and passed into Rafael’s feet before continuing his run inside.
Rafael controlled with his right foot and turned partially toward goal. The full-back, who had been tracking Yanis, checked his run when Rafael opened his body. The nearest centre-back stepped across from Rafael’s left.
The goalkeeper shifted toward his near post and lowered himself in preparation for the shot.
Rafael drew back his right leg.
The centre-back moved to block.
Instead of shooting, Rafael dragged the ball backward with the inside of his foot and rolled it into Yanis’s underlapping run.
Yanis entered the gap between the two defenders and met the ball first time.
His shot travelled low across the goalkeeper and entered the far corner.
Yanis turned toward Rafael with both arms spread.
"You were going to shoot."
"I wanted him to think that."
"Of course you did."
The other starters reached them before he could say anything else. Their celebration lasted only several seconds, but the relief inside it carried more weight than an equaliser in training should have earned.
Blue light appeared beside Rafael’s vision.
[TRAINING MISSION COMPLETE]
[Goal Contributions: 1]
[Reward Applied: Composure +0.2]
The notification faded.
Both sides returned to halfway. Metz searched for a winner during the remaining minutes, but Yellow protected the middle and cleared the final delivery into the box.
The coach ended the simulation at 1–1.
Several starters clapped as though they had avoided defeat in a competitive match. One midfielder struck Yanis lightly on the back of the head while another told him he had nearly sent the shot wide.
The laughter stopped when the coach called them together.
"Sunday will become emotional if the score is against us," he said. "That is when your decisions matter most. Don’t turn every possession into the final attack."
He dismissed them toward the recovery area.
Friday passed through lessons, revision and a shorter academy session. Rafael completed the schoolwork due the following week before leaving home, then spent the afternoon rehearsing Metz’s pressing shape and attacking movements without the physical demands of Thursday’s training.
Saturday’s walkthrough was lighter still. The starting side practised building against an aggressive press before the squad moved through set pieces. Rafael attacked deliveries from both sides, sometimes acting as the first runner to pull a defender away rather than the intended target.
The session ended before his legs became heavy.
That evening, Rafael laid his boots, shin guards and academy tracksuit across his bed. His mother stopped in the doorway while he examined the studs beneath one boot.
"What time should I arrive tomorrow?" she asked.
"Half an hour before kick-off should be enough. Earlier if you want somewhere near the barrier."
"Will your classmates be there?"
"They said they would."
"Do they know where they’re going?"
"I sent them the location."
His mother nodded toward the boot in his hands. "Is that clean?"
"Mostly."
"That means no."
"It will touch grass again tomorrow."
"And that prevents you from cleaning it?"
Rafael looked at the dried soil lodged around one of the studs.
"I’ll do it now."
His mother smiled before leaving him to finish packing.
Rafael cleaned both boots and placed them inside the lower compartment of his bag. He added his shin guards, spare socks and the academy clothing he would wear after the match.
Once the zip was closed, he opened it again and checked every compartment.
Nothing was missing.
He closed the bag a second time and left it beside the door.
Sunday afternoon brought more spectators to the Plaine Saint-Symphorien than Rafael had seen there all season.
Parents occupied their usual places near the barrier, but academy players, staff and groups of students filled much of the remaining space. Conversations carried across the fencing while footballs struck the temporary goal used during the warm-up.
Rafael followed his teammates outside and found his mother near the middle of the barrier. She raised one hand when she saw him.
Several metres away, three of his classmates stood together. One wore a burgundy scarf despite the mild afternoon and shouted Rafael’s name loudly enough to attract looks from the people around him.
Rafael shook his head but lifted a hand in acknowledgement.
"You invited them?" Yanis asked.
"They invited themselves."
"The one shouting has too much energy."
"He has an examination next week and thinks this counts as revision."
Yanis looked toward the scarf. "He might fail."
"That was already likely."
Across the pitch, the opposition moved through their warm-up with an intensity that made their situation clear. Their passes travelled firmly, every pressing run continued beyond the first movement and missed finishes were followed by shouted corrections from teammates.
Only victory could keep their season alive.
Metz completed their warm-up and returned to the changing room. The noise outside became muffled once the door closed, replaced by the scrape of studs against the tiled floor and the sound of players making their final preparations.
Rafael sat in front of his place and tightened the laces of his right boot. He pulled once, crossed them and secured the knot before repeating the process on the left.
Around him, the conversations gradually stopped.
The coach stood near the tactics board.
"Starters, in."
Rafael tested both boots against the floor and rose with the others.
The coach waited until they had gathered, then opened the door leading toward the pitch.
Noise rolled into the changing room.
Rafael followed the starters outside.
Across the halfway line, the team one point behind them was already waiting.