Chapter 68 - 66 - The Red Number II

Chapter 68: Chapter 66 - The Red Number II

Rafael entered the area with the defender recovering over his left shoulder and the goalkeeper already setting himself.

His first touch moved slightly right.

He struck across goal.

The shot was bending inside the far post when the goalkeeper pushed hard from his right foot and reached it with one hand.

The ball skipped behind.

Rafael slowed near the byline, looked once toward the goalkeeper and jogged into the box for the corner.

Perrin’s delivery was headed away at the near post.

Red Star reached the clearance first and kept the attack alive rather than sending the ball straight back into traffic. Possession moved across the edge of the area until Metz’s defensive block had shifted toward one side.

The next pass went the other way.

A Red Star player received with enough room to drive a low ball back through the centre, where a midfielder arrived between two defenders and met it first time.

The finish went beyond the goalkeeper.

Bauer came alive around them.

Rafael turned toward halfway while the scorer disappeared near the stand.

RED STAR 1–1 FC METZ

The home side carried the better spell into halftime, forcing another shot from distance and keeping Metz inside their half until the whistle finally gave them a way out.

Inside the dressing room, the coach waited for the drinks to go around before speaking.

"Closer after the first pass. We’re leaving people isolated."

He looked toward midfield.

"If it’s not there, keep it and make them come again."

The clock on the wall caught his attention.

"Let’s go."

Metz reached Rafael sooner after the restart.

A difficult pass arrived with the centre-back already pressing into him, but instead of trying to turn through the contact, Rafael planted himself and released the ball toward Caron.

Then he moved away.

The defender went with him.

Caron suddenly had several metres ahead and used them, carrying forward before finding Perrin on the right.

Perrin attacked the full-back and struck through the attempted block.

The goalkeeper got both hands up and pushed the shot over.

Rafael was already jogging toward the penalty area when Perrin went to take the corner.

The delivery was cleared.

Red Star continued winning enough loose balls to stop Metz controlling the match for long.

One cross was headed away and returned from the other side, while a clearance dropped to a home midfielder outside the box and ended with a deflected shot going wide.

Metz answered through Perrin, who escaped down the right and fired a low cross through the six-yard area.

Rafael attacked between the centre-backs.

He stretched with his right foot.

The ball passed inches beyond it.

The goalkeeper collected near the far post and released quickly.

The game moved back the other way.

Not long after, Metz worked out from their defensive third and appeared to have beaten Red Star’s pressure again.

The second receiver took the ball near the touchline.

A home midfielder was already closing.

He tried to bring it across his body, but the touch ran farther than he wanted.

Red Star took it.

One pass travelled forward before Metz could surround the ball, and the next forced a centre-back to leave his line.

The final pass reached an attacker inside the right side of the area.

He struck across goal.

The ball found the far corner.

Rafael stopped near halfway as Bauer exploded.

RED STAR 2–1 FC METZ

Caron walked toward the centre circle rubbing both hands over his face.

Rafael joined him.

Metz restarted and pushed higher.

Several minutes later, a midfielder received under pressure and Rafael saw a lane appear behind the nearest centre-back.

He started.

The midfielder looked up.

The pass went sideways.

Rafael checked himself and returned to the line while the ball travelled away.

The next time possession reached him, he set it toward Caron and turned immediately for the return.

A home midfielder stepped into the lane before Caron could play it.

Rafael pressed him, forcing the ball backwards, but Red Star worked out through the opposite side.

The clock kept moving.

During the next stoppage, Rafael saw Renaud beside the technical area going through short accelerations with the assistant.

He looked once, then turned back to the pitch.

Metz restarted.

Caron received near midfield, and Rafael made another run across the centre-back. The pass went wide toward Perrin, whose cross was blocked behind.

The ball rolled out.

The fourth official stepped forward.

Rafael looked toward the board.

His number was red.

For a second, he stayed where he was.

The assistant referee looked toward him.

Rafael started walking.

Another Metz attack had already begun, and when Caron received again, Rafael’s head turned toward the ball even as he continued toward the touchline.

The pass went wide.

He kept moving.

Renaud waited beside the fourth official with his top already off.

Rafael reached him and met his hand.

"Go."

Renaud ran on.

The assistant held out a jacket.

Rafael took it, pushed one arm through and missed the second sleeve. He caught it on the next try, pulled the jacket into place and sat down.

The next Metz pass went directly toward Renaud.

A centre-back drove into his back, but Renaud absorbed the contact and kept the ball long enough for Caron to move closer.

The layoff came.

Perrin went forward.

Metz established possession around the Red Star area.

Rafael leaned forward with his forearms across his thighs.

The first cross was cleared.

A few minutes later, Perrin found another opening and delivered earlier.

Renaud attacked across the centre-back’s shoulder and met the ball with his head.

The effort climbed toward the top corner.

The goalkeeper reached it and pushed it over.

Rafael clapped once with the rest of the bench, then rested his hands between his knees again.

The corner came in and was cleared.

Metz continued searching.

Caron saw more of the ball outside the area, Perrin kept trying to deliver from the right and Renaud fought through contact whenever Metz went direct.

Rafael watched it all.

Another cross disappeared behind the goal.

The stadium clock passed eighty-five.

Red Star blocked a Caron effort.

Eighty-nine.

The fourth official raised the board for added time.

Metz won a free kick and moved it wide quickly. The delivery came toward Renaud, but a defender reached it first and headed beyond the area.

Perrin collected and sent the ball back inside.

Another block.

The loose ball dropped toward Caron.

His shot hit a defender and spun toward the touchline.

Red Star cleared.

The referee checked his watch.

The whistle sounded.

RED STAR 2–1 FC METZ

Rafael remained seated for another moment before standing with the rest of the substitutes.

Renaud walked back from the penalty area with his shirt pulled away from his chest. Perrin stood near halfway with both hands on his hips, while Caron stopped to shake hands with one of Red Star’s midfielders.

Rafael joined them.

The away dressing room filled slowly.

Boots dropped beneath benches, used tape gathered on the floor and one of the treatment staff moved between players checking knocks.

Nobody had much interest in going over the match yet.

The coach came in while Rafael was working at a knot in his right boot.

"We’ll go through it tomorrow."

He looked around the room.

"Get changed."

The door closed behind him.

Conversation returned in pieces.

Someone mentioned Renaud’s header. Perrin answered from across the room, while two defenders spoke quietly near the showers.

Rafael kept working until the lace finally loosened.

A member of staff squeezed between the benches.

"Rafa, your bag."

Rafael looked down and saw that it had slipped into the walkway.

"Sorry."

He pulled it underneath the bench and went back to changing.

Renaud sat several places away talking quietly with Caron while tying his shoes. Someone brought up the late header again, and Renaud shook his head before answering too softly for Rafael to hear.

When the first players started leaving, Rafael zipped his bag and followed.

The corridor outside the dressing room was quiet, and the sound of studs knocking together inside an equipment bag carried from several metres ahead.

Rafael climbed onto the bus, took a seat by the window and slid his bag beneath his feet.

The remaining players filled the rows in ones and twos until the doors finally closed.

As the bus pulled away, Rafael watched Bauer disappear beyond the glass, but when he eventually looked away, the red number on the substitution board was still there in his head.