Chapter 74 - 72 - 3 - 2

Chapter 74: Chapter 72 - 3 - 2

The centre-back arrived through Rafael’s back before it dropped.

Rafael widened his stance, brought the ball under control and returned it toward the midfielder arriving underneath instead of trying to turn.

As soon as the pass left him, Rafael moved diagonally across Colombia’s second centre-back.

The defender went with him.

The midfielder found the right winger outside.

Rafael kept moving toward the box while the winger attacked the space left by the advanced full-back.

The low delivery travelled across the area.

An England midfielder arrived from deeper and met it first time.

The finish went inside the far post.

Rafael turned and ran toward him with the rest of the attack.

He reached the scorer near the edge of the group and struck him across the shoulder before the referee began waving everyone back toward halfway.

ENGLAND 3–1 COLOMBIA

The restart came quickly.

Colombia kept sending players beyond the ball, and England twice recovered near their own box only to lose possession before the midfield had fully moved out.

The second turnover allowed Colombia to switch the attack while England were still shifting across.

Their winger received on the opposite side and carried inside before slipping the ball between full-back and centre-back.

A teammate arrived onto it and finished low past the goalkeeper.

ENGLAND 3–2 COLOMBIA

The Colombian substitutes were on their feet before England had even returned to the centre circle.

England restarted and were forced backwards almost immediately. A pass into midfield was intercepted, Colombia moved right and another cross came into the area.

The centre-back headed it clear.

Rafael moved across the Colombian defender and controlled near the touchline.

There was room inside him.

He could have turned.

Most of England’s midfield were still jogging out of their own penalty area.

Rafael kept his back to goal and shifted the ball farther from the defender’s reaching foot.

The Colombian leaned harder into him.

An arm came around Rafael’s side as the defender tried to step between him and possession.

Rafael moved the ball again.

The next attempt caught the back of his leg.

The referee blew.

Rafael left the ball where it stopped and walked several metres away while England’s midfield came forward.

The free kick was taken short, allowing the defensive line to push toward halfway before Colombia eventually forced possession backwards again.

A few minutes later, Rafael was back between the centre-backs when the midfielder he had mistimed earlier received through the middle.

The first touch settled the ball, and Rafael held his position through the second. As the midfielder finally raised his head, Rafael broke into the channel.

The pass came with him.

He reached it beyond the defensive line with one centre-back recovering over his left shoulder and the goalkeeper already leaving his line.

Rafael’s first touch carried the ball into the area.

The goalkeeper lowered himself and narrowed the angle.

Rafael opened his body and sent the finish across goal.

A strong hand met it.

The shot spun toward the far side of the box before Rafael could reach the rebound, and the covering defender cleared.

Rafael turned and moved back into position as Colombia came forward again.

Their next cross travelled through the six-yard box without a touch, while an effort from outside the area was blocked before it could reach the goalkeeper.

England’s midfield gradually dropped closer to the defence.

Rafael spent longer alone near halfway, moving between the Colombian centre-backs whenever they kept possession.

One clearance travelled over him and went straight back toward England’s area. Another arrived high enough for Rafael to glance it toward the touchline, but Colombia collected that as well.

With the match moving into the final minutes, their left winger escaped outside England’s full-back and lifted the ball toward the far post.

A Colombian attacker rose above the nearest defender and headed back across goal.

England’s goalkeeper pushed off his line and stretched toward the corner.

One hand reached the ball and turned it behind.

Several substitutes rose near the technical area as Colombia’s centre-backs ran forward for the corner.

Rafael returned toward the edge of England’s box.

The delivery came through the crowd and was headed clear.

Colombia recovered outside the area and moved the ball right, but the return cross struck an England player and bounced toward the touchline.

England cleared long.

Rafael brought the ball down near the line with most of Colombia still ahead of him.

Open grass stretched into their half.

He checked the clock beside the pitch while taking his next touch and turned toward the corner.

The nearest centre-back caught him before he reached the final few metres.

Rafael slowed and put his body between the defender and the ball.

The first attempt to hook possession away failed.

The defender leaned harder into his shoulder.

Rafael shifted his feet and moved another step toward the flag.

The next challenge knocked the ball out off Colombia.

England’s throw.

Rafael handed it to the teammate approaching for the restart.

Colombia backed away far enough to stop the quick throw, and England used the time before putting the ball back into play near the corner.

They kept it there until possession eventually broke loose.

Colombia’s goalkeeper sent the final attack forward with a long ball.

England’s centre-back won the first header.

The second ball dropped outside the area, where a Colombian midfielder tried to lift it back over the defence.

An England player stepped into the pass.

The referee checked his watch and blew.

ENGLAND 3–2 COLOMBIA

Rafael exhaled as he walked toward the nearest Colombian player and offered his hand.

The other substitutes were already coming onto the pitch.

Greenwood caught Rafael’s shoulder as he joined the group, then continued walking beside him toward the tunnel.

The dressing room was noisy when they got back inside, although nobody sounded entirely satisfied with the way the match had finished.

One player was already talking through a late turnover with the teammate beside him, while another sat with ice wrapped around his ankle and waved off the staff member asking whether he needed anything else.

Antwi waited until the room had settled enough to hear him.

"Good result. We take it, recover and move on, but we made the last part much harder than it needed to be."

He glanced around the room.

"We’ll look at the details tomorrow. Egypt is three days away, so recover properly tonight. Minutes will move around."

He stepped aside and left the medical staff to begin their work.

Rafael changed while conversations picked up around him.

Greenwood was already talking with two teammates across the room about something from the first half.

Rafael packed his kit and went with the others.

Later, once the room he had been given was quiet, he called up the System.

[CAREER MISSION UPDATE]

[ANSWER THE CALL]

[Primary Objective: COMPLETE]

[Reward Available: Free Attribute Point ×1]

[Bonus Objective: Register One Goal Contribution]

[Bonus Reward: Composure +0.2]

[Status: ACTIVE]

Rafael selected the completed reward.

[REWARD CLAIMED]

[Free Attribute Point ×1]

[Unassigned Free Attribute Points: 5]

The bonus objective remained underneath.

He closed the panel without touching the five points.

Antwi used two clips the following morning.

The first stopped with England recovering possession just outside their own box. Three white shirts had already started running forward before the player on the ball had secured it.

The next pass went straight back to Colombia.

Antwi let the clip continue until another shot came toward England’s goal.

"We’re three-one up there. Nobody is telling you not to attack, but if the first pass after winning it is the hardest one available, we’re going to spend the match defending our own turnovers."

He played the second clip.

England cleared from the opposite side, pushed out too quickly and lost possession before half the team had crossed midfield.

"If we get out, everybody moves. If we can’t, give people time to get out with you."

The screen went dark.

"Egypt next."

Chairs scraped back almost immediately.

The players who had started against Colombia stayed inside longer for recovery, while those with fewer minutes went onto the pitch earlier. Rafael joined them after finishing his own work.

The first attacking block mixed several substitutes from Thursday with players who had played shorter minutes.

Rafael worked through the middle.

He received one pass with a defender following him short and returned it into midfield before turning toward the box. The next attack developed outside him, so he continued his run and let the play move elsewhere.

When the staff changed several players between groups after the break, Rafael stayed where he was.

Saturday brought a shorter session.

England moved through their shape and several attacking patterns without keeping anyone on the pitch longer than necessary.

Rafael again worked centrally for most of the final attacking block.

Nobody spoke to him about Sunday.

Once the session ended, the players returned inside and took their places for the final meeting.

An England staff member brought the probable structure onto the board.

The defenders appeared first.

Then midfield.

Rafael looked toward the top of the shape as the attacking line filled in.

His name sat in the middle.

Morales — CF.