The Malmö FF Youth Academy Trials XI

Team C kicked off the second half after the referee's whistle echoed across the pitch. Their striker passed the ball back to their half, and immediately they started moving forward, determined to get back on level terms as soon as possible.

After a few minutes of back and forth, they managed to create their first significant chance of the second half around the 37th minute of the match.

During one of their attacking plays, a long ball was played out wide to their left winger, who managed to get past Noah Lind with a quick burst of pace. Driving towards the touchline, he whipped in a low cross into the box for the center forward.

Diego was alert and got a solid clearance on it, but the ball did not go far. One of Team C's midfielders picked it up just outside the box and quickly let fly with a low driven shot toward the right side of the goal, but Lukas Berg reacted sharply, diving to his left and getting a strong hand on it to push it out for a corner.

They sent players forward for the corner, and when it came in, one of their midfielders rose above everyone and was able to get to the end of the set piece with his head, but the header wasn't that strong, and Lukas was able to catch the ball comfortably.

"Lucas! Here!" Lucas had wanted to hold the ball for a while to give his teammates time to rearrange themselves, but Sebastian was already calling for the ball from close to the middle of the pitch. 

Even though Sebastian was not really free, as there was a midfielder tracking him, Lukas did not hesitate to throw the ball to him, as he believed he.

Sebastian met the ball with his chest, killing its momentum instantly, turned, and immediately took off the moment the ball got to his feet. A midfielder stepped in to stop him, but Sebastian shifted the ball quickly from his right to his left foot with a smooth la croqueta, slipping past the challenge.

Another midfielder rushed in to press, but Sebastian poked the ball cleanly through his legs and kept running, breaking free. As he accelerated forward, he spotted Luca making a run on the right and slid a side pass over to him.

Luca picked it up in stride, and with Sebastian now surging up the middle, he returned the favor, playing a perfectly timed through ball into space. Sebastian kept sprinting, the ball glued to his feet, but now two defenders were on him, a midfielder chasing from behind and their left back trying to close in from the side.

He then pushed the ball slightly forward with the outside of his left boot, making it seem like he wanted to cut into the left, through the gap between the two of them, drawing the left back to try and close down that space and prevent him from entering the box.

But just as he committed, Sebastian dragged the ball back in the opposite direction with the inside of his left foot, pulling off an elastico with his weak foot.

The left back staggered, completely thrown off by the maneuver, and lost his footing, falling on the ground and also tripping the midfielder who had been trailing Sebastian. Both of them went down, and Sebastian was free of his markers.

Now inside the box, with only the center back standing between him and the goal, Sebastian slowed down slightly, dropped his shoulder, and feinted left as if he was going to shift the ball out wide.

The center back moved to the right as he fell for the feint, and Sebastian calmly used the outside of his foot to push the ball to the right, past the defender, creating just enough space to wind up and whip a diagonal shot with his right boot into the top left corner past the outstretched hands of the Team C goalkeeper. 

The ball hit the net with a satisfying thud, and the score became 1-3. Team D players erupted in cheers, crowding Sebastian in celebration, as they had managed to extend their lead.

On the other side, Team C players stood frozen for a moment. Their shoulders dropped, and a few exchanged frustrated glances.

The left back, who had been embarrassed by Sebastian, sat on the turf with his head down, while the midfielder who had been tripped tried to rally his teammates, clapping his hands and calling for focus.

But the sting of the goal had sunk in, and their body language showed it. It looked like they didn't believe there was a chance to win the game anymore.

Meanwhile, over at the sidelines where the Malmö FF academy staff were watching, Coach Andreas was on his feet, clapping slowly as if to fully take in what he had just witnessed.

"What a goal," he muttered, still trying to process the beautiful goal he had just seen.

In his mind, he replayed the entire sequence. The composure to control the throw with his chest, the confidence to launch the counter alone, the technique to pull off that weak foot elastico, the timing of the run, the vision to find Luca, the drive to keep going, and the calmness to finish with that much class. It was an exceptional display of individual brilliance.

He glanced to his left and saw Coach Henrik Lindström, the lead academy coach, scribbling something quickly onto his clipboard.

When Andreas peeked over, he saw a name at the very top of a previously empty list: Sebastian Falk.

"You're already putting down his name?" Andreas asked with a small smile. "This match isn't even over, and by the look of things, he's still going to play another one."

Henrik chuckled and shook his head slightly. "I've seen all I need to see. In my opinion, the kid's been the best here today. His vision, decision making, game intelligence, first touch, movement, composure, and even how he adapts in transition. He's incredible."

"You think I shouldn't put down his name?" Coach Henrik asked, tilting his head towards him.

Andreas lifted his palms in surrender. "Nope. I didn't mean it like that."

"Okay then," Henrik said with a small grin, already turning back to the match.

Back on the pitch, Sebastian's goal seemed to have knocked the wind out of Team C. Their players looked less certain. Their build up play became slower, and their attack lost its edge. On the other hand, Team D was riding high. With confidence running through them and the comfort of a two-goal cushion, they became more daring in their attack.

Near the end of the match, after a slick move down the right flank, Viktor Svensson drove forward and delivered a crisp pass into the box. Martin timed his run perfectly and met the ball with a low side-footed finish, sending it into the bottom right corner of the post to make it 4-1.

A few minutes later, the referee blew the final whistle, and the game was over with Team D the winners.