CHAPTER 53 — "When the Game Tries to Break You" (Part 2)
Date: April 12, 2020
Competition: São Paulo State U-15 League
Match: São Paulo FC U-15 vs Santos FC U-15
Score at halftime: São Paulo 2 — 0 Santos
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The second half did not begin with football.
It began with intent.
The moment the teams stepped back onto the pitch, Árman felt it — the change in Santos' eyes. The looseness from the first half was gone. The smiles were gone. Even the chatter had disappeared.
They weren't here to play anymore.
They were here to crack him.
The referee checked his watch.
A short whistle.
Play resumed.
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Immediate Pressure
Santos pushed forward aggressively from kickoff.
No slow buildup.
No recycling.
Direct passes.
Sharp diagonals.
Wingers hugging the touchline.
Within thirty seconds, São Paulo were forced back into their own half.
Árman tracked back without hesitation.
Not because he was told to.
Because he understood.
In the 47th minute, Santos' captain surged through midfield and slipped a pass into the channel.
Shot.
Saved by São Paulo's keeper, Thiago.
The rebound bounced dangerously.
Árman was already there.
He cleared it with his weaker foot, absorbing a shoulder in the process.
The whistle stayed silent.
He got up without complaint.
The crowd noticed.
"So mature," the commentator said quietly.
"He's not hiding from the physical side."
---
The First Warning
In the 50th minute, it happened.
A late challenge.
Árman received the ball near the center circle, turned smoothly—
And was clipped from behind.
Studs grazed his ankle.
He went down.
This time, the whistle blew.
Santos' midfielder raised his hands innocently.
The referee gave a warning.
Árman stood up slowly, rolled his ankle once, then twice.
No pain.
Just irritation.
He looked up.
The Santos bench was shouting.
"They're testing him," Coach Carvalho muttered.
"They want him angry."
Árman walked back into position.
Expression blank.
Wrong approach, he thought.
Anger slows the mind.
---
Santos' Goal — 55th Minute
Pressure eventually tells.
A corner.
Poor clearance.
Second ball fell to the edge of the box.
Shot.
Deflection.
Goal.
2–1.
The Santos fans erupted.
The noise rose sharply, piercing.
Players rushed back to the center circle, clapping, shouting.
Momentum had shifted.
Árman gathered his teammates quickly.
"Stay compact," he said calmly.
"No rushing. We decide the tempo."
His voice didn't waver.
That steadiness mattered more than shouting ever could.
---
The Hardest Ten Minutes
From the 56th to the 66th minute, the match turned ugly.
Fouls.
Tugs.
Late steps.
Árman was targeted.
Every time he touched the ball, someone arrived a fraction too late.
In the 61st minute, a Santos defender slid in dangerously.
The ball went out.
Árman stayed down for a second longer this time.
The stadium fell silent.
Coach Carvalho stood up instinctively.
But Árman rose.
Slowly.
Dusting off his shorts.
No grimace.
No theatrics.
Just resolve.
"That's mentality," the commentator whispered.
"At ten years old… incredible."
---
Reclaiming Control
Árman knew something had to change.
Not tactics.
Rhythm.
In the 68th minute, he stopped pushing forward.
Instead, he dropped deeper.
Much deeper.
Almost alongside the defensive midfielder.
Santos hesitated.
Do they follow?
Do they hold?
That hesitation was enough.
Árman began dictating the match with short, sharp passes.
One touch.
Two touches.
He slowed the game deliberately.
Forced Santos to chase.
Forced mistakes.
The crowd's noise dipped.
Frustration replaced excitement.
"He's suffocating them with patience," the commentator said.
"That's elite control of a game."
---
The Assist — 73rd Minute
Then — the dagger.
A Santos fullback overcommitted.
Árman saw it instantly.
He received the ball near midfield, lifted his head once, and launched a perfectly weighted through ball down the right channel.
Lucas Ferreira sprinted onto it.
Cut inside.
Shot.
Goal.
3–1.
São Paulo's bench exploded again.
Coach Carvalho clenched his fist.
"That's it," he breathed.
"That's the match."
Árman jogged back, exhaling slowly.
One goal.
One assist.
But more importantly—
Control restored.
---
The Final Stretch
Santos tried one last push.
But it lacked belief.
Árman continued organizing.
Pointing.
Shifting teammates.
Covering passing lanes.
In the 82nd minute, he intercepted a dangerous pass and drew a foul.
In the 85th, he slowed a counterattack by shielding the ball near the corner flag — earning applause even from opposing fans.
"They're clapping him," the commentator noted.
"That doesn't happen often here."
---
Final Whistle
The referee raised the whistle.
One long blow.
Full time.
São Paulo FC U-15 3 — 1 Santos FC U-15
Players collapsed onto the grass.
Some in relief.
Some in exhaustion.
Árman stood still for a moment, hands on hips, chest rising steadily.
Not smiling.
Just… absorbing it.
Another step forward.
Another test passed.
As he walked off the pitch, Coach Carvalho put a hand on his shoulder.
"You didn't just play well," he said.
"You led."
Árman nodded once.
Inside, his thoughts were already moving ahead.
This level isn't enough anymore.
And somewhere in the stands, unseen eyes were watching — not scouts yet, not headlines yet —
But interest had begun.