The second match came faster than Álex expected.
Tournament football compressed time. One moment you were stretching under the sun, the next you were lining up again, pulse already elevated, legs still remembering the weight of the last game. MIC did not ask if you were ready. It assumed you were.
Pitch 7 buzzed with anticipation. JDB Internacional School were already warming up when Valencia arrived, their drills sharp and organized. They were not as physically imposing as California, but there was something else about them. Structure. Discipline. The kind of team that punished mistakes quietly.
Coach Molina gathered the boys.
"They're compact. They defend deep and counter fast. Be patient. Álex," he added, locking eyes with him, "this is a game where you can hurt them between the lines."
Álex nodded once.
Between the lines was home.
The whistle blew, and immediately the difference was clear. JDB did not press high. They retreated, forming two tight banks, denying space centrally. Valencia circulated the ball, probing, testing.
Álex drifted laterally, left to center, center to right, searching for gaps. The ball came to him early, and he took his first touch forward, daring a defender to step out.
They didn't.
So he carried it.
[Dribbling control active.]
He slipped past the first marker with a quick body feint, then checked back as a second defender closed. The move earned a foul and an appreciative nod from the sideline.
"Good. Keep doing that," Molina called.
By the 10th minute, Álex began to impose himself. Every time Valencia recycled possession, he positioned himself in the half-space, turning quickly, forcing JDB's midfield to collapse inward.
In the 12th minute, he received the ball on the turn, accelerated, and glided past one defender, then another. The crowd murmured as he danced through the narrow corridor.
[Dribble success x2.]
He slipped a pass wide to the overlapping fullback, then continued his run into the box. The cross came in.
Just too high.
"Unlucky!" Javi shouted.
Álex exhaled slowly. The chance was close. The door was creaking.
The breakthrough came in the 17th minute.
Valencia built from the back. Three passes. Four. Five. The ball arrived at Álex's feet near the center circle. He scanned once.
JDB's midfield line was flat.
He accelerated.
One touch forward. Second touch past the first defender. A shoulder drop sent the next one the wrong way.
[Dribbling: Fluid execution.]
As the center-back stepped up, Álex delayed just long enough to freeze him. Then, with the outside of his boot, he slid a perfectly weighted pass into the striker's path.
The striker didn't hesitate.
Goal.
The net shook.
Álex pumped his fist once, sharp and controlled.
[Assist registered.]
Valencia 1–0.
The goal loosened Valencia. Passes flowed faster. Movement sharpened. JDB tried to respond, pushing their wide players higher, but it only opened more space centrally.
Álex thrived in the midfield dominating the opposition midfielder and disturbing the back line with precise pass.
In the 24th minute, he received the ball near the left touchline, back to goal. He rolled it across his body, spun, and exploded forward.
One defender. Beaten.
Second defender. Nutmeg.
Gasps followed him.
[Dribbling streak: 3 successful take-ons.]
He cut inside and shot.
Saved.
The rebound fell to Javi, who smashed it over.
Álex jogged back, heart racing, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. He could feel it now. That zone where time slowed and decisions arrived early.
JDB equalized briefly against the run of play in the 31st minute. A quick counter. A misplaced Valencia pass. A low finish at the near post.
1–1.
The noise shifted. Pressure returned.
Álex clapped his hands, calling for calm.
"Next one's ours," he said, more to himself than anyone else.
Three minutes later, he made it true.
Receiving the ball just outside the box, Álex feinted right, dragged the ball left, then burst between two defenders who hesitated for half a second too long.
He didn't overthink it.
Low strike. Far corner.
Goal.
The keeper didn't even dive.
[Finishing: Composed.]
Valencia reclaimed the lead, 2–1.
Álex turned away from goal, chest heaving, eyes burning with focus rather than celebration.
Finally the ref blew the whistle bringing the first half to a close.
In the huddle, the coaches were pleased but cautious.
"They'll push now. Álex, keep demanding the ball. You're pulling them apart."
Álex nodded, taking a deep breath, sweat dripping from his chin.
His legs were warm. His mind sharper.
JDB came out aggressive, but it played into Valencia's hands. Space opened everywhere.
In the 46th minute, Álex received the ball near midfield and drove forward, gliding past one challenge, then another.
[Dribbling confidence increased.]
He drew three defenders before slipping a pass wide, then sprinted into the box. The cross came early.
Header.
Saved.
Groans echoed again, but Valencia stayed on the front foot.
In the 54th minute, Álex delivered again.
A corner was cleared poorly. The ball bounced toward him outside the box. He took it on the half-volley, not shooting, but lifting a clever chipped pass over the defense.
The striker timed his run perfectly.
Goal.
3–1.
[Assist x2.]
Álex raised an arm briefly, acknowledging the bench.
The match had tilted fully in Valencia's favor now. JDB's structure frayed. Legs tired. Minds rushed.
In the 62nd minute, Álex sealed it.
He collected the ball on the left, isolated against a fullback. One stepover. Two. Sudden acceleration.
The defender slipped.
Álex entered the box and smashed the ball into the roof of the net from a tight angle.
Goal.
4–1.
The Valencia bench erupted. Even Molina allowed himself a smile.
[Dribbling impact: Dominant.]
[Goal contribution: 2 goals, 2 assists.]
The game ended shortly after, the referee sparing JDB further punishment.
Valencia CF U15 4–1 JDB Internacional School.
Álex walked off the pitch exhausted, shirt clinging to him, legs heavy but spirit light.
Javi threw an arm around his shoulders.
"Man," he said, laughing, "you were everywhere."
Álex smiled faintly. "Just playing."
But inside, he knew.
This wasn't just playing.
This was announcing himself.
Two matches. Two wins. And the tournament was starting to feel less like a mountain and more like a road he was built to walk.
Next came CD Laguna EVT.
And beyond the group stage, the shadows of bigger opponents were already forming.