God Of football - Chapter 360

Chapter 360: 2 in 26 [Golden Gachapon: Pistacho031_3 ]
The camera cut to the stadium, where the atmosphere was lively despite this being just a preseason friendly.

Leyton Orient’s home ground, Brisbane Road, was packed with fans eager to see their team test themselves against an Arsenal side filled with young talents and experienced heads.

The broadcast shifted to the lineup graphics, starting with the home side.

Leyton Orient Starting XI (4-2-3-1)

GK: Sol Brynn

RB: Tom James

CB: Brandon Cooper

CB: Dan Happe

LB: Jayden Sweeney

CDM: Idris El Mizouni

CDM: Ethan Galbraith

RM: Theo Archibald

CAM: George Moncur

LM: Ruel Sotiriou

ST: Joe Pigott

Host: “Leyton Orient going with a fairly strong lineup here. A mixture of experience and young talent, but the key man will be Joe Pigott up front. They’ll need him to hold the ball up well against Arsenal’s defenders.”

Pundit 1: “And Moncur in midfield is a tricky player. If given space, he can cause problems.”

The screen transitioned to Arsenal’s lineup. Despite the absence of several big names, Arteta had stuck with Arsenal’s usual shape—clearly using this match to refine their tactical approach.

Arsenal Starting XI (4-3-3)

GK: Karl Hein

RB: Reuell Walters

CB: Jakub Kiwior

CB: Gabriel

LB: Lino Sousa

CDM: Jorginho (C)

CM: Myles Lewis-Skelly

CM: Ethan Nwaneri

RW: Marquinhos

ST: Khayon Edwards

LW: Charles Sagoe Jr

Host: “No surprises with Arsenal’s shape. Arteta is sticking with his usual system, even with this mix of players.”

Pundit 2: “Exactly. Jorginho will anchor the midfield, providing stability, while Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri bring energy and dynamism.

Up top, Marquinhos and Sagoe Jr will look to stretch the defense while Khayon Edwards leads the line.”

Pundit 1: “Also, great to see Nwaneri and Sousa getting starts. Both are highly rated within Arsenal’s academy.”

The camera then cut to the tunnel, where both teams stood ready to walk out.

Jorginho was chatting with the younger players, offering last-minute advice, while Leyton Orient’s captain, El Mizouni, did the same on his end.

In his apartment, Izan leaned forward slightly, eyes fixed on the screen. He wasn’t playing, but his mind was already analyzing how Arsenal set up.

The referee gave the signal, and the players stepped onto the pitch, greeted by a wave of cheers from the stands. The match was about to begin.

As the referee blew the whistle, the match kicked off with a frantic energy.

Arsenal, despite their usual structured approach, found themselves immediately under pressure as Leyton Orient came flying out of the blocks.

The home side pressed high, swarming Arsenal’s younger players, forcing rushed passes and uncomfortable clearances.

The midfield trio of Jorginho, Lewis-Skelly, and Nwaneri struggled to establish control in the opening exchanges, with El Mizouni and Galbraith snapping into challenges, disrupting any attempt at buildup play.

Within the first two minutes, Leyton Orient had already won a throw-in deep in Arsenal’s half, launching it into the box.

Gabriel had to be sharp to head it clear, but the ball fell to Moncur just outside the area. His quick shot skidded through a crowd of bodies, forcing Karl Hein into an early save.

Pundit 1: “Leyton Orient are not holding back! They’ve come out pressing Arsenal aggressively, and the young Gunners look a little unsettled.”

Pundit 2: “You can see the physicality difference in these early exchanges. Arsenal need to calm things down.”

Arsenal attempted to play their way out, but every pass was contested. Reuell Walters received the ball on the right flank, but a heavy touch allowed Sotiriou to pounce, stealing possession and darting forward.

Walters recovered quickly, using his pace to get back and put in a clean challenge, but Leyton Orient regained the ball almost immediately through their relentless press.

The crowd roared in approval as Leyton Orient forced another turnover in midfield. This time, George Moncur clipped a ball over the top for Pigott to chase.

The striker muscled past Kiwior and attempted to lift the ball over Hein, but the Arsenal keeper reacted quickly, rushing out and blocking the effort with his body.

Host: “A massive early chance for Leyton Orient! Arsenal’s backline is under serious pressure.”

Pundit 1: “You can see the inexperience in this Arsenal side. Walters, Sousa, Lewis-Skelly, Nwaneri—they’re all highly talented, but this is a physical test they’re not used to.”

It took Arsenal a few minutes to regain composure. Jorginho started dropping deeper, taking control of possession and slowing the tempo.

Lewis-Skelly began to find space between the lines, driving forward with his usual elegance, while Nwaneri floated into pockets, looking for passing angles.

By the tenth minute, Arsenal had settled. They started moving the ball quicker, passing with more precision, and forcing Leyton Orient to retreat slightly.

Sagoe Jr found himself in a promising position on the left, cutting inside and testing Brynn with a curling shot, but the Leyton keeper palmed it away.

Arsenal’s growing control, however, didn’t last long.

In the 13th minute, Leyton Orient won a corner after a deflected cross from Archibald.

Moncur jogged over to take it, scanning the penalty area as Arsenal organized their defensive setup.

Jorginho, Gabriel, and Kiwior took command in the box, barking instructions. Walters marked Pigott, while Lewis-Skelly tracked Galbraith at the edge of the area.

Moncur delivered an inswinging cross, whipping it toward the near post. Pigott made a darting run, dragging Gabriel with him, but the ball sailed over their duel.

Instead, it met the head of Dan Happe, the towering Leyton Orient defender, who rose above Kiwior and powered a header toward goal.

Karl Hein reacted, diving low to his right, but the ball took a slight deflection off an Arsenal body on its way through—wrong-footing the keeper as it nestled into the net.

The stadium erupted.

Leyton Orient 1-0 Arsenal (Dan Happe, 13′)

Pundit 1: “And there it is! Leyton Orient takes the lead, and it’s a textbook corner routine! Arsenal’s young defenders just couldn’t cope with the physicality.”

Pundit 2: “Happe was completely dominant in the air there. Kiwior needed to do better, and you have to question Arsenal’s marking. That was far too easy.”

On the pitch, Arsenal’s players quickly regrouped. Gabriel clapped his hands, urging his teammates to stay calm, while Jorginho pulled Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri aside, offering quick instructions.

From the sidelines, Arteta remained composed, but his assistants were already analyzing the defensive setup, preparing to adjust for the next set-piece.

Izan, watching from his apartment, exhaled through his nose, leaning back slightly. He’d been in these situations before—early setbacks in difficult games. Now, it was all about Arsenal’s response.

…….

The early goal ignited Arsenal. It was as if a switch had been flipped—there was no more hesitancy, no more slow adjustments.

The young Gunners now stung into action, upped the intensity.

From the restart, Jorginho immediately demanded the ball, directing traffic as he sought to wrest control of the game.

Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri began moving sharper between the lines, looking for space, while Walters and Sousa pushed higher from the fullback positions to pin Leyton Orient back.

The ball was worked quickly to Sagoe Jr on the left, who, with a sudden burst of pace, surged past his marker and cut inside.

Spotting a gap, he rifled a low shot toward the near post, but Brynn, Leyton Orient’s goalkeeper, was equal to it, diving down to push it behind for a corner.

The resulting set-piece saw Jorginho whip in a teasing cross, and Gabriel climbed high above the crowded penalty area, but his header sailed inches over the bar.

Pundit 1: “Arsenal have responded immediately! You can see the adrenaline kicking in. They’ve taken control of the game, but Leyton Orient are standing firm.”

Pundit 2: “They needed that reaction. The issue now is breaking down this deep block. Leyton Orient are dropping everyone behind the ball when Arsenal have possession.”

And that was the problem. For all of Arsenal’s energy, Leyton Orient refused to budge.

Jorginho and Lewis-Skelly kept circulating the ball, probing for gaps, but the home side defended in a tight, disciplined shape.

Moncur and Galbraith dropped deeper to clog the midfield, forcing Arsenal to shift their attacks wide.

Ethan Nwaneri tried to wriggle through the lines in the 21st minute, dancing past two defenders with dazzling footwork, but his final pass to Biereth was intercepted by Happe, who immediately thumped it clear.

Two minutes later, Sousa whipped in a brilliant cross from the right, aimed toward Biereth, but once again, Brynn came flying off his line to punch it away.

The ball fell to Lewis-Skelly at the edge of the area, and he took a touch before lashing a powerful drive toward goal—only for it to be blocked by the towering frame of Beckles.

Arsenal were suffocating Leyton Orient, but the home side refused to crack.

Then, in the 26th minute, disaster struck for Arsenal, again.

After another failed attack, Brynn, seeing Arsenal’s backline pushed high, quickly grabbed the ball and launched a towering throw deep into the midfield.

It caught Arsenal completely off guard.

El Mizouni reacted first, nodding it down to Moncur, who took one touch and then delivered a piercing through ball straight down the middle.

Suddenly, Joe Pigott was racing through on goal.

Gabriel and Kiwior, both still retreating from Arsenal’s previous attack, scrambled to close the space, but Pigott had the momentum.

He burst into the box and, with Hein rushing out to close him down, calmly slotted the ball past the keeper and into the bottom corner.

The stadium erupted.

Leyton Orient 2-0 Arsenal (Joe Pigott, 26′), the scoreboard shone.

Pundit 1: “Oh my word! Leyton Orient have doubled their lead, and Arsenal have been caught sleeping!”

Pundit 2: “That’s exactly what Leyton Orient were waiting for! Arsenal committed too many bodies forward, and one quick throw from Brynn completely split them open.”

The camera panned to Mikel Arteta, but the latter was just looking toward his players.

His assistant, Carlos Cuesta, immediately pulled Jorginho aside as the Arsenal players prepared to restart.

The Gunners had dominated since going behind—but now, against the run of play, they were staring at a 2-0 deficit.

A/n: Second chapter. Let’s keep going