Scored
Columbia City.
In a rented living room somewhere.
A group of middle-aged folks are gathered around a coffee table, which is loaded with peanuts and beer.
A man who bears a slight resemblance to Rohan aggressively gulps down his beer, slams the table, and curses, "What the heck are they playing at? Not a single decent attack, and they've let in two goals. What on earth is the coach even doing?"
Hearing this, someone immediately grumbles in dissatisfaction, "We haven't even started complaining, and you dragged us out here in the middle of the night just for this?"
"And wasn't it you who said your son was going to play? Where is he?"
Rohan's father's face stiffens, and he forces an awkward smile, "He should be up soon. Look, Valencia is behind, right? The coach will definitely make some changes in the second half."
"Changes usually mean putting on reliable attackers, and your son just joined the team, right?"
The man pauses, then continues, "We all hope Rohan can make it big in Europe, but it's been two years and nothing's changed. I think he'd be better off coming back home while he's still young. At least he'd be a regular starter and could earn a decent salary."
He adds to himself, "That way, he could also pay us back sooner. Times are tough for everyone."
"Hmph."
Rohan's father feels a surge of anger as his son is doubted.
But remembering that these are either close neighbors or lenders who had helped him financially, he can only mutter under his breath, "Just keep watching and you'll see."
Deep down, he isn't sure either.
But as a father, he naturally chooses to believe in his son unconditionally.
...
On the soccer field.
As the referee blows the whistle.
The second half kicks off on time.
Surprisingly, Valencia, despite being behind, makes no personnel changes.
Instead, they pull back their forwards, Alcácer and Mina, to midfield, leaving number 17, Rodrigo, alone up front.
This move baffles everyone.
Aren't the trailing team supposed to bolster their attack?
Why pull back their forwards?
This must be a joke!
Some fans even start to think Valencia has given up on the match.
However, this notion is quickly dismissed.
After pulling back, Alcácer and Mina become more aggressive, constantly pushing forward with the help of their teammates, nowhere near looking like they've given up.
They nearly break into the penalty area several times before being stopped.
Such a brute-force approach would usually see players substituted off in other teams.
Yet, Coach Nuno seems unfazed, even clapping his hands as a sign of encouragement.
Thus, the second half nearly turns into a show starring Alcácer and Mina.
They keep driving at Zenit's penalty area, and in the 60th minute, they win a free kick near the left side of the box.
Nuno immediately makes a substitution, bringing Rohan on for the underperforming Parejo.
A substitution now?
And replacing the team's free-kick specialist with an unknown player from India?
The coach must have lost his mind.
"Idiot, do you even know how to manage?"
Valencia fans show their displeasure with a collective middle finger.
Unfazed by the fans' insults and doubts, Nuno looks seriously at Rohan, "Can I trust you?"
"Leave it to me."
Rohan clenches his fists, his eyes burning with an unmistakable desire to win.
At that moment, a system notification rings in his mind.
[Mission: Help your team win this match]
"Mission accepted."
Rohan sprinted towards the front, standing near the penalty spot under the astonished gaze of the fans in the stadium.
Huh?
This substitute player from India is taking the free kick?
Boos filled the air instantly.
Someone even shouted through a megaphone, "Is this unknown number 67 really going to take the free kick? Nuno, you're playing with fire."
"Ha, just go home."
"Get off the pitch, this isn't your place."
Rohan seemed deaf to the malicious jeers.
He kept taking deep breaths on the field, trying to calm his nerves.
Honestly, it was his first time in the Champions League, and he was nervous.
As the Zenit players formed the wall, the referee blew the whistle.
Rohan took a couple of steps back, then charged and shot.
The position for the free kick wasn't great.
Because the angle was so tight, most players would opt to cross it, letting a teammate head it in.
That was the safer play.
But Rohan didn't see it that way.
A small angle doesn't mean no angle.
There are direct goals from corners, after all.
This spot, it looked better than a corner to him.
"Boom."
With a dull thud, the ball soared over the wall, past the outstretched fingertips of the leaping goalkeeper, and nestled into the top corner.
"Swish!"
The crisp sound of the ball hitting the net followed.
The referee's whistle blew, pointing to the center circle.
"Yes!!!"
Rohan pumped his fists as he ran towards the goal, picked up the ball, and then dashed back to the center circle.
The Valencia players wanted to celebrate, but considering they were still a goal behind, they had to put that thought aside.
They congratulated Rohan by patting him on the head.
...
"Ha, that was a beautiful goal, worthy of my son," Rohan's father said, chugging half a bottle of beer, his face flushed with excitement.
"I told you Rohan would play, didn't I? See, not only did he play, he scored too. Oh, I'm so proud of Rohan."
"Cough, cough."
The person who had earlier suggested Rohan should play back in his home country coughed awkwardly, admitting, "He really is impressive, truly your son."
...
In the HOTSTAR studio.
Shaiju remarked, "That stunning free kick, I think it could be called the most spectacular goal of the 2015-16 Champions League season so far."
"Truly spectacular, Rohan's mastery of free kicks, I believe, is now world-class."
Even Bineesh, who usually considered everyone but Messi as trash, couldn't help but express his admiration for Rohan's free kick skills.
Pausing, he joked, "You said we'd see, were you referring to Valencia being behind?"
"Heh, naturally."
Shaiju grinned mischievously, "If Valencia were leading, Nuno definitely wouldn't risk putting a newcomer who just joined the team on the field, even though he's shown great free kick skills."
"But being behind changes things. Since the attack was dull, why not let Rohan take the chance when a free kick comes up?"
Bineesh nodded, suddenly understanding, "No wonder Alcácer and Mina were dropping back to get the ball and break through, they were trying to draw a free kick."
Compared to the detailed and professional commentary of the hosts,
The audience's reaction was more direct and emotional.
They didn't care much about the tactical details, just that Rohan from India had scored, and on the Champions League stage at that.
The comments section was filled with excited messages:
"Holy crap, Rohan is amazing!"
"Wow, Rohan just scored in the Champions League!"
"Unbelievable, Rohan from the USA scored!"
"Wow, Rohan rocks!"
"Hey, where's that guy who said he'd eat his socks if Rohan scored?"
...
The game continued.
Zenit restarted play from the center circle, then passed back to their midfielders, starting to play the ball around in their own half.
Valencia, having just pulled a goal back, was riding high.
So they were all very aggressive, seizing any opportunity to press forward.
Initially, they didn't understand why the coach had Alcácer and Mina drop back when they were two goals down.
But the moment Rohan scored directly from the free kick, they got it.
Now, the only thing on the Valencia players' minds was to draw fouls for free kicks at all costs and let Rohan take them.
However, as the team's coach, Boas wasn't foolish.
After witnessing Rohan's prowess, he strictly instructed his players.
Under no circumstances were they to give away free kicks near the box.
The Zenit players followed the coach's orders to the letter.
If they weren't sure they could win the ball, they wouldn't stretch out a leg.
And so, Valencia once again hit a deadlock.
Rohan glanced at his somewhat disheartened teammates, ran over to Rodrigo, and said, "Keep an eye on your positioning next time, I'll pass the ball to you."
"Okay."
Rodrigo looked deeply at Rohan, hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.