Gold & Silver: Baptism of Fire 75

[Electrum]

75th Baptism of Fire final

Le Choix 2–3 Eshialand
Olympic Stadium, Centralis

[Eshialand]

The Road to the Finals
Part IV: On the Home Stretch
Le Choix 2 - 3 Eshialand

The match was minutes away from starting, and the team knew that this would probably be their last 90 minutes of glory. After this, they'd have to play more experienced teams in World Cup Qualifying, and no matter how they did here, those teams would make the Owls look like doormats.

Coach had one last pep talk for the team before they took to the pitch that day: "We've come a long way from being that team that nobody had ever heard of to being here today, taking the pitch for the final match. Don't ever doubt yourselves or think you did a bad job, because even if you lose, you have done what nobody had ever thought possible. You have overcome so many obstacles, and won so many impossible matches, that you are still winners in everyone's hearts and minds. Now, let's finish this, shall we?"

Just then, a surprise came running onto the pitch to see the team. "4-2! 4-2! WE GOT THIRD!!" Wait, was that the Athearan National team? How did they get here so quickly? You know what, after the tournament Eshialand had, it was best not to question the little things in life. Let's just celebrate, shall we?

Then, the Athearans went back to the Eshian bench, and the match was about to begin. This was it. 90 minutes to decide it all.

Le Choix won the coin toss, and the match was underway. It started relatively evenly, with no side getting any real chances. At least, not until the 22nd minute, when Adolphe Pleimelding snatched the ball away from Alyssa Longfield, passing it to Élise Lacan, who then passed it to Aurélie Dior, then to Gavin Lavigne... but his shot flew harmlessly above the net. No goal!

However, in the 41st minute, Sarah Silver messed up a dribble, and the ball wound up going to Henry Grant, win passed it right to Lavigne, who effortlessly scored. The score stood at 1-0 at the half.

Well, now their "hope for one golden goal" strategy wouldn't work... time to do what they did best and improvise the rest of the game!

In the 50th minute, Eshialand had a chance to equalize, after a pass from Dior to Lavigne was intercepted by Dominique LaPlante, setting up a passing chain from LaPlante to Lysander Moore to Melissa Carey to Alice Carroll to the back of the net. 1-1.

67th minute: the Owls had a beautiful opportunity after a save by Christian Meers, who passed the ball directly to George Habisbrauer, who then just ran with it because nobody was there to stop him. Once he was in midfield, he passed it to Alyssa Longfield, who easily put one past Francine Pellier. 1-2.

Coach was absolutely ecstatic. The Owls had a lead in the finals!! He didn't know why exactly this was happening, but he loved it all the same!

This lead, however, wouldn't last long, as a corner kick from Lacan was headed in by Lavigne in the 71st minute. 2-2.

Then, nothing. The match just kind of... stalled. Nobody was getting any chances, and it seriously looked like the match was going into extra time... until the 88th minute.

In the 88th minute, Carey swiped the ball from an unsuspecting Dior, and wasn't really sure what to do with it, apart from just running. And run she did, dancing past all of the defenders... when it came time to shoot, time just froze. It has a funny way of doing that in critical situations.

Back in Eshialand, the crowd of fans watching from the SuperDome was absolutely stunned. After the games they had just seen, they weren't even able to believe what was clearly happening on the giant TV screen in front of them. When the ball went past Pellier and into the net, they thought they were hallucinating. Was the score really 2-3 with just two minutes left?

Even in Olympic Stadium itself, many thought they were going insane. But make no mistake, what they saw was actually happening. The score really was Le Choix 2, Eshialand 3. And when the clock ran out, that was real too. Eshialand had just won the championship.

The entire team stormed the pitch when time ran out, including Jacob Harran, no matter how much of a health risk it was. The Athearan team stormed the pitch as well, and there was a celebration like never before.

Coach didn't join in the celebration, however. He simply walked over to Le Choix's bench and shook Hélène Monet's hand.

"Your team did a great job out there. Thanks for the fun match."

[Le Choix]

At the end, they had fallen just short.

To be fair, Eshialand earned it. They were the first team to get multiple goals past Francine Pellier, though nobody could've guessed that they'd score three. The Chosen scored two times for the first time in a while as well but it was in vain.

Honestly, though? It had been an eventful, successful tournament. The World had gotten a taste of Le Choix Football, and they were here to stay.

Everyone was feeling quite good about it except Hélène Monet. Had the Pontifax actually come through on her promise? Was Benjamin Monet actually free?

What awaited for her at her home in Espoir du Ciel was an official missive that put her mind at ease. Benjamin Monet would be released in the next week to be reassigned eventually after recovery.

Perhaps there was something to it after all.

The story of Les Élus had a long way left to go. The first chapter had been written. What did the rest of the book have in store?

[Eshialand]

Epilogue

The Owls had left Eshialand as nobodies, but today, they were returning as champions. They weren't thinking about that though... they could only think of finally coming home.

They touched down at Hyleson Airport in Eshialand City, and words couldn't describe how they were feeling. There was nothing quite like the feeling of returning home after a long time abroad.

Of course, they weren't quite done yet. The king had invited them to a special ceremony in Independence Park, outside Parliament. They weren't too sure why, but it must have been important.

When they arrived, they were met by the king himself. Whatever he had to say, it must have been important.

"When I decided that Eshialand was going to have a soccer team, I never expected us to be here today. All I really wanted was a team that would make the country proud, and would make kids want to play the beautiful game. Something tells of that this team has achieved this goal and so, so much more.

"I want to thank the entire team for all of their hard work and congratulate them on their amazing victory. I especially want to thank Coach Kenneth Morgan for all of his amazing work in shaping the Owls into a championship winning team. I know you probably had a really hard time not losing your mind, so I have to thank you for keeping your cool." The whole team laughed for a second before the king resumed talking.

"I also want to thank absolutely everyone involved, including the World Cup Committee, all of the teams, both of the host nations, and everyone else who made this tournament one that I'm sure nobody will ever forget. It really wouldn't have been the same without you.

"When I first announced Eshialand's participation in this tournament, I stated that, in many cultures, those who you are baptized with are those who shall be your comrades for the rest of your life. Well, I'm proud that Eshialand's a part of this particularly amazing group of nations, and I can't wait to see what becomes of each and every participating team.

"I wish everyone the best of luck in World Cup Qualifying, and I can't wait to see what happens."