After the 9-0 against Krytenia it was absolute mayhem. Family, friends, media. So much media. It was as if they had just won the whole World Cup, but it was just one game. Granted, it was a win against Krytenia, whose senior team had won the Cup of Harmony. Granted, it was a 9-0 win. Against Krytenia, whose senior team had won the Cup of Harmony. Yes, he could see now why they had made such a big deal about it. But it just wouldn't stop! He had to turn off his phone, because it kept ringing non stop. At first he tried to just ignore it, then he put it on vibrate, then he turned it off.
Of course that did not make the journalists outside of the hotel go away, oh no. That is when he learned that his players were more inventive than he would have thought. They tried to check out the different exits of the hotel to see, if any reporters were camping out there, but they were everywhere. Then two of them had the idea of serving as distraction, so the others could slip out the back. Haparanta and Grandelius, both from the Anhedron Wanderers and always up for some mischief, grabbed a ball and waltzed out the main entrance, crossing the street into a little park and just started to do some tricks with the ball. Oh, how the journalists and fans gobbled that right up. They all followed them, drawn like a moth to a flame. Word spread quickly, so all the other reporters also made their way to the front, leaving a clear path for the rest of the team, it was genius.
Thankfully at the stadium there was enough security and barriers to avoid them having to deal with an onslaught of people. No, they did not have a problem being close to the fans, but especially before a game he wanted the guys to have some peace and quiet to focus and not getting held up. There would be time for autographs and everything after the game no problem. Actually he insisted on them taking some time for the fans. As they went into the locker room, the atmosphere was strangely the same as before the first game, no signs of arrogance or talk about how high they would win this time. No, they were focused.
And then they played as if it was a test game, as if they did not have a worry in the world. Four goals again, two Haigh, two Haparanta, it was insane! These two and Stainthorpe. 2 games, 10 goals, 6 assists. And that was just these three players! Oh, how worried he was that they had Pasarga in the group and now after two games they were already qualified and that last game pretty much only was for if they would be first or second after the group stage.
He came back to his senses after someone dumped a bucket of ice cold water over him, including the bucket, helping whoever did this escape unnoticed. For now. He could not help but laughing as someone from the organizing team motioned for him to come to the press conference, drenched in water. Oh well, nothing he could do now.
Tikariot 4-0 Hispinas
Tikariot: Prediger - Bergstrand (82' Dinanga), McKinley, Faizullah 4', Waltham - Conrad (50' Vainionpää), Vassilev, Fernandez 54' - Haigh 57' 74', Haparanta 24' 49', Stainthorpe (70' Grandelius).