Chapter 67 - Leeds United (2)

After Leeds' first goal, Southampton made several attempts to equalize the score. The first attempt was made in the 52nd minute, Simone gave the ball to Kounde. Southampton tried to use Kounde's pace to break through on the right side of the Leeds defense. Kounde faced off against Luke Ayling, the Southampton left-winger trying to get past Luke Ayling but, he was following suit. Kounde gave up and passed the ball to Benson, who was behind him.

Jack Harrison pressed Benson aggressively. Benson turned his body and gave the ball far back. Hilton received the ball with her chest and gave it to Okhalo. Okhalo passed the ball to Freddy. The Southampton right-back ran very fast. Rapinha and Calvin Phillips moved to the right to close Freddy's space. The Southampton right-back provided a pass to Rustan. With one touch, Rustan returned the ball to Freddy. Freddy got past Rapinha, then he gave Ryan a through ball.

Ryan ran into the penalty box and received the pass. He then gave a hard kick towards the Leeds United goalpost. The ball hit the post and bounced off the field.

In the 59th minute, Southampton got another chance. Dean Smith who managed to catch Leeds's attack immediately threw the ball to the right side. Freddy pushed the ball that he received forward and ran at full speed. He changed his running position slowly to the middle. Mateusz Klich used his hands to block Freddy's body. The two players pushed each other. Freddy then gave the ball to the right. Rustan who also ran immediately received the ball and crossed the middle line of the field.

Rustan relied on his speed to beat Diego Llorente. After that, he gave a diagonal pass into the middle of the field. While Anthony had tried to free himself from Firpo and Cooper's guard, but he was failed, Cooper manages to cut off Rustan's pass. He then threw the ball off the field.

Moments later, Freddy threw the ball into the field. Simone managed to receive the ball and gave it to Okhalo. The Southampton center-back provided a progressive pass towards Rudolf. Rodrigo used his physique to annoy Rodrigo, but Rudolf stubbornly dribbled the ball forward and passed it to Ryan. Cooper stepped forward and put the pressure on Ryan. Meanwhile, Ryan flicked the ball to the right side. After that, he turned his body and kicked the ball from outside the field.

In the 65th minute, it was Leeds' turn to get a chance. This scheme starts again from midfield. Ryan tried to snatch the ball from Calvin, but the Leeds defender easily escaped Ryan's guard. After that, Rudolf stepped forward to tackle Calvin, but the Leeds player juggled the ball and passed Rudolf. After that, he gave a long pass to the left. Rapinha immediately ran at full speed. He elbowed each other with Freddy. This time, Rapinha was superior, he managed to bring the ball into the penalty box. After that, he gave a horizontal pass into the middle of the penalty box.

Patrick Bamford jumped as he leaned forward. He headed the ball from Rapinha. The ball slid straight into the Southampton goalpost. Dean Smith blocked the ball and bounced it off the field.

Bamford held his head, regretful that he had missed such a good opportunity.

In the 71st minute, both teams made substitutions. Kazuki came in to replace Anthony, while Daniel James came in to replace Rodrigo. In contrast to Rodrigo who has a tall stature, Daniel James has a normal posture, his advantage lies in his ability to dribble and break through the opponent's defense.

With Kazuki's entry, George also gave out new instructions. He asked the other Southampton players to support Kazuki. George had no doubts about Kazuki's ability to score goals, but it was clear that Leeds United was aware of that fact as well. Marcelo Bielsa would not let Kazuki touch the ball in the penalty box. Therefore, it takes the support of the other players so that Kazuki can score goals more easily.

In the 76th minute, Okhalo made a tackle on Daniel James. He managed to get the ball without a foul. Okhalo immediately gave the ball to Simone. Mateusz Klich stepped up to press Simone. The Southampton captain gave the ball horizontally to the left side. Benson did overlap and dribbled the ball forward.

Benson crossed the halfway line. Jack Horrison stretched out his leg to knock Benson down. He managed to hold the ball, but Benson kicked the ball at Jack Horrison's feet with a strong force. His feet didn't touch Jack's feet, so the referee didn't judge this as a foul. Kounde managed to receive the ball kicked by Benson. He turned and dribbled the ball in front of the Leeds penalty box. After that, he gave a curved pass into the middle of the penalty box. Kazuki had rid of the offside line, then he kicked the ball into the Leeds net.

Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier managed to hold off Kazuki's shot, but the ball bounced back to the right side of the penalty box. Hugo came and pushed the ball into the net. The referee blew the whistle while pointing to the center of the field. Southampton immediately celebrated the goal together. Leeds United fans couldn't help but mourn, seeing Southampton celebrate the goal. On the sidelines, Marcelo Bielsa got angry and kicked the water bottle violently. He didn't expect that a few minutes after Kazuki entered Southampton, Southampton immediately scored a goal.

After a while, the game started again. Leeds United played more aggressively. They were running tirelessly and continued to put pressure on Southampton. However, Southampton's players were able to withstand the pressure well. Kazuki and Ryan also came down to midfield to help Southampton control the ball.

In the 83rd minute, Kazuki gave a long pass suddenly to the right. Rustan who escaped the offside trap managed to receive the ball well. The Southampton young player brought the ball into the penalty box. Cooper blocks Rustan's shooting space. The Southampton right-winger returned the ball to Ryan.

Ryan gave a short floating pass to the left side of the penalty box. Kazuki ran towards it and gave the ball a header. Unfortunately, his header missed the goalpost. Even though the opportunity ended in vain, Kazuki still gave a thumbs up towards Ryan. He had to admit even though Kazuki had practiced heading, but he didn't master the heading thing completely.

Until the final whistle of the second half sounded, no more goals were added. Leeds had to accept a draw against Southampton at home. Meanwhile, in this match, Kazuki failed to score a goal or an assist, but his good performance still received appreciation from George. With this game over, there is only one Southampton game left this season. That was the match against Manchester United in the 38th Premier League match.