A heartwarming story by Ayush Pal, Class 5, Epic Public School, of teamwork and friendship as Ayush and Divyanshu lead their team to a thrilling football victory.
They were best friends for a very long time. The day they used to go to school together and after they returned they played football on the field next to their home. These two friends were Ayush and Divyanshu. The entire locality used to know about their friendship and their skills in football. Ayush was known for his incredible speed. He used to play as a center forward, and Divyanshu’s talent was his ability to score goals. People often used to say that these two were a perfect combination to win a football game.
One Sunday afternoon, when the school was closed, Ayush rushed to Divyanshu’s house. His speed as he walked depicted his excitement.
“Ayush, why are you so excited? We still have time for our football practice.” Divyanshu asked in a confused tone.
“Guess what is happening next month?” Ayush spoke, his excitement quite clear from his tone.
“What?” asked a confused Divyanshu.
“There’s a major football tournament in Alipurduar next month” Ayush continued after a pause, “I feel we should participate. Just think if we win how wonderful that would be!”
Divyanshu’s immediately reacted, “We should? We must. Let’s do it buddy! But we will need to practice harder than ever!”
From the next day, the duo practiced football every day and honed their skills in the football. Ayush mostly concentrated on his speed and Divyanshu on his skills in goal-scoring. After weeks it was the day when the selection was scheduled. The selectors were amazed at the skills displayed by Divyanshu and Ayush and had no doubt in selecting the two.
After a month the tournament started. In the first match, the team from Cooch Behar won, all credit to Ayush and Divyanshu. The next again had the same result, this way the team from Cooch Behar went on to win all the matches and qualified for the finals.
On the day of the final football match, the team reached the stadium only to find a crowd larger than sands on a sea beach who had gathered to witness the game. The other finalist was a footbal team from Alipurduar. They were a strong team and also had a home-ground advantage. But Ayush and Divyanshu were determined to give their best.
As soon as the referee blew his whistle the match started. The opponent team had made the strategy of man-to-man marking. The first minute was restricted to the mid-field, but suddenly the right midfield found an opportunity to pass the ball to Ayush. He moved with great speed which was much faster than his stocker. He moved like a cheetah and soon reached the position of left forward and took a half volley.
The defenders were shocked at the move as the ball reached Divyanshu who was in the D-Box. Divyanshu took an Instep shot but the ball goalkeeper was quick to respond and save the ball from rolling over. The supporters of the Cooch Behar team were disappointed, as Divyanshu hardly misses an opportunity to score a goal.
The team from Alipurduar took possession of the ball and moved forward, they reached the D-Box and scored a goal.
Alipurduar 1 Cooch Behar 0.
Ayush and Divyanshu exchanged worried looks. Sensing Divyanshu’s nervousness Ayush reached him and said, “It is okay, don’t you worry,” he said patting Divyanshu on the back. “We will make it up. Trust me.”
The game continued, and both the teams tried to score but with no results. Soon the referee declared half-time.
“You all played well, no worries, they are a strong team.” The coach tried to encourage, but Ayush and Divyanshu were not satisfied, they worked hard not to lose but to win.
The match started again. The spectator saw a new energy in the team from Cooch Behar. Ayush moved like a cheetah dribbling all the defenders. Finally, the hard work resulted in a smashing goal by Divyanshu after Ayush passed the ball to him in the final minute.
Alipurdual 1, Cooch Behar 1.
The game will now go to the extra time declared, the referee.
The coach from Cooch Behar was happy with the performance of his team. He spoke to his team and said, “See your performance is really good, the team from Alipurduar has players who play from clubs like East Bengal and Mohan Bagan. So taking the game to extra time itself is an achievement. Just go ahead and play your best.”
The game started again. This time Divyanshu and Ayush were surrounded by the players from Alipurduar. Suddenly one player kicked Ayush on his shin bone deliberately. Ayush fell to the ground. The medics attending him advised a substitute, but Ayush refused. “I will play,” he said.
The game started again, with just 2 minutes left. Left back to center midfield – ball reaches the left midfield – back passes to center back – 1 minute left – pass to right midfield- possession still with the Cooch Behar team – pass – ball reaches Divyanshu but he is surrounded by 3 Alipurduar defenders – he hesitated unsure what to do, but then he heard his friend
“Pass it to me!” Ayush shouted from a distance. “Don’t be nervous! Just hit it hard!” he said.
Gathering all his courage, Divyanshu kicked the ball with all his strength – the ball reached Ayush – 10 seconds left – Ayush lifted the ball, and a bicycle kick – the ball flew and finally made its way to the goal.
“GOAL!”
The whistle blew, marking the end of the match.
Alipurduar 1, Cooch Behar 2.
They had won! Ayush and Divyanshu jumped and hugged each other in pure joy.
“I told you, you can do it,” Ayush said, smiling, and collapsed as his pain was unbearable.
At the presentation ceremony, the spectators saw Divyanshu holding Ayush and helping him to walk. Together, they lifted the trophy, proud of their teamwork and friendship. The day was theirs, a memory they would cherish forever.
