Chapter 86 - 84 - A Way Back

Chapter 86: Chapter 84 - A Way Back

Rafael stopped near halfway as the Dijon players celebrated.

Caron was standing with his hands on his hips, while one of the deeper midfielders spoke to the centre-backs about the movement through the middle.

Renaud collected the ball and carried it toward the centre circle, where several Metz players were gathering for the restart.

"Come on," he called, placing the ball on the spot.

Rafael moved back toward the left as Lembezat returned to his position behind Dijon’s forwards.

The referee signalled for play to continue.

Metz attempted to respond quickly, but their next attack broke down before the ball reached the penalty area.

Caron received near the centre circle with two Dijon midfielders approaching. He tried carrying between them, only for the second player to stretch across and win possession.

The home side immediately found Lembezat again.

He turned toward goal and attempted to release Tavares into the channel, but this time Metz’s covering defender read the pass and intercepted before the striker could begin his run.

The clearance reached Rafael on the left, where he controlled it and carried a few yards forward before returning possession inside. Metz kept the ball for several passes, although Caron was still coming out of his own half when Rafael next received near the touchline.

The right-back approached, with a midfielder moving across to help him.

Rafael looked toward Renaud, who was standing between the centre-backs, then protected the ball until his full-back came close enough for a return pass.

Metz switched play toward Perrin, but Dijon recovered their positions before the winger could get into the area, and the move eventually ended without a shot.

From the technical area, the head coach was calling toward his midfielders.

"Caron! Get back in with them!"

Caron looked across as the coach pointed toward Lembezat, who had already drifted into the space between Metz’s midfield and defence.

The instruction reached Rafael and Perrin as well. Both were told to recover closer to the midfield line when Dijon had the ball, rather than remaining high and leaving their full-backs exposed.

When Dijon next attempted to play through the centre, Metz’s nearest midfielder followed Lembezat closely enough to prevent him turning. The pass went backwards, allowing Rafael to move toward the right-back as the home side switched possession outside.

Dijon tried working through midfield again, but Caron had recovered close enough to challenge the receiver and force another pass backwards.

Metz pushed forward together.

The home side still found opportunities to attack, although they were having to work harder to reach the spaces they’d used earlier. On one occasion, Lembezat tried carrying beyond the midfielders after receiving a short pass, but a second Metz player closed him down before he could release Tavares.

Dijon moved the ball wide instead, where Rafael tracked the advancing right-back until Metz regained possession.

Attacking remained difficult.

During one passage, Renaud received a long pass near halfway with a centre-back already leaning into his back. He managed to bring the ball under control, but Caron was still several yards away after helping defend the previous attack.

Renaud tried holding possession until support arrived, only for a Dijon midfielder to step across and intercept his attempted pass.

He turned with his arms spread before chasing after the ball.

Rafael had started moving toward him from the left, but the pass never reached his side. He recovered with the others as Dijon moved forward, and Metz eventually forced the attack away from the penalty area.

A few minutes later, the visitors finally won possession with several Dijon players committed forward.

Caron collected near the centre circle and turned toward the left.

Rafael glanced at the right-back, who had advanced to support the previous attack and was still several yards ahead of his defensive line.

He accelerated down the touchline.

Caron released the pass into the channel, and Rafael reached it ahead of the recovering defender before pushing the ball toward the penalty area.

A centre-back came across to meet him.

Rafael kept possession close as he approached the box, waiting until the defender began narrowing the angle before shifting the ball onto his right foot.

The recovering full-back was closing from behind, but Rafael had enough room for a shot if he released it quickly.

He struck across goal just as the defender reached his side.

There was contact against his hip, enough to disturb his balance without bringing him down, and the effort travelled toward the far corner with less power than he’d intended.

Dijon’s goalkeeper dived and pushed it away.

Rafael followed the rebound, but the centre-back recovered first and cleared before he could reach it.

He slowed near the byline, looking toward the goalkeeper as the Dijon players moved out of their area. Caron was approaching from midfield, and Rafael raised a hand to acknowledge the pass before jogging back toward the left.

He’d finally managed to escape the right-back, but the defender had recovered quickly enough to interfere with the finish.

Metz kept more of the ball during the closing minutes of the half, although they couldn’t create another opening as clear as Rafael’s. Dijon continued looking for Lembezat whenever they recovered possession, but Caron and the deeper midfielders were staying close enough to make those passes harder.

The referee eventually blew for the interval.

HALF-TIME: DIJON 1–0 FC METZ

Rafael followed his teammates into the away dressing room and took his seat.

Renaud remained standing near his locker, removing the tape from one wrist while several players collected drinks. Caron sat a few places away with his elbows resting on his knees, and Rafael pulled his shirt away from his chest before reaching for his bottle.

Renaud dropped the tape into the bin and looked across at Caron.

"I’m having to come all the way back to get anything."

Caron raised his head. "I know, but every time they have the ball, I’m chasing that bloke."

"Yeah, I can see that."

Renaud reached for his drink, but Caron continued before he could sit down.

"If I stay up, he’s on his own between the lines."

Renaud didn’t argue. He took a long drink and sat down as the head coach stepped forward to begin the halftime discussion.

The coach addressed Dijon’s movement through midfield, reminding the players how often Lembezat had been able to turn during the first half-hour. Metz had closed those spaces more effectively after dropping Caron deeper, but the forwards were now spending too long waiting for support.

"When we win it, I want Caron getting forward quicker," he told the midfielders. "The other two stay organised behind him. We don’t need everyone coming towards the same ball."

He returned to the board briefly, showing one occasion where Metz could have released possession outside earlier, before turning toward the attacking players.

"Keep making those runs. We’ve got at their full-backs when we’ve moved it quickly enough."

There were a few final instructions before the players were left to prepare.

Rafael tightened the laces on his left boot and stood. His calves were beginning to feel the first half, but there was no discomfort as he followed Renaud and the others toward the tunnel.

Metz began the second half with Caron pushing farther forward whenever they secured possession.

One of the deeper midfielders found him near halfway, allowing him to turn and release Perrin before Dijon could close him down. The winger carried toward the area and attempted a cross, but the left-back blocked it.

Metz recovered and moved possession across to Rafael, who received near the left touchline with enough room to face his defender.

He took a touch inside, drawing the right-back with him before laying the ball to Caron, who had arrived in support. The midfielder immediately found the overlapping full-back, whose delivery forced Dijon’s centre-backs to clear under pressure.

Another Metz midfielder collected the loose ball, allowing the visitors to maintain their attack.

Rafael continued offering himself outside, occasionally checking toward Caron before running beyond his marker when possession reached the attacking third. Dijon still crowded the central areas, but Metz were moving the ball quickly enough to prevent their midfielders from closing every passing lane.

Around the hour, one of Metz’s deeper midfielders intercepted a pass and found Caron facing forward.

The attacking midfielder took the ball away from Lembezat with his first touch and released Perrin on the right.

Perrin accelerated toward the penalty area as Dijon’s left-back moved across to challenge. The winger kept possession close enough to change direction but far enough ahead that the defender couldn’t get a clean tackle in.

Renaud was already moving between the centre-backs.

Perrin took another touch and delivered before the left-back could reach him.

The cross came toward the middle, where Renaud accelerated across the nearest defender just as the ball began dropping. The centre-back attempted to follow, but Renaud reached it first and directed a firm header toward the far corner.

Dijon’s goalkeeper pushed off and stretched an arm across goal.

The ball passed beyond him and struck the inside of the net.

Renaud turned and sprinted toward Perrin, shouting as the winger met him near the touchline.

DIJON 1–1 FC METZ

Rafael ran across from the far side as Caron reached the pair.

Renaud caught Perrin around the shoulders and clapped him across the back before accepting an embrace from Caron. Rafael joined them as the other Metz players arrived, and the celebration continued until the referee called for everyone to return.

Renaud finally broke away, still breathing hard as he jogged toward the centre circle.

Rafael followed him while Dijon prepared to restart.

For the next several minutes, Metz found room whenever the ball travelled beyond Dijon’s narrow midfield. Caron was joining the attack more quickly, giving Renaud someone to combine with, while Perrin continued threatening from the right.

Rafael received near the corner of the penalty area during another move and attempted to carry inside, but the right-back stayed alongside him and blocked the route toward goal. Rafael returned possession to Caron, who switched toward Perrin before Dijon could close him down.

The resulting cross was cleared.

Dijon responded through Lago, who collected near the edge of Metz’s penalty area and carried across the defensive line, looking for room to turn onto his shooting foot. A centre-back followed closely enough to stretch out a leg and win possession before he could strike. 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

The home side recovered the clearance and attempted another attack, forcing Metz to defend a delivery from the right before moving the ball away from danger.

Rafael had already returned toward his full-back.

As Dijon switched possession to his side, their right-back began advancing along the touchline while the player ahead of him moved toward the space behind Metz’s defender.

Rafael checked over his shoulder and moved into the passing lane rather than chasing the midfielder carrying the ball.

The midfielder looked toward the winger but hesitated when Rafael closed the route down the line. A Metz player arrived from the centre and pressed him, forcing Dijon to return possession toward their defenders.

Rafael followed the right-back as Metz pushed out.

Dijon worked the ball across midfield again, but their next attempt to play through the centre was intercepted.

Caron moved forward to support Renaud while Rafael remained available on the left and Perrin advanced along the opposite touchline.

The pass reached Perrin, whose first touch took him beyond the nearest midfielder. He approached the penalty area and tried to find Renaud between the centre-backs, but the closest defender stepped across and intercepted before the striker could receive.

The clearance reached midfield.

One of Metz’s deeper players challenged for the loose ball, but it broke toward Vargas-Ríos, who turned away from the tackle and found Lembezat ahead of him.

Caron had already moved forward with the attack.

The nearest defensive midfielder stepped toward Lembezat while his partner retreated to protect the centre-backs.

Lembezat carried into the space ahead, drawing the approaching midfielder toward him as Vargas-Ríos continued his run beyond the challenge.

The return pass reached Vargas-Ríos near the edge of the penalty area.

A Metz defender was closing from his right, but the midfielder had enough room to take a touch and set himself before striking low toward the far corner.

Metz’s goalkeeper dived across goal.

The shot passed beyond his hand and entered the net.

The home supporters erupted.

DIJON 2–1 FC METZ