Down on the pitch, João had barely celebrated. A quick shout, a raised fist, then straight back into position. Businesslike. Calm. Like he had done this before. His teammates slapped his back, one of them ruffling his hair as they jogged back toward their half. João nodded, eyes already scanning the pitch, resetting.
The rest of the match followed the same rhythm.
Every interception brought a small clap from the stands. Every clean tackle drew a murmur of approval. João stepped into duels early, timed his jumps, used his body intelligently.
When the second goal went in, the celebrations felt inevitable. The Gimenez family stood again, clapping, laughing, hugging. Carlos leaned down to Reuben and said something that made the boy nod furiously, eyes still locked on the pitch.
