Astrid Taylor's dream was to one day play for Arsenal, but that was a long way away. First she had to start her footballing journey which would hopefully lead to that moment. A forward and striker with a strong kick, she might get there fast, but cr...
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After 2 days off in Melbourne and a quick flight to Sydney, the team were officially heading into training camp for the 2023 Fifa Women's World Cup. The first game of the entire tournament being theirs meant alot to the girls, kicking it off on home soil and starting their journey to hopefully take the trophy in front of a home crowd.
Astrid could never have imagined she would be standing here amongst some of the best players in the world, and the people who had become her family.
The training ahead of the game was tough and tiring but all while sticking their heads down and focusing, they still knew how to have fun and enjoy this tournament as best they could. The girls made Tiktoks and other content for social media to show the fans everything that went on behind the games and get them hyped up for the opening match.
The morning of the Ireland game Astrid became very quiet, unusually silent and disengaged from the group. The night before she had woken up many times from nightmares that vocalised all her deep down fears about the upcoming games; That she wasn't worthy enough for the team, she couldn't score a single goal and the team hated her for it, that she really was just a young naive girl who didn't have the skills to solidify her place on the squad. The worst one being her parents looking down on her in disappointment for mess ups and missed shots in every game.
Astrid was thankful that for the tournament they got their own rooms, meaning she didn't wake someone else up everytime she shot up in bed, gasping for air between her sobs. She wouldn't dare tell anyone what happened and explain why she was so quiet any more than saying she was focused on the match that night. A lot of those who asked simply dropped their questions after that, but Charli and Kyra were still hung up on her behaviour even hours after greeting her that morning.
They eventually arrived at the stadium and the team's energy shifted. Everyone was switched onto the game and the tournament ahead of them. Astrid was feeling very nervous and uneasy heading into the game, but still tried her best to push past those feelings and get into the zone.
She hadn't been chosen for the starting eleven but was promised minutes in the second half by Tony which was all she could ask for as a young and less experienced player on the squad. Astrid noted the energy in the stadium as she walked out with the other subs, it was the most amount of support she had felt yet and the game hadn't even started.
It was a very tough first half, both teams fighting hard and slightly dirty but it proved how much the game meant to every single person out on the pitch. A 0-0 scoreline at half time only pushed the girls to work even harder and stronger in the second half and get some points for a lead in the group stages.
Tony had listed when the subs were going to be made for the second half and Astrid was marked for the 75 minute mark to bring out fresh legs and her super-sub reputation once again.
The roar from the crowd when Steph made that penalty shot as captain on home soil was something Astrid had never heard before. The girls on the side jumped up and down in joy as they watched the girls on the pitch celebrate Steph with the crowd.
Astrid had a fire burning in her belly to push further ahead and safely secure the win in the group stage as she stood on the sidelines, waiting for Cortnee to swap out with her. She ran on and high-fived the girls as she passed them, taking her spot on the left corner as Mary shifted into the middle.
Astrid hadn't had the chance to get much of a touch onto the ball for the first 10 minutes, but it eventually made its way to the left side of the pitch and onto the feet of Steph. Astrid didn't have a plan of how she wanted to score but she subconsciously made her way to where she knew she could catch it, somewhere her and Steph had made a connection many times in training this week.
Her mind went quiet as she saw the ball rolling over to her feet, taking off running with it and trusting her team to keep the opposition away from her as she attempted a risky shot. Although Astrid was known for tapping it in from close distance, there was the odd time she had been able to make it from further out. This was one of those times.
Her left foot planted itself in the ground, angling towards the goal as her right foot swung hard and booted the ball up into the air. The crowd went silent as they watched it spin in the air, everyone including Astrid hoping she had planned it well enough to catch the inside corner of the net and not pass over it.
It felt like slow motion for Astrid as she watched it pass by Brosnan's outstretched fingertips and landing in the white net behind her. The Australian crowd erupted once again with cheers and screams as Astrid began running down the length of the pitch towards Steph. Her smile was wide and her arms reached up to the sky, hands forming a heart shape as she looked up towards the sky.
She looked back down and saw Steph waiting for her with open arms, Astrid jumping into them and holding onto Steph tight. The rest of the girls had followed behind, cheering for their shooting star before dogpiling her and Steph. She was encased with love and pride by her family as their supporters celebrated in the stands with them.
They released and placed plenty of head pats onto Astrid, Steph placing a kiss to her hair before leaving her with just Kyra lingering to walk back to their places together.
"That was fucking insane." Kyra whispered into her ear, pulling the forward closer as they walked. "I love you." Astrid whipped her head up with speed, staring at Kyra before she jogged off to her place in the midfield leaving Astrid to quickly run back to her place with a slightly dropped jaw.
The rest of the game played out resulting in a 2-0 win to the Matildas thanks to Steph and Astrid, the crowd once again cheering when the whistle blew and the rest of the squad making their way out to the field, congratulating the Irish team before celebrating with their own.
"I'm so proud of you!" Astrid felt a body jump onto her back, wrapping her legs around her waist out of instinct before turning her head to see Charli's smiley face like suspected.
"Thanks, Cha Cha." Astrid smiled awkwardly up at her before she began walking to find Courtney and Kyra on the other side of the pitch, Charli still high up on her back.
"There she is, star of the show." Courtney began clapping as Astrid and Charli began falling into view of herself and Kyra. Charli jumped down and they all embraced in a group hug.
"Hey Stargirl." Astrid lifted her head from the closed circle of giggles and turned to find Caitlin walking over to her with someone in a green jersey. "This is Katie."
"Holy shit." Astrid cursed softly as she realised Katie McCabe, one of her idols, was standing one metre in front of her. "Hi, it's nice to meet you." She held her hand out awkwardly for a handshake but Katie surprised her by bringing Astrid in for a hug instead. Safe to say she was kind of freaking out but trying to keep her cool.
"That goal was impressive, nice to see you've got a long range shot in ya too." Katie remarked as they stepped away from each other. Astrid smiled and nodded her head in acknowledgement.
"Thanks, means a lot." Astrid spoke again towards Katie, but she could feel her friends behind her snickering with Caitlin not so silently.
"Of course. I hear you're a big Arsenal fan." Katie comments and Astrid nods her head silently. "Well, let's just say I hope to play with you and not against you one day." Katie smiles before saying goodbye to the group and walking off.
"Okay fangirl." Charli teases after making sure Katie was far enough away.
"Shut the fuck up." Astrid rolls her eyes and begins to walk to where the team and staff had begun gathering for post match talks.
"Watch your mouth young lady." Caitlin calls out from behind her with the other girls. Astrid contemplates flipping them the bird but too many cameras and eyes looking at her so she reminds herself to do it later.
