AN: Requested!👇🏻 Feel free to send requests and I'll do as many as I can:-) Hope you guys enjoy it! Sorry for not updating for a while, I've been busy with other stuff. I want to wish y'all a Happy New Year! Hopefully see you sooner in the next chapter/one shot x
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Leah's POV:
I'm going into my first ever World Cup today and I couldn't be more excited. The team flew in to France about a week ago, and ever since I've been waiting for this particular day to come. Our opening game of the tournament is against Scotland. It'll be tough but I'm sure we got this.
"Alright girls, time to get ready!" Steph shouts across the changing room.
Now it's time, we better make it one to remember. I'm not in the starting XI, but I'm hopefully making an appearance as a sub later on. With Phil as manager you never know though.
Walking out the stadium with the team was quite special, not to mention the big crowd in the stands cheering us on. It's so much to take in at the same time and just the fact to play in a World Cup feels unreal. We're clearly the favorites beforehand, but I have to admit that Scotland is a pretty good football nation as well.
Looking at the game from afar is something I'm not too used to do. At Arsenal I play consistently from the start and I'm always given as one of the starters. Being with the national team is a different story. First of all we got Phil as the manager, which is kinda self explanatory. Secondly, his tactics are shit and he doesn't understand it's his fault we're losing to inferior opponents. Last thing is he neither sees the potential nor have faith in younger players like myself. Most of our starting XI today is made up of his favorites, and worst thing is that most of them shouldn't even play because they're no good. What irritates me the most is that he can't even see it, like where is our midfield? It's a hot mess and looks like an accordion that has been broken in the outer position. And as if that wasn't enough, our back line put together has to be one of the sloppiest back fours of all time. The only position we're decently good in right now is attack, but it doesn't matter if we can't even defend ourselves...
After the first half we're down 0-1. Not a surprising standing with all honesty, the most surprising is that we can't perform better than we do at the moment. If Phil will ever realize he got players on the bench for a reason, well then we're talking. But it's him so it's never going to happen anyway, my bad.
Sitting on the bench starts to effect me in ways I've not thought it could before. It's getting warmer for every minute that passes by, and I'm out here with a thick ass jacket on. I don't know what has gotten into my mind, like for fuck's sake Leah it's summer you won't be that cold watching the game from the sidelines.
"Congrats on the win today girls! Good work from all of you, especially in the second half. Go back to the hotel and get some well deserved rest and I'll see everyone gathered at breakfast tomorrow morning." Phil announces after the game. We turned the game over last minute and came off with a 2-1 win against Scotland in our first group match. I can't agree with him that we played good, but a win is a win I guess?
~1 week later~
We won the rest of our group matches and finished first in our group. Two solid performances from the team secured a spot in the round of sixteen that's coming up in a few days. First we won 1-0 over Argentina, and a couple of days later we beat Japan with 2-0 on the scoreboard. I've yet to make my World Cup debut... I try to have my hopes up still, but it's hard. If I'm going to get any minutes it must be next game, that's my only chance. If we advance from there Phil would never play me against the top teams.
Currently me and Keira are hanging out in our shared hotel room. We are having a good time until my mood suddenly changes.
"Leah are you okay?"
