The kick-off began with Adekunle tapping the ball back to the supporting forward just a few meters behind him- Jamiu.
Without wasting time, the Bariga Young Boyz began to dictate the tempo, recycling possession all the way back to their captain, almost immediately, the entire team except for the three defenders had all advanced into the Dark Elites' half.
It was almost amusing how boldly they abandoned their own defence half, but Mystic quickly read through the strategy.
They were baiting the Dark Elites to press forward, hoping to draw them out and exploit the space left behind, it was also a clever way to avoid pressure in their own half, by crowding the opposition's territory, they controlled where the battle would take place.
"What a sly tactic," Mystic muttered, but he knew his players would still have to step out and press, even if it was exactly what Bariga Young Boyz wanted, just as he thought that, he saw Tasty advancing to mark the central defender, who had been slowly creeping forward.
At that moment, the captain, Idris, suddenly shifted gears and started sprinting forward.
Tasty managed to reach him, but his attempt to steal the ball was effortlessly brushed aside, as Idris used his arm to shove him away with ease, the strength difference between them was stark and exactly what Mystic expected from a Bronze-rank player.
After shrugging off his marker and pushing deeper into the Dark Elites' zone, Idris looked up and spotted the left wingback sneaking in through Yung Tizzle's blind spot, without hesitation, he drove his leg into the ball.
Mystic watched as the ball curved beautifully in the air, spinning like a precision-guided missile aimed at Yung Tizzle.
Only, Tizzle hadn't realized someone had crept behind him, just a split moment before the ball arrived, the wingback stepped in front of him and used his back to bump Tizzle off balance, knocking him out of the perfect position to receive the ball.
He then raised his arm to block Yung Tizzle from repositioning and asserting dominance over that position once again, as the ball dropped cleanly, and the wingback expertly chested it to the ground before bursting into a full sprint.
It hadn't even been a minute, and the Bariga Young Boyz were already storming toward the penalty box with a dangerous attack, the left wingback now faced off against Okududu, who had appeared suddenly to block his path, in fact, most of the Dark Elites had already fallen back into the box, which was the one small advantage from being pushed so deep from the start.
The wingback pulled his leg back as if preparing to whip in a cross into the box, which prompted Okududu to stretch his right leg in anticipation, but at the last second, it was all a feint, as the attacker slammed the ball backward with a curt stomp, slipping between both defenders and bursting into the box with renewed speed.
Neither Yung Tizzle nor Okududu could catch him now.
Swoosh!
The much-anticipated cross finally came as it lashed a side pass in but Tizzy, the Dark Elites' right back, stepped up, intercepting the pass with a well-timed block that sent the ball rolling backward.
Just as the team exhaled in relief, tension spiked again when they realized who the ball was falling toward.
It was now heading directly for Adekunle, who had been hanging back a few meters, perfectly positioned for a rebound or stray pass.
The ball just rolled into his path, and without bothering to trap or finesse it, he simply swung his leg and struck it with the edge of his foot.
The shot glided cleanly between Tizzy's spread legs and zipped toward the bottom right corner of the goal.
The ball practically rolled into the net, as if it had casually walked its way there. Kado didn't even move, his vision had been completely blocked. All he could do was watch helplessly as the Bariga Young Boyz scored.
"Goal!!!" Adekunle's shout kicked off a wild celebration, his teammates jogged over with blooming smiles, exchanging high fives and cheers, but to Mystic, their reaction said everything, they thought his team was a joke.
It had been too easy. Just one minute in, and they had torn through the Dark Elites without even bothering with the midfield, it was humiliating, the players looked stunned, unable to process what had just happened.
But Mystic wasn't focused on their pain, he wanted to see how they'd respond when things didn't go their way.
As he stood in thought, Adekunle walked past him, a smug grin on his face. With a tilt of his head, as if he was giving Mystic a silent message: Hope you saw that.
Mystic understood the mind-set clearly.
Adekunle was the type who didn't want his former club to thrive without him, it was the only way he could justify abandoning the team that had once invested so much in his future, to convince himself he'd made the right decision.
"Let's go! The ball's just starting," Lambert, who Mystic had asked to wear the captain's armband temporarily until he could appoint a permanent leader, called out as he tried to rally his teammates.
Up ahead, Tasty was grinning so widely it looked like his face might split, he leaned over and whispered something to Bhola, who in turn gave Lambert a knowing look.
Phew!
After a brief pause, the match resumed with the referee's whistle, but instead of passing it back to Tasty, who stood in front of him, Bhola decided to hold onto the ball instead.
Tasty, on the other hand, burst into the Bariga Young Boyz's half, as he reached the center, where the midfielders were positioned, he planted himself perfectly between the lines, at the same time, Mojo and Igbo Boi surged down the flanks, responding to his run.
Their well-timed movement stretched the Bariga Young Boyz midfield wide, drawing attention away from the center and giving Tasty more space to maneuver with fewer midfielders around him.
Meanwhile, Adekunle and Jamiu were already closing in on Bhola, who still held the ball.
Spotting the opportunity, Bhola didn't hesitate, as he sent the ball back toward the area where the two defensive midfielders waited, Jezzy Vingz decided to stay behind to cover, while Lambert advanced into space.
As the ball reached Lambert, he responded with a deft one-touch pass, looping it with his left foot, the ball floated through the air, gliding like it was swimming across the sky.
Jamiu tried to intercept, but his only real chance to stop it cleanly would have been to use his hand, something he wasn't willing to risk with a blatant foul this early in the match.
And that hesitation proved costly, as the ball eventually found its way to Tasty, who had slipped free in the center.
Though one midfielder was still near him, but the marking wasn't tight, the Bariga Young Boyz clearly expected a wing-based counter, just as they had done and that misjudgement gave Tasty the window he needed.
The midfielder tried to body-check him, but the strength difference wasn't enough to knock Tasty off balance like Idris had done early, he stood his ground, as the ball reached him, Tasty nudged it with the side of his right foot, lifting it into position.
Then, without pause, as the ball began to fall, he timed his swing perfectly—angling his foot with precision.
Bang!
The rest was history as Tasty struck a clean volley, sending the ball crashing through the air toward the upper-left corner.
The Bariga Young Boyz keeper, still in a relaxed state after their recent celebration, hadn't anticipated such a sudden response, though he reacted and tried to stretch towards the ball, but his fingertips still couldn't reach it.
The net rippled with a loud snap as the ball slammed in, and the Dark Elites erupted in celebration, they had instantly pulled one goal back.
Mystic couldn't help but smile widely as he watched Tasty celebrate, even Alfred, seated just behind him, jumped to his feet and shouted, "Game on!" It was a fleeting moment of joy, but Mystic knew one thing for sure that Tasty's strike had just shaken the Bariga Young Boyz out of their complacency.
They wouldn't be underestimating his team of "young boys" any longer.