After 1-2 months of training, the cessa MS boys football tournament was finally at bay. We were going to travel to Tbilisi, Georgia to play football against several other schools. We woke up at 2 am to go to campus because we were going to take the bus from there to the airport. The team consisted of 11-year-olds, 12-year-olds, and 13-year-olds. We flew to Istanbul and stayed for 12 hours in Istanbul. The airport was large and had numerous shops. After a painful 12 hours with the unpleasant aftertaste of McDonalds, we landed in Georgia at 4 o'clock. The second day we ate a nice breakfast in the hotel and decided to do sightseeing, which to be honest, was kind of disappointing. I enjoyed some pleasant places in Tbilisi, but found it similar to Tirana, possibly due to not seeing enough of the city. The most important part of the trip began the next day. 
The event kicked off the following day. We first competed against a Romanian school, and then we faced Tblisi. We had faith in the outcome of the game. We played football whenever we had the chance because it is the most popular sport in Albania. But wow, was I mistaken. Their entire team was made up of tall, fit men with exceptional strength, speed, and cooperation. My entire buildup of optimism and willpower fell apart in a matter of minutes. The score was at least 10 points apart by FT. When the game finished, they just celebrated lightly and went into the school to take a break. The game had broken us. The team faced a match against a weak Tbilisi team, and with the help of an excellent coach and a well-received speech, we managed to win easily and qualify for the next day's games. After a tiring day, we ate in the school cafeteria before returning to the hotel. 
As the following day began, things were not going well. We lost a player when one of our teammates became ill and had to stay in the hotel. We woke up to a bitterly cold morning before we entered the bus. After arriving at the school, we briefly warmed up before entering the building to watch the speech. After the speech, we headed back outside to play our first game. Since I wasn't as good as the others, to be honest, I was benched. We didn't require much defense during the game, which was good. We took a break and started our next match. This one was difficult to be honest. The first half ended 2-0.  
“Coach, I don’t think I can play anymore,” the goalkeeper was anxious and tired, “I’m not thinking straight, and I can’t help our team.” 
“But we have no one else to replace you with.” replied the coach. 
“I’ll go in.” Ludo, one of the 12-year-old volunteers to take the position. Ludo had been playing as a CAM until this point of the tournament, so none of us knew what to expect, but we allowed him to take the position. 
I was waiting patiently for the game to start but as soon as kick off was about to happen, the coach called at the referee. 
“I’m going to sub number 11 in for number 15.” said the coach in a half-certain tone. 
“Alright,” said the referee after a deep thought deciding if he should let the late interruption slip. 
I took off my coat and gloves when I heard the coach call my number and started the game as a right center-back. Although I did well, goalie was the real MVP. He blocked shot after shot, and with his help, we were able to respond to every move they made. We successfully repelled their attacks and unexpectedly emerged victorious. When the referee blew the FT whistle, we all ran for the goalie and celebrated as we entered the second to last stages of the tournament. 
 The semi-finals were held after a break. We were playing against an English school. This was the toughest game so far. At halftime, they led the match 3-1, so we made the decision to step up our offensive drive. The shot power of one of the 13s, Olof, was exceptional, but he had weak aim, to put it simply. We fouled shortly after the game began. We allowed Olof to take the penalty because it was near the midline. Honestly, his shots were split 50/50. Olof charged up and it was clear at that point that he would shoot. His leg swinged at a perfect angle scoring an incredible goal. The score was now 3-2. We received a free kick just as we were about to give up. We let Olof retake it, but with low expectations. To my surprise, Olof scored an absolute screamer of a goal, tying the score. Our backup goalie, Ludo, was sent in, and he stopped every shot he received and helped us win and advance to the championship game. 
We were playing the Romanian school, of course. In every game, they won by 12–14 points. Despite losing previously to the same team, we were not as anxious as we were on the first day. In contrast to our defensive play style, the opposing side was in full attack mode at kickoff. Even our most skilled attackers played CAM (Center Attacking Midfield), so they would come back in defense every time it was possible. We weren’t playing half bad, until one of our defenders elbowed one of the players on the opposite team by accident. The player fell to the ground and groaned in pain, and quickly after a benched opponent yelled at our defender. After this point in the match, the defender was too nervous to try any more tackles, and our defense dropped. 
 It didn’t take a lot for me to realize they had started playing aggressively. We were struggling a lot, and our opponents never got tired. By the time we scored 1, they had scored 6. No matter our attempts we lost 8-1. Although we didn’t come first place, we were satisfied with our performance. Taking the second spot wasn’t in our expectations. The last night in Georgia was not too bad. The trip really bonded the team together. Living together and doing everyday activities together helped us create connections with each other. Even after the trip some of the teammates went out together. Unfortunately, the trip ended, and we got onto our flight back to Tirana. We returned to our school the next day, tired and disappointed.