Chapter 287 Qualifier finals IV
And because of such repeated failures, not only Yutaka's but the condition of the entire team was getting extremely dire with every passing seconds. They were starting to lose their momentum.
At the same time, opposing players were rapidly falling back at an incredible pace. Filling in the gaps and increasing their pressure.
Yutaka's newfound confidence was taking a major hit and his confidence was getting shaken.
His breathing was getting a bit hurried, his forehead was covered with beads of sweat and his eyes which were glowing with confidence was starting to show signs of anxiousness, 'Why is he so hard to beat?'
Even his fluid movement had become somewhat sluggish than before. Right now his condition was like a castle made up of cards which could fall with a single gust of wind.
Kim Il-sung although a bit moody wasn't an idiot who couldn't read the obvious signs present infront of him. He was well aware of Yutaka's condition.
Thus at this moment, his eyes suddenly flashed with a cold light as he struck his legs forward while trying to disrupt Yutaka's balance using his body.
During the process, he collided hardly with Yutaka as he tried to push Yutaka.
Coming in contact with Kim Il-sung, Yutaka felt the pressure of Kim Il-sung. Thus he lost his footing which inturn made him lose his balance.
However although he lost his balance, he didn't lose the hold of the ball. It was like the ball was stuck in his legs.
Even so, Kim Il-sung was adamant. He wasn't willing to let go of Yutaka. Still Yutaka was somehow holding his ground by keeping hold of the ball.
This really showcased Yutaka's ability to keep hold of the ball to it's fullest.
But even though it seemed like Yutaka could hold his ground against Kim Il-sung. It wasn't the case. With every clashes, Yutaka was finding it extremely difficult to keep hold of the ball. If this situation continued for some more while, he was bound to lose control of the ball.
No matter how good of a control he had, how could he endure this repeated assault? Afterall there was just too much of a difference between their physique.
And although Kim Il-sung was making use of his strength, he wasn't committing any foul. Afterall he wasn't openly pushing Yutaka with his hands, he was merely using shoulder push to overthrow Yutaka.
Finally just when it seem like the momentum of Japan would get lost, Hiro who had been heavily marked by Korean players shook his mark and came to Yutaka's rescue.
If there were any teammates free, Yutaka wouldn't have taken this risk. He would have already passed the ball.
However since every single one of his teammates was being heavily guarded, he was forced to face Kim Il-sung all by himself. Thus, until now everything depended on him.
If he could get past Kim Il-sung, he could create a space for his teammates. But since he wasn't able to get past Kim Il-sung, the situation until now had gone into a stalemate with neither side advancing forward.
However at this moment as Hiro shook his mark, finally an opportunity was created.
The players who were marking Hiro were forced to leave their position which inturn formed a hole in the defense of opposing team.
Seeing the running figure of Hiro who had broken free from his encirclement, Yutaka's eyes sparkled with hope and joy.
The feeling of anxiousness which was growing inside his heart totally vanished away as he witnessed the figure of Hiro coming to his rescue.
Yutaka then immediately made a through pass to Hiro.
The pass was extremely accurate and ridiculously powerful. It was more like a ground shot than a pass.
Kim Il-sung who had been relentlessly pounding Yutaka made a flustered expression as he frowned his brows and anxiously turned towards the direction of the ball.
Although he panicked a little, he didn't stood paralysed at his place. Instead, he immediately changed his target and rushed towards Hiro.
All of sudden, everybody's focus drifted towards Hiro and Hiro became the centre of the attention.
Taking advantage of this moment, every player of Japan who's movements were restricted a moment ago broke free as they all made their own move.
Be it Nijichi, Yutaka, Honda or others every player started moving respectively.
The movement of all this players put the opposing players in a predicament.
Should they focus at Hiro? Or should they give those players a chase?
Many opposing players started to panic and hesitate. Leaving Hiro alone would certainly spell a doom. Hiro was just too big of a threat.
Not only could he score by himself, he could also create opportunities for the players around him.
Even if they stopped him outside the penalty box, he could hit a long range shot.
Their hesitation however was only momentary hesitation as all of them immediately regained their cool and started to chase after the players who had broken free.
At the same time, three people including Kim Il-sung rushed towards Hiro to put a stop to his march.
Kim Il-sung and another player chased him from behind while one of their central defender named Kim Ji-hoon charged towards him from the front.
Compared to Kim Il-sung, Kim Ji-hoon had a slightly small frame. However despite his small frame, he was remarkably agile on the field. Considering his pace he should be a fullback but the reason why their coach had placed him in the centre defender position was to utilise him as a libero.
While his team has the ball, he'd step up. And when they're on defence, he'd step down. Even a moment ago when they're on the offense, he was actually at the half-line.
But as soon as Japan started their counterattack, he immediately fell back using his speed.
Apart from playing as a defender, you'll even find him playing as a defensive midfielder most of the time. Kim Ji-hoon was really a versatile player.
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