Chapter 300 Qualifier finals XVII
All of a sudden as those anxious eyes converged on him, Hiroshi felt an unusual feeling burdening his heart. The feeling was like that as if the fate of his whole team depended on him.
The abrupt feeling only lasted for a split second as he determinedly strode towards Park Seung-gyu, prepared to do anything to stop him on his track.
As such just as the ball was about to fall infront of Park Seung-gyu, he leapt from the ground while making use of his momentum.
Extending his legs, as if he was about to perform a flying kick, he hoovered in the air.
Park Seung-gyu's eyes widened all of a sudden upon seeing the leg which was flying beside his chest, stealing the ball which was meant for him right infront of his eyes.
As Hiroshi made contact with the ball, the crowd roared in ecstasy, thrilled by Tanaka's athletic abilities and the amazing clearance made by Tanaka.
At the same time, fans of the opposing team grabbed their heads as they grumbled upon seeing this unbelievable clearance made by Hiroshi Tanaka. They were totally disappointed.
Hiroshi made a clearance in an unforgettable way by putting his body on the line. And the whole crowd went wild upon seeing his method of clearing the ball.
"Woah.... What's up with Japanese players today? How are they pulling such miraculous stuff so easily?" The commentator was on his toes while commenting.
His facial expression full of disbelief was having hard time believing while his eyes reflected the thrill contained within him.
The scene at the substitution box of Japan was one that of extreme joy and excitement. With players roaring enthusiastically and some still trying to process the scene which took place infront of them, they were both shocked and enthralled.
The ball then as it touched the feet of Hiroshi flew away, towards the sidelines. Totally unobstructed, the ball easily crossed the sidelines inturn awarding the opposing team a throw-in.
Witnessing the ball crossing the line, the assistant referee who was positioned at the sideline raised his flag, declaring a throw-in.
At the same time the official referee blew his whistle putting a hault to the intensity of this match.
Beep!!
Both the fans and players of Japan breathed a sigh of relief upon listening to the whistle of the referee.
Although the impending danger on them hadn't came to an end yet, they were still relieved to see the loss of the momentum of the opposing team.
However the opposing players didn't seem like they were in a mood to be lenient as their winger who was close to the sidelines immediately rushed towards the sidelines.
It was evident from the way he was acting that he was going in for a quick throw-in while most of the players of the opposing team was taking a moment of breather.
He wanted to make use of their lack of vigilance.
Seeing the action of the opposing winger, Hiro immediately shouted, "Everybody get in position, we don't have any time to rest"
As his words travelled to their ears, most of the players in his team were startled awake by his words. Immediately they then began to assume their position, preparing for the throw-in without wasting any more time.
At the same time, Hiro also rushed backward to guard against the throw-in. While rushing behind, a particular memory flashed in his mind, 'Corner taken quickly'
Fans of Japan who were momentarily letting their guards down upon seeing this act of the opposing team felt disgusted as they started hauling negative comments full of frustration on the opposing team, "How could you be so shameless??"
"Taking advantage of the momentary distraction of our players"
Before they could even finish their comments, the throw-in had already been taken. And it was a pretty long throw-in as well.
The ball was headed straight towards the penalty box where Park Seung-gyu had positioned himself. Aside from Akutsu and Hiroshi, there were barely any players present close to Park Seung-gyu.
And even among those two, Akutsu was the only one who had sticked close to Park Seung-gyu. If not for his vigilant nature, right now Park Seung-gyu would have been totally free.
Hiro was still some distance away from the three of them. And by no means it seemed like he'd reach them before one of them would get the ball.
Despite his efforts, Hiro was totally helpless. He could only put his hopes on his teammates once again.
However although he was far from them, he hadn't lost any hopes and by no means he was planning on stopping.
Even if he couldn't reach there on time, he was still determined to be there. Who knows Park Seung-gyu may not be able to shoot? Who knows the ball might get cleared?
The game of football continues until the very last whistle of the referee. Even if you're losing and the time is running out, you ought to put effort until the last moment.
You ought to keep those legs moving until your body can no longer push itself.
And right now Hiro was doing the same as well. He wasn't taking any chances. As much as he had faith in his teammates, he trusted himself more than anyone else.
And he wanted to grab that potential opportunity which might present itself in a while.
As the ball was about to fall down, both Park Seung-gyu and Akutsu leapt from the ground almost at the same time.
Akutsu being knowledgeable about defending tried his best to limit the jump of Park Seung-gyu by intentionally bumping on him. However he was also cautious enough to hide his tricks.
Both of them being inside the penalty box, he knew that he couldn't push him openly or play tricks on him openly or else he might fake his injuries and appeal for a foul.
Getting a foul in this spot was almost instant doom. Knowing Park Seung-gyu, he would surely put in the penalty kick if he were to get his legs on the penalty kick.
Thus he purposely didn't act on open and only made it seem like both of them collided against each other at the same time.
However Park Seung-gyu who was inside the box right now had his abilities enhanced because of his talent.
With his enhanced abilities, his physicality had also been improved slightly. Meaning right now he was a bit more sturdy and a bit more athletic than before.
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