The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 376: Hakodate Nishi’s First Weakness?! No, It Fails!

Well, that shot from Hiroshi was enough to spice up the game. Somehow, everything became more open, with Hakodate Nishi’s defensive line getting dragged into the low-block territory. It was still not dangerous, and that was why no one noticed this change yet. However, if they got careless, Park Han-Gyeol would always be there to punish them with his speed.

Mamoru also went crazy. He dropped back a little, playing as a deep-lying midfielder. However, this unleashed his creativity more, as not only could he dictate the tempo better, but his vision was also clearer, being able to see everything from the back. His passes always arrived all over the place, and the most frustrating part was that they always found his teammates without a problem.

BAM!

"Shit! Hori, your side again!"

"Ha! Nice pass, Mamoru!"

It was the 24th minute of the game, and another long pass found Wataru Takagi on the right side. Hori guarded that boy immediately, initiating one more battle between those two. This had been happening for quite a while, with the result varying between them. It was clear at this point that they were equal today.

This time, Wataru Takagi hovered slowly and parallelly with the sideline, with Hori lowering his stance while waiting for the boy to take action. It could be a pass, it could be a solo run, and it could also be a cut-back. Now, Hori had to wait; if he made the initiative first, he would be eaten alive by Wataru.

Wataru himself was also in a dilemma. He could see that Takaaki was coming to this side as well, intending to help Hori. However, the space on the flank in front of him wasn’t that big, and making a solo run there would only result in a goal-kick.

To his surprise, though, someone suddenly flashed in front of him. It wasn’t Hakodate Nishi’s players, as Wataru still had the ball on his feet. However, in the next second, he realized who that person was from the shout that followed.

"Wataru! Quick, front!"

It was Mamoru, who somehow, after sending a long pass to him from the center circle, had already run past him to get into the flank. The boy himself was getting caught off his guard by his friend’s insane mobility, but the instinct honed in the football pitch for so many years kicked in, letting him pass the ball without thinking.

Thud!

"Fuck! A leak!" Hori scowled, abandoning Wataru even before the ball was passed to chase Mamoru. It worked for a moment to narrow the distance between them to two steps, but Mamoru was too fast here.

With a quick glance, he sent a centering lob to a space close to where Higo was standing, and from the edge of the box, Park Han-Gyeol had also made his move already, rushing with all of his speed before leaping in the air.

"Fuck! I have to get it!" Higo gritted his teeth, getting ready to jump as well.

Even without his clairvoyant ability, the boy could see how dangerous Park Han-Gyeol’s move was, so when the ball was close enough, he leaped in the air as well, trying to pluck the ball out of the aerial duel. As a result...

BANG!

FWEEE!

A collision happened in the air, involving Park Han-Gyeol and Higo. The referee also blew the whistle immediately, clearly seeing how the Korean striker charged into the goalkeeper. However, this left Hakodate Nishi dissatisfied, as they complained to the referee immediately.

"Sensei, can you see that Higo-senpai is getting the ball?! It is a perfect chance for us to counter!" Takaaki voiced his opinion.

"Yeah, you people always said for us to adapt to the national tournament’s intensity, but what is this? A little collision is enough to stop the game?!" Makino added, shielding everyone from crowding the referee as well.

The man himself just had the corner of his mouth twitching madly. Inwardly, he muttered, ’You guys usually are eager to slow down the game; what the fuck is going on here?’

In fact, he wasn’t the only one who was dumbfounded. Even Park Han-Gyeol was so shocked when he found himself falling on the ground. He stared at himself for a moment, then switched to Higo, who just sighed helplessly while standing tall from the collision earlier, and he blinked his eyes in disbelief.

’He didn’t budge at all?!’

Inwardly, the boy also recalled what his coach had said a few days ago.

"Their weakness number one: they only have one registered goalkeeper!" The coach slammed the board as he showed Hakodate Nishi’s list of players to his boys. "You can also see it from their bench that they don’t have any backup in case Ryusuke Higo has a problem. So, let’s create more problems for him! Be physical in the penalty box, challenge him in an aerial duel! One or two fouls don’t matter; we will wear him down and kill his endurance and spirit!"

That was exactly the same strategy as Esashi High did against Hakodate Nishi in the semifinal of the prefectural tournament. The aim might differ slightly, with Esashi trying to intimidate Higo with their physicality while Shimizu Higashi wanted to wear him down until the end. However, the essence was quite the same.

Unfortunately, today’s Higo was different than the past him. He was stronger, braver, and more importantly, the boy also knew how to take a contact without injuring himself. This was the result of the boxing training that he had with Miyashi before the national tournament began.

’Yeah, your training might be brutal, but thanks a lot, Miyashi-senpai...’ Higo couldn’t help but mumble inwardly.

Now that Park Han-Gyeol had already confirmed Higo’s unexpected strength, all the Shimizu Higashi players were somber. After all, one of the weaknesses that they found was basically impossible to exploit. Still, that didn’t mean they lost an idea, as right after that, Miki Yamane’s shout echoed throughout the pitch.

"Don’t worry, we still have the second one! No need to panic!"

Hearing that, all the Shimizu Higashi players perked up, realizing that indeed, they still had to test their opponent’s second weakness that their coach had guessed a few days ago.

’Well, one miss is understandable, but there is no way Sensei’s intelligence will miss for the second time in a row, right?’