The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 378: Hakodate Nishi’s Second Weakness?! This Time, It Is Successful!

"Shit! Shit! Shit! SHIT!" Makino cursed when he saw the ball landing straight into the space in front of Mamoru. "HORI, WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?!" He roared, a thick vein popped on his forehead as the boy kept moving back while also keeping an eye on Mamoru.

Honestly, with Hori overlapping too far and him having to hold back Mamoru Suzuki alone here, this was the most stressful play that Makino experienced so far in this game. It also didn’t help that more Shimizu Higashi players reacted quicker than his teammates, as at least five players with white jerseys had already occupied Hakodate’s own half.

The only saving grace here was probably that they were still close to the center line, not enough to pose an immediate threat to Higo.

"Coming back! Coming back!" Hori rushed at top speed, having a race with the opponent’s full back, who was also trying to give Mamoru backup.

However, before anyone got close enough to him, Mamoru suddenly sent a simple pass to the middle area. It was like a little chip, but not enough to get above Makino’s head. Still, the pass caught Hakodate Nishi’s captain off guard, and the ball just passed through his shoulder before landing on Park Han-Gyeol’s knee smoothly.

"Shit! Jun!" Makino cursed without even turning, still keeping an eye on Mamoru for a possible one-two pass.

"I get this!" Jun tried to use his tall body to put pressure on Park Han-Gyeol.

Well, it was proven to be a futile attempt, as even with Jun holding the Korean striker’s shirt so tightly, borderline a professional foul, Park Han-Gyeol didn’t even budge. He protected the ball well, glancing for a second toward Mamoru.

At first, everyone thought that he would send the ball back there. However, once all the Hakodate Nishi players got baited, the boy moved like a hurricane, turning around while also getting himself down to the ground just to send a through ball on the opposite flank. This move startled everyone on Hakodate Nishi’s side, but when they saw Denji was two steps behind the opponent, they all felt their stomachs had fallen instantly.

"Shit! What’s going on?!"

"Denji, how could he beat you like that?!"

"Fucking.... SHIT!" Denji gritted his teeth, using his speed to run faster. Not just him, even Ishinori reacted, sending his support from the middle.

However, Wataru Takagi, the winger who ran to get the ball, couldn’t help but grin. He didn’t even panic, inwardly recalling Hakodate Nishi’s second weakness that their coach talked about a few days ago.

"I know you will not notice it because not a lot of teams use this tactic, but Hakodate Nishi’s defense always leans so heavily on the flank." The coach spoke. "It doesn’t matter whether the ball is in the left or right field; all the Hakodate Nishi players will always surround that side. That’s why their defense sometimes looks so overwhelming."

The man showed several clips where Hakodate Nishi had to defend the flank, and indeed, the opposite flank got dragged too far to the middle.

"So, how should we take advantage of this?" The coach asked no one before answering the question by himself. "Of course, we are going for a quick switch attack! The other teams might not be able to pull it up, but we can! Mamoru’s gravity will attract so many players to one of the sides, and then, when everything is ready, BANG! Wataru, you take over from the opposite side!"

This was exactly as the coach said, and Wataru Takagi couldn’t help but grin. The cold wind breezed through his cheek, but right now, the excitement boiled inside him, allowing the boy to ignore everything around him.

’Fuck, it! How could I get this good position?! I have to take advantage of it immediately!’

His eyes darted for a moment toward the box. He saw two Hakodate Nishi players getting closer, but from his peripheral vision, the boy also caught one of his teammates sneaking from behind. So, without hesitation...

BAM!

He sent a low diagonal cross, not too close to Higo in the six-yard box, but still in a threatening place inside the penalty box.

"FUCK!" Higo scowled, kept shifting toward the opposite side of the goal as he tracked the ball. Even though he had foreseen this coming, with the ball’s speed, Higo judged that he wouldn’t be able to get it even if he rushed forward, so the best solution he could think of was to wait. Fortunately, his clairvoyant ability flared up once again in the perfect moment, giving him an idea of what to expect. "I have to move... NOW!"

BAM!

He jumped at the right moment, blocking all the space that went straight to the goal. As a result, even though that one particular Shimizu Higashi player managed to slide forward and push the ball to the goal with his sole, it still bounced straight in Higo’s chest.

However, before he could feel happy for that save, another vision came, and with a slight headache from getting overloaded by one image after another, Higo could only scowl as the boy saw the team’s downfall while he was still down on the ground.

"Fuck it... FUCK!"

BAM!

Instead of any Hakodate Nishi players, somehow, the one who got the ball was Park Han-Gyeol. The Korean striker snuck from everyone’s blind spot, even coming from between Jun and Makino. Even with his 184 cm height, he managed to move like a ghost, going unnoticed until he arrived in the penalty box. Then, once he saw a free ball like this, of course, the boy didn’t hesitate to hit it with all of his power, resulting in the home team getting the first lead of the game.

"AAAAARGH!" The moment Park Han-Gyeol looked at the ball rolling on the ground, the boy roared wildly. He picked up the ball, kicking it far to the stand before running to the corner flag and giving that poor flag a violent kick. "FUCK YEAAAAH!" He screamed emotionally.

Then, all the Shimizu Higashi players followed from behind, and that was when hell broke loose.