Chapter 445: Makino in Action?!
Well, no one really expected Makino to make a move so early, straight at the beginning of the second half. Both teams were still trying to play the tempo first, and even that Brazilian striker, Kleber, didn’t intend to push forward at that moment.
For JEF United Chiba, this was just a preseason game. The most important thing to do here was to get their body back in their best state after a long holiday. As for trying hard to impress their coach... Well, the Brazilian striker didn’t really need to do that, as he was the best player on the team.
That was why getting such rough treatment at the beginning of the game caught him off guard.
However, the same couldn’t be said for Makino. After realizing that the tackle was successful, he got up immediately and roared, "HELL, YEAH!"
In such a friendly game where physical contact should be treated more casually than in a real game, this situation was definitely out of place. Some of the JEF players even stared at him strangely, as if the boy was a country bumpkin who didn’t know the street rules in the big city.
Fortunately, all of the national team players didn’t really care about the rough play here. In fact, Taiga Nagai, Makino’s partner on the back, came to him quickly to give a high-five.
"Yes! That’s how it should be done!"
Then, the rest of the teammates nearby followed along, patting the boy’s back in encouragement.
"Come on, Boy! Keep up that energy for the team!"
"We will need it more later, don’t wilt under the pressure!"
Makino just grinned widely as he received this excited reaction from his teammates. This was something he had always done for the Hakodate Nishi team once he was given the captain’s armband by Kumiko. Whenever the team’s nervous system went south, he would always resolve every negative feeling, from anxiety, nervousness, to even depression, with one tackle to the opponent’s best player.
He had done it against so many big names from Yuwell Carlson to Park Han-Gyeol in the past, and before the boy could realize it, his instinct kicked in out of nowhere. This was a dangerous move, and if it did not work, not only would he get a straight yellow card, but he would only make himself look bad in front of the coaching team.
’No, that would be a disaster, eh?’ Makino shuddered at the nightmare constructed by the deepest part of his mind.
Fortunately, everything went well, so he didn’t have to think about that scenario for too long.
Little did he know, though, that the conversation between the coaching team also revolved around this decision, with one courtesy to Akiba-sensei, Kumiko’s mentor in this camp, shaking his head in disapproval.
"That reckless movement is too much of a gamble for our own good. We cannot afford something like that in a real game." He commented shortly.
Kumiko bit her lips secretly, begging to differ. IN her mind, while yes, it was reckless, at least, the play was successful enough to pump up the team’s spirit. Unfortunately, her position right now was just an assistant for the assistant coach, so contradicting her boss was not something smart to do here.
Still, it seemed that she wasn’t the only one who thought so. Kageyama-sensei just glanced at his assistant for a moment before saying, "At least, you can see the nervousness is gone. They are starting to get organized quickly, not getting jittery since they come from the bench."
As the game continued, Makino also started to get into his rhythm. His movement was still quite big with a hint of recklessness in it, but at least, he managed to affect the team’s mood with one brilliant play after another.
"Damn, who the hell is that number 27?"
"He should be new, right? I have never seen him before."
"Still, his boldness is quite charming, you know?"
As his friend became the talk of the crowd, Higo, who could hear them all from the bench, clenched his fist secretly, feeling the combination of happiness and jealousy at the same time. He was so ecstatic to see his friend finally starting to gain a foothold in this team, but the boy was also frustrated since he was still there, getting stuck on the bench.
’Come on, Norio-sensei... Give me your instruction right now...’ He glanced at the goalkeeper coach for a moment, his legs starting to shake anxiously. ’Any further than this, I will not have a chance to show off!’
Unfortunately, that was just a pipe dream, as ten minutes since the second half began, Norio-sensei was still acting casually, not showing any hint that he would make a substitution. In the end, Higo could only turn his attention back to the game helplessly, finding himself having nothing to do on the bench.
Soon enough, the first big chance in the second half was finally on the board.
With his sniper-like long pass, Taiga Nagai, the tall defender from Vissel Kobe, launched a 70-meter Hail Mary pass from his own area toward the left flank on the front line. Mamoru, who received it, didn’t even control the ball, just using his inside foot to redirect it to the penalty box.
There, like a hungry shark smelling blood, Taisei Miyashiro suddenly popped out of nowhere, getting in front of JEF’s two defenders at the same time before whacking the ball straight to the goal.
BAM!
"Ah! Almost!" Miyashiro groaned in annoyance as he saw his shot only hit the outside part of the net. Still, he didn’t forget to applaud this effort, especially the pass from Mamoru. "Good pass, Suzuki-kun! A little bit inside, if you have another chance later!"
Mamoru nodded secretly, clicking his tongue in annoyance. He also felt that the pass slightly deviated from the route he wanted, but that long pass was indeed hard to control.
This chance, though, seemed to be a wake-up call for JEF players, as they started pushing forward again. With three Brazilian players on their side, they started to create more chances, and in three minutes, Zion had to be forced to jump left and right to stop the ball.
Seeing this, Higo just clenched his fists tighter, his eyes never got away from Zion. ’Damn, that should be me...’
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