Chapter 453: Hakodate Nishi Duo Taking Over the National Team!
The goal from Koki Saito was like the trigger that popped the balloon here. The game that initially went quite slowly and calmly suddenly turned into a tsunami, with the players from Jubilo Iwata starting to exert their strength.
This wasn’t just about winning or losing the game anymore. No, it is also related to their upcoming season.
They knew that JEF United Chiba, last year’s 14th place in the table, had won against the Young Samurai a few days ago. So, if they lost today, it only meant two things. Either they were weaker than the 14th place, or the 14th place became much stronger than ever. Either way, the two options were not that good for Jubilo Iwata.
Now, they started to push forward more. Adailton also moved more dynamically, not sticking to one place for too long. He was always at the most dangerous spot to receive the ball, putting a nightmare for Koki Morita, who had to guard him from the beginning of the game.
’And they said I am the best in my generation... Fuck!’ He cursed in self-depreciation while holding his knee, once again having to chase Adailton from behind after getting taken on with another stepover. ’How could such a dribbler end up in this second division?! He should be playing at fucking Real Madrid, right?!’
The others also didn’t do well in having to defend once again. They thought that after they scored the goal, they would be able to control the game more comfortably. They didn’t expect that they would only get this unstoppable wave coming out of nowhere to destroy their spirit.
The only two people who still fought so hard without taking a sweat, though, were, of course, Higo and Makino.
"Come on! Don’t let the flank open again! Get ready to support that side!"
"Suzuki-san, you take the bait so easily! Just wait a little bit more! Be more patient!"
"Yes, Kida-san! Push him to the edge!"
Thud!
"YES, RYUKKUN! NICE CLAIM!"
Somehow, after the first goal, the duo from Hakodate Nishi seemed to take over the game. Their mouth kept moving, shouting instructions one after another until their throats were sore. Not only that, but they also actively helped the others, from Makino, who was always close to Adailton, to Higo, who seemed to get ready to claim any fifty-fifty ball in the air.
Hell, even though not a lot of shots had been made by the away team so far, Higo’s role was quite important. His command was always on point, allowing his teammates to always be in the right position to cover the others each time someone was taken down by the opponent.
This made everything look like they were in Hakodate Nishi, where defense had to be layered over and over again with this kind of relentless effort.
’Yes, this is exactly why you will be thriving in this game, Ryukkun, Makino-kun,’ Kumiko nodded in relief.
Yeah, even though Kumiko had never said it out loud, she knew that as long as the team managed to score first, the team’s control would fall to her two friends immediately. Not saying that the other national players were incompetent, but the girl had already checked it beforehand, and what she found out was quite shocking.
Most of the players here came from good teams, being trained in a good environment from such a young age.They came from teams that always dominated the whole thing, so for most of them, an opening goal was important to control the tempo.
However, it was different for Higo and Makino. They didn’t have that kind of luxury back home, so the first thing they had in mind after scoring a goal was how to make sure that they wouldn’t concede one as quickly as possible. This thought had been ingrained deep into their brain that they didn’t even need to think about it anymore.
As a result, now that Jubilo Iwata, a better team, tried to push forward to get back the goal and tie the score again, most of them panicked, falling into chaos, with only Higo and Makino being calm enough to control the whole situation.
Now, it was pretty ironic that the national team, which was made up of the most talented players in the country, was being led by two players from Hakodate who didn’t even have any professional team there.
Still, no one really minded about it. In their mind, as long as they could win and show a better performance than the team’s last game, everything was okay.
Right now, they were so close to the end of the first half, and as long as they could hold on, they would be able to maintain their momentum later. This wouldn’t allow them to suddenly turn around the game, but at least, the team’s spirit was going to be at its peak later.
That was why no goal could be allowed during this time.
"Come on, everyone! Concentrate! Concentrate!" Makino shouted as if it were Hakodate Nishi once again. "Their corner is coming again, get ready!"
It was a corner kick scenario, and seven players with light blue jerseys were already occupying most of the space inside the penalty box. Everyone was so tense, waiting for Adailton to execute it.
Much to everyone’s surprise, though, someone suddenly sneaked to get closer, and the Brazilian midfielder suddenly decided to play it short. Seeing this, Higo couldn’t help but groan. ’Fuck it, this is going to be like Mamoru’s scene all over again!’
He didn’t have time to warn the others. No, Higo just let his teammates swarm over Adailton, with his mind getting overloaded by image after image.
’Left... Shit! He drops too fast! One player down... Two! He is taking a shot! Low!’
BAM!
In his mind, Higo saw everything unfold there. Adailton managed to fool three people, and in front of the biggest crowd, where Higo’s line of sight was at the shortest, the man took a shot low, so precise that it got between the legs of two players.
Fortunately, Higo reacted in time, diving to the near post to tip the ball. Then, before anyone could get the rebound, Makino came up with the understanding of where the ball would bounce, clearing it as far away as possible.
That was when the referee finally blew the whistle...
FWEEE! FWEEE! FWEEE!
Ending the first half of the game with the Young Samurai’s lead.
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