Chapter 456: The Team’s Captain Experiences Higo’s Miraculous Command
FWEEE!
Soon enough, the second half finally began, and this time, the kick-off started from Jubilo Iwata’s side. The away team also made some changes, determined to win this game. They replaced two more offensive players, wanting to add gunpowder to their offensive line.
This intention was clear as day, what with them having already put half of their players on the Young Samurai’s team straight away. They wanted to get a quick goal to gain momentum and put more pressure on their opponent.
Normally, in this position, Ito’s first instinct was to drop down and defend his own area patiently. He was a conservative defender; as long as he defended well, the boy thought everything would be okay.
However, at the last second, he could hear someone shouting from behind, "Move to the left! Get ready for an aerial duel!"
Even though no name was mentioned, Ito knew that it all came from Higo to him. His instinct screamed to reject this. After all, the ball’s position was still far, and it was not clear whether the ball would go there or not.
However, he remembered full well his request earlier, and in the end, the boy could only grit his teeth here. ’Damn, it seems completely trusting your judgement is going to be hard, Higo-kun. I really admire Makino-kun more this time.’
Still, he followed the command, moving to the left little by little. To his surprise, though, a long ball was suddenly sent from behind the center line, coming to the left flank where he was moving right now.
’I get this!’
BAM!
He cleared the ball away, resulting in a normal throw-in for the opponent.
Yeah, normal.
Everything looked so normal here. Even Miki Yamane, the left back, didn’t give him a shootout, thinking that this was just a standard operation. The only acknowledgement Ito received was just a simple nod from Higo, nothing more and nothing less.
The man himself would also do the same if he were the others. From the outsider’s perspective, the play was nothing flashy, nothing special. However, only after he knew what kind of command Higo gave did Ito find out how special everything that had just happened earlier was.
’Damn! He predicted the long ball was coming?! How could he do that?!’ He blinked, trying to recall every single detail in the last play that he could remember. ’Is it a prediction from the way the kicker acted? No, the distance is too far; even I myself couldn’t see that man from my position. Does that mean it was a pure calculation? Based on players’ movement here? But that would even be more ridiculous!’
For a moment, Ito was in disbelief, trying to figure out what kind of witchcraft Higo cooked. However, in the next few minutes, he was forced to believe this miracle command once again when, facing an upcoming attack from the middle, Higo called him out once again.
"Get ready to move to the left. Adailton will make a cut inside, and Yamane-san is going to get fooled. Back him up."
This time, the command was getting even more ridiculous. After all, the ball was still in the center circle, far away from the danger area.
However, having already tasted one success, Ito was hungry for the second one. He was also thirsty for validation, wanting to confirm whether this divination was true or not. So, he moved without hesitation, pouncing on that side like a starving beast.
True enough, the long pass that Higo said earlier finally came, and just like what the goalkeeper said, Adailton’s first control turned out to be an initial move for him to cut inside. This sudden, sharp turn caught Miki Yamane off guard, letting the Brazilian midfield get away from that side quickly.
That was when Ito came, as he grinned excitedly to get the ball from that man.
’I GET THIS!’
BAM!
No foul was made. Just a pure, clean tackle to the ball. However, this move shocked everyone else, as it was Ito, the calmest defender on the team, who did that.
However, the play didn’t just stop like that. No, the wild ball from that tackle bounced a little bit far, but Koki Morita managed to pick it up before the ball could get out of the sideline. Then, with his exquisite footwork movement, he also got through one midfielder who shadowed him, humiliating that poor man with a nutmeg to escape from that tight angle.
"OH! Morita-kun!"
"Yes! Counter! Come on!"
The moment the ball fell on Koki Morita’s feet, it was like a switch was turned on for the offensive line. Five people moved simultaneously, all racing to get into the best position they could think of.
"Morita-san!"
"Give it to me! Left!"
"Hey, hey! Don’t forget about me, Morita!"
The sudden wave of counterattack was definitely enough to overwhelm the opponent’s side. Even though they didn’t get outnumbered, facing so many rapid players blitzing through their territory like this was enough to make their legs tremble.
They tried to adjust their defensive shape, spreading each defensive player to be responsible for one offensive player from the Young Samurai team. However, somehow, they forgot about the ball holder himself, Koki Morita.
The man was definitely not the fastest in the team. However, his long legs could cover half of the pitch with just a few steps, and that was exactly what he did. Just in a heartbeat, he had already entered a dangerous zone to take a long shot, and without anyone guarding him, the boy didn’t lack confidence to take it directly.
BAM!
The ball moved so fast that the opponent’s goalkeeper couldn’t even react here. The next thing he knew, though, was that the ball was just slamming the back of his net, giving the Young Samurai team the second goal of the game.
"OH! YES, MORITA-KUN!"
"What a shot!"
"Bastard! You steal all the limelight here!"
All the players surrounded Koki Morita in excitement, joining the boy to celebrate that amazing goal. Only Higo and Ito were still staying on the back, with the latter just shaking his head in admiration.
"I heard about your miraculous journey in the winter tournament earlier, and I thought I had already overestimated you. It seems that your ability is deeper than I could ever imagine, Higo-kun. You are really amazing..."
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