Unlike the retired seniors who were taken aback by the sudden blitz attack, all the Hakodate Nishi players on the pitch were still calm enough to handle this situation. They moved like a unit, blocking all the dangerous paths to force the opponent to move back to their own territory.
"Come on! Don’t let anyone escape!" Kazawa shouted, leading the midfield. "Takaaki, guard the channel area! He is going to pass through that side!"
"Sano, don’t you dare lose against him! Don’t forget all the training you have done so far!"
"Come on! Hold the position tight! Don’t let anyone breach our defense so easily!"
Eight of the Hakodate Nishi players moved like a colony of ants, each one coordinating with the others to make sure that there was no hole in their home.
Meanwhile, right outside of the penalty box, Sano was having a tough battle against Yuwell Carlson. Even though he had Ishinori as a backup behind, the boy still wanted to try on his own, wanting to stop the best foreign striker in Japan right now.
’Kumiko-senpai had already told me in the past that I have this potential to fight against the best of the best. Toda-sensei also said the same, saying that I lack confidence. Now... I don’t know if I really am that good, but I want to prove that they are not wrong!’
BAM!
The first collision happened on the pitch, with Sano trying to push Yuwell away from the penalty box. The Swedish striker was also a strong person here, using his firm stance and muscular arms to protect his position.
This was a battle of two heavyweight players from both teams, and whoever won this fight would bring a massive advantage to their own team.
Or... So, that was at least what everyone thought here.
However, in the last second of their duel, someone suddenly sneaked in, disrupting their rhythm with his presence. It was none other than Ishinori, the team’s sweeper and the one who covered the whole ground by himself.
He saw that neither Yuwell nor Sano paid attention to their surroundings, so the boy just rushed from behind, poking the ball from Yuwell’s feet to get rid of it to the flank.
Thud!
"Oh! Nice cover, Nori!"
"The ball is in Denji! Counter!"
Then, as if the gear was switched inside the team’s head, so many of the Hakodate Nishi players who, just a few moments ago, were on the back, suddenly blitzed their own way forward. They rushed frantically, not even asking for the ball. The purpose was one thing here. They just wanted to overwhelm the opponent’s defense before they managed to get back in shape.
Denji also didn’t hold the ball for too long. His eyes caught the team’s maestro being free in the midfield, and he didn’t hesitate to pass the ball there. Without even looking or controlling the ball, Takaaki just redirected it with his toe, sending it to the front line where Kenji had already been waiting.
"OH! A counter!"
"Come on, Kenji! This is your moment!"
"Open up the score first! Don’t you dare miss this fucking chance!"
Everyone was on their toe instantly, leaning forward to get a better look at the game. Unfortunately, it was on the other side of the pitch, so they couldn’t really see the action clearly with their own eyes.
"Tch! This spot is the worst when we are on this side!" Makino groaned in annoyance.
"Shut up and watch the game!" Higo didn’t even bat his eyes, narrowing them so badly that he felt his eyes hurt a little bit. "Come on, Kenji! Eat them alive!"
Kenji himself didn’t know that he was being watched by his retired senior. No, the boy controlled the ball with his chest, turning his body to face the opponent’s defender before starting to stroll slowly, trying to get closer to the penalty box.
Once his eyes caught a movement from behind, though, the boy finally took action. Without even confirming it the second time, the boy knew that it should be Denji, so with a no-look pass, the boy delivered the ball to the byline, forcing the left back to penetrate deeper on the opponent’s side.
"YES! COME ON, DENJI!"
"BE PATIENT! DON’T RUSH THINGS UP!"
Sapporo Otani also reacted. Two people shifted to that side, wanting to shut down the space for Denji to create something.
However, other than those two, their team’s defensive shape was still in shambles. Most of their players were still confused, getting caught off guard by the sudden counterattack. In their mind, this should be their chance to score, so how could the situation be flipped so quickly like this?!
Unfortunately, they didn’t have any time to comprehend it right now. No, it wasn’t like they didn’t have time, but Hakodate Nishi didn’t allow them to think even for a second.
In the penalty box, Hiroshi and Usami were already fighting for a good position. They tried to outmaneuver the defenders on the box, trying to get an upper hand in this.
Then, with the connection built from so many training sessions, Hiroshi suddenly moved back slightly closer to the arc area. It was proven to be the best decision, as right in the next second, Denji’s cutback pass managed to get through the two defenders in front of him, arriving straight at the sweet spot where Hiroshi could just execute it with his right foot.
’Yes, Denji! This is the pass!’
At this point, no technique was needed here. After a thousand repetitions in the training session, Hiroshi was confident that he could execute this kind of ball even with his eyes closed.
He just shifted his body weight a little toward his right foot, trying to keep his core tight while also maintaining his balance before he swung that same foot toward the ball.
BAM!
The shot was full of power, piercing the air like a bullet. Sapporo Otani’s goalkeeper tried to react, yet he was one step too late. Even with an amazing dive to save the ball, it still slipped through his grasp, slamming through the net without mercy.
Seeing this, Higo just raised his fist calmly, knowing that he had managed to secure the first point for the team.