"OH! WHAT A GOAL!"
"We are in the lead! Hell, yeah! We are leading against Sapporo Otani!"
"Come on, Hiroshi! Come on, Hakodate Nishi!"
The crowd celebrated immediately after they saw the shot netted on the opponent’s goal. Hugs and cheers spread across the stand so quickly, being the only noises registered as the home team’s supporters were put on silence instantly after that.
This goal was like a huge slap in their face. After all, even though Hakodate Nishi had already made a miracle in the last winter tournament, it was just as it was described; A fucking miracle. It was called that because no one thought that they could pull that shit again, and Sapporo Otani’s supporters were still firmly convinced that they were still the best team in Hokkaido.
Now, though, the goal woke them back to reality. Now, they were forced to face the fact that Hakodate Nishi was getting stronger, and one slip moment like earlier was enough to get them punished straight away.
Of course, right now, no one cares about the home team’s reaction. The away team went crazy with the goal, and the four retired senior members were also in the same frenzy here. They all laughed, high-fiving each other as if they were the ones on the pitch.
Higo, especially, had his face flushed red in excitement. Unlike in the Schalke game a few days ago, where the final score was 0-0 without any goals, this should be the first time Higo has witnessed a goal directly from the stand. The occasion became more special since it was the team with whom he had the strongest connection that managed to bag it first.
"Damn, I know Hiroshi is awesome, but I didn’t expect him to be that cold!" Higo laughed as he talked to his friends about the goal. "I mean, can you see that execution? Even I would have a hard time trying to block that shot!"
That was definitely a praise, since Higo himself truly believed that the shot was difficult to handle. He might have the advantage with his clairvoyant ability, but the placement was so tricky, straight to the top bins. Coupled with the fact that it came out of nowhere, the boy believed that if not him, there was no way the goalkeeper could react to that situation.
"Still, that combination is truly awesome!" Kuroki laughed. "It should be coming from the prototype that you developed, right, Kumiko-chan?" He turned to the girl knowingly.
"Yes, the quick combination attack by getting the ball to Takaaki-kun, then to Kenji-kun on the front line is something that I thought in the past." Kumiko nodded, her smile beaming wide. "At that time, we didn’t have any time to perfect the attack, so I had to abandon it completely. Who would’ve thought that Toda-sensei would be able to finish the job?"
She had the right to be ecstatic. After all, this was like her inheritance to the team, and they executed everything from the start to the end perfectly as she had envisioned.
The way Ishinori stole the ball was perfect, the long pass from Takaaki was beautiful, and Kenji’s patience in the flank before passing it selflessly to Denji, who was in a better position, was amazing. The finishing from Hiroshi was a cherry on top, ending the sequence in a goal for Hakodate Nishi.
Soon, the game restarted again, and the home team got even more fierce. However, on the stand, the four teenagers were still talking about the last goal, especially since there was still some confusion left behind.
"I don’t get it," Higo said after regaining his calmness. "While yes, the goal is beautiful, but this shouldn’t be the level that Sapporo Otani has, right? I mean, I swear, our attack was fiercer last year, and the goal didn’t come so easily, yeah?"
"Indeed, but you forgot about one part here," Kumiko said.
This time, it wasn’t just Higo, but Makino and Kuroki listened to the explanation carefully. Out of everyone else here, she was the most capable one in terms of analyzing the situation, and they were also curious about what was going on here.
"Our offensive core is still the same as last winter tournament, you know the one that led us to the top eight of the country? Compared to that, Sapporo Otani’s defensive core has already changed. They don’t have Yuma Igari and Rin Mito anymore, and the change of command will always take time for the players to adjust."
"So, they failed to react accordingly because the command speed is slower?" Makino muttered in understanding.
"Yeah." Kumiko nodded in confirmation. "Don’t get me wrong, those two center backs are good. However, when it comes to a decisive moment, they both wait for each other, somehow forgetting who should be the one to take command there. As a result, you saw earlier how Denji-kun stole a good spot on the flank, or how Hiroshi-kun managed to escape the crowded area so easily."
The other three just nodded quietly, turning their attention back to the game.
This time, Sapporo Otani seemed to wake up from their daydreaming, starting to push back frantically. They kept trying to get the ball to Yuwell Carlson, but somehow, none of the passes were enough to get the Swedish striker a good spot to take a direct shot.
"Damn, Sano-kun is such a beast!" Higo couldn’t help but whistle. "Is that move legal, though? It looks like he is about to grapple with Yuwell and throw him down to the ground."
"Well, Yuwell himself also does the same, so it just counts as a fifty-fifty duel." Makino, who was experienced enough as a defender, knew exactly what was going on here. "Still, I have never expected that Sano would grow this much just in a few months. I mean, he can go toe-to-toe against Yuwell, for God’s sake!"
Kumiko just smiled smugly at this. She was probably the one who believed in Sano’s potential the most, and to see her trust get paid like this was a feeling she couldn’t describe.
Still, it seemed that she got satisfied too fast, because in the next second, Yuwell finally managed to get rid of Sano’s guard.
With his speed and power, once he got the momentum to start running, it was impossible for anyone else to stop him. So, in desperation, Sano finally tugged the opponent’s jersey. Not that hard to cause an injury, but enough to make him lose his balance.
BRUGH!
FWEEE!
Right after that, the referee blew the whistle immediately, pointing at the spot just a meter away from the penalty box.