On the stand, some people also sighed in regret. Although they had prepared for a goal like this, once it happened, they couldn’t help but feel pity, wondering if things would be different if Sano hadn’t made a foul earlier.
"No, Teme, don’t go down that route." Higo shook his head when he noticed his friend’s expression. "You said it yourself earlier. He couldn’t help it, and the foul is just a pure instinct from a defender. You cannot blame him the moment we conceded a goal like this, you know?"
"What?! Why would I try to blame him?!" Makino asked, slightly offended by the accusation. "I just wonder if there is something the goalkeeper could do. I mean, the shot went straight to his face, right? How could he not make a save?" He frowned, trying to calculate something inside his head.
"You are so getting used to Ryukkun’s abnormal standard, eh?" Kumiko smiled wryly. "You saw the shot with your own eyes. It was a fucking rocket, you know? A normal goalkeeper wouldn’t be able to flinch in time, let alone react accordingly. Ryukkun is just a special case, don’t use his standard for any other goalkeeper, that would be unfair."
Higo couldn’t help but smile smugly when he heard this. Even though Makino didn’t say it out loud, this was basically a huge praise from the former captain, and his head couldn’t be bigger than this current state.
Still, he also couldn’t help but think of what he would do if he were the goalkeeper there.
’At least, my clairvoyant ability would warn me about the shot, and I would shift my body a little to get away from the ball’s route. That is when I would raise my hands, and the aim is just to deflect the shot above, not to block it completely. Yeah, at least, I would still be able to stop that shot.’
Unfortunately, it wasn’t him between the posts, so he could only watch helplessly as the scoreboard switched to 1-1. Now, with the score being tied again, Hakodate Nishi was forced to play more openly if they wanted to win the game, and it gave Sapporo Otani a better chance to strike back at the away team when the opportunity knocked on the door.
Now, the game became competitive again, and Hakodate Nishi also started to push forward to gain momentum. The combination between Takaaki, Usami, and Kazawa was really strong, somehow managing to toy with Sapporo Otani’s entire midfield.
Honestly, it was quite strange to see this scene. The four retired members of the team were so used to Hakodate Nishi’s passive defensive style that they had never thought that the team was capable of doing this.
"I mean, I should’ve expected this. The three of them are talented enough to fight against any of the midfield lines in the country." Kumiko smiled sardonically. "It seems I really held them back in the past, right?"
Well, even though no one said it out loud, the other three knew that she was thinking about so many malicious articles during their journey in the last winter tournament. The girl might not say it out loud, but it was clear that those horrible articles still affected her. Now, seeing the team in good hands like this, she probably couldn’t help but think about it once again, wondering whether she truly held back the team in the past or not.
"Well, at least, our good performance under your leadership is what brought the team here, Kumiko-chan," Higo said, trying to sound nonchalant. "I mean, without our achievement in the national team, can you imagine Toda-sensei coming to Hakodate to coach our team?"
Yeah, this was a fact that no one could deny. Without Kumiko establishing the foundation, they would never have been able to reach this far. At least, this consolation was enough to bring up the mood, as the girl started smiling again while watching the game.
"Anyway, no need to think of gloomy stuff here! Let’s just watch the rest of the team fight today!" She announced that she was not going to accept the last conversation being brought up again.
The game continued, and the competition turned into a fiercer one. Everyone fought for their lives, trying to gain an upper hand in this matter. Honestly, the game was so exciting that the supporters were completely on the edge of their seats.
"Come on, Nori! Protect your kouhai! Don’t let him get bullied by that foreigner!"
"Kill that bastard! Don’t let him turn around!"
BAM!
"HELL, YEAH! Good defense, Jun!"
"That’s what we want to see!"
"Well, damn, this game looks more like a high-level game between two top teams, not like our encounter in the past." Kumiko huffed while taking a deep breath after witnessing how three players encircled Yuwell Carlson at the same time. "I am just glad that the team is going in a better direction."
"Yeah, don’t think too much about it, they are in good hands." Kuroki nodded. "Our task today is just one, which is to support them till we lose our voice!"
"Come on, Hakodate Nishi!"
Time passed by, and somehow, even with all the sophisticated tactics that both teams displayed, neither of them was able to breach each other’s defense. As they got closer to the end of the first half, the intensity also decreased a lot, with them preserving their energy for the real battle in the second half.
Well, at least that was what everyone thought.
However, it seemed Sapporo Otani had a different mind here. IN the 44th minute, Kenji Harada and Shintaro Okamura suddenly made a quick combination play, allowing the former to escape through the pocket space in front of the box while also facing the goal itself.
He took control with his left foot, turning around to avoid the entanglement from Kazawa. Then, at the same time, Yuwell Carlson also started running, cutting to the box to receive a pass.
Just in a blink, the calm situation earlier suddenly disappeared, and chaos ensued on Hakodate Nishi’s side. The ball itself hadn’t been executed yet, but everyone had the same thought right now.
’Shit! We cannot let them shoot the ball from there!’