"Just a yellow card? Man, Japan sure is getting teased by the referee!"
"I mean, what can you expect from Italy? They have history, you know?"
"Psst! Don’t say it out loud! That’s not something to be discussed here, okay?!"
The whispers from the audience clearly showed that they also thought that it should be a red card. Moreover, unlike in Japan, where the referee held a high position on the pitch and was respected by everyone, here, the people treated him as an ordinary man. If the referee made a glaring mistake like this, they could be so rude as to bring him down.
Hell, even Higo, who overheard everything from the bench, couldn’t help but flinch as he understood what those people said. "Damn, those people sure are nasty with their insults..." He muttered lowly.
"What are they talking about, by the way?" Makino couldn’t help but ask. Unlike Higo, he was not that proficient in English, so the boy didn’t really understand the conversation around him.
"Well, they basically accused the referee of bribery, saying that some sort of gambling company paid him to let Italy win the game," Higo said bluntly. "Also, they said that Italy has a bad history in this regard, so it is no wonder the suspicion falls."
Just like him, Makino was completely dumbfounded here, never expecting such a harsh accusation would be thrown over one incident. Well, he himself knew that this incident could be a game-decider later, but now, it seemed that this was unnecessary, malicious even.
"No need to think about it too much, just focus on the game, Teme," Higo whispered while glancing around. "Look, Kageyama-sensei is fuming. Don’t get crossed accidentally."
Indeed, the man’s face was so red like a boiled lobster, trying to hold back his anger here. Honestly, even Higo himself was afraid that the man’s blood pressure would rise so astronomically that he would pass out straight away.
Fortunately, that was just his imagination, as the man calmed down quickly before sending an instruction to the players on the pitch.
Soon enough, the game continued, and since the momentum from the counterattack was gone, Japan’s attempt to break into Italy’s defense failed miserably. However, after that, the game started to shift into a violent one, with Japan’s players starting to test the referee’s limit here.
This was the best way to retaliate against an unfair decision like this. They might not be able to do anything directly about that yellow card, but they could also start making more small movements that were borderline fouls to test the referee.
If the referee gave a foul for an easy contact, this would look bad on him, as Japan’s federation could point out how he sided with Italy. No, that would be the end of his career. So, it was important to test the bottom limit here.
The players also did it happily. After all, at the end of the day, they were just a bunch of impulsive teenagers, so they needed to vent out their anger when facing such an injustice. Even without the coach’s instruction, they would start trying their luck sooner or later, and this just gave them a justifiable reason to do so.
Italy’s players tried to complain so many times, finding this action to be dirty. However, the referee could only grit his teeth, knowing exactly what Japan was trying to do. If he dared to punish them, he would be condemned as siding with Italy, and the consequence would be bad. So, he could only turn his eyes blind, shaking his head whenever any collision happened.
In the end, Italy also tried to retaliate, and the situation was so chaotic on the pitch. So many fouls were on the board, and the referee himself also felt like he lost control of the game.
However, in this moment, someone suddenly had a flash of inspiration. It was none other than Koki Morita, Tokyo FC’s midfielder and also the best player of his generation, who finally took action.
In the chaotic midfield, he suddenly snatched the ball from his opponent, and with one big roulette, the boy passed through the encirclement of three opponents’ players in one go before delivering a low, curved pass that sliced through the opponent’s defense to reach Taisei Miyashiro on the flank.
"FUCK! Morita, what a pass!"
"Damn! Come on!"
All of the bench players on Japan’s side rose instantly, watching the play unfold with crazy enthusiasm. After all, this was the first time they managed to send the ball to Italy’s penalty box, and with Taisei Miyashiro’s clinical finishing ability, they truly believed that a goal was so close in front of their eyes right now.
The pass itself was quite magical. At first, it looked like a straight pass, going directly to the goalkeeper’s territory. However, the moment the ball was about to cross the penalty box, it curled sharply to the half-space area, as if avoiding the goalkeeper’s grasp.
Hell, even the two center backs from Italy could only watch with their jaws dropped in disbelief, not knowing what kind of technique was required to pull this shit. However, the final result was there.
The ball curled so sharply as if it was getting absorbed by Miyashiro’s foot. Then, even though he had just entered the box from the flank, the striker didn’t even hesitate, swinging his right foot as hard as possible.
BAM!
A rocket was launched, flying like a missile straight to Italy’s goal. Their goalkeeper, Alessandro Plizzari, froze unconsciously, not knowing how to react. Well, more like, he didn’t have any time to react, as the ball slammed the back of the net first before he could move.
As a result, even though the ball went to the near post, right above his head, the boy could only feel the wind bruising his hair. His heart also jumped straight away, realizing that if the ball was just a few inches lower, he could say goodbye to his face.
However, in the end, the ball slammed through his goal, and after that...
FWEEE!
The referee blew the whistle while pointing at the half spot, signaling that the goal was valid.