It was the end of the game, and all the players gathered back in the locker room once again, as it all started. However, this time, the air reeked of depression, and no one could escape from that.
After losing a goal in the 84th minute, they tried to fight back and use all the remaining resources on the pitch to gain the lead again. Unfortunately, just like them, Italy was a team with a highly disciplined defense, and 6 minutes were far from being enough to pry that stubborn door open forcefully.
In the end, they had to be satisfied with just a draw, bringing back one point for their own.
Of course, this result itself was far from being bad. After all, their initial target was that any result was good as long as they didn’t lose the game. No one truly believed that they could win this game before everything started. Well, no one except for Higo and Zion, the two people who had never seen the world.
It was funny, though, because the draw was caused by the most confident person on the team. Still, no one really mentioned that for now.
Even though they didn’t have a high target in this game, it always hurt to see the victory slip through their grasp, especially when they were just a few minutes away from it. Now, no one wanted to console each other, just letting themselves get drowned in so many what-if scenarios.
Kageyama-sensei also noticed this. He had just come back from a short interview outside, where the man blasted the referee for the awful leadership in this game. Still, all the anger disappeared immediately when he saw his players’ state, and he couldn’t help but sigh helplessly, realizing why they were in this state.
However, before he spoke anything else, someone suddenly stepped forward first, looking at him quietly as if asking permission to talk. The man was taken aback slightly, but in the end, he just nodded, curious about what she was about to say here.
"Okay, guys..." Kumiko finally broke the silence here, enough to gain everyone’s attention. "First of all, I have to apologize to you guys over something here."
One by one, all heads perked up to the girl, wondering what she was talking about. Higo also frowned and couldn’t help but ask, "Why would you need to apologize? You don’t make any mistakes, right?"
"Well, I thought I was right, but it seems that it was proven to be a mistake." Kumiko smiled sardonically. "I was the one who suggested that we push forward, believing that after the offside incident, we needed an outlet to vent our emotions. I think that makes our defense thinner and way more relaxed than necessary, and the mistake that caused a goal is also the byproduct of that decision. Some part of the blame is on me, so I want to apologize for wasting your hard work today."
She ended her little speech with a deep, genuine bow, enough to make the guys shocked and feel uncomfortable. Even Kageyama-sensei himself didn’t expect that the girl would admit the mistake so readily like this; even he himself didn’t think that it was her fault.
The only one who nodded in approval was Akiba-sensei, as the girl’s mentor truly believed that not only had she overstepped the bounds, but her suggestion was so terrible that it cost the team the win here. However, no one really paid attention to him here.
Kageyama-sensei was also about to speak a word here, probably wanting to carry the blame from the girl as the team’s commander. Still, before he could say anything else, one boy suddenly rose from the crowd.
"No, Senpai! That is a pure mistake from me!" That boy was none other than Zion Suzuki himself. "I am the one who played around with fire until it burnt everything! Even if we still played defensively, I wouldn’t change myself at all. That was purely on me, and no one can take the blame away from my shoulders!"
Well, at least the boy was manly enough to not avoid responsibility here.
"That’s right, Big Zee! You make a mistake, and you own it! Never let anyone take the blame from you!" Kawabe chimed in. "We Saitama people are nothing but honest here! I also admit that if only I could convert one of my chances in, we would be laughing our asses off right now! A part of this blame is on me as well!"
It seemed that the Saitama gang was determined to take the blame for this game. Not that anyone wanted to say otherwise, since just like Zion, Kawabe’s performance today was far from being satisfactory. Despite the two attacks that ended up with the referee’s controversial decision, he had several good chances, and yet, none of them was converted into a goal.
This was definitely a subpar performance for his standard.
"Well, good, it seems that you guys also notice your own mistake here. I have to admit that this game is far from ideal, but we have done a good job maintaining our composure here." Kageyama-sensei finally took over the meeting. "Still, don’t worry about the injustice we received today. I will make sure the federation knows about it and files a complaint to FIFA. We will also keep in touch with international media about this stupid game, so get ready to read the news from the internet later."
Everyone perked up immediately when they heard that. It would be a lie if they said they were not curious about how things would unfold later, and what would also happen to that bastard referee.
"Still, this game is finally over, so I don’t want you to get drowned in this matter for too long." Kageyama-sensei continued. "We still have the next two games to play, so let’s secure the six points here and get to the next stage as quickly as possible!"
All the players there straightened their backs immediately as they nodded, "Yes, Sensei!"