The news about Erling Haaland really caused a storm not just in Team Japan, but also in all the other remaining teams in the tournament. They started working harder than usual, wanting to showcase their talent to the head coach so that they could play in the next game.
In their mind, as long as they could play, they could be the next Erling Haaland, pulling a miracle game that was so ridiculous that all the media would shower them with attention, and then scouts from big teams all around Europe would take a fancy to them.
It was just a ridiculous daydreaming from a bunch of teenagers, but their head coach would never interrupt this moment. Why not, especially since the boys also worked twice as hard as usual here? No, let them burn their energy trying to improve, as this was a better state than them just training like a robot, following the order without knowing why they had to do this.
Of course, not all the players got caught in this frenzy state.
No, most of the defensive players just stayed calm, knowing that their contribution was harder to quantify than the offensive players who just needed to score or assist a goal. They would be less likely to attract attention, so it was better to stay calm and steady to protect the team.
Also, defense was something that had to be done with calm and composure. The more excited they were, the more prone they were to make a mistake. So, they couldn’t really do anything here but accept this fact and go back to defend the team quietly.
Higo was also in the same boat. However, he didn’t have any lofty reasoning like that. No, besides the fact that he didn’t need to get scouted since the boy had already been recruited by Schalke 04, the boy also realized that he still didn’t have any chance to break through the main team. As long as Kageyama-sensei trusted Zion more between the posts, no matter how hard he trained, he wouldn’t get any minutes to play, so it was better to save his energy for something else.
Still, this state didn’t last long. Once they were closer to game day, the concentration was back at its fullest with all eyes on the knockout stage, forgetting about Erling Haaland and Norway that had already been eliminated.
The same could also be said for Japan, as they were facing their old neighborhood, South Korea, here. Once the game day arrived, the Lublin Stadium, the home of Motor Lubin, which could also contain around 15,000 people, was already filled with people.
In total, around 10,000 people came to fill the stadium. The number was quite the same for both countries, as there were so many Korean people who came to support the team. Just like Japan, they had their own group who lived abroad, so when they knew that they would face Japan in this stage, even those who didn’t understand a single shit about football still forced themselves to come.
With two-thirds of the stadium being filled here, the noise from the crowd went crazy. The game hadn’t even started yet, but the players could feel their hearts beating faster. Once again, this wasn’t just a game for one ticket to the top eight, but also one to determine who was the king of Asia today.
The smell of gunpowder had already sparked during the warm-up session, where the players from both teams clashed in the tunnel area. No one spoke anything else, but they still sent glares at each other as if they were here to kill their opponents.
Of course, not all the players shared the hostility. Miki Yamane and Mamoru still approached the two players from the South Korean team, Park Han-Gyeol and Kang Do-Jin. After all, the four came from the same high school, and there was no way they could treat each other with hostility.
"So, Mamoru won’t play except for the second half?" Kang Do-Jin asked casually. He spoke in Japanese since the other two didn’t know Korean. "Well, at least, our defense could relax a little bit, since the most troublesome guy is not on the pitch."
"Don’t underestimate us, Do-Jin." Miki Yamane said, still as serious as ever. "Mamoru is great, yeah, but we have a team full of talents. If anything, it is you who have to be careful. Oh, and Han-Gyeol, if you come at me, I will tackle you without hesitation. Remember that."
Park Han-Gyeol could feel the corner of his lips twitching at the blatant targeting that his old captain showed here. He wanted to say something, but his teammates had already called, asking him and Do-Jin to gather. The same could be seen for Mamoru and Miki Yamane, as Ito asked them to warm up quickly.
"Well, it seems that we have to pause our meeting here. Don’t worry, Senpai, I will be careful." The striker smirked a little bit. "You have to do so as well, because who knows, maybe I will score nine goals against your team."
This was another remark referring to Erling Haaland’s achievement. It seemed the South Korean team also got caught up in the same frenzy state as the Japan team.
Well, the conversation was quite short between them, because all the players had to go back to their own team. Soon enough, everyone was back in the locker room, waiting for the head coach to say something here.
"First of all... Let me say one thing here. Just forget about the knockout stage, forget about the World Cup, just focus on the opponent in front of you, South Korea." Kageyama-sensei’s face was solemn when he said this. "We are always at the same level as them, going neck to neck to become the best in Asia. We might have won some important games in the past, but the number of defeats we suffered is also quite a lot, and each one is more painful than the other."
The atmosphere was heavy here, with some of the boys who had experience in playing for the National Team against South Korea clenching their fists secretly, remembering their experience in the past.
"So, today, our target is not going to be the top 8. No, that is still too far from our reach." Kageyama-sensei took another deep breath here. "Our goal here is simple! We have to beat our rival, South Korea, and prove to the world that we are still the best team in Asia! Do you guys understand?!"
"YES, SIR!"