The game continued again, and with the attack from Mamoru, it also made everything more open. Both teams started to exert their strength, pushing toward their opponent’s side carefully.
Team South Korea also showed their new scheme with player number 7. He switched to the left side immediately, letting Oh Se-Hun hover around the penalty box together with Park Han-Gyeol. The combination between Se-Hun and Han-Gyeol on the frontline was truly a headache for anyone else, since those two were the sneaky type that could pop out of nowhere.
As for that number 7, his role was simple. He would run closer to the box, forcing Japan to narrow their defensive shape. He was doing exactly the same as Lee Kang-In, trying to occupy the flank side.
Still, Japan’s side also pulled a tighter wall on the back. Whenever the attack was coming, Mamoru would be shifted forward to act as the deterrence together with Miyashiro, making sure that the opponent’s defenders wouldn’t go over the board. Then, Kawabe would drop further, acting as the full back while also pushing Sugawara toward the center back.
When it came to defense, their formation would shift immediately to 5-3-2, giving both flank protection and central compactness to face everything. This was the scheme that Kageyama-sensei wrote to compensate for Mamoru’s lack of defensive talent.
In the end, both teams made some threatening chances in the second half, at least better than how the first half went. However, they were still far from netting the ball into the opponent’s goal.
The game went back and forth for quite a while, probably around 30 minutes. However, at around the 75th minute, finding that they were still at a deadlock, the tempo slowed down once again. Not only was it because the physical and mental exhaustion was a bit too much to handle after failing to score so far, but both teams also started to prepare for the extra time right now.
Even though it was just an extra 2x15 minutes to play, after fighting for more than 90 minutes, they would be at their worst state later, and when that happened, sometimes, everything would be determined by a simple detail that would be slipped away from players’ grasp due to fatigue.
Neither team wanted to lose on something like that, so it was better for them to prepare from now on.
Of course, that didn’t mean they would throw the last 15 minutes away. No, both coaches still saved one last substitution for an emergency situation. If somehow their team scored a goal, they would put more defenders from the bench, but if the worst-case scenario happened and they conceded one, they would put more attackers and go all out to chase the score.
Somehow, this created a tense moment on the bench, as everyone was wondering who would be lucky enough to get a chance here. The most eager one was, of course, Higo, as the goalkeeper just stared at the pitch intently.
’As long as neither team scores a goal, I will have a chance to come later. By then, I have to face the most stressful moment of the game.’ He muttered under his breath. ’Kumiko-chan has already given me a list of their probable penalty taker. Park Han-Gyeol will be the number one to set the pace, and Lee Kang-In will go for the most decisive moment since he is their best player. However, the other three depend on the situation later, so I have to keep my eyes on everyone here.’
Even though the game was far from over, the boy had already prepared for everything if he was needed on the team. After all, he had nothing to do but watch the game, so it was better to use his time observing who he would face if a penalty shootout really happened.
However, it seemed that he didn’t need to wait for so long here.
In the 84th minute, when the tempo had finally slowed down, South Korea suddenly tried to create something. They used a quick combination play to get out of Japan’s pressure, getting the ball to Lee Kang-In on the front line.
The boy paused for a moment, not wanting to face Miki Yamane directly. He also couldn’t cut into the box since Naoya was also waiting for him there. Instead, he waited for the full back and one of the strikers to reinforce him, and he made another combination pass there.
Thud!
"Pass it there!"
After passing the ball to Oh Se-Hun, who came closer to his side, Lee Kang-In pointed toward the space inside the box, trying to get rid of Naoya’s entanglement while also sneaking into a more dangerous position. Se-Hun, who was getting pressed by Kobayashi, also didn’t think too much here, sending the ball back to the prodigy with a little flick.
That was when disaster struck Team Japan.
Naoya, who was getting passed through, didn’t really have any intention to stop Lee Kang-In. After all, he could see both Ito and Zion were covering for him, so the boy just put pressure from the back. The goalkeeper also made a move, sliding on the ground to catch the ball first. Seeing this, Ito backed down immediately, letting the other two handle this situation.
However...
Brugh!
Somehow, Lee Kang-In managed to be faster than the other two. He just moved the ball slightly away from its original course, but as a result, instead of catching the ball, Zion’s hand caught the boy’s feet. Then...
FWEEE!
Everyone froze instantly when they heard that shrieking high-pitched whistle from the referee. Zion, especially, tensed on the spot as he realized what had just happened here. His face lost all of its color in a second as he just sat on the ground, watching Lee Kang-In roll so dramatically behind him.
That was when the judgement finally came. The referee walked calmly toward the box, trying to get rid of the pressure from the other Japanese players who were pleading for mercy. The man didn’t hesitate, pulling out the yellow card from his pocket before giving it to Zion.
The foul was valid, and a penalty kick was given to the South Korean team in the 85th minute of the game.