"COME ON! CONCENTRATE, EVERYONE!" Higo shouted before the referee could even blow the whistle. "LISTEN TO MY COMMAND AND NEVER HESITATE TO MOVE! WE CAN DO THIS!"
His shout caught everyone off guard, and some people on the bench couldn’t help but frown. After all, unlike when they played against any other European or South American team, where the opponent didn’t know anything about Japanese, South Korea was their neighbor, and there was no way that no one on the opponent’s bench didn’t know what he said here.
The only saving grace here was that Higo just shouted something mindlessly, not revealing any tactic. If anything, this also managed to hype up the players on the pitch, as their spirit also got pumped up instantly.
"YES! Come on, Higo! That’s the spirit!"
"Just tell me where to go, I will make sure everything is covered!"
"Come on! Let’s bring back the win!"
The referee just shook his head in exasperation when he saw this, looking at Ito for a moment to check whether the team was ready or not. The captain didn’t say a single word, but his nod was a confirmation for the man to start the game.
FWEEE!
The moment the whistle was blown, Miyashiro pushed the ball back to Morita immediately, starting the second half of the extra time. This was the last and fateful 15 minutes of the game, and the number of people in the stands didn’t go down from the initial number. Hell, if anything, the number rose here as more people came, wanting to witness how the game would end.
Even though it was a boring game, everyone still wanted to see which would take the crown as the best team in Asia right now. That was why, even though they had to jostle in the crowd, the people there were still willing to stay until the end.
Just like in the first half, though, the initiative was on South Korea immediately. The Taegeuk Warriors didn’t want to prolong this game more than necessary, so their mission right now was to avoid the shootout here.
However, little did they know that somehow, Japan’s defensive line moved faster than ever to anticipate all of their moves.
"Naoya, where the fuck are you trying to go?! Stay there, let Yamane-san take care of that side!"
"Saito-san, don’t shut down that space! Right! Support Sugawara-san!"
"Captain, left!"
BAM!
Another shot was forcefully taken by the Korean side, and just like before, it was done hastily in an unfavorable position. Oh Se-Hun tried to take advantage of the little space open in front of him, but Ito moved quickly to shut it down. In the end, his shot just flew far from the goal, resulting in another goal kick for Higo and Team Japan.
"YES! Come on! Nice defense, everyone!" Higo applauded, getting excited for another successful defensive setup that the team pulled.
At this point, even those who still were not sure about him being in command couldn’t help but feel convinced. After all, even though Higo’s command sometimes didn’t make sense, like asking to open a room for the opponent to shoot or move to the least threatening space, in the end, everything always worked well for the team.
Seeing this from the bench, Makino couldn’t help but snort, as if looking at a bunch of country bumpkins experiencing technology for the first time ever. ’Yeah, that’s Chibi for you. He often doesn’t make sense, but his instruction is always on point, giving the team the best outcome.’
Of course, South Korea managed to pull one attack after another toward the goal. However, everything was truly under Higo’s control. None of them was threatening enough to make him deflect the ball or, God forbid, give them any rebound scenario to create chaos.
This was the essence of Higo’s command. The aim was not to shut down everything, but to give a little room here and there so that the opponent could shoot straight in his direction. It worked well when he also supported it with his clairvoyant ability, making all the shots on target from the opponent become an empty stat.
This was the true sense of safety that Higo offered. No matter how good the opponent’s attack was, it would always end up in his grasp.
However, Japan’s offense also stuck right now. Higo himself still hadn’t mastered the art of passing, and most of the time, his long ball always ended up in a crowded area where his teammates were in the worst situation, unable to snatch it from their defender.
Overall, it looked like it was South Korea who took over the game, but they couldn’t convert any of their chances into a goal.
As it was about five minutes before the game was over, both head coaches also started to put new players in for the shootout. South Korea used their last two substitutions in one go, replacing their fatigued midfielders with new ones who they thought were good enough to face Higo’s pressure under the goal.
Meanwhile, Kageyama-sensei also did the same. He put Tagawa in for Mitsuki Saito. Just one change, but it was enough to give the team confidence for the later stage. After all, Tagawa was one of the best penalty takers on the team, and not only that, the boy was also his club’s main taker in any competition.
It was always better to put someone who was experienced in this case, giving a sense of safety for the team.
In the end, with both teams preparing for the shootout, the last five minutes were quite uneventful. Even if they still tried to send one shot or two, they also did it very cautiously, not wanting the opponent to steal something in this crucial moment.
It would be a big joke if someone suddenly scored right before the whistle was blown, not giving the opponent any chance to return it.
After waiting for a while, the fourth referee also raised the board on the sideline. One minute. That was the only additional time given in this second half, and no one questioned it. All the people here had already accepted the fact that they were going to enter a shootout, and now, they just wanted the extra time to be over as quickly as possible.
Well, the referee also understood their feeling, so he didn’t wait for too long here. The moment his clock hit the exact one minute...
FWEEE! FWEEE! FWEEE!
The whistle was blown, ending the game still goalless. They were about to enter the penalty shootout later to decide who was the king of Asia right now.