The chance here was of a similar type to the one where Kawabe struck earlier. The only difference, though, was that this time, the cross came from the midfield. However, it still arrived at the half-space area inside the box, where Miyashiro rushed to grab it.
"SHIT! STOP HIM!"
"COVER HIS SHOOTING ROUTE! DON’T LET HIM GET IT!"
All the Senegalese players also knew at this point how dangerous Miyashiro was. The boy didn’t need to have so many good chances like Kawabe, but one strike like this was sometimes good enough for him to bag the goal.
Unfortunately, today was not the case.
Seeing that two players were coming at him, one even sliding in front of him to block his shot, Miyashiro tried to be clever here, putting the ball to his left foot while also delaying his action, trying to avoid the opponents. However, his left foot was not as strong and accurate as his right foot, and when he tried to push the ball to the goal...
BAM!
Even though the goalkeeper failed to reach it, the ball still went off course. It hit the side of the net, just a few centimeters away from the goal itself.
"AH! Again?!"
"Damn! We are so unlucky today!"
"Twice we are so close to scoring the goal, and the score is still 0-0? Man, we need to do better!"
The supporters behind the goal groaned in regret when they saw the chance couldn’t find the back of the net. Miyashiro also clutched his head here, finding it hard to believe that he would miss the chance even from a close distance like this. Even if his left foot was trash, at least it shouldn’t be this bad, right?
However, instead of giving a goal kick, the linesman on the sideline just pointed his flag at the corner spot. It seemed that the last attack wasn’t a complete failure. No, the shot was blocked at the last second, and as a result, Japan had a corner kick to continue their attack right now.
"Okay, don’t mind, Miyashiro! We can do this again!" Morita clapped while also walking to the corner spot to execute it. "Come on, everyone! Get ready for this!"
Soon, more people followed, rushing toward the penalty box. Ayumu Seko, Ito, Kawabe, Nakamura, and Miyashiro occupied the six-yard box, trying to annoy the goalkeeper there. Meanwhile, some people also tried to spread the Senegalese defense thin by standing far on the edge of the penalty box.
Still, the big difference in height here was clear, so Morita didn’t choose to execute the ball directly. No, he called Sugawara for help, and the boy decided to play it short. After passing it to the boy, he ran back to avoid the offside trap, then picked the ball once again. Now, with a better angle toward the goal, he sent a sharper cross there, aiming for the far post where Ito was standing.
Thud!
"Ito, get it done!"
The captain gritted his teeth, trying to get the upper hand while also being held back by a big arm from the opponent. It was clear that he couldn’t move here, not without losing the chance completely. In the end, he tried to force his way, jumping under the pressure of Senegalese number 2.
However, somehow, a miracle truly happened to the people who didn’t know how to stop. Ito didn’t know what happened, but the next thing he saw was pitch black, as...
BAM!
A contact was made, and he fell to the ground quite roughly. The most fortunate part about it was that everything happened in the referee’s sight, so the sound of the whistle rang immediately after the incident happened.
FWEEE!
"An elbow to the face from Moussa Ndiaye, a penalty from Japan!"
The announcement was like thunder in broad daylight. Everyone was so stunned for a second, as the incident happened in the middle of the crowd. However, being the one who was at a disadvantage here, of course, all the Senegal players would complain.
"No, that’s a normal contact!"
"Yeah, you cannot play if just a clash like that will be penalized!"
"Come on, Ref! Don’t be so soft like that!"
Everyone tried to plead their case here, and even their captain had a hard time controlling his teammates. However, the referee just raised one of his eyebrows calmly before pointing at Ito, who was getting treated by the medic on the ground.
"You guys think that this is a normal collision? He is bleeding on his forehead. What do you think a normal foul will be when your opponent is down and cannot get up again?" He said it a little bit sarcastically. After seeing the impact of the foul on Ito, the man also decided to upgrade the punishment here. "A yellow card for Moussa Ndiaye for his reckless defensive action."
The Senegalese number 2, Moussa Ndiaye, just sighed helplessly when he heard that. Unfortunately, the boy couldn’t really do anything here. He himself also realized that his elbow stayed active during the action earlier, and he himself felt that he hit someone in that process.
Everything was so clear that he couldn’t defend himself in this situation.
Meanwhile, the players from Team Japan were not in any mood to complain here. The fact that the referee gave them a penalty was enough to satisfy them right now. If anything, their biggest concern was Ito, who was currently being bandaged on the forehead.
"Hey, Cap, are you okay?" Mitsuki Saito asked, concerned. "Should we ask Sensei to replace you?"
"Yeah, Cap, I know you are stubborn as a mule, but your health is number one, okay?" Naoya chimed in. "Don’t worry, even without you, we will still be able to protect our territory perfectly. Just rest in peace, Captain."
Ito himself felt the corner of his lips twitching when he heard that. Some of the boys also took their time to smack the DM on the back of his head for that remark.
"Sorry to say this, Naoya, but I am still far from my death door." The captain retorted while also waiting patiently for the medical team to finish bandaging him. "Anyway, don’t worry about me. We get a penalty, right? Just make sure we take the lead, and I will be okay after that."