Silence followed for a moment, as everyone was in confusion right now. Even Team Senegal themselves looked around for a moment, wondering what had just happened. This situation was so sudden that it took a while for them to process everything right now.
However, once the scene of the referee pointing at the circle spot sank in, all the Senegal players started to have their faces light up one by one, and the following up was a celebration that broke from this completely awkward situation.
"FUCK! WE SCORE A GOAL?!"
"I don’t know what is going on here, but this is so fucking crazy!"
"Come on! We are in the lead! Come on!"
Some were laughing their asses off at how ridiculous the current situation was. Not that they could be blamed here, as the ball itself was rolling far from the goal from Sugawara’s clearance. Still, since the referee had already given the goal to their side, who were they to refuse it?
Also, this goal really came at the best time for them. It was the 85th minute, and they were so close to extra time. While Senegal wasn’t afraid of it, the best situation was that they could end this game as quickly as possible with a win while also saving a good portion of their energy for the next round.
Well, based on the current situation on the pitch, they were not that far from that scenario here, and that was why everyone was so ecstatic.
Meanwhile, on Japan’s side, all the players were still looking around in disbelief. Morita was so stunned as he didn’t expect that the shot he blocked earlier would fly into his own goal, while Sugawara also had his face turning so pale as he was the last man standing on the line who failed to save the team.
The boy himself still believed that he did everything correctly, but when reality slapped him in the face, he was so helpless here, unable to defend himself. He couldn’t even argue that the ball hadn’t really crossed the line. After all, one of the fairest technologies in football right now was the goal line technology.
Its purpose was one thing: to determine whether the full body of the ball had passed the goal line or not. If it crossed, the referee would be given a notification, just as simple as that. There was no way the referee could mess up with this technology.
"FUCK! What is going on here?!" Ayumu Seko cursed so angrily that a thick vein popped on his neck. "We are so close to the end of the game! What kind of fuckery did the God plan for us?! This is so messed up!"
The boy didn’t blame anyone else here. After all, the goal was a combination of so much luck that it should be impossible to happen in one scene. Yet, here they were, suffering from this improbable scenario just five minutes from the end of the game.
They could clearly say that they were the unluckiest team on earth right now.
Even Kageyama-sensei was so speechless right now. The worst-case scenario that he thought earlier finally became reality. The team conceded a goal, and he couldn’t make a change from the bench. No, all of his substitutions were already used, and he had to rely on the team on the pitch right now.
’What should I do?!’ He started feeling the cold sweat on the back, racking his brain as quickly as possible.
However, the answer he got didn’t come from his brain, but from the little girl who had been his assistant for a month.
"Put Mamoru-kun as the attacking midfielder behind the two strikers, and let Nakamura-san and Kawabe-san operate as the wing backs on the flank. Transform the formation into 3-4-1-2." Kumiko suddenly made a suggestion. Before anyone could stop her, the girl continued, "We have abandoned short-pass combination because it doesn’t work in the first half, but right now, all the players’ stamina is at rock bottom, so we have to maximize it again but in a closed frontline. Even if they dare to use their physicality to suppress us, we can aim for a foul in a good position like our second goal."
This suggestion came in time, and Kageyama-sensei could feel his pupil dilated slightly as his brain processed everything. The other staff were too stunned to say anything as well, finding it difficult to get a hang of the adjustment that Kumiko suggested.
In the end, after finding this situation to be feasible, Kageyama-sensei didn’t hesitate, shouting, "Kawabe! Come here!"
The boy he called ran as quickly as possible, knowing that the head coach had given him instructions to combat this situation. After hearing the change, though, he widened his eyes for a moment before asking in doubt, "Will it work, though?"
Well, no one could blame him for asking a question. This was not a scheme that the team trained regularly, and experimenting in this moment seemed to be a recipe for disaster. Moreover, asking him to be a wing back that had to go back and forth so many times right in this moment sure would kill him, and it could also put the team in greater danger.
Not that Kageyama-sensei didn’t know about that, since, after the first excitement, the man finally paused, taking his time for a moment to think about this situation. Unfortunately, time was the biggest luxury that he couldn’t afford right now, especially when the referee had already asked the players from both teams to get ready for the next kick-off.
In the end, the man finally gritted his teeth, deciding to go all out for this.
"We have at most ten minutes before we are eliminated, and we cannot change anything from the bench. This is the only feasible way I could think of in a short time, so I’m sorry, Kawabe. Say my apologies to Nakamura as well, because you both have to work harder than usual until the game is over."