The rest of the players were also taken aback by this decision. However, after imagining the scheme inside their head, they all understood the coach’s intention here. This was the ultra-offensive strategy that he could muster with a limited resource, trying to ensure that they still had a chance to tie the game after this.
"Don’t worry, Senpai, I will do my best." Mamoru nodded solemnly as he got a new task.
The one who didn’t react well was Nakamura, as his expression resembled Kawabe quite well. His smile was wry and full of bitterness, knowing that his task was the hardest alongside Kawabe.
"Kageyama-sensei sure wants to kill us, eh, Hiroki?"
However, besides all the reluctance in his tone, there was a hint of acceptance hidden inside. The boy also knew quite well that to survive, they had to go all out more, and this was the only way they could do that right now. Just like with Miki Yamane in the first half, the boy was ready to die to protect that left side, and he was ready to prove that commitment once again as the team needed him to be.
"Okay, this will only last for ten minutes. Once we manage to tie the game and drag this into the extra time, we will have two additional substitutions, and if by then, you are already at your limit, I can ask Kageyama-sensei to replace you." Ito spoke quickly to Nakamura. "However, before that, make sure that you run as if your life depends on it, okay?"
"Sure." Nakamura nodded solemnly.
Soon enough, the players also went back to their positions, getting ready to start the game. The referee checked everything once again, and once he got the nods from all of his assistants, the man finally blew the whistle.
FWEEE!
It was the 86th minute of the game, and with two goals and so many fouls that happened in the second half, the best-case scenario here would be about six minutes of additional time. However, if the referee deemed that the game wasn’t that eventful, it could even only be three minutes.
Still, overall, Japan only had about 7-8 minutes to tie the score, a very short time in such a tense game. Of course, Senegal wouldn’t let them just get any easy chance in front of their goal. No, just like everyone thought, they dropped back all of their players, even putting one more defender from the bench to defend this result.
"Shrink the defense! Don’t open up your position!"
"Don’t foul! Diagne, don’t push too much! Don’t foul him!"
"Fuck! He is about to shoot!"
BAM!
"YEAAAAH!"
Another one of Japan’s chances was blocked, only resulting in a throw-in. This was the third one in the last two minutes, and twice the ball just went far to the less threatening area. This only made the boys feel more anxious as time went by, and they couldn’t help but always look at the bench for the time control.
"One minute left! Come on!" Kageyama-sensei clapped loudly, his voice hoarse as he had been shouting non-stop in the last couple of minutes.
"Come on! We can do this!" Kawabe roared, trying to ignore the fatigue that started to attack him.
Unfortunately, time was not their best friend in the scenario. Soon enough, the fourth referee on the sideline had already made his move, raising his board with a big number 5 being placed there. Five minutes of additional time, and Japan was already at the end of the rope right now.
This was going to be the fastest five minutes in their life, but at the same time, for the Senegalese team, this was also going to be the slowest five minutes they had ever experienced. This was the most torturous moment for all the players on the pitch, as one slip in their concentration could destroy all the hard work they built painstakingly today.
"Fuck it, this is not going to bring us anywhere!" Morita cursed. "Yuta-san, I will join Mamoru and the others on the front line. If we face a counter, that means our gamble failed, so just use any means to stop the attack! Don’t worry about the red card!"
Yuta Goke widened his eyes for a moment, not expecting this kind of instruction. However, since it came from the team’s second-captain, he nodded solemnly, accepting the order with his life.
"Don’t worry, Morita-kun, even if I die, I will never let anyone get through us again!"
Morita nodded before rushing forward to form a duo with Mamoru behind the strikers. Now, Japan had six offensive players on the front: Tagawa, Miyashiro, Kawabe, Mamoru, Nakamura, and Morita. This was a luxurious lineup that should ensure a goal for the team, if only they had more time to proceed.
Still, with Morita joining the front line, the flow became better by miles. Besides his top-notch ability to dictate the tempo, the boy was also slippery with his dribble and had a vision and skill to decide the best action to take in a heartbeat.
Then, their best chance came in the first minute of the additional time.
The triangle pass between Morita, Mamoru, and Tagawa in front of the penalty box managed to allow Morita to sneak inside. Even though he was surrounded by three or even four players who were bigger and taller than him, with his footwork, Morita managed to navigate his way there.
One player, pass.
Two players, still easy.
Three players, even though his balance was shaken, Morita still managed to survive, controlling the possession on his feet.
Then, when the fourth player came, the boy finally let go of the ball. His only purpose was to attract as many players as possible, and in the last second, it was Miyashiro’s task to solve the finishing product here.
’Yes, thank you for your hard work, Morita!’
However, as the boy was about to swing his foot, someone suddenly flashed in front of him. It took a while for the boy to realize, but the next thing he knew, he was being thrown to the ground.
BRUGH!
It was the opponent’s goalkeeper who reacted. Seeing that Miyashiro was sneaking into his own area, the boy rushed forward, sending a quick tackle to Japan’s striker. As a result, the ball bounced out of the pitch, giving Japan a corner kick.
Before Miyashiro or any other Japanese players could complain, though, the referee had already shown his stance here.
"A normal contact from the goalkeeper, on-pitch decision, no penalty! Corner kick for Japan!"
Then, hell truly broke loose on the pitch.