"FUCK! YOU DON’T FIND THAT A FOUL?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Kageyama-sensei rushed toward the assistant referee without holding back his roar; his saliva spattered all over the place. "ARE YOU BLIND OR WHAT?! IT IS CLEAR THAT THE GOALKEEPER IS AIMING AT MY BOY’S FOOT!"
Honestly, if he wasn’t being held back by the assistant coaches behind him, the man would rush toward the pitch directly to confront the main referee. After all, this decision should be so easy that even a blind man would know what to do, and yet, the referee somehow found his way to mess this up.
If this was not a blatant siding against his team, what else could it be? Incompetence?
The rest of the players also complained here, with Miyashiro leading them after bouncing from the ground. "Sensei, that’s so fucked up! He hit me straight to my foot, you know?!" He pointed at his foot as if trying to prove a point here.
"Yes! What the fuck is wrong with your standards here?! This is not funny anymore!" Kawabe growled angrily, having to be held back by Ito.
The captain also stepped forward here. With his head still being covered with dirty bandages from the incident in the first half earlier, he asked, "Sensei, we need an explanation here. This result is unacceptable." His tone was so solemn.
The boy knew that if the answer didn’t satisfy the players, he wouldn’t be able to hold back his teammates. This was the second time they got this kind of treatment, with the first one being in the game against Italy. However, this was worse, since it was a game-deciding moment. If the team still failed to score and got eliminated, they could put all the blame on the referee here.
However, somehow, the referee was unfazed here. The Uruguayan man just stood still, pointing at the corner spot. "My decision stands, and nothing you guys are complaining will be enough to make me change it. Instead of wasting time like this, how about you continue the game quickly? Your time is almost up, you know?"
This warning was like thunder striking straight on them immediately. Indeed, once the referee made his decision, he would stand for it no matter how bad it was. Complaining like this would only waste more time, and that was not something they could afford right now.
"Tch! This is not over yet, Bastard!" Kawabe cursed so rudely in front of the referee. The only saving grace here was that he said it in Japanese, so the man didn’t have a clue what the boy was talking about.
The others also followed, even with the angry scowls or remarks. It was fortunate for them that the referee didn’t even punish them with a single yellow card here, but at least this was compensation for the controversial decision earlier.
Kageyama-sensei also finally realized that complaining would be useless, so he put his attention on the pitch immediately. "Suzuki! Move forward as well! Add more people on the front line!" He shouted from his spot.
"Wait, me?!" Zion pointed at himself in surprise.
"Yes! We don’t have that much time anymore! Come on, move!" He shouted once again, forcing the goalkeeper to leave his nest.
It was three minutes before the game ended, and now, Japan had already put all the players on the box. All the people in the stadium were on the edge right now, and even Japan’s bench players couldn’t help but get up from their seats, getting closer to the sideline to cheer for their teammates.
"Come on, Morita! A corner, don’t waste it stupidly!"
"This is our last chance! Zee, don’t mess up the front line!"
"Come on! Just one goal! We can do this!"
Morita took a deep breath, standing on the corner while also trying to regain his composure. His heart was still beating so fast from anger, but at least his vision was clearer than ever. Around 17 players were fighting for a position in the box, and if somehow he threw the ball there aimlessly, his teammates wouldn’t be able to survive against Senegal’s suppression.
’No, let’s play it short!’
With that thought in mind, the boy sent the ball to Nakamura, who was sneaking to get closer to him. Then, he rushed to avoid any offside trap, and as Nakamura rolled the ball back at him, the boy had a clear angle toward the goal, so he delivered a curl cross that went to the far post without hesitation.
Thud!
"Come on! Get it first!"
"Shit, keeper! Move!"
So many players fought so hard with their eyes in the air, trying to get the ball there. In the end, it was the goalkeeper who managed to punch it away to the other side of the flank, but Kawabe had predicted this move beforehand, arriving there to get the rebound before sending it to the box for the second time in the last ten seconds.
"FUCK! AGAIN?!"
"COME ON! CLEAR IT AWAY!"
"WE ARE GOING TO WIN THIS GAME!"
All the Senegalese players were determined to clear the ball as quickly as possible. This time, they reached it first, heading the ball away from the six-yard box. However, it was far from perfect, as Zion was there to pick it up. The goalkeeper also tried his luck, not even controlling the ball as he slammed it to the goal.
BAM!
Unfortunately, the crowded place in front of him prevented the ball from getting through the back of the net. Once again, the ball bounced off the players, flying back outside of the box. At the same time, the referee had already had the whistle in his mouth, ready to blow it to end the game.
"YES!"
"COME ON! WE WIN!"
Some players had already raised their hands to celebrate. However, the game was still not over. There, Morita, who had just executed the corner kick earlier, had arrived to pick up the ball. This time, he didn’t have any time to think or even control the ball. In desperation, he used his right foot to slam the ball as hard as possible, inwardly praying that a miracle could descend on them.
’God... Kami-sama... Whatever deity above, please, give us something here!’
BAM!