This was probably Kawabe’s fifth attempt in this game, and that was quite a lot for a winger like him. The boy was probably the most frustrated one about his lack of goal, especially when he was so close to that promised land so many times today.
However, this shot was different. Even when his foot touched the ball, the boy had already had a good feeling about it, feeling that everything was perfect.
He hit the right spot, and the power he put into it was also good, not too strong that it would negate the curl but also not too weak to the point that the goalkeeper would catch it easily. This was the best shot he had launched today, and the boy was ready to celebrate the goal even before he heard the sound of the ball hitting the net.
’Come on! This is it!’ He prayed inwardly, looking at the ball with a bead of sweat on his forehead.
The ball moved like a boomerang, curling so sharply toward the goal. Senegalese goalkeeper also jumped at the same time, extending one hand far. He gritted his teeth, finding that his reaction was a bit too late. True enough, his hand could reach the ball, and as a result...
CLANK!
The ball hit the goalpost so loudly before it bounced hard into the goal, falling on the back of the net. Seeing this, Kawabe, who was still sweating nervously earlier, couldn’t hide his excitement when he saw the result of his shot here.
"Fucking hell..." He whispered for a moment before everything sank in. "FUCKING HELL! IT GOES IN! IT GOES IN!" Laughter followed as he ran as quickly as possible, coming to the stand while punching the air enthusiastically.
The others also followed, running at the boy like a bunch of lunatics. Mamoru even jumped on the boy’s back, waving his hands at the crowd while also laughing boisterously. It was clear that the goal was a huge relief for the team.
"Come on, Japan! We can win this game!" Someone shouted from the stands.
"Come on, Young Samurai! Let’s win it without a shootout!" The others followed.
The cheers were deafening, clearly showing that the supporters were also glad that the torturous period of having to chase the score was finally over. Now, as long as they managed to hold the score until the end of the game, one ticket to the semifinal would be in their pocket already.
Of course, the same thing couldn’t be said for the Senegalese team. Their assistant coach made a move immediately, preparing one player from the bench. With only 12 minutes to go, it was clear that he would be trying to overload Japan with more attacking players.
However, this didn’t solve their most basic problem. They were not the team that could hold possession for so long, and the more they did it, the more the players would feel nervous and prone to a mistake. This only gave Japan’s midfielders more chance to exploit, and there was no way Morita and Mamoru would let that go.
In a quick counterattack after snatching the ball from the opponent, Yuta Goke delivered a long ball to the opponent’s side, and Tagawa managed to head it back to Morita in front of the penalty box. The boy didn’t execute it directly, just sliding the ball gently to his left side. There, Mamoru came from behind without anyone guarding him, slamming the ball to the back of the net.
BAM!
"OH! GOAL!" Mamoru laughed as he hugged Morita enthusiastically. "Morita-san, can you see how far I placed that shot?! That is fucking awesome!" He laughed boisterously.
"Good job. That is a nice strike." Morita smiled, accepting the hug. At this point, their celebration was not as crazy as before, especially since they knew that with them leading by two goals, the win should be in their hands already.
Still, Higo, who watched their interaction from the bench, couldn’t help but feel strange about it. Those two were rivals in the winter tournament a few months ago, what with Shimizu Higashi High and Teikyo High meeting each other in the final. Yet, here they were, fighting alongside each other and celebrating the goal together as if they were long-lost friends or something like that.
Not only that, but they also became the team’s backbones in beating the opponent today. This was the second goal from Mamoru as he put the ball on the back of the net in the second half earlier with his exquisite free kick, while the pass also became Morita’s third assist in the day. Yeah, the boy managed to bag a hat trick assist in this game.
’Maybe, this is the essence of the national team, huh? All the best players in the country gather in one place no matter how bad their rivalry is to fight for the same flag.’ He thought in a melancholic gaze.
With a two-goal lead and only five minutes to go, Japan had already taken one step on the next stage. They just needed to hold on for a little while, and they would’ve been in the semifinal of the tournament. Knowing this, they finally relaxed a little bit, even daring to play around on the back to waste more time.
However, that was when one more disaster struck the team.
No, they weren’t conceding a goal again. This time, though, facing the pressure from the opponent’s winger, Sugawara tried to turn around and pass the ball back to Zion, but in the process, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his thigh. The boy flinched in pain and fell on the ground instantly, and the only saving grace here was that he managed to clear the ball away first before losing his balance on the pitch.
"ARGH!" He groaned in pain, raising his hand to ask for the referee to stop the game. Just based on his reaction, everyone could see that he was truly in pain right now.
Seeing this, Kumiko also got her face so pale, as a rare word also escaped from her mouth.
"SHIT!"