Everything might look ordinary, just a series of coincidences combined with luck that allowed Japan to get this chance. However, all the Young Samurai players knew one glaring fact. This was a part of the plan that Kumiko and the coaching team were cooking to give them a fighting chance today.
"Listen, their two center backs, Dan-Axel Zagadou and Boubakar Kamara, are two strong players, and their presence is also a big reassurance for the Team France," Kageyama-sensei explained. "However, that is also a double-edged sword. That gives their midfielders confidence to push forward, so in a counterattack scenario, they are often late to come back to their own territory. If we can go for an aerial duel to take out one of their defenders and snatch the rebound, we will have a big space on their territory to exploit!"
It sounded so easy when the man explained this tactic, but the players knew how hard it was to pull. After all, if their own striker was not strong enough to pressure the opponent’s defenders and made them clear the ball instead of controlling it, that would only give the opponent a chance to regain possession.
However, no one thought that this tactic would work the first time they tried.
From the long ball that Miki Yamane sent to Tagawa’s relentless pressure, everything was perfect, just as the coach said. Even though the boy lost the aerial battle, the rebound was still there, and seeing that the space that Dan-Axel Zagadou guarded was open since the boy was down, Morita knew that this was his chance to strike.
The boy really took a risk here, leaving the midfield area where he should’ve protected to get the rebound and push the ball forward. However, with just one dribble, he had already passed that defender and Tagawa behind, and now, the boy had all the space in France’s territory to take action, and the only one who could stop him was Boubakar Kamara.
"SHIT! What are you doing, Axel?!"
"Kamara, I’ll leave that guy to you!"
"Leave it to me!"
Boubakar Kamara showed his calmness by not putting pressure on Morita immediately. No, he just stepped back little by little, keeping an eye on the boy while also guarding the space behind him so that no one could sneak around, attempting to slow down the incoming attack while also waiting for the support to arrive. This was a perfect textbook response to face this situation.
However, the man didn’t expect that Japan still had one assassin lurking in the shadows, and Morita couldn’t help but smirk here.
’Hah! Your positioning skill is always disgusting, Miyashiro!’
Thud!
Instead of sending an ordinary through ball, Morita chipped the ball a little, getting through Boubakar Kamara from above. The boy himself was shocked, having his eyes following the ball’s movement. This was a pure mistake, since the movement made him lose his balance for a moment, and when he turned back, the boy widened his eyes in shock to find Japan’s number 14 had already been running behind him.
"SHIT! OFFSIDE!" He raised his hand quickly, asking desperately for the linesman to do something. Unfortunately, every move was clean from Japan’s side, and all the people there could see that Miyashiro was running from behind. "FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!"
The boy cursed in French so quickly while also trying to run back at his top speed, chasing Miyashiro from behind. His instinct also told him to grab the boy, screw the consequence. However, at the last second before he extended his arm, the boy’s brain took over, stopping him from doing that.
It was still the fifth minute of the game, and while conceding one goal suck, it was better than having to play with ten men for the rest of the game. With that in mind, he just let Miyashiro go, and the boy didn’t even find any difficulty in putting the ball on the back of the net.
Thud!
He just used his instep foot, aiming at the space between the goalkeeper’s legs. Even though France’s goalkeeper tried to jump to ambush Miyashiro, he was just one step too late, as the shot had already launched.
Then, without even waiting for the stadium to react, Miyashiro had already run toward the stand, punching the air enthusiastically.
"OH! What a goal!"
"Are you kidding me?! We are leading against France?!"
"Damn! Can you see the chip pass earlier?! Who does he think he is, a fucking Kevin de Bruyne?!"
"Come on, Young Samurai!"
All the supporters from Japan cheered with the players on the pitch, celebrating this quick goal to begin the game. They all laughed and high-fived each other, having mixed feelings between bewilderment and happiness for this early lead.
The players themselves also joined the fun. Morita came first, hugging his friend from behind. Then, Mitsuki Saito followed, and Kawabe also jumped onto their back from behind. This game really put an ease on everyone’s mind, as before the game started, they were still full of doubt whether they could survive this stage or not.
On the back line, Makino also celebrated this with Miki Yamane. Those two were the initiators of the attack earlier, and seeing their effort was converted successfully by their teammates, the boys exchanged high-fives, knowing that they were already one step ahead.
"Good job, Makino." Miki Yamane praised. "You and your Hakodate gang never cease to amaze me. Every single one of you sure has something to offer for the team. No wonder you can go so far in the last winter tournament..."
"Hah! Don’t praise me like that, Yamane!" Makino laughed humbly, but couldn’t hide the smug smile on his face. The last tackle sure was enough to give him a boost of confidence. "We are in the lead right now! Come on! We have to work harder to maintain this until the end of the game!"
Miki Yamane also nodded; his expression turned solemn quickly as he saw the change of expression on the French players. "Indeed, you are right. If we lose concentration, I am sure they will punish us severely."