"So, how does it feel?’ Kumiko asked with the biggest smile that her face could muster. "To take a comfortable two-goal lead against the best country in the world?"
"AWESOME!" The boys answered immediately, some laughing boisterously to celebrate this little achievement.
It was the break before the second half began, and Kumiko just let the players take a quick rest while also celebrating the current lead right now. It was important for the players to acknowledge their achievement today, letting them get confident that they were not a weak team anymore.
Even if Kumiko had said it before, the current result was the biggest proof that she was right in this regard, and they didn’t have to doubt her anymore.
"Damn, can you see that run from me?! I blew that fucking full back to dust!" Kawabe laughed boisterously.
"Bah! What are you bragging for? That was your only contribution so far! You got screwed so many times by that Moussa Diaby!" Naoya retorted while receiving a massage on his calf.
"Yeah, if anything, it should be Mamoru or Morita who have the right to brag right now!" Tagawa nodded while also drinking the water from his bottle.
"Oh, shut up, will you?! Compared to me, you two bastards haven’t even done anything else today!" Kawabe glared at those two players, unhappy that they didn’t allow him to brag.
Morita himself just rolled his eyes when he heard another round of bickering from his teammates. He was still so calm, not getting bothered by the commotion around him. This made the rest of the team admire him more for his composure. Little did they know, though, that the man had the biggest shit-eating grin inwardly, finding his assist earlier to be so cool.
’Damn, the highlight on social media later will be nuts! Will it be nominated for the best assist of the tournament? Wait, is that even a thing? Maybe I should ask Shishida-san about it later. Still, that chip was so cool!’ He laughed giddily inside his heart.
Kumiko just let the players indulge in their little moment first before she finally coughed. "Well, you have done a good job so far, but any of you here should understand the unspoken taboo in the football world, right?"
This warning was enough to get everyone to straighten their back instantly; all the goofy chatters and laughter were gone in a blink.
"Don’t open the champagne in the halftime, right?" Morita replied solemnly.
"Indeed, and while some of you probably scoff it off, you cannot deny that this warning is right." Kumiko nodded. "We are still far from winning; celebrating too quickly can lead us to a disaster."
This taboo originated from Istanbul, where AC Milan was rumored to celebrate their win at halftime during the final of the Champions League in 2005 against Liverpool. At that time, they were in the lead with three goals, and no sane person would be willing to back Liverpool to make a comeback.
Well, Liverpool at that time was filled with crazy people, and being led by Steven Gerrard himself, they managed to climb from the edge of hell to flip the table, winning the game in a penalty shootout. That game was still considered probably the best comeback in football history, as people remembered it as the ’Miracle of Istanbul’.
If Liverpool could overtake a three-goal lead against the stronger AC Milan team, there was no way in hell France couldn’t do the same, especially since the difficulty was lower. Their opponent was just Japan, and they were only down by two goals. This was not a mission impossible for them to achieve.
"Good, you still remember the lesson that our predecessor learned the hard way." Kumiko nodded in satisfaction. "We might be half a step in the final already, but France is still a strong team that could drag us down to hell and bury our dream, so don’t celebrate too quickly, because we still have another 45 minutes to fight."
"Yes, Ma’am!"
"For the second half, we will make a quick change. Goke-san, you are in, replacing Saito-san."
"Wait, me?!" Mitsuki Saito pointed at himself, a little bit surprised by this decision.
"Yes, you, Saito-san." Kumiko nodded seriously. "You are one of the few players who haven’t had a chance to rest since the tournament started, always playing full in every game. You might not notice it, but your movement becomes slightly slower, and the fatigue accumulated inside your body starts to get you. You might feel slight pain in some places and try to grit your teeth through it, but that wouldn’t do. I will give you time to rest, and in return, Goke-san, who is a better player in defense, will fill your spot."
Honestly, Kumiko didn’t really need to explain that. Her words as the interim head coach were enough to force the boys to follow. However, she still wanted her boys to know that she paid attention to them, so they could go all out without worry.
Mitsuki Saito was so stunned when he heard that explanation. Then, his eyes went teary a little bit before he wiped them out quickly. Still, the complicated feeling inside him was raging like a storm.
Indeed, he had been feeling slight discomfort in some part of his lower limbs. However, the boy didn’t dare to say anything, not wanting to be another burden for the team. Now that the secret was revealed, instead of feeling disappointed, a wave of relief washed over him, and the boy even smiled gratefully at Kumiko.
"The same could be said for everyone here! Especially those whose playing minutes have already exceeded 500 minutes!" Her eyes darted to Kawabe and Morita, the two engines who had always run for the team. "Once I feel the team’s victory is safe enough in our grasp, I will start taking some key players off the pitch. You might be reluctant about this, but if you want to be at your best for the final, you have to follow this instruction! Do you understand?!"
"YES, MA’AM!"