This goal changed everything.
At first, Ukraine wanted to use the wait-and-see approach, not wanting to hit the accelerator too early. After all, after playing for such a long tournament, the players’ exhaustion was at its peak right now, and they didn’t want to risk anything in the beginning.
In their mind, once the game started to enter the middle phase, where all the players had already been warmed enough, that would be the best time to strike.
However, this goal from Kawabe really caught them off guard. They didn’t expect Morita to escape from two people so swiftly, and Mamoru’s decisive cross was also something that they had never thought of before. One of them was also so frustrated for letting Kawabe escape in the penalty box, starting to blame himself for the goal.
Still, overall, while they were a little bit down from conceding this early goal, there was a fire burning in their eyes. Now, everyone was looking at Japan’s side with a vengeful stare, ready to kill the opponent as mercilessly as possible.
Of course, their change of expression was noticed by Team Japan. Kageyama-sensei frowned for a moment before signaling the players to stop the celebration. "Get ready for their retaliation! Don’t rush things up and try to keep everything steady! Also, keep an eye on Mamoru’s side as well!"
The last message was a hint that the coach’s ambition was not over yet.
This was the offensive tactic that he and the team made before the game. Kumiko’s data about the opponent’s right back was so valuable that the man adopted the suggestion without even blinking.
"Their number 17, Yukhym Konoplianka, is a stubborn and resilient defender who will never stop running and chasing our players from behind. However, he is often out of position, appearing at the weirdest place possible just to get the opponent down. You will see Mamoru-kun in a good position a lot of times in this game, so everything depends on whether we can capitalize on it or not."
It worked for the first goal, and Kageyama-sensei was still hungry for the second one. After all, who would refuse a two-goal lead in the final?
The rest of the players also figured out what the coach wanted, so while the gazes from the Ukraine players were quite intimidating, they were still not afraid of it. No, if anything, they were so excited to hurt their opponent more, securing the game for themselves as quickly as possible.
"Okay, enough for this little celebration. Time to get back to work!" Ito clapped loudly, trying to hype up the team once again. "The quicker we get the second goal, the more secure our position will be! Come on, we cannot waste this momentum away!"
"Yes, Cap!"
Unfortunately, the second goal had to wait. Once the referee restarted the game, the Ukrainian team went all out from the start, not intending to play safely again. The moment the whistle was blown, they tried to send another blitzkrieg attack. Makino was ready for this as well, coordinating the defensive movement with Ito. However, the scheme was different this time.
Andrey Lunin still launched a Hail Mary pass to Kyrylo Dryshiluk on the front line, and the second striker still won the battle against Ito there. However, Supriaha didn’t try to sneak into the penalty box quickly. No, he moved back a little, and together with the other four Ukrainian players, they occupied the pocket area between Japan’s defensive and midfield line, trying to overwhelm that post.
"Come on! Make sure you get the ball!"
"Move!"
Ukraine’s number 7, Giorgi Tsitaishvili, managed to arrive at the right spot, getting the rebound to his feet. He didn’t wait for anyone to come to him, sending a quick pass to Supriaha in the middle. Then, with his speed, he tried to sneak into Japan’s penalty box, and somehow, the ball was sent to him again, rolling into the space in front of him.
"Yes! A good pass!"
"Shit!"
Makino gritted his teeth, trying to cover as much space as possible. Miki Yamane also moved from the flank, wanting to sandwich the boy from both sides. Not only them, but Zion also tried to close the distance, spreading his arms wide to block everything from his spot.
Still, Tsitaishvili was more agile than they had initially thought. He managed to survive under the pressure from two players around him, pushing the ball with his toe to get the ball to pass Zion as the last player from Japan to guard the goal.
As a result...
Clank!
The ball rolled slowly to the far post before it hit the goal post, and before anyone could get it, Ayumu Seko appeared from the other flank, clearing the ball as far away as he could.
"Shit!" Tsitaishvili saw the ball deviating slightly from the spot he originally intended to send it to, and he couldn’t help but curse about it. "Sorry, that’s my bad!" He apologized to his teammates quickly.
Still, this wasn’t his fault at all. Getting surrounded by the opponent’s players from all directions, it was already good that he still managed to launch a shot. If anything, his relentlessness in chasing the ball only gave Japan’s defensive line a heart attack.
"Naoya, Saito-san, be more aggressive when facing that kind of an attack!" Makino shouted, voicing his dissatisfaction to the two midfielders. "We are fighting against a fucking giant here, so at least, make sure that the others don’t get an easy rebound like that again!"
Those two nodded quickly, not daring to say otherwise. It was a strange phenomenon, as a mere bench player was scolding the two main midfielders for their lack of action. However, at this point, everyone had already known Makino’s quality, and even the captain himself nodded in agreement with that instruction. That was why the two midfielders complied with the order instantly.
Still, that didn’t mean the problem was over. After this, Ukraine had a throw-in, and soon enough, the flank was overwhelmed by three players. Ayumu Seko and Kawabe tried to stop them, but in the end, a long diagonal cross was still sent to the penalty box.
BAM!