The coach didn’t just address the defense, but also the team’s offense here. He adopted Kumiko’s approach, trying to go as detailed as possible to make it easier for everyone. However, the man also left some room here and there for creativity, wanting to make sure that he didn’t bind his players too tightly with his rules.
"Mamoru, I need you to drop back and act as the ball handler in the second half. Just make sure you are ready to handle everything once Morita is getting locked down!"
"Miyashiro, I need you to be more active in your pressure! I haven’t seen any of your crafty movement in the first half, and you are just getting ignored by their defensive line! I cannot accept this!"
"Kawabe, things will be awkward for Ito in the first few minutes in the first half, so get ready to back him down first! Start attacking once you both are sure that the right side is secured enough for Ito to protect by himself!"
"Morita!—"
"Saito—"
Everyone got called in this section as the head coach wanted to make sure that everything would go well later. The next part would be the final half of this tournament, the decisive moment to determine who would be the best in the world for the U-20 section. If the team lost due to his negligence, the man would definitely regret this for the rest of his life.
Soon enough, the referee visited their locker room, telling the guys to get ready for the second half. After 15 minutes of a break, they were already refreshed once again, both physically and mentally, so the boys went out instantly, eager to start the game again.
If before, they were so passive in maintaining their lead, now that the score was tied again, the boys couldn’t wait to go all out, attacking the opponent from the beginning of the game. Their target was only one: They just wanted to score a goal as quickly as possible. It would be perfect if they could do that in the first ten minutes, just like in the first half earlier.
Once they were on the pitch, the players from Team Ukraine were already there as well. They made one substitution, taking off their left back, who had been bullied so badly by Kawabe a few times in the first half, with a fresher player. Their purpose was clear; they didn’t want to lose something from that side again.
After waiting for a while, both Miyashiro and Mamoru stepped forward, walking to the center circle for the kick-off. They waited patiently for the referee to check everything on the pitch, while the rest of the players were doing their best to warm up their bodies.
Everyone knew that the second half would be brutal, as both teams would want to get their first-ever World Cup trophy in this tournament. Even the supporters themselves got tense at this moment, some starting to pray quietly in the stands.
Once everything was ready, the referee finally got a nod from his assistant, and...
FWEEE!
The whistle was finally being blown, starting the final half of the tournament. Mamoru sent the ball back quickly, letting Morita and the rest of the players on the back line play the tempo first.
Somehow, though, everything started exactly like in the beginning of the first half after Ukraine’s blitzkrieg attack. The tempo was slow, and all the players treated the game cautiously. The pass was short and safe, and no big movement was made by the players on the front line.
The first chance finally appeared after three minutes of dilly-dallying on the back. Taking advantage of Morita, who was surrounded by two players, Mamoru dropped back just as he was instructed during the break, picking up the ball from his senpai. Then, his eyes caught a movement on the front, and he just dinked the ball gently to that side.
Thud!
"Oh, shit!"
"Don’t jump! Turn around and go back!"
This chip pass was enough to create panic on Ukraine’s back. One of them jumped as he thought he could reach it, but the final result was that he only bruised the ball with his hair. This was the brilliance of this pass. It was still low enough to make the opponent hesitate about whether they should handle it directly or move back and let it fall to the spot where the passer intended to be.
There, Miyashiro received the ball perfectly. However, being surrounded by three giants around him, the boy didn’t have any intention to do everything alone. No, that would be a nightmare for him. Instead, he sent a through ball to the flank side, and there, Kawabe had already forced Ukraine’s new player into a race to get the ball first.
"Fuck! I get this! I get this!" Kawabe gritted his teeth, hitting his accelerator once again.
In the end, he got the ball first, but his angle was too tight to do anything threatening. It also didn’t help that Miyashiro and Mamoru were out of position, making him the only one to be close enough to the opponent’s goal.
Instead of waiting for any reinforcement from the flank, Kawabe tried to take it alone, launching a rocket shot from that tight angle.
BAM!
The power was there, but unfortunately, the route was still far from the goal. It just hit the side net, not even enough to make Andrey Lunin work harder.
"Shit!" Kawabe clicked his tongue while also kicking the grass in annoyance. "Sorry, everyone! I am a little bit too hasty here!" He didn’t forget to apologize to the boys who were ready to support him from the back.
After this, it was time for Ukraine to test Japan’s defense.
The scheme was still the same, trying to overwhelm the flank side with three or four players. In the end, the number 10, Serhiy Buletsa, managed to deliver a good cross to the penalty box, bypassing Ito’s defense on the flank.
Thud!
"Yes! Nice pass!"
"Come on, Kyrylo! Get it done!"
After beating Ito so many times in the first half, Dryshliuk was so confident when facing this cross. However, this time, Ayumu Seko guarded him tightly, and before he knew it...
Brugh!
FWEEE!
They both fell at the same time, and the sound of the whistle echoed throughout the whole pitch.