"OH! WE WON!"
"FUCK! WHAT THE HELL AM I DREAMING RIGHT NOW?!"
"THIS IS SO FUCKING UNREAL!"
The moment the referee blew the whistle, all the Ukraine players rushed toward each other, hugging and crying as if they were venting out the emotion they had been suppressing for a while. For a country that didn’t have a strong foundation in football, this result was like a giant leap for their football community, allowing them to get closer to the powerhouse teams on their continent.
Not only that, butthe title of World Champion also carried a unique honor here. Even though it was just for the U-20 section, no one could dismiss how difficult it was to get one, and if nothing went wrong, in the future, this resume would be enough to get them on top of the market list as hot prospects in the transfer window.
Their career would jump by leaps and bounds, and honestly, that was probably the biggest reward they could ask for after winning this tournament. That was why all the Ukraine players were crying on the pitch right now.
Of course, the same couldn’t be seen on the other side of the pitch. For every winner in a game, there would always be a loser, and unfortunately, today, Japan had to fill that role. Even after dominating the whole game, encircling the opponent in their territory, and launching so many devastating attacks, the final result didn’t go their way. It didn’t mean they played badly, but luck also played a big factor today.
Still, that didn’t change the final result; it was just a little consolation to ease their pain just for a little bit.
Some players could be seen crying, from Zion to Ayumu Seko and Miki Yamane. Those three somehow felt guilty the most, knowing that if only they hadn’t messed up today, everything would go on their way quite smoothly. That was the only thing they could do right now, thinking of so many ’what-if’ scenarios and trying to imagine themselves on the winning side of today’s game.
It wasn’t just them who reacted badly. Kawabe bawled in tears on the sideline, Morita just stood quietly while staring at the sky, and Mamoru was lying on his back while also grabbing the grass tightly, as if regretting everything that happened today. Hell, even Kageyama-sensei himself froze on the spot, probably questioning all of the judgement he made today.
It was an eye-opening scene, one that told all the people here the misery of the loser in the final.
Seeing this, Higo, who was on the sideline, couldn’t help but shake his head. "Yeah, it seems that the saying is right. The second place is the worst loser in a tournament."
He didn’t just stay quiet on the bench. Amidst the sadness and frustration around, he walked around, catching Makino standing alone in the tunnel. The boy’s face was so pale as he leaned against the wall, and he didn’t even notice Higo was standing next to him.
Soon, Kumiko followed, standing in the middle. No, she didn’t stand, but let herself sit on the ground. The girl tugged those two quietly, and right after that, it was them who followed along, sitting on the ground in the tunnel while watching the pitch quietly, ignoring all the commotion around.
"... It sucks, you know?" It was Makino who finally broke the silence. His gaze was still on the pitch, but tears were starting to fall from his eyes. "I’m not a stranger to losing, but this is probably the most painful one I have ever experienced. We are so close... So close to getting the World Cup title, and two stupid mistakes are enough to destroy everything..."
Higo and Kumiko just stayed quiet, listening to their friend’s venting without interrupting anything.
Out of those three, Makino should be the one who knew how painful today’s defeat was. Higo didn’t even play the game, and while Kumiko played a big role in the team’s adjustment, at the end of the day, she was only standing on the sideline. No, only those who were running on the pitch knew how devastating this result was.
"You know what is more frustrating?" Makino laughed, choking a little bit. "This is probably going to be the closest I could ever be to winning something with the national team. I am not like you, Chibi. I am fully aware of my limitations, and with how talented the others are, it is unlikely for me to get picked to the senior national team. My only chance... And it blew away right at the finish line... This is so ridiculous..."
Higo opened his mouth for a moment, wanting to retort to his friend’s statement and say something like he had potential or that everything could still happen in the future. However, any words coming out of his mouth would only be cheap consolation words that were meaningless for the boy. Also, Higo wasn’t really worried about his friend right now.
Right now, Makino was in a self-doubt phase, where his mind always tried to convince him that he was not good enough. This wasn’t the first time Higo saw his friend like this, because after losing the winter tournament, the former Hakodate Nishi captain also sulked alone quietly in the locker room.
It was basically his way to cope with getting eliminated in the tournament, and while it would take a while for him to recover, the boy would always bounce back stronger than ever. That was why no words were needed right now, and Higo just patted his friend’s back gently.
Still, he also stared at the pitch for a moment with a complicated feeling. He had a rough time in this tournament, only playing in basically the extra time of the game against South Korea. Hell, at some points, he hated the thought of going to the training session, thinking that it was pointless anyway since he wouldn’t play.
Still, now that they finally lost... Only one thought crossed his mind.
’So, everything is finally over, huh?’