The Rise of the Iron Chapter 183: The Game Begins!

Chapter 183: The Ga Begins!

Fweee!

The mont the referee blew the whistle, the players from the Sapporo Kita High started the kickoff imdiately, which was followed by all the ho team players swarming on their side within a second. It was clear from the start that Hakodate Nishi wanted to get a quick win, and they were in for blood.

"Co on, Usami-senpai! Keep the pressure connected! Don’t let him go!" Kenji shouted while pointing at the player who had the ball.

"Denki, the flank! Push him back!" Kazawa also did the sa while he was charging at the opponent closest to him.

This was the new strategy they had when they needed to attack more. The idea was always the sa: putting pressure on the middle to push the opponent either to the flank or the backline, then forcing them to take a horrible long shot before snatching the possession with their superior aerial ability.

So far, everything seed to be successful, especially since they managed to gain their first possession just in fifty seconds, with Jun winning the duel against the opponent’s striker and sending the ball to Kazawa.

As for their offense, they decided to stay patient, controlling the ball slowly while also luring the opponents out of their comfort zone.

While indeed, they wanted to get a quick win, everyone knew that they were in their sugar rush mode, wanting to get everything done as quickly as possible. It wasn’t a good thing to do, though, especially in such an early stage of the ga, so soone had to set the pace correctly.

Fortunately, this was Kazawa’s specialty, and with the help of Takaaki and Makino, they took control of the center imdiately, slowly pushing forward like a hydraulic press destroying the object below.

"Co on, Denki! Stay connected, and don’t overlap that quickly! Give us a signal first!"

"Hiroshi, send it back! Give it to !"

Even though Sapporo Kita was never a strong opponent, at least, they were used in defending with their life, much like Hakodate Nishi a few months ago. They knew how to maintain their strongest shape in defense, moving like a unit to repel the intruders. Hakodate Nishi’s midfielders tried their best to crack their defense open, yet it wouldn’t bulge even for a second.

In the end, the first attacking attempt finally ca in the seventh minute of the ga. Definitely way too late, since Hakodate Nishi had been encircling the opponent’s side since the beginning, but they would take what they got now.

It all started with a cross from Denji on the left field, and Kuroki failed to beat his marker on the penalty box. However, the clearance was far from being perfect, and Takaaki, who received it, made a quick one-two pass with Kenji, who was hovering in front of the penalty box to let the glasses boy get through the opponent’s side imdiately.

"Oh! Shot it, Takaaki!"

"Co on! Co on! Score a goal!"

All the crowds stood up imdiately when they saw this. Their number might not be a lot, but with how small the pitch was, their voice echoed clearly from one side to another, enough to affect the weak-willed players on the pitch.

Unfortunately, the pass from Kenji was a little bit off this ti. The freshman flicked the ball gently past the defender’s head, but it was a little bit longer than he expected. Takaaki managed to poke it with his toe, but the opponent’s goalkeeper was also in the right position to deflect the ball there.

Thud!

"Oh! Almost!" Takaaki groaned, regretting how he missed such an easy goal. The boy shook his head quickly, though, giving his kouhai the biggest thumbs-up in the world. "A crazy pass, Kenji! I’ll wait for another one to co!"

"Ha! That’s exclusive for you, Senpai! Just wait!" Kenji laughed before he went to the penalty box with the others.

This ti, a corner kick was for Hakodate Nishi, and just like the usual, Hiroshi was the tacker for this one.

All the tallest people on the team gathered on the enemy’s box imdiately, from the duo center-backs of Makino and Jun to the top front like Kuroki and Kenji. So also tried to sneak in, like Denji and Usami, but they were just there to protect the outfield if the ball was cleared there.

Hiroshi took a deep breath here, raising one hand as a signal for a coming-from-behind attack. This ti, Makino nodded, trying to relax before starting to make his run. He moved so slickly, fooling his marker with a little feint move before running with full speed at the place where the ball would land.

Then...

CLANK!

"Oh, for fuck’s sake!" The captain groaned in annoyance when he saw the ball hitting the crossbar. His tone was full of regret, clearly not expecting that he was just a few inches away from the first goal today.

Still, he sent a big thumbs-up for Hiroshi, knowing that the pass was a top-quality one.

"Co on, everyone! It is still the first ten minutes, don’t be dejected like that!" Outside, Kumiko also started to encourage her players on the pitch. "Denki-kun, tell Takaaki-kun to play a little bit wider. Use the flank more, and get ready to support that line as well." She said, not forgetting to give an instruction to her players.

"Yes, Ma’am. We get it." Denki nodded before running back to the field.

Unfortunately, this happened for quite a long ti, with Hakodate Nishi keeping attacking their opponent relentlessly without any result. Even Kenji and Hiroshi failed to do that, and they were the most creative players on their side. It was as if Sapporo Kita just put all 10 players on the pitch, hoping that a miracle could save them today.

Still, if anything, Hiroshi and Kenji were way more motivated than ever. It was as if they had just found a difficult puzzle to handle, and yet, they were still enjoying their ti poking and probing everything here.

They both knew that sooner or later, things would start going on their side, and for that, they just needed to stay patient until that happened.

True enough, a few minutes after that, a ball was sent to Kuroki’s body, and the boy received it with incredible ball control, using his chest to slow down the ball. He was still in a far less dangerous zone, and he didn’t even face the goalkeeper here. However, his opponent was a bit too hasty, accidentally pushing the boy over.

Brugh!

A contact happened on the pitch, and the referee pointed out the spot for the free kick. That was when all the Hakodate Nishi players just stood there still, watching each other with a similar expression.

"This is our chance. We have to score now, or we will get more anxious later."