Chapter 194: A Slow & Tough Matchup
Fweee!
The mont the referee blew the whistle for the kickoff, two of the opponent’s strikers got the ball imdiately. However, instead of passing the ball back to the midfield, one of the strikers there suddenly kicked the ball out of the possession.
This move really baffled the away team, as it wasn’t even going on Higo. No, instead of an on-target attempt, the ball flew straight to the flank, going out of the field close to the corner flag on the right side of the pitch.
It puzzled all the Hakodate Nishi players for a mont, but once they picked the ball for the throw-in, they finally realized what Hakodate Science High’s players wanted to do right now.
’So, they give away the ball imdiately to swarm our territory with their players, wanting to force us to make a mistake and break our defensive shape from the start? Damn, they are so vicious!’ Higo gnashed his teeth, impressed and annoyed at the sa ti. "Hori, don’t try to give it back! Launch it forward! Give it to Yuji!" He shouted, giving a command.
Fortunately, it was still early in the ga, not the ti when most players didn’t follow his command anymore. Hori just gave him a slight nod before throwing the ball far to the front, which, unfortunately, with Yuji’s height, the team failed to keep possession here.
"Okay, don’t mind it, Yuji!"
"Just put your pressure on them! You as well, Hiroshi!"
"Twins, get ready to move! We are going to push!"
Even if their first tactic failed, they weren’t that dejected. At least, the throw-in really put all the Hakodate Nishi players back in their own area, which gave the ho team more space at the beginning of the ga to create an opportunity.
However, the away team was not a paper tiger here.
They showed why they were the best defensive team in the prefecture by moving so coordinately, like they were just a unit from the front to the backline. Even Yuji himself kept putting pressure on the ball’s holder, wanting to bite anyone else like he was a mad dog here.
Still, the beginning of the ga didn’t give away anything else. Both teams were still poking around, wanting to test any loopholes in the opponent’s defense. No shot was even taken in the first five minutes, as the only threat thrown was a low cross to Abraham Nori, Hokkaido Science High’s striker, before it got cut first by Higo’s prediction skill.
Hakodate Nishi players also stayed patient on the back, not wanting to rush things up too hastily. Hell, there was even an occasion where the opponent did sothing that Kumiko said to chase, but they reacted too late, which threw away that chance imdiately.
It was clear that they were still warming up right now.
Things only got serious as Hakodate Nishi’s pressure started to get overwhelming. The opponent’s movent suddenly got sloppier, and so lazy passes were also made in the process.
In the 12th minute, the back pass from Hokkaido Science High’s DM to the center back was a little bit weak. It usually wouldn’t cause a problem, especially since they were in their own territory.
However, Yuji pounced like an angry wolf, poking the ball slightly to nutg the opponent’s defender before rushing toward the opponent’s side with his speed. Not only that, but Hiroshi also followed next to him, creating a two-pronged devastating attack for the ho team.
"Fuck! They are so close!"
"Horibe, cover it up! Cover it up!"
So of the ho team’s defenders gasped while covering their eyes in fear. Unfortunately, Yuji tried to be unselfish here, but his diagonal pass didn’t quite reach Hiroshi, only getting intercepted by the opponent’s defenders to give them the corner kick.
The corner kick itself also went quite badly. Hiroshi failed to lift the ball up, only reaching the near post before getting cleared by the opponent’s defender.
Overall, the first fifteen minutes of the ga were quite eventful, with a change of possession happening almost twice every minute. Still, Kumiko wasn’t really worried about this situation. If anything, she had already expected sothing like this, and honestly, the girl was happy to see the stagnancy in the first half of the ga.
’We have done a good job containing their tiki-taka strategy, pushing them to the flank and killing all of their chances to advance further. Now, we should make them more frustrated, and once the second half begins, with Kuroki-kun and Kenji-kun coming off the bench, our chance to score will be doubled instantly.’
Of course, that didn’t an the ho team couldn’t pose any threat to them.
Hell, even if he didn’t receive so many passes, Abraham Nori, the Half-Japanese striker, always moved in a dangerous space, threatening everything on the backline. He even beat Jun on one occasion, passing through him with a quick flick before chucking a shot to the top bin. Fortunately, the shot itself was bad, and Higo didn’t even need to do anything as it flew far outside of the pitch.
Hokkaido Science High’s failure to get through Hakodate’s defense could be blad on two players here. Those were Fujinaga and Usami, two ghosts who kept haunting all the ball holders tirelessly. Hell, no one had ever seen them both stop running since the beginning of the ga, with their coverage area including the whole pitch.
They were so determined to be a pest, not letting any of the opponent’s midfielders have a comfortable ti on the pitch.
After waiting for a while, another big chance finally arrived. This ti, Ishinori’s relentless pressure on the flank finally allowed him to snatch the ball from the opponent’s winger, and without hesitation, he sent it forward, wanting to launch a counterattack.
Hiroshi himself was being pressured from behind, couldn’t even turn around right now. However, that didn’t an he couldn’t do anything here. No, with a quick scan of his surroundings, the boy found a loophole in the opponent’s defense, and just with one touch, he deflected the ball back toward the flank, where his cute kouhai was already running.
"OH! Good pass, Hiroshi-senpai!"
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