The Rise of the Iron Wall!-Chapter 14: Winning His First Game!

Higo was very grateful for his clairvoyance, as, even though he couldn’t even see who shot the ball, the vision given to his brain was enough to make him see where the ball would go. However, this time, it seemed that luck was not on his side, as even though he dived to block the ball, he was short enough to reach the ball, as it slipped through his grasp.

’Oh, shit!’

Well... He thought that his luck was gone already. Then, the unthinkable suddenly happened.

The ball travelled at high speed, and as it got closer to the goal, it rose slightly, deviating from its original route. The movement was very subtle, but as a result, it changed from going to the top left to hitting the crossbar, stunning everyone else there.

CLANK!

"Urgh!" Higo groaned loudly as his body slammed on the ground. However, the adrenaline allowed him to ignore the pain, as right after that, he rose instantly to find the ball. "Where the fuck is it?!" He roared, his head turning in every direction like a drunkard.

While he was going insane searching for the ball, silence fell on the field, with all the players staring in the same direction. This eerie atmosphere finally got registered through his head, and as he paid attention, the other players had their eyes on the ball that was already behind the goal.

It seemed that even though Higo failed to touch the ball, it still flew slightly higher, hitting the crossbar before bouncing far outside of the pitch.

’Damn! I am saved!’ Higo took a relieved sigh. He could still feel his heart pounding like crazy. ’Why the hell did the clairvoyance ability arrive so late?!’ He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

The shot really gave him a heart attack, as he didn’t see it coming until the last second. If, usually, his clairvoyance gave the boy at least three or four seconds to prepare, this time, he saw the ball coming straight only one second before it flew through the goal. Coupled with the tricky angle to the top bins and his short wingspan, he failed to reach the ball on time, and if only luck were not on his side, the score would be a tie right now.

"Oh, fuck!" The Esashi’s midfielder, who launched that rocket, groaned, yanking his hair in frustration. "Just a few inches lower!"

"Don’t mind, Koga! Don’t mind!"

"We still have time! Come on, everyone! Concentrate!"

While they were so frustrated from getting denied a goal, all the Esashi players clapped loudly, trying to encourage each other. Meanwhile, on Hakodate Nishi’s side, Higo wasn’t the only one who had a heart attack. Seeing the chance earlier, Makino’s expression turned solemn, knowing something had to change.

’Higo might not notice this, but his breath is getting heavier. His reaction will definitely get slower, and we cannot put our hope on him too much.’ He thought grimly.

Then, he turned around at Hiroshi, and coincidentally enough, the talented midfielder also stared at him. As their eyes met, they both nodded in understanding. ’We need to score one more goal to secure the deal!’ 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Of course, the reality wasn’t as easy as what they hoped for. Even though Esashi High had already replaced one defender with one striker in the second half, the fullback who got converted to form three center backs on the defensive end proved that he was also a solid player, never allowing Yuji or Hiroshi to escape from his grasp.

Hell, it could even be said that with three defenders, the team’s wall was stronger than ever, not allowing any leak to escape from their sight.

In this situation, the best solution should be to attack from the flank. However, Hakodate Nishi’s formation was a 4-4-2 diamond, with no wingers available to use. The two fullbacks were also exhausted already, couldn’t support the team’s attack after having to run all over the pitch.

Kumiko, who was on the sideline, couldn’t help but bite her lips nervously. "Kazawa-kun, come in! You will replace Kuroki-kun. You know what to do, right?"

"Hai, Senpai!" A boy with a bang covering his eyes who sat on the bench with her since the beginning of the game rose, starting to warm up.

The boy’s name was Kazama, and his position was defensive midfielder. It didn’t address the team’s need for a winger, but Kumiko couldn’t help it. The team really had no other players on the bench, so this substitution was made to send a healthy player while also strengthening the defense.

After that, the game resumed again, and Esashi’s wave of attack continued raining on Higo’s side. Fortunately, it seemed that Lady Luck was completely on his side this game.

A low shot piercing through the penalty box, he blocked it.

A header from the tall striker, only a few inches away from the left side of the goal.

A curling shot from the left wing, Hori managed to block it with his body.

A direct free kick from about 35 meters away, the ball was too weak.

In the end, in the 89th minute of the game, the opponent’s winger was so frustrated that he tried to launch a shot from an impossible angle. It was blocked by Ishinori, the team’s left back, and the ball landed straight to Makino’s feet. This was the chance that he had been waiting for, so the captain didn’t hesitate to send it straight to Hiroshi.

"COME ON! COUNTER!" He shouted.

"Oh, shit! Go back!"

"Defenders, slow him down!"

Even though at first glance, the situation was similar to the first goal, this was a completely different scenario. This time, Hiroshi didn’t have the defensive midfielder to shadow him and interfere with his dribbling, so he could use all the time in the world to observe his surroundings. Not only that, after the non-stop attack earlier, all the Esashi’s players were still on Hakodate Nishi’s side, so the opposition half was basically empty right now.

"Fuck! Get out of here!" Esashi’s defender gritted his teeth, delivering a tackle that would knock Hiroshi down. It was dirty and would result in a red card, but the boy didn’t have a choice. Once they conceded another goal, everything would be over.

However, Hiroshi was more decisive here. Before the defender could get his feet, he feinted a little bit, escaping from the cruel tackle before launching a killer through pass to the left side of the pitch. There, Yuji, the small and slippery forward from Hakodate Nishi, had already been halfway to the opponent’s goal, running so quickly like a cheetah.

"FUCK! YOU GET IT, YUJI! NO ONE IS BEHIND YOU!"

"GOALIE, MOVE!"

Even though the ball was still out of the penalty box, seeing that no defender would be able to stop that, Esashi’s goalkeeper gritted his teeth, pouncing forward to get the ball first. He and Yuji moved so fast that some people with weak hearts started to close their eyes tightly, not wanting to see the violent collision next.

Unfortunately for Esashi’s goalkeeper, Yuji, who had the stronger momentum, arrived first, and without any complicated technique, he shot the ball low, straight through the area between the goalkeeper’s legs. As a result...

Thud!

The ball rolled slowly before it finally hit the net with no power at all, yet it was enough to give the Hakodate Nishi High the second point they had been waiting for.

Hakodate Nishi 2 – 0 Esashi High