The method itself was simple. It seemed Yuwell wanted to play a mind game here. He glanced slightly at the right spot, the place where he whacked the ball in the first penalty earlier. If it were anyone else, they would start thinking that Yuwell was bluffing. After all, it was quite common knowledge for a team that had two penalties in a game to not aim them at the same place.

However, Yuwell was always a confident boy. His psychological state was always strong, especially in a situation like this. The boy knew that Higo would know that a penalty taker had never taken the second one to the spot he failed before, so he double-bluffed, aiming straight to the right spot.

Unfortunately, he miscalculated one thing here.

It wasn’t coming from his active mind, but something even deeper than that. The boy wanted to whack the ball to the top bins again, aiming straight to the sweet spot that no goalkeeper could reach. However, his body and brain were already exhausted, so even if his mind wanted to take a risk, his body backed down in the last second.

As a result, the ball didn’t float. It didn’t even come with the best power, just a difficult ball toward the right side. Higo was stunned for a second when his brain foresaw this, even thinking that this was another deception toward his clairvoyance, like how he experienced in the past. However, based on how Yuwell’s body moved, the goalkeeper knew that everything was real here, so he only had one thing on his mind.

’I can get this!’

BAM!

He dived right the moment Yuwell slammed the ball with his right foot, and the next thing the boy knew, he felt a weight in his palm, and that was when he knew that his prediction was successful.

"OH! HE SAVES IT AGAIN! HIGO SAVES TWO PENALTIES TODAY!"

"NO, IT IS NOT OVER YET!"

It seemed that Yuwell also noticed that his aim was weak and could be stopped by Higo. Right after the ball was launched, the boy rushed immediately, wanting to get the rebound like he did the last time he did it in the first half. Not just him, but two more Sapporo Otani players also followed, swarming the penalty box immediately.

However, one player was still faster than ever. The person was none other than the team’s captain, Tomoaki Makino himself.

Yeah, before the penalty was even taken, he remembered clearly what Higo said to him.

’Listen, trust me on this, but I will stop the penalty shot again.’ The goalkeeper said. ’In return, I need you to keep an eye on the rebound ball. Twice I saved the penalty before, and twice I conceded from the same scenario. If we fall in the same hole three times in a row, we are stupider than a donkey, right?’

’A donkey, he said.’ Makino snorted. ’Still, he is not wrong here. I need to clear the ball.... Now!’

BAM!

After chasing the ball, he twisted his body slightly, using all of his power to clear the ball. However, right in the last second, a foot suddenly blocked it, and the captain could see that it came from Sapporo Otani’s player. As a result, the ball just floated not too far, which was easily picked up by another player from the home team’s side.

"SHIT! SHUT HIM DOWN!"

"NO, JUST ONE! JUST ONE! DON’T GET BAITED!"

"USAMI, DON’T LET HIM GET YOU!"

The scene was so chaotic as all the Sapporo Otani players moved so deep into the penalty box. Hell, even Yuwell Carlson himself didn’t have any time to lament or regret his failed penalty, moving on so quickly to get into position to receive a cross. Even if he wanted to berate himself, the situation didn’t allow him to do so, and the boy had to swallow all of his anger and vent it in the right way.

"BALL!" The Swedish striker suddenly shouted, pointing at the space above and close to the goalkeeper. "GIVE ME THERE!"

It was a desperate attempt for Yuwell to use his height and aerial ability to beat everyone close to the goal and score by himself. If the one who crossed the ball failed to give a perfect one, it would only land on Higo’s hand, which would basically kill the game.

The one holding the ball also realized that. However, he had no choice here. The boy saw the referee glancing at the clock, so he knew that the game was so close to being over. With that in mind, he gritted his teeth, finally delivering a high ball toward the penalty box.

Little did he know, though, that his desperate attempt came exactly in a way that reminded Higo of the clash that happened in the last game. Higo himself knew in his brain that he needed to move. However, in that moment, his body didn’t want to obey him, sticking still on the ground without being able to move.

’SHIT! NOT THIS TIME!’ He cried in desperation.

BAM!

It was such an easy cross that Higo should have been able to catch it first. However, the moment he froze, it gave Yuwell time to get the ball first. Once again, he won the aerial duel against Sano, flicking the ball in the air lightly. It wasn’t with much power, just enough to deflect the ball. Still, Higo was helpless, could only see the ball flashing in front of his eyes without being able to do anything.

However, today, it seemed that the God of Football really descended on their side. No matter how bad the referee’s decision was, somehow, in the most crucial moments, there would always be an invisible hand to help them. This time, it manifested through Makino, as the captain suddenly came with a heroic jump, putting his body in line.

Thud!

"Urgh!"

The ball hit him straight in the abdomen, enough to make the captain grunt. However, this also stopped the ball from coming to the goal right in front of the line, preventing the disaster from descending to their side.

"FUCK! CAPTAIN!"

"CLEAR THE BALL! CLEAR THE FUCKING BALL!"

This time, there was no more drama. Kenji arrived in time, sending the ball far away into the sky. All the Sapporo Otani players were so desperate waiting for the ball to land, praying that the game wasn’t over yet. However, their hope was extinguished in the next second, as right after that... 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

FWEEEE! FWEEE! FWEEE!

The referee finally blew the final whistle, ending the game with a win for Hakodate Nishi High.