It wasn’t just Higo who caught this movement. Hell, all the Hakodate Nishi defenders found it out pretty quickly, considering Shohei High didn’t really hide it. The striker with the jersey number 16, one who had just come in the second half, moved to the left immediately, with Kawabe occupying the area in front of the opponent’s defender alone.

If it came to an aerial duel, Kawabe was definitely not a match here. After all, while the boy was quite tall for a winger, around 183 cm, both Jun and Makino were even taller. However, height wasn’t the most important factor when it came to being a dangerous striker. If so, a lot of world-class strikers in the world would be out of a job immediately.

No, what made them the best was the combination of so many qualities, from their off-the-ball running, their positioning, their ability to attract defenders to them, to even their finishing touch. Unfortunately for Hakodate Nishi, Kawabe had all of them in his bag, which made him the worst possible matchup for the Hokkaido team right now.

"Shit! Hiroshi, how could you not say anything about him going as a forward?!" Ishinori hissed with a frown on his face.

"Well, how could I say that if I don’t know anything here?!" Hiroshi also replied with confusion. "He had never gone to the center in the past, always occupying the left flank! This is something new, I tell you!"

The atmosphere was quite grim among Hakodate Nishi’s defenders. After all, in this heated situation, the last thing they wanted was an unexpected surprise like this.

"Anyway, don’t think too much about it." Makino finally spoke before the game continued again. "Nori, just remember to cover my ass. He will definitely target me for the rest of the game." He said the last sentence with full conviction.

Not that he was wrong, per se. With a yellow card booked for him earlier, Makino became the biggest weakness on the backline for Hakodate Nishi. It wasn’t necessarily Shohei High wanting to make him get a red card, but with a yellow one, it was enough to restrain Makino’s defensive movement. At least, he won’t be able to challenge recklessly like before.

It seemed Shohei High had already had the plan since the half-break. They truly did as Makino predicted, starting to target the captain with Kawabe.

The first duel between the two captains happened in the 53rd minute of the game, where a through ball pierced the pocket area between Denji and Makino. Kawabe managed to get the ball first, stopping for a moment to look at the penalty box. However, before Makino could make a move, the opponent’s captain hit the accelerator once again, leaving Makino in the dust.

"SHIT! NORI!" Makino scowled, running frantically to chase Kawabe back.

This stop-and-go movement was indeed Kawabe’s biggest weapon, one that killed Denki and Kazawa so many times in the first half. His ability to move from 0 to 100 was so troublesome that it was enough to kill his opponent’s ankle. This time, Makino was the victim, getting passed through to allow the boy to enter the penalty box.

"I get it!"

The moment Kawabe made a shooting motion, Ishinori slid forward to block the shooting angle. It was a desperate attempt, one that was so easy for Kawabe to handle. The Mohawk boy didn’t even blink, just pushing the ball gently, avoiding the tackle to get a better space.

However, Ishinori’s aim was not to block the shot. No, his main purpose was to drive Kawabe closer to the goal, and before the Mohawk boy could take a shot, Higo, who was already close enough, sprang like a rabbit. He jumped out of his six-yard box, diving on the ground to get the ball first. Kawabe couldn’t even react, and the next thing he knew, he lost his balance, falling onto the ground.

BRUGH!

"YES, Senpai! Nice defense!"

"Here! Counter!"

Seeing that Hiroshi and Kenji were already on the front line, Higo didn’t waste too much time, throwing the ball to Takaaki. The glasses boy was the team’s sniper, so it was better to let him do the job rather than Higo sending the ball by himself.

Fortunately, Takaaki didn’t disappoint. He took a glance at the other half of the pitch, finding that so much space was open for both his teammates, and the boy delivered a scalpel-like through ball immediately, piercing the midfield area before arriving precisely at Hiroshi’s left foot.

With Kenji nearby, Hiroshi also took action immediately. He didn’t control the ball, just redirecting it to his teammate before spinning through the defender’s body behind him. The boy didn’t even need to say anything, as he trusted that the ball would be back to his feet again soon.

’Come on, Kenji! One-two!’

The connection they had formed for a long time was enough to let Kenji know what his senpai wanted. So, he also didn’t control the ball, sending it behind Shohei’s defenders where Hiroshi managed to sneak in.

"OH, YEAH!"

"COME ON, HIROSHI! THIS IS YOUR CHANCE!"

"Don’t waste it away, Brat!"

It wasn’t like Hiroshi was in a position where he could score a sure goal here. He himself was still outside of the box, with two Shohei High defenders running behind him. However, the boy was now facing the goal directly, and the opponent’s defenders were one step behind him. For all the Hakodate Nishi players, with Hiroshi being the one who executed it, this was a sure goal here. Hell, some of them even got ready to celebrate it, raising both hands in the air.

Fortunately, Hiroshi didn’t disappoint. When he saw the goalkeeper was moving toward him, the boy didn’t panic. No, he just ran a little bit faster to get the ball, and before the goalkeeper or any defenders around him could do anything, the boy chipped the ball gently, getting through everything from the air.

Thud!

Shohei High’s goalkeeper jumped desperately, but his position was already far too off to save the situation here. In the end, he could only watch helplessly as the ball fell inside the goal, giving Hakodate Nishi the first lead of the game.