It was a desperate attempt. Honestly, Takaaki was already on the last drop of his blood, so close to collapse. However, what people said about a person could use their 100 percent potential in their closest moment to the death door seemed to be right, as while Takaaki himself didn’t know how this could happen, he was still able to swing his right foot as strongly as possible, letting the ball fly at bullet speed.

BANG!

"Holy fucking... SHIT!"

Kang Do-Jin sweated profusely as he saw the ball zooming into his face at a bullet speed. However, that wasn’t the only problem here. No, the speed was one thing, but the most troublesome part was how the ball rotated. Or... The lack of it, to be more precise.

Yeah, the ball didn’t have that much rotation. It just flew steadily in the air, with some slight turbulence here and there, which was enough to make it wobbly. However, the course was still the same, locking in to the goal itself. Coupled with the sun that still hit him straight in the eyes, this was definitely the worst situation he could think of.

"I have to move! Now!"

The goalkeeper raised both hands in the air once he saw the ball coming at his face. However, it swerved at the last second like a slippery eel, and while the change of direction was so subtle, at least, it was still enough to allow the ball to slam onto the back of the net violently, making the goalkeeper look like he was punching the air.

Thud!

Silence descended for a moment, with everyone having their jaws dropped instantly. This goal really came out of nowhere. For a moment, Hakodate Nishi got pushed back to their own area, and then, just five steps from the center line, Takaaki suddenly launched that bomb—no, no bomb, it was a fucking nuclear—toward the opponent’s side.

Takaaki himself was still freezing on the spot. His breath was unsteady, with his chest rising rapidly every second. His legs buckled weakly after firing that nuclear, and his vision went blurry as sweat rolled down his glasses. However, this was still not enough to prevent him from seeing the ball bouncing inside the goal, and right after that, all the emotion finally popped.

"AAAAAARGH!" The boy roared, falling to the ground with eyes closed and both arms spread from exhaustion. His adrenaline skyrocketed, but the smile slowly forming on his face clearly told everyone his current mood. "AAAAARGH! COME OOOON!" He roared once again, raising his fist in the air.

That was when hell finally broke loose, as all the players with the orange jersey swarmed the boy crazily.

"FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT, TAKAAKI!"

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! ARE YOU GOING TO WIN A FUCKING PUSKAS?!"

"DAMN! WHAT A FUCKING BANGER!"

"COME ON! COME ON! COME ON!"

All the Hakodate Nishi players came to the boy, kneeling to hug him, who was still lying on the ground. Some were shaking him violently, while the others couldn’t stop hyping him up. Hell, even Higo himself was in awe right now. While he couldn’t see the shot clearly from his spot, the boy still noticed how far away it was, and right now, he could only have both his hands in his cheeks to show his dumbfounded state.

"Fucking hell... This is unreal!" He muttered, still too stunned to say anything else.

While the players went crazy, the audience on the stand also went crazier. Cheers exploded on the spot, with some even standing there to give their warmest applause for this banger goal.

"That shot, that distance... That reminds you of the young Cristiano, right?!"

"Damn, and you tell me he hasn’t been under anyone’s radar until the last game? Are the scouts outside blind or what?!"

"Goddamnit, Hakodate Nishi is a treasure trove! This is insane!"

"The score is tied again! Now, they have a chance!"

Indeed, 1-1 was different than 1-0. This time, Hakodate Nishi could just go for their usual cocoon-style defense, dragging the whole game until the penalty shootout. With only ten players left, this was definitely the best tactic they could pull right now.

Meanwhile, the situation on the other side of the pitch was grim. Somehow, Kang Do-Jin was in a similar pose to Takaaki, lying completely on the ground. However, the goalkeeper just let his body lie lifelessly while covering his face in frustration, his mind haunted by the ball that looked so alive a moment ago.

"Come on, Do-Jin. Don’t be so down like that." Miki Yamane offered him a hand, helping the boy get up from the ground.

"... That fucking knuckle ball... I cannot do anything with that." The Korean goalkeeper complained weakly, still sitting on the ground.

The other Shimizu Higashi players around who could hear that didn’t say anything else, just standing silently there. They knew that this wasn’t Kang Do-Jin’s fault and that the shot itself was so shocking that no goalkeeper would be able to save it. Still, the goal really stung them in the worst spot here, snatching away the momentum they gained after Makino’s red card earlier.

"Come on, don’t think too much about it." Miki Yamane shook his head, grabbing the goalkeeper’s arm to help him get up. "No one can be blamed for that shit. Hell, I doubt that four-eyes boy also expected the shot to be that amazing. Don’t blame yourself too much; let’s move on and return the favor."

"Captain is right, Do-Jin-a." Mamoru suddenly chimed in. However, his eyes were still locked on all the Hakodate Nishi players who were still celebrating the goal in the middle of the pitch. "Don’t forget that we still have 30 minutes to go. With us having one player up, I don’t believe we cannot score against them again!"

Park Han-Gyeol also came from the front line to check on his countryman, saying with a solemn mood, "Don’t worry, Do-Jin, just wait patiently. I will avenge you soon."

The murderous gaze from both Mamoru and Park Han-Gyeol traveled quickly to the other side of the pitch, enough to make some of the Hakodate Nishi players shiver. They glanced around, and once the boys found the source of danger, one of them, Ishinori, to be more exact, couldn’t help but show a wry smile.

"Damn, it seems we really poked the hornet’s nest, huh?"