The Rise of the Iron Wall!
Chapter 402: A Tensed Shootout!
FWEEE!
The referee finally blew the whistle, and Park Han-Gyeol also made his move immediately. Just like Higo, in his mind, the boy also recalled what his coach said about this situation.
"He has a God’s eye in judging where the ball would go, but he often doesn’t have the strength to back it up. So, a half-assed penalty kick will be blocked by him. Either you whack it with all your strength, or you send it to the top bins where no human being could touch that, that will guarantee at least 60 percent that your penalty will be in."
Just 60 percent for a penalty kick. This was definitely a low number. Still, Park Han-Gyeol couldn’t complain too much about that, since he knew firsthand how good Higo was in a penalty kick like this. Still, this intelligence at least gave him an idea of what to do right now.
’Just whack it as hard as I could, huh? That’s easy!’
BAM!
Using his instep foot, he didn’t aim the ball into a too sophisticated direction, just slightly on the left side of the goalkeeper. Higo definitely could reach it by just leaning there. Still, the power was there, and even if Higo managed to touch it, the ball still bounced to the back of the net, giving Shimizu Higashi the first goal of the shootout.
"FUCK!" Higo cursed as he was helpless against this penalty. The last time he faced such a powerful rocket like this was definitely against Yuwell Carlson from Sapporo Otani.
Meanwhile, when he saw the ball getting into the back of the net, Park Han-Gyeol clenched his fist instantly. "COME ON!" He roared, wildly waving at the team’s supporters on the stands.
This goal also brought him relief. After all, the boy was still haunted by his failure in Niigata, where his penalty was blocked completely by Higo. This time, even though the goalkeeper in front of him still managed to touch the ball, the final result was completely different, allowing him to redeem his past.
All the Hakodate Nishi groaned lightly. Still, they understood that no matter how good Higo was between the posts, he was not a God, and no one could save everything by himself. The fact that the boy was still able to touch the ball was also a huge reassurance that Higo’s ability was there, and the goal was just bad luck.
"Come on, Higo-senpai! Don’t mind the goal, we still have a chance!"
"Kuroki-senpai, this is your time to shine! Come on!"
For the next taker, Kuroki came while also taking a deep breath. It would be a lie if he said he didn’t feel the pressure. He was brought to the pitch by Kumiko just for this sole reason, and if he failed, he would throw the girl into the fire immediately.
’No, I cannot do that. I have to do it perfectly!’
FWEEE!
The moment the referee blew the whistle, he did a slow run-up, still having his eyes on the goal. It was just a pure contest of patience, with Kang Do-Jin standing silently while waiting until Kuroki revealed any information in his body language. The tense atmosphere lasted until Kuroki took a shot, and Kang Do-Jin also reacted accordingly.
BAM!
Unfortunately, the Korean goalkeeper completely misjudged Kuroki’s intention. He moved to the left, thinking that the ball would go there. What he didn’t expect, though, was that Kuroki would be so bold as to go to the middle, aiming it straight at the position where Hiroshi had placed the ball earlier.
"OH! WHAT A PEN!"
"Fucking hell... Hakodate Nishi players sure have the nerve of steel, huh?!"
"I mean, twice penalties, twice in the middle! Who dares to do that?!"
Kuroki also clenched his fist secretly, then gave a nod of reassurance at Higo. As for Kang Do-Jin, the Korean goalkeeper could only scowl, unhappy with the result. He still didn’t know how he got fooled into the same spot twice in a row. Unfortunately, the result was there, and no matter how he complained, nothing could be changed about it.
Still, Shimizu Higashi’s second penalty was quite decisive. This time, their captain, Miki Yamane, took it by himself, and he showed why he was the captain here. The boy was calm from the start until the end, and even when he saw Higo shifting toward the direction he aimed for, the boy didn’t even blink, just whacking the ball straight to the top bins.
BAM!
The ball was far within Higo’s reach as it hit the crossbar for a moment, giving the home team players a heart attack. Fortunately, instead of bouncing away from the goal, it went into the goal, giving Shimizu Higashi the second point of the shootout.
"Oh! What a cold penalty!"
"As expected from the captain!"
Higo himself just got up from the ground, staring at the ball helplessly. It was a perfect execution, aiming straight to the spot where no matter how good his reaction was, he would never be able to touch it. In fact, no goalkeeper would be able to save that one. Miki Yamane really answered Hakodate Nishi’s boldness with his own brave move.
One inch of a miscalculation, and the shot would fly far outside of the pitch, turning him into a laughing stock.
"Don’t mind it, Senpai! That’s just another point!"
"You got into the right way! You will get it later!"
The rest of the Hakodate Nishi players were also encouraged from the middle of the pitch. It wasn’t just empty talk, because they were right in this case. In both occasions, Higo always reacted correctly. It was just the case of a good defense meeting a better offense, and there was nothing that he could do about it.
Unfortunately, this meant really nothing, as the score still got tied again. With 2-2 on the scoreboard, the pressure was on Hakodate Nishi’s side, as their confidence wavered slightly. They still trusted Higo, but two penalties in were definitely unusual for that boy.
Things got worse, though, as their third executioner, Denji, couldn’t maintain his composure in the penalty spot. The boy failed to hit the ball at the spot where he wanted to, and instead of keeping it low, he sent the ball high into the sky.
The first miss was finally on board, and shockingly enough, it came from Hakodate Nishi players.