With the clock ticking into the 78th minute, the opposition launched a desperate long ball deep into the final third, threatening to crack the Japanese defense wide open, but Takezu tracked the trajectory, gritted his teeth, and hurled his body into the air to challenge for the header.
The ball bounced high off the turf inside the eighteen-yard box, but Kurogami charged off his line, swooped in, and smothered the loose ball tightly against the grass.
Without wasting a single second, Kurogami popped back onto his feet and launched a rapid throw out to Senji, stationed along the left touchline just inside the opposition's half.
Seeing the ball in flight, two Iraqi wide players instantly swarmed Senji, sprinting in from both sides to trap him against the sideline.
Senji calmly cushioned the ball on his chest, dropped it smoothly to his foot, and threaded a crisp, razor-accurate pass inside to Nagisa, who was dropping deep.
