Kaneko steps onto the field and walks straight toward Nishimura.
"Come here," he calls, motioning to Riccardo and Shimizu.
They join him.
"We're switching to a 4-2-2-2. You two"—he points at Nishimura and Shimizu—"will play right behind us."
He looks at Riccardo, who nods without hesitation.
"But isn't that too risky?" Nishimura asks, surprised.
Kaneko is already heading toward his spot."Maybe. But Coach Ishii said we could do whatever we wanted."
Riccardo and Shimizu exchange a look as Kaneko walks away.
"You heard him!" Shimizu claps once, fired up. "Let's do whatever we want!"
Riccardo grins and bumps his fist against Nishimura's arm."This second half is going to be fun."
Nishimura steels himself."Yes."
Ito lines up for the free kick, watching the Shūdan-teki arrangement shift.
They changed formation… and they're going full attack…
The whistle blows. Ito passes short to Watanabe, who controls and launches a long ball toward Aogaki.
Nishimura stiffens.
They're trying it again!
But before Aogaki can reach the ball, Sugimoto bursts forward and heads it away, catching him off guard.
So they're marking me tightly now… I can't receive freely anymore!
The ball drops near Maebashi's number 6, who braces for the control—only for Tamura to hurl himself forward, shoulder-first, and steal it cleanly.
"It's a foul!" number 6 shouts, but the referee waves him up.
Tamura pushes ahead with Ito pressuring him. He scans the field and spots Riccardo dropping toward the center to help.
He passes. Riccardo cushions the ball, spins instantly, and shakes off Watanabe before playing it right to Ono, who bolts forward.
Kamiyama steps up, leaving Shimizu free on the wing. Ono sees the opening and feeds him.
Kamiyama retreats, but Shimizu is already sprinting toward the corner. He glances inside—Kaneko and Riccardo are crashing the box, the latter arriving like a bullet.Shimizu suddenly cuts back, fooling Kamiyama, and whips a left-footed cross.
The ball skips over Riccardo and Okamoto, but drops exactly where Kaneko and Takahashi are fighting for position.
Both jump. Both miss.
Takahashi lands, gritting his teeth.
With number 9 on the field, their aerial threat just doubled… not good…
Kobayashi gathers the ball for a goal kick and plays short to Takahashi.
Riccardo raises an eyebrow.
They're playing out from the back…?
Kaneko immediately presses Takahashi, who hurries it to Watanabe. The center-back carries it forward until Ono steps in and blocks his path.
That change… they're much more dangerous up front, but in defense…
Watanabe glances left—and sees Ito completely free. He sends a deep ball.
Before it can reach him, Ueno bursts from the right and slides in. Ito just manages to flick the ball over Ueno's tackle.
He laughs, relieved—until Aoki charges out of nowhere and crushes him in a clean tackle, sending Ito to the turf.
They're so aggressive now… Ito winces as he hits the ground.
—
When Kaneko entered, Ueno had stared at him."Ueno! Here!" Coach Ishii called.
He approached, uncertain."Yes, Coach?"
"We're switching to a very offensive shape. You won't have the usual cover anymore—not from the wide players, not from Nishimura."
Ueno froze."But… why? There's still thirty minutes left! Why take this risk now?"
"Because I'm the coach. And you follow my orders," Ishii answered, voice sharp enough to cut through the air. Ueno stiffened."Do I need to bench you too?"
"No, Coach…"
"Good. Whenever a Maebashi player receives the ball in our half, you or Sugimoto go in immediately. If the first tackle fails, Aoki steps up and hits again. Understood?"
"…Yes, Coach."
"Tell the others. And one more thing—if they get past both of you, don't hesitate to foul."
Ueno sprinted off to inform Aoki and Sugimoto.
Aoki looked stunned."I've never been told to defend like this…"
Noguchi stepped in."I get his idea. He wants us to play real football—even if it costs us."
Aoki frowned. "Still seems crazy…"
Noguchi nodded toward the four attackers."With that firepower, if we win the ball high, we can score at any moment. That's what he wants. So let's go all in."
—
Aoki wastes no time and pushes into Maebashi's half."Back! Regroup!" Coach Yamamoto shouts, sensing danger.
Maebashi's number 6 steps up, but Aoki finds Nishimura running behind him and passes.
Free, Nishimura advances straight into a 2-on-1 with Shimizu on his right. He passes wide, then overlaps, receiving the ball back in stride—perfect for a cross.
Ito and Watanabe race into the box, outnumbering Riccardo and Kaneko.
Seeing the crowd in the area, Nishimura uses the outside of his left foot to drop the ball back to Shimizu, who slips into the box.
Kamiyama lunges to close him, but Shimizu gets ahead—Ito steps up to block instead.
Shimizu rolls the ball under his sole and slides past him.
Ito panics and tries to foul, but Shimizu is already gone."Damn it!" Ito shouts.
Shimizu lifts his head—Watanabe is coming, but Nishimura is also entering the box.
Perfect.
Nishimura receives the pass and fires a clean, driven ball into the middle—straight toward Kaneko, Riccardo, Takahashi, and Okamoto.
Riccardo and Okamoto attack the near post but miss by inches.
Before Takahashi or Kaneko can reach it, Kobayashi punches it clear.
Ito reacts instantly and races toward the bouncing ball.
Great save! he thinks.
"Watch out, Ito!" Kamiyama cries.
Ito turns—Ono appears out of nowhere and steals the ball from under him.
Where did he come from?!
Ono shoots from the edge of the box—toward the far post. Kobayashi, still recovering his footing, loads his legs and leaps.
I can reach it—
But before he can touch it, Kaneko extends the tip of his right foot and diverts the shot, beating both Takahashi and the goalkeeper.
The net ripples.
Kaneko rises with a roar that shakes the entire stadium as his teammates rush him.
The scoreboard updates:
75' — Maebashi Ikuei 2 | 3 Shūdan-teki