Kadoshima places the ball down at the corner arc, with number 11 stepping beside him.
"So, captain, are we running the corner routine?"
Kadoshima looks at him.
"Not yet, Teppei. It's too early."
Teppei sighs. "Alright…"
He moves away and positions himself at the edge of the box, with Shimizu marking him zonally.
Inside the penalty area, the players jostle for position.
The referee blows the whistle. Kadoshima swings in an inswinging cross toward the six-yard box, exactly where Andou is standing guard.
"Mine!" the goalkeeper shouts as he leaps up and grabs it cleanly.
Kadoshima clicks his tongue.
"Too tight…"
Andou scans the field. He sees space in front of him as the Tōen players start retreating—but then he notices Tanaka, poised to sprint on the offside line.
He immediately lofts the ball forward with pinpoint accuracy, catching the fullback completely off guard.
The ball arcs beautifully toward Tanaka—only someone with his pace can reach it.
Perfect! Tanaka's eyes light up, already savoring the chance created by his goalkeeper.
But the defender, realizing he can't reach the ball and that the chance is dangerous, grabs Tanaka by the shirt and drags him down.
The referee whistles, walks over to Tōen's number 2, and shows him the yellow card.
Tanaka snaps at him.
"Only a yellow!? That was a clear chance!"
The referee stands firm.
"You were far from goal. And watch your tone unless you want a card too."
Tanaka grits his teeth, forces himself to calm down, and walks away.
Coach Ishii applauds.
"Great work, Tanaka! Beautiful pass, Andou!"
Tōen's coach stares at Andou in disbelief.
They really have an amazing goalkeeper…
Nishimura walks to the ball but first gives Tanaka a high five.
"Good yellow. We'll take it."
He places the ball down and checks the distance to goal.
Too far to shoot…
"Aoki, Noguchi—go up!" Coach Ishii orders.
The two center-backs move into Tōen's box.
Nishimura glances at his coach, who smirks and gestures for a cross.
He's forcing me into it…
Nishimura takes a run-up and delivers a high ball toward Kaneko and Noguchi, both battling fiercely for positioning.
Noguchi looks like he'll reach it first, but a defender gets there earlier and heads it clear—straight to Shimizu.
Shimizu controls with his right, shifts the ball onto his left in one lightning motion, and curls a shot toward the far post… just wide.
"Aah… that was close!"
Everyone resets while the goalkeeper takes the goal kick. He plays it short to Naruse, who immediately looks up and launches a long ball toward their striker. The forward outjumps Aoki but barely directs the header toward number 11, who now has to fight Ono for possession.
Teppei struggles, especially with Ueno closing in.
"Teppei!"
Kadoshima calls out, offering himself.
No hesitation—Teppei passes to him.
Kadoshima doesn't control; he immediately flicks it with the outside of his right foot to number 9 near the edge of the box, then darts forward on the right.
The striker returns the ball.
Kadoshima sees Noguchi holding his zone.
Spotting the gap, he strikes hard toward the far post.
Andou sees the shot late—Noguchi was blocking his view—but reacts at the last moment, tipping it aside and smothering the rebound before number 9 can attack.
The keeper immediately gets back up, spotting space again, but Kadoshima notices too.
"Kanzaki! Block him!"
Kanzaki reacts instantly, stepping in front of Andou to stop the quick throw.
Kadoshima watches the Shūdan-teki goalkeeper with concern.
This keeper is becoming a real problem… He's a second-year, isn't he? Why does no one talk about him?
On the bench, Riccardo silently watches the match, then glances at the scoreboard.
16:50
He tightens his jaw.
When is it my turn…?
"Andou!" Noguchi calls. "Build from the back."
Andou throws to Noguchi, who controls.
"Man on!" Andou warns as Kanzaki presses aggressively.
Noguchi quickly passes to Aoki, who gives it to Ueno on the right, and Ueno pushes forward into space.
Until Oshima crashes into him, forcing a pass inside to Ono, who hits it first-time to Shimizu on the right flank.
Shimizu checks his surroundings before controlling. Seeing the defender's position, he instantly decides—spins toward him and nutmegs him with a quick touch, exploding past him.
The crowd erupts at the play.
Shimizu charges ahead, but Naruse and the fullback converge. In a split second, he slips between them with a left-footed outside touch.
Still on his left, Shimizu fires an early cross toward Kaneko. But Kaneko is too far from goal and tightly marked to attempt anything dangerous.
What a terrible ball… Guess I'll do the dirty work myself.
Kaneko jumps, intending to cushion the ball toward Nishimura, who arrives with full determination at the edge of the box and fires a first-time left-footed shot into the bottom-right corner.
19:01 — Shūdan-teki 1 | 0 Tōen
Naruse and the fullback watch Shūdan-teki celebrating—especially Nishimura, who immediately goes to thank Shimizu.
They both grit their teeth.
"Next time, be more aggressive!" Tōen's coach roars.
"Take the foul if you must, but don't let that happen again!"
Since when do they have this many talented players…? he wonders.
Riccardo watches the Tōen coach ranting at his team.
"He's pissed…" Yasuda says beside him.
"As expected. In their system, coordinated pressing is everything. They know that—one mistake and the whole structure collapses."
"Exactly. But it's not over yet…" Coach Ishii adds, overhearing them. "They're strong not just technically, but mentally. Be ready—this match can flip any moment. If needed, you'll go in and change the game."
The players on the bench all nod, eyes sharp with determination.