Despite having had the momentum in their favor for most of the half up to that point, Ryusei conceded a goal off a corner kick. It had hit them so suddenly that some of the players needed a moment to process what had just happened.
It had gone from being a simple attack that could be easily stopped to a run-of-the-mill set piece; however, even though they had defended dozens of corner kicks over the course of the season, they weren't prepared for this one.
But now, amid the celebrating Suwa Cono players and fans, some of Ryusei's players, but especially Ren, felt a renewed sense of motivation.
Ren had yet to score.
He had been a crucial component in both of their goals so far, and ever since then, he had been itching to score himself. Now that the score had leveled out once again, he was that much more determined to find the back of the net.
As the game resumed and the minutes passed, the crowd grew increasingly invested, while the players on both teams grew more restless. They knew that the later it got into the match, the harder it would be to recover from conceding another goal. Both sides remained committed to their respective strategies, with Cono building their play revolving around Akihiko and Ryusei relying heavily on the two Aoyama brothers.
Naturally, with quite a few impressive plays, displays of individual skill, and tactical exchanges, the game remained highly engaging for anyone watching. However, as the match approached the end of the second half, neither team seemed to have a clear advantage. This left a single question lingering in the back of everyone's mind.
Who will be the first to score?
Since this was a Regional-level tournament, each match required a decisive winner. As such, if neither team managed to break the deadlock, the game would follow normal football rules and go into overtime, eventually terminating in a penalty shootout if a winner still could not be determined.
By the eightieth minute of the match, Ryo began to shiver. After more than two hours of being soaked in the rain, the effects had finally begun to catch up to him, even though he had remained active the entire time. No matter how much he ran, his body could only retain so much warmth.
Looking around, Ryo noticed that many of the other players were also suffering from the weather. The only ones relatively unaffected were those who had recently come in as substitutes. However, while both teams showed signs of slowing down, their situations were completely different.
For a formation that relied heavily on its compact midfield and versatile forwards, dominating possession was essential for Cono. As long as they controlled the ball, then no matter how much they were pressured, they always had an outlet as long as they were patient enough.
However, the moment they lost that control, their positioning becomes a vulnerability. Opponents could trap them like animals in a cage in the middle while completely isolating and overwhelming them on the wings. There was a reason that this style of play was mostly seen at the highest level—it demanded both technical precision and physical endurance that were hard to find elsewhere.
It took teams with generational talent, such as FC Barcelona, to execute this strategy to near perfection. That said, it didn't mean it was exclusive to the professional level. Teams at lower levels could still adopt possession-dominated football in the midfield to bulldoze through their opponent's formation, but the margin for error was significantly greater. In that sense, it was more logical to run a less risky formation.
So while Suwa Cono executed their formation well, there was one important distinction.
They were not Barcelona.
In the eighty-seventh minute, a pass intended for Cono's number 22, Akihiko, fell short by a few meters. It was a genuine mistake in gauging the strength needed for the pass, but at this stage of the match, it carried dire consequences. Ryusei's midfield immediately leapt towards the ball and took control of it.
The moment the possession suddenly changed, their attack was already in motion. Ryo had accelerated faster than the rest of the midfield and drifted slightly towards the center as the play developed on the right. Ryo only felt safe enough doing this because Taiga was running up behind him on the wings, covering his usual spot.
The ball shuffled around quickly on the right to evade Cono's pressure, and soon after, Tomoya spotted Ryo in front of them and lobbed the ball forward. Right away, a Cono defender and a nearby defensive midfielder moved to contest the pass, hoping to regain possession, or at least to stall long enough for their teammates to retreat.
Ryo wasn't intimidated by the two players, both of whom were older and bigger than him. After reaching the area where he expected the ball to land, Ryo turned his body around to face it and activated his skill.
{Skill Activated!}
—[Anchor – B]
Ryo had noticed something interesting about the Anchor skill during a practice shortly after their first Regionals match against Lida Alto. Although The System described it as rooted him to the ground, the skill also enhanced his stability while airborne. He had discovered this completely by accident when he was pushed while attempting a header from a corner kick, which would normally have completely derailed his trajectory.
He was fortunate that he had only used the skill once earlier in the match, allowing him to rely on it now at this crucial moment. There were only the defenders left for Ren and Ken to handle before reaching the goal. Ryo had his back to Ken, so his next choice was clear.
As the ball descended, Ryo jumped up to meet it. The two Cono players reached him a split second later and leaped into the air alongside him.
This is going to hurt…
In the next instant, Ryo felt the force of both bodies colliding into him—one from the front and one from behind—threatening to topple him completely. However, thanks to his skill and the slight head start against the two Cono players, Ryo rose a full head above them and barely showed any signs of disturbance despite the contact.
He flicked his head to make contact with the ball, sending it flying past the defensive line and into Ren's path. However, Ryo could not follow the play any further, as his body tilted forward and he began to fall headfirst towards the ground. Although his skill was good, it couldn't disrupt the natural flow of the situation, and being contested from two sides would eventually cause him to lose balance as he came back down.
Ryo braced himself by putting his arms out in front of his body, catching his fall and quickly pushing himself back up, only for the whistle to blow. At the same time, a wave of exclamations and gasps emanated from the crowd.
Huh? Why did the game stop when we had the advantage?
Looking around, Ryo quickly noticed that the referee was not close to him, but instead further upfield. The ball was still slowly rolling forward, but in its wake, Ren lay on the ground while the defender behind him had already begun to stand.
At that moment, a surge of panic—unlike any he had ever experienced—overtook him, and he immediately ran over to where Ren was. It wasn't hard to piece together what had happened based on the outcome, and Ryo hadn't forgotten why Ren had stopped playing in his previous life.
No… Ren can't be injured. We still have so many games to play together.
His thoughts raced, yet his sprint to his brother seemed to drag on forever. He ran past several Cono players and even overtook some of his own teammates who had caught up to them during the play.
But Ryo paid them no mind and collapsed to his knees next to his brother.
"Ren-nii! Are you alright?" Ryo asked with clear distress in his voice. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Hmm?"
Ren, who had initially been facing away from Ryo, rolled onto his back and sat up slightly before answering.
"Oh yeah, I'm fine. By the way, Ryo, your header was so good! I was really close to getting it until—"
"Are you sure you're not hurt anywhere, Ren-nii?" Ryo interrupted, slightly tense at Ren's nonchalance.
"Well… my butt kinda hurts after falling on the ground, and I think there was a rock under the grass because my hand landed—"
"What about your legs? Didn't that tackle hurt?"
"Oh, not really. It just felt like a small push," Ren leaned in slightly closer and spoke in a lowered voice. "But I had to make it look convincing, right?"
This kid, I swear… He should at least move a bit and not lie there like a corpse. I was really worried he got hurt.
Ryo exhaled, relieved that Ren was alright. He stood up and helped Ren to his feet before looking back at the referee. The referee stood in front of a group of Cono players, writing something down on the back of a bright red card.
He had given a red card to the defender who had tackled Ren from behind, completely ejecting him from the game.
The player in question was already being escorted off the pitch by his teammates, following close behind with his head down. For a brief moment, Ryo thought he saw the boy's shoulders shaking, but his attention was quickly drawn back to the spot of the foul.
Ren had been tackled just short of reaching the penalty box, so only a free kick was awarded. Ryo positioned himself near the left side of the box in preparation for Ren's free kick, ready for either a cross or a rebound, while also remaining prepared to sprint back if Cono countered.
The moment the referee finally blew the whistle, everyone in the arena held their breath. This shot could very well decide the winner of the finals, and every person had their eyes glued to Ren.
Some wondered whether he would pass the ball or shoot on goal. Others wondered if he would miss and cause a counterattack. On the sidelines, Takigawa watched anxiously. If it were not for the fact that Matsumoto stood right next to him, he would be visibly biting his nails.
The next moment, Ren raised his hand. As it came down, the players in the penalty box began to move. Ren ran up to the ball as he had done thousands of times already. All the time he had spent practicing came down to this moment; if there were a time he had to deliver, it would be at this moment.
Focusing on his technique, he struck beneath the ball and imparted as much spin as he could. Given his proximity to the goal, he could afford to sacrifice some power to arc the ball completely around the defenders and the goalie.
The ball left his foot, easily flying over the wall and curved to the left, heading toward the far post. Since the wall blocked that angle, the goalie, who had situated himself closer to the front post, scrambled to reach across the goal. He extended his arm out as much as he could over his head, but it was not enough.
The goalie, helplessly watching the ball fly past his hand, stayed on the ground after his dive. Having been completely defeated, he could only stay in that position while listening to the stands roar to life.