After our impromptu extra training, we bathed and cleaned ourselves up and then converged at the Meeting Room where I handled briefing. "Alright, guys. Our next opponents are unlike anything we've faced before. Team W are a solid team led by these two. The Wanima Brothers. On the field, its like they share a Hive-mind. Their co-ordination has led them to score an impressive amount of goals between them. Now, neutralising their threat is easier said than done. We just need to split them up but know that Tapes from their last matches will not tell us everything about them. We'll have to discern how dangerous they truly are in our next match against them. The best we can think of is that at all times, no matter the circumstances, one of us must be marking one, or both, of them. How will that be? We will have to play them to find out.". I finished and pulled out the small Whiteboard and Marker before outlining our formation and positions. "We'll be using a 4-2-1-3 formation from now on. This will give us a strong Defence while simultaneously allowing us to put our new plan in motion. The first ones up front will be me on the left, Bachira on the right and Kunigami in the middle as the Center-Forward. We will stay there for 30 minutes this time instead of the usual 10. That way, if the team somehow finds a way to adapt to the three of us, the next three will definitely catch them off-guard. Here's how we're going to line up."
I opened up the Marker and began outlining our positions:
Goalkeeper - Iemon Okuhito (hold)
Defence - Chigiri Hyoma (Left-back) (hold), Naruhaya Asahi (Right-back), Igaguri Gurimu and Imamura Yuda (Center-backs)
Midfield - Gagamaru Gin (Left-Midfielder), Raichi Jingo (Right-Midfielder) and Isagi Yoichi (Center Attacking-Midfielder)
Forward - Kaido Takumi (Right-Wing Forward), Bachira Meguru (Left-Wing Forward) and Kunigami Rensuke (Center Forward).
After confirming everything, we waited the remaining hours before the match with anticipation, Spirits riding high, especially after that last win against Team Y, we had corrected all noticeable mistakes from our last matches and we were raring to go.
After what felt like an eternity, it was finally time. 5 minutes before the start of the match, we were already out on the field, stretching and warming up. "Guys, they're here. Team W.", Isagi notified us and we turned to meet them. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Chigiri's uneasy look, as if subconsciously trying to make himself less noticeable. I moved over to him and asked, "What's wrong? You look like you want to disappear right this second.". He, caught unawares by my question, jolted back to Reality but didn't look at me. He just left me standing there, going to his position on the field. "What's his deal? Since when was it a crime to ask what was wrong with someone? Seriously, his attitude needs a major rework, fake-ass Uzumaki.", I mumbled to myself in indignation as I made my way to my position on the field.
The countdown continued and before long, the Whistle sounded and we were underway. Team W kicked off the game and immediately the Wanima Brothers were on the attack. Kunigami, Bachira and I moved to meet them but the speed at which they moved and passed the ball around was insane. One-touch passes, backheel passes, through balls, everything you could think of, they had it. These two were unreal. Hell, one brother was talking with a rough high-pitched voice while the other one didn't say a word. All he did was grunt and laugh and make weird noises that you could only hear from someone with some kind of Mental Dysfunction. What's worse? THEY PERFECTLY UNDERSTOOD EACH OTHER TOO!!!!!! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!!!!! Seriously, where did these freaks come from?!!.
Anyway, they scythed through the three of us, blitzed past our midfield and made it to our Defence. Luckily, Isagi and Gagamaru had converged on them, locking them in a semi-circle with our four Defenders. With no choice left, Talker (the brother with the high-pitched voice), fired off a cross to right side of the field, looking for somebody down the flank. "Chigiri, that's your ball!!!", I exclaimed to get him moving but he reacted too late and before he could get moving, a Team W midfielder already got to the ball first with ample time to send a cross into the box which Iemon, credit to him, was quick to dash off his line and snatch it from the air, coming down with it before it could cause any harm. He quickly rolled it out to Igaguri who passed to Gagamaru in and he turned to move forward. He tried sending a long ball upfield but he was charged down by Grunt (The brother with the Mental Dysfunction) who managed to block his pass. The ricocheted ball fell kindly for Isagi who quickly picked it up and ran ahead. I ran into a free space but he didn't pass to me, instead, he went for Kunigami who quickly sent a one-touch pass to Bachira who was farther ahead than me. Bachira started tormenting the Team W Midfield and Defence with his masterful dribbling, as Kunigami and I quickly moved upfield to support him. Bachira, outnumbered and with nowhere to go, passed back to the incoming Isagi and he passed to Kunigami. I ran in front of him for a few seconds as he moved up even further with the ball. I smirked, 'Just as we practiced. This should be your range, right, Mr. Superhero?', and immediately cut right, pulling two Defenders away as they followed my run to stop any potential passes to me. This opened up a gap for Kunigami who was in perfect position to have a go and have a go he did.
BOOOM!!!!
Was what we heard and, before the Team W Goalkeeper could begin to react, the ball had bulged the back of the net. Team Z takes the lead.
Team W 0 - 1 Team Z
"Let's go!!! Perfect shot, Kunigami!!!", we dapped up and moved back to our own half. A goal in the first 3 minutes of the game? You can't ask for a better start. We now have a gigantic amount of Momentum now. "Alright, let's go get another one!!!", I shouted and Team Z responded affirmatively as we set up to resume the game.
The whistle sounded again and Team W resumed the game with the Psycho Twins at it again. Passing back and forth with dizzying speeds. In no time at all, they made it through our Mid-fiield and got to our Defence but this time, they didn't give us a chance to gang up on them, they moved quicker, more decisively and even managed to get a shot on goal. Luckily, Igaguri chested it away to the right to Chigiri who was static. "OI, CHIGIRI!! WAKE UP AND CLEAR THE BALL!!!!", I shouted at him and he jolted and moved to get the ball clear but Talker managed to get the ball before him. 'What the hell is going on with Chigiri? He's unusually slow today. Hell, he's been slow since the very first match. I know what he can do. I've played against him, damn it. He's far better than this. What the hell is he doing?', I questioned in my mind and honestly, I was getting angry at him. 'At this point, he's our weakness and if Team W catches on, we might start conceding unnecessary goals. Pull yourself together, you pink-haired buffoon.'. Talker sent another cross into our box but Gagamaru managed to jump the highest and clear it. Imamura, on the edge of the box, sent it further upfield to Kunigami who started moving up. The counterattack was on. Isagi was right behind Kunigami, Bachira was on his own far behind and I, moving at high speed, was the furthest one forward. I raised my hand, pointing it into space and Kunigami, knowing he couldn't make a precise lobbed pass, decided to send it low and hard, like a shot. I raced after it, blowing past multiple Team W players, and I managed to catch the ball before it rolled past the right Corner flag. Reversing the course of the ball with a Backheel, I turned quickly and moved closer to the edge of the 18-yard box to shoot. One Team W defender moved to intercept on the area parallel to the touchline but a quick drop of the shoulder, feint left and boost right, left him stranded in No Man's Land and me moving up. Isagi and Kunigami had already caught up at this point, Kunigami even moved towards the far post, looking for a Cross from me but I ignored that fired off a curling shot that bent past everyone, ricocheted off the post and into the net. In less than 5 minutes, Team Z had 2 goals.
Team W 0 - 2 Team Z
I released a breath I didn't know I was holding and high-fived the rest of Team Z who came to celebrate the goal as we made our way to our own half.
Once again Team W resumed the game at the sound of the Whistle. Slowly but surely, the confidence had started draining from the hearts of Team W but we couldn't care less. We needed every single goal we could get if we wanted to get the win and overturn our negative Goal Difference. We were on fire right now and we weren't about to stop at just 2 goals. We were on the hunt for more.
Team Z came forward yet again, this time, more conservatively. Unlike before when they would rush at us, the two goals conceded had somewhat dulled their spirits but we couldn't care less. We pressed high and hard forcing Team W into a mad scramble. Although, the only people on Team W who managed to calm themselves and keep their heads were the Wanima Twins. Once they got the ball, the difference between passes between them and passes with the rest of their team were Night and Day. It didn't matter too much though because in the 12th minute, Raichi, who was marking one of the Wanima brothers, used a Slide Tackle and barely managed to win the ball, a fraction of a second late in that tackle would have seen him get a Yellow Card, possibly even a Red. Thankfully, he got the ball and passed it to Gagamaru who quickly played a 1-2 pass with Naruhaya and sent the ball to Isagi who began moving up with the ball. I had already started making my move down the right flank and just behind me, centrally, was Kunigami and Bachira moving together. Gagamaru was also making a bold move forward too but Isagi, with the ball, was the one who could determine how this attack was going to go. Instantly, he played a long ball to me on the right. 'I see. Sending it far ahead for me to chase, huh? I got it. This pass is a lot better than Kunigami's one. It's closer to the sharp edge of the box. Not bad, Isagi.', I mused as I chased down the pass, dusting players yet again. I managed to catch up to the ball but as I looked to cut inside, I was immediately surrounded by 3 Team W players. Without a way to shoot, I had to pass to someone but Kunigami had 2 people on him so that's a no-go. Bachira was too far behind and Gagamaru hadn't caught up yet. Even then, there was someone already on him from behind. That left...…Isagi? That sneaky bastard had shadowed Kunigami and Bachira and the second I caught up to the ball, he broke off from behind them and ran towards me instead as if trying to offer support for a 1-2 pass. But I knew it wasn't that simple because this was also a prime shooting position. Just inside the box to the right, a perfect position...…..
I sent a chipped pass over the nearest marker's head and before it could even bounce
…..for a DIRECT SHOT!!!!
BANG!!!!
The ball rocketed off Isagi's right boot, flashed past the Goalkeeper's outstretched hand and into the top-right hand corner. Team Z now had 3 goals in 15 minutes.
Team W 0 - 3 Team Z
Isagi and I shared a fistbump and confidently made our way back to our own half to resume the game. "We're not done yet, are we?", I asked with a hard look at him. "Of course we're not. It's barely been 15 minutes. There's still 75 more minutes left. We're just getting started.", Isagi replied without hesitation. I nodded at that and we finally got to our own half.
Team W almost reluctantly had to resume the match, they passed around with far less enthusiasm than they started the match with. And who can blame them? Conceding 3 goals in 15 minutes has to be demoralising but who cares? We certainly didn't.
The Whistle sounded and Team W kicked off the match again. And this time, we dropped Defence and rushed at them. Full Offence, we pressed high and hard, hounding them with every single pass. Every pass made by Team W had a member of Team Z right there to pounce on the slightest slip up. The pressure mounted and mounted until finally it broke down. In the 23rd minute, a sloppy pass intercepted by Gagamaru was quickly taken advantage of by Team Z. I was closest to him so the ball came to me and I started moving up. Isagi, Raichi, Bachira and Kunugami was ahead of me so I chose Raichi this time. He ran up the pitch and we started passing around the edge of the box, looking to break through Team W's frantic, desperate Defence.
This passing around continued until the 28th minute when I had the ball right in front of the 18-yard Box and I looked up. Seeing no passing option, I faked a pass to the right with my right foot and the Defender took a step to the right to block. In the same motion, I quickly flicked it back inside to the left, leaving half a yard of space for me but since it was on my weaker left foot, I chose to play a short pass into a little space I managed to spot on the left, hoping for someone to latch on to it. Thankfully, someone did. Someone I never thought would be the one to take advantage of the half-chance, freaking Naruhaya ghosted in from literally nowhere and swept the ball into the bottom corner of the net, giving us the 4th goal.
Team W 0 - 4 Team Z
Looking back at it, it finally clicked in my head. That's his Weapon, Getting in behind Enemy lines. 'This little mouse stole his goal from right underneath our noses. Isn't that something?', I thought to myself with an amused smile.
Team W looked beaten. Everything, from their demeanor, their body language, their hushed tones, their reluctance to even touch the ball, everything about Team W screamed 'DESPAIR'. 30 minutes into the match and Team W looked like they had been through hell. Even the Wanima Twins had gone silent. Their faces were sullen, Talker and Grunt had noticeably slowed, their passes had grown even sloppier, their bodies could keep going but their minds were drained. In every sense of the word, Team W was DEAD. And like ravenous Wolves, Team Z had no intention of stepping off the Gas. We hunted them down on every pass. It was almost too easy.
As we planned, once the 30-minute mark had passed, Kunigami, Bachira and I shifted to the Midfield while Isagi, Gagamaru and Raichi moved up to form our Attacking trio. So our positions were:
Goalkeeper - Iemon Okuhito
Defence - Chigiri Hyoma (hold) (Left-back), Naruhaya Asahi (Right-back), Igaguri Gurimu and Imamura Yuda (Center-backs)
Midfield - Kunigami Rensuke (Center-defensive Midfielder), Bachira Meguru and Kaido Takumi (Left and Right Attacking Midfielders)
Forward - Raichi Jingo (Right-Wing Forward), Gagamaru Gin (Left-Wing Forward) and Isagi Yoichi (Center Forward)
That was how we played until the end of the First Half. When we came back out for the Second Half, Team W looked like they had finally gotten their act together and attempted a fight back but a goal from Gagamaru in the 50th minute shut them down instantly.
Team W 0 - 5 Team Z
It just kept getting worse from there. In the 61st minute, Isagi got his second goal, pouncing on a Goalkeeper error and slotting the ball past the helpless Keeper, who looked ready to burst into tears, into the empty net.
After that, we switched positions again. This was our lineup:
Goalkeeper - Iemon Okuhito
Defence - Chigiri Hyoma (hold) (Left-back), Kunigami Rensuke and Kaido Takumi (Center-backs), Bachira Meguru (Right-back)
Midfield - Raichi Jingo and Gagamaru Gin (Center-Defensive Midfielders), Isagi Yoichi (Center-Attacking Midfielder)
Forward - Igaguri Gurimu and Naruhaya Asahi (Left and Right-Wing Forwards), Imamura Yudai (Center Forward)
Unfortunately, - well, fortunately for Team W - we couldn't get anymore goals so the match ended in a crushing defeat for Team W and a thumping 5 - 0 thrashing in favour of Team Z