Japan, Kochi city, Kochi prefecture, All High school Summer Tournament.
Quarterfinals.
Kochi Chou High School vs Aki High School
Time : 70:12
Score : 3-1
The score might suggest that the match was over with just over 10 minutes left on the clock, but the match happening in front of the crowd was anything but dead.
The crowd was cheering for the gutsy display of Aki high school. Despite being down by two goals, their players were running and showing fight to score goals.
The match was going into full swing. Both coaches were shouting instructions to their players from the sidelines and players were responding.
Kochi Chuo's bench their coach was shouting constantly.
"Up, Up, Press...Press... Push the line.."
Similarly, on Aki Highs bench, their coach was shouting too.
"Satou cover, Ryooo Ryoo run behind...run behind."
In the crowd, two people were similarly witnessing this spectacle with different lens. It was none other than Arashi and Hiroshi.
"How about it Arashi? This is my alma mater. Not bad, right ?"
"They are losing the game Uncle Hiroshi."
"They are losing in terms of talent and skills but not in fight, they are still shining on that pitch more than the winners right now."
Arashi could not deny that fact. He did not expect to witness such a high-level match in such a deserted football area in kochi. Both team players are showing a high level of play in such a tactical match.
"4-3-3 against 3-5-2."
"Kochi chuo using the 4-3-3, are very skilled in those half spaces and, out of possession, they form two banks of four and revert to 4-4-2. In possession, they are squeezing in the opponents' half with 3-2-5. This is a very well-trained team."
"On the other hand, Aki High school is opposite. They use 3-5-2. The whole point of 3-5-2 is to use the wing backs to attack these two wing backs having good stamina running back and forth. Out of possession, they transformed into a 5-3-2, creating a back five and three midfielders in front as cover."
"The only reason they are in a losing position is thanks to the opposition striker scoring two goals from moments of individual brilliance and conceding a goal from a corner. They have been unlucky."
"Uncle, who is that striker from kochi Chuo? He is leagues above the rest on the pitch."
"U17 Japan Repræsentative striker Hyuga Yusuke."
"U17..."
As they were talking, the game continued in a frenzied manner and took a dramatic turn.
Time 72:15
The wing back from Aki high managed to intercept a lateral pass from the opposition midfielder and started a counterattack on the wing.
The crowd came alive at that moment and started chanting
Ike Ike aki... ose ose aki...ike ike aki...
The crowd was small, mostly consisting of students from their respective schools, some scouts and media people and regular football enthusiasts, but everyone loves an underdog story. As such, it temporarily became like a home ground to Aki high players, with the majority cheering them on.
The counterattack was unfolding with the fullback dribbling the ball to the byline. In response, two strikers from Aki high made two different runs. Number 11, the short striker, made a darting run towards the near post and the number 9 tall one made a run towards the middle of the goal.
The centre-back of the Kochi chuo team correspondingly tracked them while the full-back delivered a decent cross in the middle of the goal.
At that moment, a series of events happened that seemed divine.
As the ball was coming towards the middle of the goal, the goalkeeper came out to punch the ball. Number 9 and the defender tracking him both jumped to head the ball, creating a sandwich. The ball was punched by the goalkeeper but only to hit the head of his own defender. The ball bounced out to the near post miraculously towards Number 11. Beside him was the defender who had tracked his run.
He quickly shot the ball towards the goal and the defender just poked out the leg to defend, and the ball hit his leg and went towards the back of the goalkeeper on the ground and hit him on the back of his head and bounced into the net.
Goooooooallllllll.
The crowd went ballistic and the bench of Aki high school as well, but they quickly got back to kick off the line with ball in hand as they were still behind and very short time left.
Score changed
Time : 73:15
scoreboard
Kochi chuo 3–2 Aki high school
As they were returning to kick off, the manager of both teams, seeing the situation, made moves.
Aki High's manager sent out a winger for a defender and shifted the formation from 3-5-2 to 4-2-3-1, with number 11 slotting in as left-winger and another winger on the right with back turning into full backs.
Kochi chuo's manager, similarly seeing his team under pressure, chose to withdraw both the wingers and sent two more midfielders, changing formation from 4-3-3 to 4-5-1, with Hyuga up top as sole striker.
The game resumed with the kick-off and AKi high school players, with momentum and the crowd behind them, began to do a man-to-man press to take advantage of the situation. The game entered frenzy mode with both teams fighting tooth and nail for each pass or a second ball with tackles flying and fifty-fifty duels providing great entertainment to the crowd.
Time ticked off 75... 76 ....78 minutes with just two minutes left on the clock. The pressure paid off for Aki high school.
In a scramble in midfield, the ball was intercepted by the captain of Aki high school in midfield, playing as number 10 and sent a pass to his left towards the number 11 on the left wing, and he dribbled the ball towards the byline intending to cross, but the cross was blocked. The opposition full-back but conceded a corner.
Aki high school gained a precious set piece opportunity with just two minutes on the clock. Everyone crowded the box, including the goalkeeper of Aki high school.
Time was ticking.
The captain of AKI high school number 10 took the corner. He made a signal with both hands up and, as players began to shuffle, he kicked the ball towards the near post.
The tall number 11 was already at the forefront at the near post and instead of heading towards the goal, he flicked the ball towards the back post, catching all the defenders and opposition goalkeeper off guard and scrambling back towards the far post.
At the far post, both the tall defenders and Aki high school goalkeeper were stretching their necks to head the ball.
The ball was met with a ferocious header by Aki high school main defender number 4. It hit the opposition defender's head and was deflected into the goal, giving no chance to the opposition goalkeeper who had scrambled and jumped towards the far post.
Goooaaaaal
The crowd went into jubilation as soon as the ball crossed the goal. They felt like witnessing a true underdog story.
The joy on the bench of Aki high school was evident the substitutes running towards number 4 and piling up on him during the celebration.
In the crowd, Kojiro and Hiroshi were equally stunned by the development of this game in just ten minutes.
There was a celebratory mood, but only one person on the pitch was in a different mood.
Hyuga ran towards his manager in the dugout while aki high school players were celebrating and talked something with his coach. The coach called out his captain and gave him some instructions. This whole thing happened in a few seconds and only a few people noticed this interaction.
The celebration stopped at the behest of the referees call and the game began once again with a kick-off from Kochi Chuo.
The players from Aki high school, full of momentum and confidence, started to press high in order to win the game.
The game unfolded in the same manner as before, with high press, misplaced passes and turnovers as time ticked soon, regular time was over, and the fourth official put up the board for stoppage time of 5 minutes.
The game trickled down to 81... 82... 83... in the 83rd minute due to a turnover. The captain of aki high managed to dribble past the midfield and was in shooting range, and everyone from aki high school started running forward to create space for their captain even the defensive line unconsciously moved almost to the half-way line.
The ball was being dribbled by the captain of Aki high school mounting a solid attack through the middle as he was looking around for passing options. There were just two number 11 on the left and number 9 holding the center back.
He instantly chose to pass the number 11 on the left and continued his run into the box. Number 11 on the wing after a shoulder drop crossed the ball towards the far post.
The ball was perfect, with Number 9 dragging the center back towards the near post. The captain had made a perfect late run towards the far post but just as he was about to head it, the captain of Kochi Chuo number 4 headed the ball away as if he had read the play and the ball fell to kochi chuo full back.
The fullback passed it back to his captain and, instead of slow progression, he made a fatal long ball towards their striker Hyuga Yusuke, waiting at the half line with perfect timing to avoid offside.
The keeper and defense of Aki high were in panic mode as the keeper was in no man's land trying to intercept the long ball and the defense had pushed too far ahead to catch up.
Hyuga Yusuke, with exceptional calm and first touch, controlled the ball to avoid the defender and lobbed the ball overhead of the oncoming goalkeeper into the net, delivering the final blow to Aki high and completing his hat trick in the process.
Gooaalllll
The crowds were just as passionate about this last-minute goal as the equalizer, a cruel reality of the sport.
This goal was the final nail for Aki High, as with just a minute left there was very little they could do, but they still tried but failed in the end.
The referee, after a minute, blew the whistle and the game ended with Kochi Chuo high school advancing to the semi-finals.
The final score of 4-3 was a representation of the entertainment fans got from this high-scoring game, but the pitch at the current moment was divided into two. One full of joy and another full of sorrow, all the aki high players were slumped to the ground crying and jerseys over their heads to hide tears.
In the crowd, Kojiro and Hiroshi witnessing this game were also applauding the crowd for the efforts of both teams.
"Uncle, I've decided. I will join this team."
Hiroshi, stroking his beard, stayed silent for a while.
"Since you have decided, go for it. Your uncle started his football from here. There is a pathway to your dreams here, albeit a difficult one."
Kojiro Arashi taking one final look at the pitch, etching this moment into his memory, left the stadium.