The day after the game was supposed to be a sabbath day, one where the players could take a rest. However, the coach gathered all the boys in the meeting room right after dinner, and almost everyone had some sort of solemn expression on their face.
"You guys should've watched the game as well, right?" Kageyama-sensei asked solemnly. "The second semifinal of the World Cup, where Ukraine beat Italy with the score 5-2."
The rest of the players nodded; their expression was complicated. Even though they had some sort of grudges against Italy for the painful draw in the group phase, everyone acknowledged that Italy was the strongest defensive team they faced, so to hear them losing and even conceding five goals in a game was pretty much surreal.
They were also a little bit unwilling here, wanting nothing more than to beat the leader of their group, Italy, to perfect their World Cup journey. This would also show the world that they were the best in Group B.
