Fweee!

The moment the referee blew the whistle for the kickoff, two of the opponent’s strikers got the ball immediately. However, instead of passing the ball back to the midfield, one of the strikers there suddenly kicked the ball out of the possession.

This move really baffled the away team, as it wasn’t even going on Higo. No, instead of an on-target attempt, the ball flew straight to the flank, going out of the field close to the corner flag on the right side of the pitch.

It puzzled all the Hakodate Nishi players for a moment, but once they picked the ball for the throw-in, they finally realized what Hakodate Science High’s players wanted to do right now.

’So, they give away the ball immediately to swarm our territory with their players, wanting to force us to make a mistake and break our defensive shape from the start? Damn, they are so vicious!’ Higo gnashed his teeth, impressed and annoyed at the same time. "Hori, don’t try to give it back! Launch it forward! Give it to Yuji!" He shouted, giving a command.

Fortunately, it was still early in the game, not the time when most players didn’t follow his command anymore. Hori just gave him a slight nod before throwing the ball far to the front, which, unfortunately, with Yuji’s height, the team failed to keep possession here.

"Okay, don’t mind it, Yuji!"

"Just put your pressure on them! You as well, Hiroshi!"

"Twins, get ready to move! We are going to push!"

Even if their first tactic failed, they weren’t that dejected. At least, the throw-in really put all the Hakodate Nishi players back in their own area, which gave the home team more space at the beginning of the game to create an opportunity.

However, the away team was not a paper tiger here.

They showed why they were the best defensive team in the prefecture by moving so coordinately, like they were just a unit from the front to the backline. Even Yuji himself kept putting pressure on the ball’s holder, wanting to bite anyone else like he was a mad dog here.

Still, the beginning of the game didn’t give away anything else. Both teams were still poking around, wanting to test any loopholes in the opponent’s defense. No shot was even taken in the first five minutes, as the only threat thrown was a low cross to Abraham Nori, Hokkaido Science High’s striker, before it got cut first by Higo’s prediction skill.

Hakodate Nishi players also stayed patient on the back, not wanting to rush things up too hastily. Hell, there was even an occasion where the opponent did something that Kumiko said to chase, but they reacted too late, which threw away that chance immediately.

It was clear that they were still warming up right now.

Things only got serious as Hakodate Nishi’s pressure started to get overwhelming. The opponent’s movement suddenly got sloppier, and some lazy passes were also made in the process.

In the 12th minute, the back pass from Hokkaido Science High’s DM to the center back was a little bit weak. It usually wouldn’t cause a problem, especially since they were in their own territory.

However, Yuji pounced like an angry wolf, poking the ball slightly to nutmeg the opponent’s defender before rushing toward the opponent’s side with his speed. Not only that, but Hiroshi also followed next to him, creating a two-pronged devastating attack for the home team.

"Fuck! They are so close!"

"Horibe, cover it up! Cover it up!"

Some of the home team’s defenders gasped while covering their eyes in fear. Unfortunately, Yuji tried to be unselfish here, but his diagonal pass didn’t quite reach Hiroshi, only getting intercepted by the opponent’s defenders to give them the corner kick.

The corner kick itself also went quite badly. Hiroshi failed to lift the ball up, only reaching the near post before getting cleared by the opponent’s defender.

Overall, the first fifteen minutes of the game were quite eventful, with a change of possession happening almost twice every minute. Still, Kumiko wasn’t really worried about this situation. If anything, she had already expected something like this, and honestly, the girl was happy to see the stagnancy in the first half of the game.

’We have done a good job containing their tiki-taka strategy, pushing them to the flank and killing all of their chances to advance further. Now, we should make them more frustrated, and once the second half begins, with Kuroki-kun and Kenji-kun coming off the bench, our chance to score will be doubled instantly.’

Of course, that didn’t mean the home team couldn’t pose any threat to them.

Hell, even if he didn’t receive so many passes, Abraham Nori, the Half-Japanese striker, always moved in a dangerous space, threatening everything on the backline. He even beat Jun on one occasion, passing through him with a quick flick before chucking a shot to the top bin. Fortunately, the shot itself was bad, and Higo didn’t even need to do anything as it flew far outside of the pitch.

Hokkaido Science High’s failure to get through Hakodate’s defense could be blamed on two players here. Those were Fujinaga and Usami, two ghosts who kept haunting all the ball holders tirelessly. Hell, no one had ever seen them both stop running since the beginning of the game, with their coverage area including the whole pitch.

They were so determined to be a pest, not letting any of the opponent’s midfielders have a comfortable time on the pitch.

After waiting for a while, another big chance finally arrived. This time, Ishinori’s relentless pressure on the flank finally allowed him to snatch the ball from the opponent’s winger, and without hesitation, he sent it forward, wanting to launch a counterattack. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Hiroshi himself was being pressured from behind, couldn’t even turn around right now. However, that didn’t mean he couldn’t do anything here. No, with a quick scan of his surroundings, the boy found a loophole in the opponent’s defense, and just with one touch, he deflected the ball back toward the flank, where his cute kouhai was already running.

"OH! Good pass, Hiroshi-senpai!"