"OH! FINALLY!"

"Yes! That’s what we are waiting for! A fucking goal!"

"What happened in the penalty box, by the way? Is that considered an own goal?"

"Who cares?! At least, we got our first goal today! Come on!"

All the Sapporo Otani players celebrated in front of their fans, waving at them cheerfully. After waiting for more than 70 minutes, they finally got what they wanted, which also alleviated their supporters’ anxiety.

Of course, the same couldn’t be said for their opponent. Right now, all eleven players of the Ritsumeikan high school just fell on the ground; somehow, depression hit them hard right now. They were so close... Just twenty minutes away from making history, and yet, a single mistake was going to destroy their dream.

The one who got hit the hardest was, of course, Iwai. The team’s captain was on the ground, staring at the sky with tears threatening to fall from the corner of his eyes. Everything happened so fast, and yet, his mind could replay the torturous process like a slow motion.

How Yuwell got the ball...

How it went straight in his direction...

How he caught his goalkeeper’s movement too late...

Hell, even though he got the last touch that was like a judgment time for him, the boy could remember every detail of it. He couldn’t hold it back anymore. In the middle of the pitch, just twenty minutes before the game was over, Ritsumeikan’s captain, Takuro Iwai, finally shed his tears.

"Hey, what are you doing, Cap?!" Suddenly, a voice woke him up from his depression. When he turned around, Iwai could see Ao, the team’s right wing, and also another senior member of the team, who offered his hand here. "Come on! One mistake, and you are already down?! I didn’t expect that our captain would be that weak!"

"Yes, Captain!" Marukawa, the team’s defensive midfielder and also a senior member of the team, nodded and gave his captain a pat on the shoulder. "Don’t blame yourself too much for this! You have been saving our asses and carrying us to this point, no one will blame you for the own goal!"

"Hear it! Hear it!" This time, even the kouhai joined the group to console their captain. "At least, with the score being tied again, we don’t have to worry about doing this defense shit again! Let’s go back to our style and charge forward!" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

This time, the goalkeeper whom Iwai was wronged for in the goal earlier, also patted him firmly on his back. "Worst-case scenario, we will be dragged into the penalty shootout again, just like last year, you remember, Senpai? Don’t worry, if that happened, leave the rest to me."

Unfortunately, no matter what they said, it failed to reach Iwai straight away. Right now, the boy was in his self-blame mode, thinking of so many ’what-ifs’ scenarios inside his head. Looking at the boy’s dejected state, even the audience couldn’t help but stare at him in pity.

"Damn, his luck is the worst." Makino cursed. "If it were any other player, they wouldn’t be able to react when they saw the ball coming at them at that speed. But Iwai can, and that reaction speed screw him over. An honest mistake, but one that they cannot afford now. If they lost, he would regret it for the rest of their life."

The others nodded solemnly, agreeing with his words. Even if they didn’t know whether Iwai’s reaction was that good, the reality was there in front of them. Now, the score was tied again, and Ritsumeikan High had to go out of their comfort zone to chase another goal.

Seeing how depressed Iwai was, Higo couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh. Honestly, if there was one part he didn’t like about this sport, it was when everything was over, and one team got plunged into deep sadness, with some even crying hysterically on the pitch. This wasn’t the case for this game yet, but if Ritsumeikan lost, he could imagine Iwai breaking down on the pitch clearly.

’Please, for the love of God or whatever Deity above... Let Ritsumeikan make a miracle...’

After this, Ritsumeikan High finally came out of its shell again. They started swarming the opponent’s area, running frantically with every last drop of their stamina to get the ball. Iwai, in particular, went berserk.

The boy kept making a run, dribbling left and right tirelessly. It was as if he got a new life, moving non-stop to break through the opponent’s side. He pulled the ’Ankara-Messi’ style, beating everyone who came in front of him.

The show was so impressive that on one occasion, Yuwell Carlson had to give a round of applause when he saw Iwai passing through four defenders before getting slammed by the fifth one. This was definitely the highest praise he could receive from the opponent.

"Damn! Iwai is going crazy!"

"Stop him, anyone! Don’t let him wreak havoc in your area like that!"

"Come on! Beat the shit out of him!"

Unfortunately, no matter how crazy Iwai went, nothing could get closer to the Sapporo Otani’s goal. It also didn’t help that his teammates were already on the verge of their collapse, couldn’t keep up with his pace anymore.

If anything, this gave Sapporo Otani more chance to counterattack. More spaces were open now, giving room for Kenji and Yuwell, the two most dangerous players on their side, to get an opportunity to seal the deal.

Their defense seemed to get overwhelmed right now, and soon enough, disaster finally struck on their side.

In a counterattack scenario, Sapporo Otani’s goalkeeper suddenly launched the ball far, going straight to Yuwell Carlson. The Swedish striker controlled it with his chest, and with a little flick above, he beat his marker easily before having another opportunity to face the goal.

At first glance, it didn’t look like a big threat. After all, Yuwell Carlson was still far from the penalty box, and he was also on the flank, making it hard to go straight to the middle. However, the boy had another mind right now.

Seeing that Ritsumeikan’s goalkeeper was out of position, he let the ball bounce once, and to everyone’s bewilderment, the Swedish striker suddenly launched a bomb from that spot.

BAM!

The ball pierced the air at high speed, and before anyone could realize, the only sound that could be heard was the net being slammed, indicating that the third goal of the game had finally appeared.

In the 87th minute of the game, Yuwell Carlson scored another goal for Sapporo Otani, putting the team one step closer to the final of the tournament.