The Rise of the Iron Wall!-Chapter 94: The End of the Game!
It wasn’t his clairvoyance ability that warned Higo. No, if anything, that troublesome thing was unreliable whenever he was in a crucial time. No, it was a pure instinct, as every single cell in his body screamed danger when he saw Yuwell’s calm eyes.
’Shit! Shit! Shit! He is about to take a shot!’
True enough, before Higo could turn back and protect the goal, the Swedish striker had already made his move, launching a lob from just a few meters in front of the center field. Even though the boy hit the ball straight at the bottom with his toe, the power generated was still there, and coupled with how high the ball was flying, Higo started panicking at the back.
’No, this is just an illusion! It will fall soon! Fuck!’
Well, unfortunately for Higo, the one moment he wanted his prediction to be false, it became true. The ball, still at high speed, suddenly descended like a meteor, going straight toward the far post of the goal.
Not having any time to think or calculate, the boy leaped, jumping back to at least punch the ball into the air again. A corner would still be better than conceding another goal, after all.
Once again, though, unfortunately for him, this time, his effort was not enough. He extended one hand far to reach the ball, yet it still went a few inches above before slamming straight toward the goal like an arrow.
Thud!
A spectacular goal was on the pitch, a very long shot from about 40 meters from the goal.
Yuwell Calrson, the preparator and the main protagonist of this scene, had his face flushed red when he saw the ball hit the net. It took him a few seconds to process, and then, he ran to the stand where all the Sappotani’s supporters sat and jumped, punching the air excitedly.
"HELL, YEAH!"
This was followed by the cheers from the fans, as everyone celebrated the goal crazily.
"Hahaha! As expected from our new striker!"
"Good job, Yuwell! You are our pride!"
"Are you fucking kidding me?! This should be the goal of the tournament, right?!" 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
"Yeah, yeah! Don’t you see how Hakodate’s goalie running back frantically like a monkey?!"
"Hahaha!"
While Yuwell was surrounded by his teammates, Hakodate’s players also didn’t stay idle. Makino, as the captain, rushed toward the referee immediately, voicing his complaint quite loudly.
"Sensei, don’t you see my teammate is still falling?! This is so disrespectful! A spat on sportsmanship! Cancel the goal!"
He also tried his best to shield the man, not wanting his teammates, who were still in their hold-blooded state, to join the complaint. He was the team’s captain and knew how to mince his words, but the others were not the same.
"Fuck it, Sensei! Look, he is dying!" Kuroki pointed at Ishinori while also still panting due to anger.
Even Hiroshi, the calmest and most innocent boy on the team, couldn’t help but curse here. "You fucker! We will report this to the federation! You are a disgrace, you know?!"
Even though he was the adult one here, being surrounded by four hot-blooded teenagers who were angry at him was quite intimidating. It also didn’t help that he felt guilty here, finding his decision to be questionable. After all, if Ishinori’s injury was too threatening and yet he didn’t stop the game to give the boy an early treatment, this would come and bite his ass later.
That was why his first reaction was not to reprimand those teens, but to come to the medic team and ask, "How is he? Is it a bad injury?" His facial muscles were so tensed here, hoping that it wasn’t that bad.
The person from the medical team paused for a moment, and while still holding an ice pack to compress Ishinori’s swollen calf, he smiled wryly, saying, "You are lucky because it is just a normal cramp. If not, you know that such a bad decision will kill your career."
The man didn’t say it out loud. At least, not loud enough to make the Hakodate players around listen. However, the referee still heard that, and he couldn’t help but feel ashamed here. That was also why, no matter how harshly the teenagers in front of him complained, no card was given to them.
However, it was far from a consolation prize. No, if anything, no one from the Hakodate team felt like this could console them.
They all felt their knees turn to jelly; all the energy left inside them ebbed away instantly. The goal stood, and now, they were behind by two points. The assistant referee had also raised the board, showing that they only gave 4 minutes of additional time here.
That was far from enough for them to score a goal, let alone two.
It was as if fate shut down the door for them to advance, and now, they were at a loss, not knowing what to do.
Hell, even Makino himself, the captain who was always the first one to shout, didn’t know what to say. He just had both hands on his hips, staring at the sky while also trying to hold back the tears from falling through the corner of his eyes.
’Damn... We are so close... How could it be like this...’
The desire to continue the game was gone instantly, and even after the kick-off began, they didn’t even try anymore, too distraught in this state to create something.
All the Sappotani players also took pity on them. The home team didn’t take advantage of their current state to add salt to their wound, just playing the ball around on their own territory while also wasting the rest of the time calmly.
At this point, everyone knew that the game was over. The supporters on the stand also started applauding, and while on Hakodate Nishi’s side, the disappointment was visible, everyone still cheered on the boys. After all, their children had already done their best, so it was inappropriate for them to scold for the defeat.
After a while...
Fweee! Fweee! Fweee!
The referee finally blew the whistle three times in a row, ending the tense game between Sapporo Otani and Hakodate Nishi. The home team won 2 – 0, advancing straight to the final of Hokkaido’s Inter-High tournament for a ticket to the National Tournament next July.
