The Rise of the Iron Wall!-Chapter 27: A Boring Game?

The commotion only happened for a few seconds, and after the linesman came to reprimand them, the game continued once again. It was a corner kick for Engaru High, and Higo had already had his eyes on the opponent’s player outside of the penalty box.

"Ishinori-kun, get closer to the corner! Watch for a short corner!" He instructed.

"Yes, Senpai!" The left back rushed there, keeping eyes on whoever came closer to the kicker.

Seeing that the short corner was not possible, the opponent’s kicker decided to send the ball behind, where the fullback rushed forward to help. Yeah, instead of crossing it like a normal team would do, Engaru High decided to keep the ball low, controlling it with their feet.

It had been like this since the beginning, with the Engaru High looking like they had a phobia of lifting the ball in the air. Well, it was understandable, since none of their players were tall enough to win the aerial battle against the duo of Jun and Makino on the back. Moreover, even if somehow they dared to do that, Higo was still confident in his judgment to cut the cross in the air.

"Oi, Teme! Remind Fujinaga-kun not to rush too far!" Higo shouted. "The area in front of you is empty! They are going to fill that in with their player!"

"Got it!"

Honestly, today, Higo was more tired of shouting too much, instructing all of his teammates to maintain the defensive formation, rather than making any spectacular save. This was the reality of being a goalkeeper. He had to be wary all the time, but only one or two attempts were able to get closer to him.

Still, it was infuriating to be on guard like this since the beginning, being surrounded and cornered in their own territory since the referee blew the whistle for the first time a while ago. While Higo hadn’t received any shots from the opponent’s side, he knew that the team couldn’t do this forever.

"Oi, Teme! Don’t you think that this is our time to attack?" He whispered to the captain.

"Wait a second, Chibi." Makino just instructed calmly. "Kumiko-chan hasn’t given us a signal yet. For now, let’s not give them any chance to take a shot."

Higo’s attention turned to the girl on the bench immediately, just to find that she was sitting there with both arms folded in front of her chest while also having a stoic expression, not giving any hint of what she thought right now.

This was the first time he saw her being this dead serious, and honestly, if he wasn’t a player on the pitch right now, the boy would’ve approached her already, showing off his concern for her.

’Oh, well... Since even that Teme said to wait for her signal, let’s just follow the arrangement.’ He thought inwardly.

The game ran quite slowly, and while Engaru High was able to control the ball for most of the time, they started to get frustrated, not being able to find any breakthrough that could get them closer to Higo. What made it strange, though, was that none of them dared to take a shot from the outside of the box, and if Higo remembered correctly, against Esashi High, that kind of approach often worked when any ordinary attack failed to get any result.

"What is so strange about it?" Makino snorted in disdain when Higo asked this. "It shows that the level of the opponent’s coach is not that high. He only knows that Tiki-Taka is about to pass the ball and control the possession as long as possible, but he doesn’t know what to do if his troops fail to break through the opponent’s defense. Just wait, soon, they will crumble like wet paper."

Higo just nodded silently, deciding to trust that guy for once.

The ball was currently on the right flank, and the opponent’s winger was still scanning around to find anyone to pass the ball to. The thought of dribbling the ball seemed never to cross his mind, as his head coach had already reprimanded him several times in the past when he did so.

However, he lowered his guard here. Ishinori, Hakodate Nishi’s fullback, saw that the winger was zoning out for a moment, and with his agile body, he extended his left foot, poking the ball out of the opponent’s position.

"Oh, shit!"

"Nice, Ishinori!"

"Here! Send it to me!"

Out of anyone else on Hakodate Nishi’s side, Hiroshi was the first one to react, cutting through from the middle to the right flank. He pointed his finger forward, and knowing what the boy wanted for, Ishinori sent a long and low pass, allowing his friend to have a running contest with the opponent’s defenders.

"SHIT! GO BACK!"

"DEFENDERS, MOVE! CLOSE HIM DOWN!"

All the Engaru High’s players rushed back frantically, not expecting that they would suffer from a counterattack out of nowhere.

Of course, the other Hakodate Nishi players didn’t stay idle. The moment Hiroshi made his run, Yuji, the fastest player in the team, also charged with lightning speed. Kuroki, the tall striker, also moved with his own speed. Although he wasn’t that fast, his run was necessary to spread the opponent’s defensive line thin. Takaaki, the midfielder with goofy glasses, also supported from behind, ready for a cutback pass from Hiroshi.

On the bench, Kumiko rose instantly when she saw this. Even though this counterattack wasn’t her plan, she knew that a football match was always dynamic and full of uncertainty, and most times, it wasn’t the players following the strategy that worked the best, but the improvisation in a spur-of-the-moment way, like this, that often led to glory.

’Come on! If we manage to score the goal right now, everything will be easier!’ She clenched her fist nervously.

As Hiroshi was close to the opponent’s territory, he raised his head slightly, just to find out that three of his teammates were already on the box. The closest opponent was one step behind him, so without hesitation, he used his insole to whip a cross to the middle.

"SHIT! GOALKEEPER, MOVE!"

"Ha! Nice pass, Hiroshi! This is mine!"

Everyone held their breath as Kuroki, the tallest person on that box, leaped so high in the air, ignoring the two defenders who tried to hinder him. The goalkeeper also rushed, trying to snatch the ball in the air. However, he was one step behind, as before he could even arrive, Kuroki had already sent a strong header to the left side of the goal. As a result...

Clank!