The Rise of the Iron Wall!-Chapter 28: Stalemate

It was a good header. The power was a bit shaky since Kuroki had to fight against two defenders at the same time. However, the direction was decent, straight to the goal post. Engaru High’s goalkeeper was also one step behind, and for a moment, it looked like the ball was about to cross the line.

Some of the Hakodate Nishi players who were there were also ready to celebrate. Yuji even raised both hands already, clenching his fists in the air. However, like a miracle, the goalkeeper’s hand suddenly touched the ball, and while the contact was gentle, it was enough to deflect the ball’s direction upward.

Clank!

Not only was the ball rising from the save, but it also hit the crossbar before finally landing on the other side of the net, denying the goal that all the Hakodate Nishi players were waiting for. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Ah, fuck!" Kuroki groaned as he landed with his butt first, punching the ground in regret. "It is so fucking close!"

The other Hakodate Nishi players also had a similar reaction. Yuji, who had both his hands in the air already, put them to the back of his head, looking at the ball rolling gently on the back of the goal with regret. Hiroshi scowled, somehow finding the situation to be annoying. However, he still clapped loudly, snapping everyone out of their own thoughts.

"It’s okay, Senpai! We still have a chance! Corner kick, corner kick!"

Hearing that, gone was all the depression a moment ago, replaced with shining eyes reflecting in everyone’s eyes.

Hakodate Nishi was not an offensive team in the first place. They didn’t really produce a lot of shots, just relying on dead-ball like this. Last year, when they were able to reach the final, 5 of the 8 goals they scored in the whole tournament came from the dead ball, either from a free kick or a corner kick.

So, yeah, this kind of situation was the bread and butter for the Hakodate Nishi team.

Hiroshi took the ball and prepared to take the corner from the left side, with almost everyone being in Engaru High’s penalty box. Hell, even Jun and Makino were also there, as their height advantage was too good for the team not to take advantage of it. The only players left on the other side were Higo, Ishinori—the left back, and Fujinaga—the defensive midfielder.

Higo wasn’t really that worried about whether he would receive a counterattack from this situation. The two guys alongside him were among the toughest on the team, having a wide defensive area to cover. They were the team’s mad dog, always becoming the first one to bite the opponent who came to them.

Even if they couldn’t stop the counter, at least those two were enough to slow down the opponent’s tempo and gave a chance for the other players to go back or even commit a tactical foul if necessary, which was enough for the team to recover.

However, that was the case if the attack failed. Based on the height advantage that the team had against the players from Engaru High, even Higo believed that something good would come next.

Thud!

Right after raising his hand to send a signal to the penalty box, Hiroshi curled the ball precisely, aiming for Makino, who was running toward the far post. All the players in the vicinity also tracked the ball in the air. Makino and one of the Engaru High’s players were also entangled in a battle to get a better position.

However, this was just the bait that Makino threw.

The captain grinned as he saw the ball pass through his head, while his marker also widened his eyes in shock. Yeah, Makino’s role here was not to get the ball, but to set a smoke screen so that the opponent’s attention was on him. Sneaking from behind, Usami, the boy with probably the lowest presence on the pitch, popped, slamming the ball with a direct volley.

"SHI—!"

BAM!

Silence fell once again on the pitch, as the ball hit the net quite loudly. However, it seemed that Hakodate Nishi was unlucky here, as it hit the outer side of the net, not even entering the goal itself.

"Fuck! Again?!"

"What the hell is going on?! It is rare to get a chance like that, don’t waste it away!"

"Hey, no need to scold them! Good job, Usami! Nice penetration!"

All three retired senpai and Higo’s mom applauded the efforts from the sideline. Even though it wasn’t enough to get the team the first goal, at least, they were close enough to that point, which would make the opponent wary of their counterattack later.

As for Hakodate Nishi’s members themselves, they groaned simultaneously before starting to go back to their positions.

"Shit! Unlucky!"

"Don’t worry, Usami! It is a nice attempt!"

"Just keep it up! You can do this!"

Higo just shook his head as he witnessed everything from his territory. Well, not everything, per se. More like witnessing a chaotic situation of a colony of ants getting jittery from sugar rush, and then, out of nowhere, one of the quiet ants suddenly shrieked, scaring the shit out of everyone there.

Coincidentally enough, after this wave of attack, the game slowed down drastically, with neither team wanting to push further. For Hakodate Nishi, this was a normal operation, as they themselves were ready to park the whole airplane in their own territory. However, it was different from Engaru High.

Their coach ordered them to slow down the tempo. Not only was it because the first half was about to end, but the last two attacks before were enough to remind him that Hakodate Nishi was not a paper tiger. They might not control the ball for too long, but whenever they pushed forward, it always brought something surprising.

No, Engaru High couldn’t afford another counterattack like before, not at least until the break was over and they were back in their best condition for the second half later.

Higo himself also felt bored. After all, he came with the expectation of having to protect the goal, yet the opponent was too weak to force him to do something drastic. So, while he still tracked the ball everywhere, he used most of his time in the first half by doing nothing, and he didn’t know how to feel about this.

’Maybe... Being a goalie is not as gruesome as Kumiko-chan instills inside my head, huh?’ He couldn’t help but mutter.

In the end, after dilly-dallying for more than 7 minutes, the referee finally blew the whistle, signalling the end of the first half of the game.

Hakodate Nishi High 0—0 Engaru High