In the world of football, a two-goal lead feels very secure. The leading team gets a psychological advantage, and they become bolder with their plays. They play more smoothly and can better showcase their abilities. But with a one-goal lead, that psychological advantage is gone. This is especially true when you concede a goal right at the start of the second half. The national youth team has a lot of time to catch up.
JP~
Clap, clap, clap~
JP~
Clap, clap, clap~
A unified chant rings out in the stadium. This, of course, isn't for the Blue Lock team. They're all cheering for the national youth team. The parents of Isagi Yoichi and the others are also cheering for their sons, but it's a drop in the ocean, and their voices are quickly drowned out by the roar of tens of thousands of people.
After scoring, Ryusei Shidou rushes to the corner flag and does a passionate knee slide. His face is flushed with a perverted excitement, and every cell in his body is trembling, making people afraid to approach him.
Tabito Karasu and Jingo Raichi stand with their hands on their hips on the penalty box line, not daring to look up. This goal had something to do with them. But they don't want it to be like this. They just can't stop that monster Sae Itoshi.
Tendou runs to the goal and praises Gagamaru, "Great job, Gagamaru. That was a wonderful save." Then he claps his hands to tell a few of his defenders not to overthink things. "We're still in the lead. It's not our turn to be discouraged."
"Think about how we got here, one step at a time. How many strikers from all over the country did we beat to get here? Those guys on the national youth team are not that impressive. They just watched a few more years of... movies."
He was going to say "watched a few more years of movies," but with the camera on him, it didn't sound very classy.
Tabito Karasu is stunned, then says angrily, "That saying is supposed to be 'ate a few more years of rice'."
"It's all the same thing," Tendou says, waving his hand. "Okay, no one is blaming you."
"We're all on the same boat, facing a huge storm on the ocean. But there are eleven of us on this boat, and as long as we're in this together, we can overcome this storm."
"Don't forget, if we lose this match, we and Blue Lock are finished."
"Imagine if this is the last football match of our lives. What would you do? Would you keep sighing here, regretting when you're older that you didn't work a little harder? Or would you leave everything you have on this field without any regrets?"
Tendou feels that he's said some very profound words. If he had a fitting background music, the scene would be even more intense. In fact, after hearing him, Tabito Karasu and the others are pumped up. The last match? Many of them can't even imagine that. But without a doubt, this is the most important match of their lives.
So, when the match resumes, all eleven players of the Blue Lock team start to fight with the national youth team. Seeing that they are motivated, Tendou begins his next move.
That last goal was actually his fault. He shouldn't have been so conservative and stood so far back. That only exposed his own goal to the opponent. Of course, if he just fell back, it wouldn't have been a big problem. But he shouldn't have fallen back and then suddenly pushed up. That gave Sae Itoshi the opportunity to make a wide pass. All in all, as an all-around free player, Tendou doesn't have enough experience.
He played in 5v5 matches in Blue Lock, and the field was smaller. He could play like that there, but in a regular match, he has to be more careful. The results from his "six eyes" and the big data analysis sometimes differ. At times like this, Tendou needs to make a judgment. His charging forward a moment ago was a problem of inexperience. After all, strictly speaking, the total amount of time Tendou has played football is less than half a year.
But he won't make that mistake again. He's here to stay and grow as a playmaker. Seeing Tendou push up and keeping his eyes on Sae Itoshi, Jinpachi Ego's raised hand comes back down. He was just about to warn Tendou.
"It looks like there's no need for that."
"No need for what?" Anri Teieri asks. The score on the field makes her very nervous, and she hasn't sat down at all.
"Nothing. Just keep watching."
The match resumes. Tendou and the others kick off at the center circle. Tendou receives the pass back, and the national youth team immediately presses him. Tendou keeps his "six eyes" open, dealing with the pressure from the national youth team while also observing his teammates' movements.
In the 54th minute, Tendou passes the ball back and then sends a through ball. The ball instantly passes by Ryusei Shidou, Sendou Shuto, and Yo Hiori, going behind the defensive midfielder, Itsuki Wakatsuki.
"What?!"
The pass is so fast and accurate that it completely pierces the national youth team's defense. The ball reaches Rin Itoshi's feet. He, Isagi Yoichi, and Tokimitsu Aoshi form a triangle, helping each other out, and pushing the ball deep into the opponent's territory.
The trio is once again facing the national youth team's four "steel walls." This time, with more information, Rin Itoshi and Isagi Yoichi are performing better. The trio works together in a small space, creating a window for a shot.
At the edge of the box, Isagi Yoichi receives a pass from Tokimitsu Aoshi. He fakes a shot, using the weapon he honed at Blue Lock.
"I can do it!" Isagi Yoichi's blood is boiling. "There are three conditions for me to score a goal."
"First, the right distance. I have to be in a spot where I can use my weapon to score directly."
"Second, I have to avoid Aiku's observation. And the third condition is to use Tokimitsu and Rin to help me get to that spot where I can shoot directly."
"When my eyes and my brain catch the moment when these three conditions meet, my goal is inevitable!"
Isagi Yoichi roars in his heart. He stares at the ball, gathering all his strength in his right leg. But just as he's about to kick, his body is squeezed by an outside force.
"I can't believe it."
"The heart of Blue Lock's offense is you, Isagi."
"Sae Itoshi?!"
Hearing Sae Itoshi's emotionless voice, Isagi Yoichi's eyes widen in disbelief.
Tap!
The ball is kicked out of bounds by Sae Itoshi. Isagi Yoichi's carefully prepared plan is once again torn to shreds.
"Why is he here?" Isagi Yoichi roars in his mind. Sae Itoshi's appearance is not in his calculations. He remembers that he was always keeping an eye on Sae Itoshi's position before making his move, trying to avoid him. This means that at the moment he decided to act, at the moment he ignored Sae Itoshi in his field of vision, Sae Itoshi saw through all of his moves and came to him at top speed to stop his certain goal.
Wait, it's not just Sae Itoshi.
"You're fast to react, aren't you, Isagi?"
Tendou! He's here too! Isagi Yoichi notices Tendou stopping behind Sae Itoshi with a relaxed expression.
"Damn it! My best performance, the magnum opus I've put so much thought into... it was seen through by those two as if it was nothing."
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