No one could have imagined that Nagi Seishiro's certain goal would be blocked at the last moment.
"Tendou?!"
Everyone was astonished. After all, apart from the first match, Tendou had rarely participated in the team's defense for most of the time. It wasn't that he couldn't do it, he just didn't want to. Except when the team was attacking, he spent most of his time standing near the midfield with his hands on his hips, acting cool.
When he suddenly moved without warning, it was all the more shocking.
Except for Isagi Yoichi.
He had never forgotten how Tendou had secured the team's advancement in the first place. A 70-meter sprint, overtaking everyone, and slide-tackling Kira Ryosuke, who was on a one-on-one, into the air.
And so.
The moment Tendou started to move, Isagi also moved immediately. Bachira also started moving under the reminder of his "monster." The "young lady," Chigiri Hyoma, reacted a bit slower, but he could run fast.
In an instant, Team Z switched from defense to offense.
"Stop them!"
The players of Team V saw that Tendou had already gotten to the first ball. Although Reo was pressing him, no one now thought that Mikage Reo could stop Tendou. Bachira and Chigiri had become the main targets of their defensive focus. Team V's two "chains" were rapidly stretching, with their defense shifting more towards the two wings.
BAM!
Tendou kicked his foot out, sending a long pass. A shot release speed of over 17 m/s made it impossible for Reo to even get a tackle in.
Swish!
The ball quickly lifted off the ground, drawing a curve in the air. The ball, which should have been heading to the right wing, suddenly curved in mid-air and floated in front of Isagi.
"A Beckham Curve?"
The Beckham Curve, also known as the Round Moon Scimitar. This was one of the most famous techniques in football history, renowned for its difficulty to judge and its subsequent trajectory. A ball kicked by Beckham would always deviate from the trajectory people expected and fly in another direction.
After passing the ball, Tendou stopped. In his Big Data Statistics, Isagi's goal-scoring success rate was the highest among the three.
...
In Team V's half.
Mikage Reo, Nagi Seishiro, and Tsurugi Zantetsu were still in Team Z's half, unable to track back in time. This was a golden opportunity for Isagi to score.
This hidden sadist looked at the ball falling in front of him, and his heart rate instantly shot up to over 100. He had to put this ball in, even if it killed him!
"Bachira!!"
Isagi didn't try to force it himself; that wasn't his forte. He didn't have Bachira's dribbling or Chigiri's speed, but he knew how to use these people.
Tap, tap, tap~
A horizontal pass after the diagonal one. Bachira and Isagi completed a give-and-go. Then, facing the rushing Team V defender, Isagi once again passed the ball out. But this time, his target was not Bachira, but the "young lady" on the other wing.
"Use Chigiri's speed to charge into Team V's penalty area in one go."
At this moment, Isagi's pupils were like a vortex. His brain had already constructed the equation for a goal. He was evolving (awakening) in the way he was best at.
Team V's players had already witnessed Chigiri's speed, and he had even scored a goal, posing a great threat. Without Zantetsu to contain him, they could only bite the bullet and go up themselves.
By the time Chigiri received the ball in the right half-space of Team V's box, he found himself surrounded by defenders.
"You bastard, Isagi! How dare you use me as a tool." The "young lady" was very displeased. His goal in this match was to score more goals than Tendou. In this situation, what damn scoring opportunity did he have?
"If this doesn't go in, I'll tear you to pieces!"
Swish!
Before the opponent could get close, Chigiri sent in a cross one step ahead. His crossing was naturally not bad. For a winger of his type, crossing is a basic skill. The reason his pass to Tendou before was so bad was because he had been out of action for a long time and was rusty. After these few days of recovery practice, he had long since reactivated his muscle memory.
Isagi sprinted all the way, breaking into the edge of Team V's penalty area. Facing Chigiri's cross, he didn't shoot directly. There were still defenders around him; he didn't have enough athletic or physical ability to break through the defense.
From the very beginning, the place with the strongest scent of a goal... was still here.
Tap!
He didn't receive this ball but instead backheeled it to the trailing Bachira. His body continued to push forward, completely breaking into Team V's penalty area.
Bachira understood in a second. This kid who loved to dribble, whose style of play was flashy, and who adored South American football also possessed the creativity of a South American player. With a tap, he threaded a through-ball in front of Isagi.
At this moment, Team V's penalty area was in chaos. The goalkeeper couldn't judge at all who from Team Z would take the shot. By the time he realized their intention, Isagi had already fiercely struck the ball that had rolled in front of him.
BAM!
The ball transformed into a streak of white light and slammed hard into Team V's goal.
"GOAL!!"
"AHHHHH!!!!"
The moment he scored, Isagi let out a passionate roar. He had finally found his own goal-scoring equation!
No dribbling? Then borrow it!
No speed? Borrow that too!
Use the abilities of his teammates to make up for his own shortcomings. Use the abilities of others to help himself score goals.
This was his awakening, his evolution!
3:1!
Team Z continued to extend their lead.
Ego Jinpachi's attention was not on Isagi. Although this kid's goal this time was incredibly brilliant and gave him a big surprise, what he noticed was still Tendou, who was walking back to the center circle like an old man.
Defensive midfielder!
A creature born in the 1930s. At that time, in the WM formation adopted by Italy, the midfielders needed to handle both defensive and offensive organizational tasks. Such a creature had to track back to assist the defenders during defense and also supply ammunition to the forwards during an attack. This was the earliest prototype of the defensive midfielder position.
Later, as football tactics continued to develop, in the 1960s, when the Samba Legion adopted the 4-2-4 formation, players like Didi appeared. He was positioned further back in the midfield, responsible for controlling the rhythm of the game, delivering precise passes to the forwards. At the same time, his active defending also played a crucial barrier role in defense. This was an important stage in the gradual formation of the defensive midfielder position.
From the 1980s to the 90s, the Catenaccio system began to prevail. In this system, teams paid more attention to defensive layers and overall cohesion. It was also at this time that the defensive midfielder began to become important. Top-tier defensive midfielders like Gattuso, and even Pirlo, became the targets that all teams pursued and needed. At that time, top coaches were even willing to sell their own star strikers for a dream "waist."
And today, a world-class "waist" has become a prize that countless powerhouse clubs vie for. Whether you are a defensive counter-attacking team or an offensive-minded team, you need a world-class waist.
And now, Ego Jinpachi was seeing a player who had the potential to become a world-class waist.
...
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