Riccardo restarted the game after Maebashi Ikuei's equalizer, passing to Nishimura. Nishimura immediately moved the ball to Sugimoto, who lifted his head and launched a long pass back to Riccardo.
Riccardo jumped high above Watanabe and headed the ball to Ono, who controlled it as they advanced into Maebashi Ikuei's half. Ito shadowed him, keeping his distance. Ono pushed forward but, seeing little space ahead, turned and passed to Aoki.
Coach Ishii frowned. That's too slow… too cautious.
Nishimura scanned the field. There's no room to advance. I have to do something…
He dropped back to his own half. "Pass it here!" he called to Aoki, who quickly obliged. Nishimura took possession, eyes locked on Ito. He moved decisively toward him, ready for the one-on-one.
Nishimura double-stepped, faking right, but Ito kept pace and challenged with his body. Using the tip of his boot, Nishimura found Shimizu free on the right flank. Shimizu had started slightly behind, giving him ample room to accelerate.
Full stride, he confronted Kamiyama. A lightning-fast roulette allowed Shimizu to glide past him, resisting the attempted foul. The crowd erupted.
With Kamiyama behind, Shimizu surged down the flank, using every inch of space—until Ito closed in, abandoning his marking of Nishimura. Shimizu quickly flicked the ball with the outside of his left foot to a now-free Nishimura, approaching the edge of Maebashi Ikuei's penalty area.
But Kamiyama was already closing. Nishimura looked up: Riccardo was sprinting into the box, but zonally marked by Watanabe and Takahashi. Riccardo signaled for the ball.
Too risky… let's reset. Nishimura opted to pass back to Ono. Riccardo's eyes narrowed slightly—disappointment flashing across his face.
Minutes ticked by. Despite the fast pace and relentless pressing, neither team could create a clear chance. The first half ended with the score tied:
Maebashi Ikuei 1 | 1 Shūdan-teki
[In the locker room]
Shūdan-teki players sat, catching their breath and hydrating. Coach Ishii entered, standing in the center.
"I saw some good things in that first half—off-the-ball movement, precise passing… but there's one thing I didn't like," he said, turning toward Nishimura. "One thing I especially don't want to see from you."
Nishimura lowered his gaze, already anticipating the critique.
"Why didn't you pass to Aliberti at that moment?"
"I thought it was too risky… we could have suffered a counterattack," Nishimura admitted, weight in his voice.
"Exactly. I'm not asking you to always make the riskiest move. But in games like this, when simple passes won't break their defense, you have to force the game."
Shimizu's expression shifted—disappointment clear. He hasn't coached seriously in ten years… and now he's acting like a real coach?
Noguchi noticed. His own frustration welled up. Damn! What have I done these last three years? I want to be a pillar of this team too!
He stood, taking a deep breath. "Guys, the coach is right! We have to give everything we have in this game! Their defense is too solid to break with normal passes! Trust your teammates and yourselves!"
Nishimura rose, approaching Noguchi. "The captain's right! I made a mistake—I didn't trust my teammates. But I won't make the same mistake again!"
Noguchi smiled. The energy in the room shifted.
"We are students of Shūdan-teki! Each of us here has, at the very least, the goal of going pro! Let's honor that goal and show who we are, even against the supposedly strongest team!" Noguchi shouted, igniting their spirits.
He raised his hand. "All together, we are?!"
"Shūdan-teki!" the team roared.
"We are?!"
"Shūdan-teki!"
Energized, the team stormed out of the locker room, Noguchi lingering a moment to watch them go.
"Nice speech, Captain," Kaneko said, sarcasm in her tone.
Noguchi smirked. "Next time, you do it."
"Not even kidding…"