The players take their positions on the pitch, waiting for the match to begin.
Shūdan-teki's starting eleven: GK Andou (1), CB Noguchi (4) (C), Aoki (27), RB Ueno (2), LB Sugimoto (6), CM Ono (8), Tamura (5), AM Nishimura (10), RW Shimizu (11), LW Tanaka (7), ST Kaneko (9)
Tōen has the kickoff.
The match begins with Kadoshima passing the ball straight to the holding midfielder, Arata.
From the stands, Yuzuki immediately notices Tōen's shape.
"A 4-3-2-1… they didn't abandon their style…" she muttered.
"Their style? Is it that well known?" Kagayama asked.
"At the high school level, they're known for a possession-based game. They aim to dominate the match through ball control. With that formation, they get a lot of players into central areas, creating numerical superiority."
Arata passes to the number 6, who quickly finds Kadoshima, dropping deep to receive the ball, closely followed by Tamura.
"As you can see, they have three midfielders, and one of the attacking midfielders drops back in turns to connect midfield and attack."
Kadoshima spins elegantly past Tamura and finds number 11, but Ueno immediately closes him down. The Tōen Player retreats and recycles possession.
"That's their football. They keep the ball until they find a gap in the opponent's defense. In the end, if the opponents don't have the ball, they can't be dangerous," Yuzuki finishes explaining.
Everyone in the stands can now clearly see what she meant, as Tōen dominate possession and Shūdan-teki's pressing comes up empty.
Sato watches the ball move between Tōen's players, slightly irritated.
"This is boring… our guys haven't even touched the ball yet."
"It might look dull, but to Tōen, this is real domination," Yuzuki added. "They dictate the tempo… but like everyone else, they have a weak point."
"What do you mean?" Inoue asked.
"You'll see soon…"
The number 6 receives the ball and is immediately double-pressed by Tanaka and Nishimura.
"Taichi, here!" Kadoshima calls for the pass.
He receives it, but Tamura is on him instantly.
I have to get around him!
Kadoshima tries to turn inside, but Tamura blocks his body and forces him wide to the right.
He forced me outside…
It was all a trap to allow Sugimoto to step in for the double team, moving in advance.
Sugimoto steals the ball and drives forward.
"Break forward, now!" Coach Ishii shouts.
In an instant, every Shūdan-teki player from midfield upward pushes past Tōen's halfway line.
The students in the stands are shocked.
"They're moving as a unit…" Kirishima murmurs.
"And that's not all. They're all moving through the central channel — except the wingers," Yuzuki comments, noticing Tanaka receiving the ball from Sugimoto. "That's to isolate the wingers in one-on-ones against the fullbacks!"
Tanaka bursts down the flank until Tōen's right-back, wearing number 2, steps up to face him.
The Shūdan-teki number 7 glances into the box, spotting Kaneko, Tamura, and Ono. Nishimura lingers slightly deeper, next to Naruse.
So many good targets…
Tanaka beats his man with a quick double step-over, cuts slightly inward, and swings in a right-footed, curling cross.
But I choose you… tower!
The ball is aimed toward Kaneko, marked tightly by Tōen's two center-backs. Even so, Shūdan-teki's number 9 rises above them and connects with a powerful header.
The ball crashes against the post.
Damn it!
The goalkeeper dives onto the loose ball and quickly gets back to his feet, looking to restart immediately. He wants to pass to Naruse, but notices Nishimura sticking close to him.
They've already thought of that… the keeper thinks in surprise.
Instead, he holds the ball and waits, allowing Shūdan-teki to drop back into shape.
"Such a shame about the post…" Sato says.
"So that's what you meant by their weak point," Inoue says to Yuzuki.
She nods. "Exactly. Like I said, their system builds superiority through the center, while sacrificing width. That makes them vulnerable to counters down the flanks, just like we saw."
"But doesn't that mean they're always at a disadvantage?" Kagayama asks, confused.
"It's definitely a risk, but Tōen didn't want to abandon who they are. They kept their football philosophy. After all, they're a team that regularly plays in national tournaments… they won't let anyone walk all over them. They must've prepared for this too."
The goalkeeper restarts play, passing to the left center-back, who then finds Naruse in the middle, tightly marked by Nishimura.
Naruse controls calmly, watching his teammates' movements, all closely marked man-to-man.
They prepared well…
Tōen's coach observes everything with a serious gaze.
So Shūdan-teki finally plays like a team…
Coach Ishii studies him. So that's their coach… In five years of coaching this school, I've faced Shūdan-teki twice and never saw him. But I have to say, he looks like a capable one.
He looks back onto the pitch, where Naruse receives the ball back from Taichi.
The coach lets out a quiet grin.
Show me how far you can go!
"Naruse!" he calls out, pointing to a spot.
Number 15 doesn't hesitate and fires a sharp, driven pass that slices through the entire midfield.
Ono sees the pass arriving in his zone, along with the Tōen number 11.
That's a risky pass… but I can intercept—
Ono moves to step in, but Kadoshima suddenly appears and intercepts first.
What's he doing here?!
With the ball at his feet, Kadoshima glides past Ono, who gets momentarily blocked by number 11.
Tōen's captain drives forward through the center, but Ono breaks free and presses him from behind.
That number 8 moves well… but it's not a problem.
Tōen's number 9 drags Aoki away with his run, opening up a shooting lane for Kadoshima. He doesn't hesitate and strikes with power toward the left post.
A low, driven shot.
Aimed straight for the corner.
But Andou reacts instantly, launching himself into a cat-like dive and fingertips the ball wide for a corner.
Kadoshima clenches his teeth in frustration.
"So close!"
A chill runs down Sato's spine.
"So close… with a single pass, they were basically inside our penalty box."
Yuzuki smiles at her reaction.
"This is football! And the way this match is shaping up, I think we're going to see a lot of dangerous chances. Honestly, it could end either way."