"What an unbelievable goal! At the thirteen-minute mark, the first goal goes to Ryusei—scored by number 18, Aoyama Ryo!"
"The coordination between the three of them was brilliant!" Sayaka said. "They all knew exactly what needed to be done, and they skillfully maneuvered the ball while avoiding Alto's defense."
The commentators broke the goal down in detail, analyzing each crucial moment while the players celebrated on the field. It was Ryusei's first goal of the regional tournament, and it had come far earlier than anyone expected, so they didn't hold back on the celebration.
When they finished their analysis, Hiroshi sighed and leaned slightly back in his chair. "When this game started, I was expecting it to be a slow burn all the way through, with the winner being decided in the final minutes. But instead, Ryusei fired off a goal right in the beginning."
Hiroshi looked down at the pitch where the players slowly got back to their positions. "Now it's all up to Alto. Will they shoot back at Ryusei, or will they crumble under the pressure?"
Sayaka nodded along. "You can already see it on a few faces. If Alto doesn't find an answer soon, this momentum could slip completely out of their hands."
Though the commentary continued, neither of them bothered hiding how invested they were—they were just as restless as the audience while watching the rest of the game unfold.
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"C'mon, Nee-san, you need to hurry, we already missed twenty minutes."
"I'm going as fast as I can, Kazuki! Do you think I want to miss Ren-kun playing football?"
Running into the stadium were both Kazuki and his sister, Suzume. They had begged their parents to take them to the game, and after enough pleading, their parents eventually gave in, saying they'd drive them to the game.
What they hadn't prepared for was the fact that there would be an accident on the road to Ueda. Traffic had been completely blocked for thirty minutes, then it took another fifteen minutes for them to clear the wreck. So by the time they arrived at the game, almost an hour had been lost, causing them to miss the first twenty minutes of the game.
Their parents planned to visit the rest of Ueda while the game went on, expecting to meet back up with them once the game was over.
When they eventually made it to the arena, they were stopped at the gate. "Sorry, kids. We've already sold out of—"
"Sorry, we're late," Suzume said quickly, holding out the tickets. "We already bought our tickets."
"Ah, yes," The man checked their tickets, then let them through. "Your seats are that way, and if you need help, you can show your tickets to one of the staff, and they'll show you to your seats," he said, pointing to one side of the field.
"Thank you very much," Suzume said, already pulling Kazuki behind her.
"Nee-san, when did you buy tickets?" Kazuki asked, confused. Before his sister showed the tickets, Kazuki thought they were going to be turned away by the man at the entrance.
"I bought them right after the tournament schedule came out!" She answered proudly.
"But nee-san, where did you even get the money from?" Kazuki whispered inquisitively, doubting how she had bought the tickets.
"Hurry up, Kazuki! Stop lagging behind!" She quickly said, obviously avoiding answering his question.
They soon found an employee, and within a minute, they were sitting in their seats with a clear view of the pitch in front of them.
They settled into the atmosphere quickly and were completely absorbed in the game like the rest of the crowd, watching the ball move around the midfield—or at least until Kazuki saw the score.
"We already scored a goal? How could I miss the first goal!" Kazuki started sulking. "Wait! Ryo scored the goal! It's not fair that I missed it."
Kazuki turned to his sister, desperate to find some comfort. "Nee-san, it's one-zero. Ryo scored a goal, and we weren't ev—"
"Aaaaaaaah," Suzume shrieked suddenly as Ren shot on goal, "Ren-kun, you're so cool!!" Although his shot was blocked, many people in the crowd cheered at Ren's attempt, and Suzume wasn't one to avoid cheering for Ren.
Kazuki looked the other way, not wanting to talk to his sister anymore.
Why does she keep ignoring me? What's so great about Ren anyway? Unlike Ryo, he hasn't even scored yet…
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Ryo stopped moving as the ball went out of play once again. He lifted his shirt and wiped off the sweat collecting on his forehead right before it trickled down his face. Even though it was the middle of October and the weather was cooling down, running around constantly in the sun made it impossible to avoid sweating.
But nothing was as bad as the season in July and August. During those months, the temperature could reach up to thirty degrees Celsius, and with the bright sun on top of it, playing football was arduous.
If only it rained every time we played in the summer…
He quickly turned his focus back to the game. Currently, they were almost completely in control, and Alto looked beaten. Ever since the opening goal, Ryusei kept the momentum, constantly pressuring Alto near their box and getting shots on goal.
They almost scored a few times, but with some impressive saves and good defense, Alto managed to stop all of their attacks.
This time, Tomoya managed to shoot on goal, but the goalie was able to block the shot, and the defense cleared it to the left before another shot could be taken.
The ball rolled quietly out of bounds, and as such, it was Ryo who was designated to take the throw-in. Ryo walked over to the side, where the assistant referee was marking the spot for the throw-in.
On the way, he spotted Taiga, further up than he usually was.
He really wants to receive this, huh? I don't know how he waited this long without much action.
As a defender, Taiga had a job as important as anyone else on the team—stopping any attacks that came his way and converting them into counterattacks. However, that sometimes meant that when the offense was overly dominant, he would barely have any time on the ball. In those cases, passes only came to him for a quick reset.
But now, his eyes were burning, ready to be a part of the action. Ryo picked up the ball while silently acknowledging Taiga's strong intent.
He stepped back, rolling the ball between his palms, getting used to how it felt in his hands. But something felt off.
This ball doesn't feel quite right… Is it because it's slippery?
Ryo frowned and wiped the ball with his shirt, hoping that it would be better, but it still didn't seem to fix the problem. At this point, everyone on the pitch was looking at him and waiting for him to throw the ball.
Damn it… I guess I'll just have to deal with it.
Without waiting any longer, he set up his run and squeezed the ball between his hands, getting ready to throw it.
Oh… That's what the problem is.
Ryo stopped where he was, lowering his arms, releasing the tension, and turning around to face the referee near him. Right before the assistant referee was about to scold him, Ryo spoke, "Sorry, sir, this ball is a bit deflated. Could we change it out?"
The assistant looked irritated, but still decided to address Ryo's concern. "Can I see the ball?"
Ryo handed the ball to him, hoping that there actually was a problem with the ball. If not, he would have wasted everyone's time for no reason.
The assistant referee messed around with the ball, pressing down on it with his hands and inspecting it thoroughly. After what felt like an eternity, he finally spoke up, "I think you're right. Let me get another ball."
After the assistant quickly talked with the head referee and confirmed that the ball was slightly deflated, Ryo quickly had another ball in his hands.
This already feels much better. I guess the ball was punctured when it was cleared earlier. It's unfortunate that the game stopped for so long, but that's what added time is for.
Once again, everyone was ready for the throw-in, and after setting himself up, Ryo ran forward and threw the ball all the way back to Taiga.
The Alto midfielders reacted quickly and ran over to where Taiga was, hoping to steal the ball. After all, he was a defender, so stealing possession would allow for a dangerous attack.
But Taiga was ready for it. He dribbled past one midfielder, then passed the ball upfield to Tomoya. Ryo quickly jumped into action, making himself constantly available to Taiga and Tomoya, receiving the ball and sending it forward.
"Stop them!"
"Ryo, over here!"
"Stay together!"
"I'm open!"
Many players were shouting, either trying to stop the three of them or trying to get their attention for a pass.
But Ryo didn't pay any attention to them. He passed it one last time to Tomoya, but then ran diagonally, cutting into the center of the field. And one last time, Ryo received the ball. He stood right in front of the defensive line, with his back to the goal.
Two defenders quickly came up to keep him from turning around, while a retreating player from the midfield tried to steal it from the front. Ryo waited patiently until the perfect moment—until the players committed too hard to steal the ball.
One foot lunged out, and another flew in from behind. Before either could reach the ball, Ryo turned around, moving the ball slightly to the side, keeping his eyes fixed on it.
Sensing a shot coming in, the crowd grew noisy, the defenders threw themselves in front of the ball, and the goalie had moved up, hoping to close the angle to the goal.
But the ball didn't come. Utilizing his misdirection skill at the most opportune moment, Ryo passed diagonally, threading the ball through two defenders and completely breaking free into the space.
It was only after the spectators roared when Taiga finished the ball into the net that Alto's defense realized what had just happened.