33'
Sera receives with his back half-turned, too shallow.
A tiny miscontrol.
Just a bump.
Still looks harmless.
But Daigo (Kasugano DMF) was waiting — immediate press — one clean toe poke → Iseri (CM) first time layoff → Minato drops and walls it → Fujimori bursts wide.
Kasugano spring.
In three passes, the whole field flips.
Kitonohara had six players ahead of the ball.
Domon is the only one back with Tobita.
He backpedals, but he's caught flat-footed on the transition. Tsubaki overlaps — diagonal lane. Fujimori slides it into space.
Domon hesitates — step or hold?
Too long.
Ball cut inside to Minato (CF) — one touch forward into box — angle closing —
35'
low, early strike — near post
Tobita shifts late — fingertips there — still in.
Kasugano 2 – 0 Kitonohara.
They don't celebrate loudly. Just small nods. "Exactly as planned" energy.
Kitonohara stand still for a second.
Not sadness — shock at how fast it turned.
Gen exhales.
Sera kneels, rubbing his knee, breathing heavier than before.
Yuki bites his lip — frustrated.
Akira's jaw clenches, quiet fury building.
Domon looks at the turf like he failed something huge — then looks up, waiting for correction.
Kasugano walk back in calm formation, already resetting.
36'–42'
Kasugano don't chase the second goal immediately.
They slow the match down.
Short passes. Wall passes. One-touch recycling through Iseri (CM). Everything simple, clean.
Kitonohara keep trying to win it back, but every time they press, Kasugano release the ball just a step earlier.
It's not flashy — it's suffocating. A kind of boredom that drains your legs.
Sera (CM) begins breathing with hands on hips more often. Yuki (SS) keeps sprinting to close down → ball already moved → he turns, sprints again. Akira (CF) waits up front, isolated.
Gen (CB) has to step up again and again to cut vertical passes.
He times it right, but each win costs another burst.
Even Jirō (CB) starts getting dragged a little wider than usual just to plug lanes.
Domon (sweeper) is quiet, eyes darting left-right-left, tracking shadows more than players — nervous but holding his line.
Kasugano aren't trying to score. They're pulling the oxygen out of Kitonohara's midfield.
—
43'
First warning shot — Iseri finally threads a disguised low pass between lines.
Minato receives, pivots — shoots from edge of the box.
Tobita (GK) smothers it — shaky catch, but safe.
Kitonohara sigh in relief, regroup a little.
—
45'
Another sequence.
Tsubaki cuts inside and curls one —
Gen blocks it with his chest.
Akira shouts "mine!" hoping for a counter —
but Sera's legs are gone for that instant, late to the second ball —
Iseri wins it back → reset → recycle.
It's tiring mentally now too.
—
47'
Kasugano wait. Wait. Then suddenly accelerate again.
One overload on the right side — Fujimori overlaps → cross whipped near post —
Gen stretches to poke it out.
Corner.
Kitonohara jog back into shape with heavier steps than before.
Kasugano jog back like it's a warm-up drill.
Even Domon's breathing is loud now.
They've been running without reward for ten straight minutes.
—
48' — SECOND GOAL
Corner played short (not into the box).
Iseri drags markers out. Quick give-and-go — ball slips into the inside channel.
Gen steps —
late by half a second — Minato spins off his shoulder.
Low cutback squared… Tsubaki arrives unmarked near penalty spot —
first-time finish inside bottom corner.
Kasugano 3 – 0 Kitonohara.
No fist pumps. Just another calm regroup.
They don't act like they scored — they act like they completed a step.
Kitonohara, meanwhile, feel the weight of it — this is what a trained, drilled side looks like.
Not luck. Not flash. Pressure → fatigue → mistake → punishment.
The gap is obvious.
48' — Goal scored
Kasugano turn and jog back like it's routine.
Kitonohara walk back slower. Heads slightly lowered. Breathing heavy.
Gen (CB) claps twice — hard.
> "Heads up! We're still in this. Don't drop off!"
Yuki nods, hands on knees. Akira blows out a slow breath but stays focused. Sera doesn't answer — just sweat pouring, chest heaving.
Domon looks unsure — eyes flicking to Gen for confirmation he's not messing things up.
Gen turns toward him, steady:
> "Domon. You're doing fine. Just stay switched on — don't chase, read first."
Domon exhales, tiny nod.
Even Tobita in goal raises a hand — "I'm good, I'm good" — as if trying to lift the mood too.
Kasugano reset like a metronome.
Kitonohara reset like a team learning.
---
Kick-off resumes, 49'–52'
Gen keeps talking every few seconds.
"Line up."
"Push together."
"Hold shape."
"Don't rush it — wait for our chance."
It doesn't erase the fatigue, but it stops the collapse.
They haven't given up — they're hanging on.
52' – 57'
Kasugano tighten the screw.
They don't rush the third —
they draw Kitonohara out.
Short passes.
Lateral circulation.
Iseri (CM) staying patient, switching sides to drag legs around.
Kitonohara keep running lanes without touching the ball much.
The exhaustion isn't dramatic — it's the slow drain kind.
Sera (CM) is the first to show it. Not technical mistakes — tempo drop. Half-step late on pressure. Shoulders heavier.
Gen notices immediately.
> "Don't bite — hold the middle,"
he calls to him, quietly, almost like a reminder.
Kasugano shift again.
Tsubaki (RMF) drifts inside.
Fujimori (LMF) overlaps wide.
They attack in waves, not bursts — conserving but suffocating.
Domon (sweeper) starts reacting slower. Small hesitations. Head turning left-right too often. He's thinking more than trusting instinct.
But — he's learning.
He starts mirroring Gen's positioning, trailing a half-step behind him like a shadow.
Every time Gen steps up, Domon checks shoulders, fills the gap.
It's not perfect, but it's stabilising.
---
Kasugano half-chance — 55'
Iseri threads a pass inside. Minato (CF) lays it off to Tsubaki (RMF). Quick release shot — low, bouncing.
Tobita (GK) drops and parries wide. Strong wrists. Defence exhales.
Gen turns back:
> "Good hands!"
It's not loud encouragement —
just steady confidence.
---
56'–57'
Sera finally bends over, hands to thighs. Yuki checks him:
> "You okay?"
Sera forces a nod — but he's fading. Kasugano see it. They start channeling every build-up through his zone.
Gen sees it too, and he starts talking more — not panicking, just guiding.
> "Compact! Read inside! Don't chase shadows!"
They stay afloat — but only barely.
The crowd of players pushing in feels like a tide. The next goal feels dangerously close.