Andou gets up almost immediately with the ball in his hand, looking for space to start a counterattack.
After scanning the field, he notices that Maebashi Ikuei's defense has already returned to position.
"Here!"
Ono is near the penalty area, calling for the ball.
Andou throws it to him with his right hand.
Ono checks it and sees that the opponents are not yet pressing, so he begins to slowly advance.
He looks to see if any of his teammates are moving, but none are free.
Ono then decides to pass it laterally to Tamura, who, receiving the ball, quickly passes it to Nishimura, who had come closer.
As Nishimura receives the ball, the pressure from the opponents increases.
Ito approaches him: physically, he has the upper hand.
"Behind you!"
As soon as he hears the voice, Nishimura back-heels the ball through Ito's legs.
Riccardo takes the ball, then carries it to the left, where Tanaka has started to sprint, putting Maebashi Ikuei's number 2 in difficulty.
Just before number 5 can block his path, Riccardo launches a through ball towards Tanaka.
Tanaka controls it and stretches it out, pushing it towards the corner flag.
Knowing that there is still no one in the area, he accelerates again, this time directly towards the heart of the penalty area.
Number 2 cannot keep up with him and lets him go, avoiding the risk of awarding a penalty.
"Okamoto!" Takahashi shouts.
Okamoto, fired up by Takahashi's call, presses Tanaka, who now finds himself blocked by both Okamoto and number 2.
They are annoying! Tanaka thinks, visibly frustrated by the double marking.
But with a quick sidestep, he moves to the right and seizes the opportunity, crossing halfway into the box.
Riccardo and Nishimura are in the path, but Takahashi blocks with his left foot.
With the ball in the air, it is a battle between their number 5 and Tamura.
Tamura manages to gain position, and heads it to Ono, closely followed by number 6 and Ito.
But with a right-left between the two, Ono breaks free, although number 6 pulls his shirt slightly, interrupting his movement.
Nevertheless, with a final effort, he serves to Shimizu, who is approaching from the right.
Shimizu is pressed by the left back, but out of the corner of his eye he sees Ueno sprinting down the wing, easily beating the opposing winger.
Shimizu then lets the ball run, letting it reach Ueno.
This time, unlike Tanaka, Ueno cannot be doubled, both because of the surprise effect of his arrival and because of the presence of many Shūdan-teki players already in the area.
Ueno has time to raise his head and cross accurately to the center.
Takahashi is ahead of Nishimura and Tamura at the near post.
These two are no problem for—
Takahashi's confidence is shattered when Riccardo, who had been slightly behind, jumps higher than everyone else after a run-up.
He anticipates Takahashi and heads powerfully towards the goal.
Despite having guessed the direction, Kobayashi is unable to reach it in time: the shot is too fast and too close.
Riccardo celebrates the goal with Ueno and, slowly, the other teammates join in.
The Maebashi Ikuei players are almost in disbelief.
Takahashi looks around, frustrated. Then he notices the observers in the stands, taking notes, clearly impressed by the Shūdan-teki players.
Ito approaches and Takahashi looks him in the eye.
"My bad... I already knew he was good, but I still underestimated that boy with the number 24. He's incredibly fast, jumps faster than most, and physically he's a beast. But more than anything, he's—"
Ito interrupts him.
"He's smart. I saw him: he broke away from the crowd in the penalty area to find the perfect timing and beat you to it."
"Exactly. We need to double the marking on him... we do what the coach told us in these situations. Tell Watanabe."
Ito nods.
"Understood."
He walks away and approaches number 5.
Takahashi then looks at Coach Yamamoto and raises his hand, indicating number 5.
Coach Yamamoto nods in return, then calls out number 12.
The boy runs toward him as the entire Shūdan-teki team begins to get into position.
"Kamiyama, their fullback and winger are much faster than you, and Takahashi can't support you right now; he's already busy with number 24. So I want you to stay close to number 11 and press him hard every time he tries to control the ball. Got it?"
"Yes, Coach."
"And when we attack, you push forward too, so their fullback can't join the counterattack."
Coach Yamamoto then pats Kamiyama on the shoulder in encouragement.
He frowns slightly, deep in thought, watching him get into position.
This Shūdan-teki... seems like a completely new team. Could adding just a few rookies have changed them so much?
The scoreboard reads: 14 minutes played.
Maebashi Ikuei 0|1 Shūdan-teki