Football Street Showdown (4)

The Phantom Strikers won the coin toss and started the match with the ball. As soon as the referee blew the whistle, Sato's teammate passed him the ball, and they charged towards the Blizzard Rovers' defense.

As Tanaka marked his opponent, Renjiro found himself face to face with Sato. With a confident smile, he warned him, "You won't get past me." Renjiro had played a crucial role in his team's victory against the Phantom Strikers last year by preventing them from breaching their defense.

"Yes, I will," Sato responded, undaunted by his opponent's blocking attempts. He taunted Renjiro, "You're still the same as last year, while I have returned stronger."

"Shadow Shift!" Sato executed a sudden side-step and burst of speed, leaving Renjiro momentarily bewildered by the illusion of a shadow shift. In a flash, Sato disappeared from his opponent's view and reappeared behind him, still in control of the ball.

"How...?" Renjiro muttered in disbelief.

As Sato entered the penalty area, he sensed that he was close enough and decided to take a shot. The ball sailed past the goalkeeper, and the spectators erupted into cheers for the Phantom Strikers.

"Brilliant goal by Sato! The Phantom Strikers charged towards the Blizzard Rovers' defense, and with his lightning-fast footwork and impeccable ball control, Sato stunned his opponent with a stunning move. The Blizzard Rovers have their work cut out for them now, as the Phantom Strikers take an early lead."

"Did you see that move?" shouted a fan from the stands. "Sato's unstoppable today! That's why he's one of the best players in the league."

...

"F***!" Lying on the ground after diving to stop the ball, Haruta looked at the ball that went past him. "I couldn't stop that loser from scoring."

"It's not your fault, dude. I'm the one to blame," Renjiro replied, helping his teammate to get up. "I won't let this happen again."

"The Blizzard Rovers seem to be feeling the pressure after conceding that goal," commented the commentator. "They need to get back into this game quickly, or it could be a long and difficult match for them."

The match resumed with Tanaka dribbling towards his opponents. The two of them rushed at him, so he passed the ball to Renjiro.

As Renjiro gazed at the goalkeeper, he couldn't help but feel pressured. After all, he was a defender and was far from being good at shooting. Besides, he was responsible for the opponents scoring a goal, so he couldn't fail this time. He had to score!

The goalkeeper was of average height and had a big body with a grayish-blue poofy afro and chubby face and body. He was from Shuuyou Meito, a team known to use dirty tricks to win matches.

Nonetheless, Renjiro shot the ball with all his strength.

For many goalkeepers, this shot would have been difficult to stop, but for Aidoru, it was a simple matter. He didn't have to stop the ball, he just had to move the goal!

"Goal Zurashi!" Aidoru stood on the left side of the goal post, along the white line, and jumped against it to move the whole goal away from the shot.

"Unbelievable!" the commentator shouted. "Renjiro's shot was so powerful that the goalkeeper couldn't stop it, but Aidoru had other plans. He just moved the goal post to avoid the goal! What a smart and cunning move by Shuuyou Meito's defender."

"What the f*ck is this shit?" Renjiro was stunned by the goalkeeper's action. "Isn't this illegal?"

Renjiro wasn't the only one who had this opinion; some spectators were also complaining on the sidelines.

"Give him a yellow card!"

"I didn't know the new member of the Phantom Strikers would use such a dirty trick!"

"The referee is checking the validity of the goal now," the commentator explained. "It looks like the goal post was moved legally by Aidoru using his hissatsu technique, and the goal has been allowed. The Phantom Strikers are now leading the football match 1-0."

"This is unfair for the Blizzard Rovers!" the team's fans shouted in protest. However, it was the referee's decision, and they couldn't do anything against it.

After that, the Phantom Strikers were able to score another two goals thanks to Sato's new hissatsu technique. Renjiro was unable to block him from passing through, leaving Haruta on a 1v1 each time. The latter was able to stop a few shots, but he couldn't stop every one.

The score was now 3-0 in favor of the Phantom Strikers, and with only five minutes left on the timer, the Blizzard Rovers knew they had no hope of winning unless they scored four goals.

It seemed like Renjiro's overconfidence had been his downfall. After all, what had he done to improve since last year's top-three finish?

Nothing.

He only played for money, while Sato worked hard to improve his skills. The result of that hard work was now here in front of him, and Renjiro had to admit he was the loser, not the other way around.

Glancing at his teammate, Tanaka thought, "That should be enough. His overconfidence is crushed."