Establishing the Gap

Seeing his teammate possess the ball in a favorable spot, Ryuu called for a lofted pass.

As he prepared to rush past the defense, the 4-man backline moved up.

Without sparing a look at the 4th official, Ryuu knew he was offsides but kept running, just in case. Unfortunately, his prediction was accurate as he heard a whistle and looked to the side to see the offside flag.

Huffing in mild frustration, Ryuu raised a thumbs up before returning to his position.

The timing for his runs was nearly perfect; the problem lay in his teammates. Just about all of them lacked the vision and intuition to deliver precise through-balls.

Watching the ball in midfield, Ryuu adjusted his uniform, internally appreciating the style and color.

'Now we don't look like the Argentinian national team.'

Meanwhile, Miyazaki sent a pass to the Ooura no. 5, who sent it to his team's no.8.

"Ahead!"

After signaling the player, Ryuu readied himself for a breakthrough.

The opposing side attempted to close in on the Ooura East no. 8, hoping to interfere with the timing of the pass.

Their harassment succeeds, as the no. 8 had to take a few more touches before sending the lofted pass.

And following the trend of the game so far, Ryuu was called offsides.

- - -

Mirko Kovac watched the proceedings with a critical eye. With his decades of experience, he provided commentary that guided his granddaughter, Anna, to develop a greater understanding of the game.

{The opponent is grouped into 3 lines of forwards, midfielders, and defenders, right?}

{That's right, Anna. If the players keep the space between each other tight, it makes it more compact and easier to pressure the side with the ball.}

{That's why it's messy…}

{However, making it compact all the time is tough. It requires high amounts of movement and stamina. Nobody can afford to slack off, or the formation will crumble.}

{Bleh…}

{I wonder how long they can keep this up…Anna, I wanted to ask; will the players get replaced in about 2 years?}

{Yeah? Obviously, it's a school.}

{It's hard to believe it's a club team…}

Sighing, Mirko crossed his arms and changed his focus to the two coaches on the touchline.

'If it was me, I would find it to be a wasted effort. The players you've raised up every year end up having to leave. But by looking at the players, you can tell the coach's passion. It's reflected on the team. Japan's coaches are very patient and strong-willed.'

- - -

Yuuto brought up the ball on the flank, constantly verifying Ryuu's position.

Pushing the ball forward, the reliable no. 6 sent an early cross towards the edge of the penalty box. Unfortunately, the attempt was blocked by the opposing defender, who passed the ball to the left fullback.

Perhaps due to anxiety, the player took a poor touch on the ball and momentarily lost control.

Surprisingly, Miyazaki was just a few steps away and instantly took the opportunity to intercept the ball.

As the no. 2 of the opposing team tried to clear the ball, Miyazaki managed a deflection that pushed the ball diagonally into the penalty box.

With uncanny acceleration, Ryuu made a break for the ball.

Since Ryuu was clearly going to reach the ball first, the opposing goalkeeper attempted to block off the shooting angle with a dive, but it was inevitably futile.

Dragging the ball back, Ryuu performed a three-quarter spin as he performed another drag back to complete his impromptu Marseille Turn.

With the goal empty, the prodigious no.9 tapped the ball inside as he jogged back to the centerline.

[Ooura Higashi takes the first point! The mistake from the defender turns into a goal!

- - -

"Lucky!" (Fairly sure that 'lucky' is pronounced the same in Japanese, much like 'baseball')

"Alright!"

Anna and Yuki high-fived each other to celebrate the goal.

{It's not like it was entirely luck.}

{What do you mean, Grandpa?}

{From the start of the match, no, from the beginning of the season, he has presented himself as the most frightening goal-scoring threat. In this match especially, the boy has been relentless. The game would undoubtedly be a blowout if even a quarter of those offsides calls didn't happen. It's only natural that someone so persistent wouldn't miss the opportunity when it came. He kept enduring despite the failures. He beat them, not physically, but mentally.}

- - -

As the players returned from the 15-minute halftime break, Moroboshi coming in as a substitute, went onto the field.

The match restarted with Ooura Higashi on the ball. They played a possessive and defensive game, content with passing the ball within their own half.

- - -

"Move up to steal the ball! Stop being weak-willed! Put more pressure!"

The opposing coach, Magarito, paced the touchline as he yelled commands to his players.

- - -

Ooura Higashi's opponents responded to their coach's stern words and began applying frontal pressure.

When the Ooura Higashi no. 7 sent the ball to Miyazaki, Moroboshi asked for a pass.

"Pass!"

'He's a self-centered kouhai, but…I don't bring personal feelings into my plays!'

Finishing his inner monologue, the no. 10 sent the ball to Moroboshi, who was promptly surrounded by two defenders.

'Yesterday, I couldn't do the play I wanted…but today!'

Using his left foot, Moroboshi deftly nutmegged the incoming defender and slipped past both with a quick turn.

To Moroboshi's surprise, Ryuu was already waiting for the pass.

For the first time in the match, the lofted pass was synced perfectly with Ryuu's breakthrough.

The ball bounced once, and Ryuu only had a split second to decide, but when he saw the goalkeeper come out, he smirked.

As the ball came down to bounce a second time, Ryuu used his left foot to flick the ball over the keeper.

Using a slight change in running angle, he circumvented the shocked goalkeeper and caught up to the ball, delivering a soft tap that nudged it into the goal.

The no. 9 jogged back to the corner and performed a somewhat rhythmic dance to the crowd until his teammates piled on top of him.

- - -

{That no. 22 managed to dodge two defenders and made a pass behind the defense. Such quick decision making. If he didn't have that image in his head initially, that pass would not have been possible. He's a good player. And the finish…exceptional, as always.}

Anna cheerfully translated her grandfather's words to Yuki, still smiling from the goal.

"Moroboshi is good; I knew it! Of course, Ryu-chan is the best!!"

"Yeah!"

- - -

"Ryu-chan, your reaction was so quick!"

"It's because he and I share a similar trait."

"Huh?"

"Moroboshi has an innate sense for passing. His vision is exceptional."

.

.

,

Moroboshi again found himself well guarded by the opponents as the game neared injury time.

However, a player of his skill was the type to feed on success.

Finding Yuuto, Moroboshi lofted a pass to the fullback. The former received the ball and cut into the keeper's box.

With hesitation, Yuuto passed the ball to Ryuu, who used his back heel to flick the ball into the goal-scoring his third goal and bagging a hat-trick.

- - -

"KYAA ♥ ♥ ♥!"

"Ryu-chan scored a hat-trick!! ♥ ♥ ♥!"

- - -

Ryuu celebrated with his teammates before jogging towards Moroboshi and swinging an arm around the latter's neck.

"Those were excellent passes."

"I just did what I had to do."

Usually, Moroboshi would have slipped away from anyone who put their arms around his neck, but when it was Ryuu, the player he respected, Moroboshi didn't mind.

"Don't try to hide it. That sensation when you perfectly orchestrate a goal, the satisfaction of a playmaker."

"…"

Internally, Moroboshi was shocked, but he did his utmost to remain silent.

"Even if you don't say anything, your body language is obvious."

Moroboshi tensed up as Ryuu released him and walked toward Miyazaki to discuss the tactics to close the game.

'Ryuu-senpai. I want to make even more amazing plays with you.'