17 - Injury
With Wushia High School's missed goal, the opposing team regained possession and quickly launched a counterattack, their players moving with frightening synchronicity.
Lucas was on his knees, still regretting the missed opportunity. Seeing the counterattack, he ran back to try to help, but his legs stopped right in midfield as one of the opposing strikers dribbled past Kuwabara and advanced on the goal alone.
Wushia's goalkeeper, Toshinori, came out of his goal to close the angle, but the striker was ready. With a subtle touch, he deflected the ball to his right, dribbled past Toshinori and fired the ball into the back of the net.
The technical area of High School Karaso erupted in celebration as the Karaso players embraced each other.
Lucas stood like a statue in the middle of the field. It was at that moment that he realized how much he was going to miss the opportunity to score that he had missed because of his selfishness. Lucas realized that he had to find a balance. His ambition to complete the Champion System mission could not be greater than his need to win the game for his team, because without that game and the next ones in the championship, he would not be able to get the attention he needed from the scouts.
Lucas' teammates regrouped, some clapping in encouragement, others just trying to get their spirits back up.
He looked at Nishida who, despite his disappointment, gave him a nod as if to say. "It's not over yet."
The referee blew his whistle again, and the game resumed. Lucas exchanged quick glances with his teammates, and Wushia High School moved forward with the ball, moving in a tight formation with orderly touches. They were the better team technically, they just needed to stay calm.
When Lucas got the ball and started to move forward, he used the <Short Dribble> again. Two Karaso defenders came towards him, but this time he didn't try to dribble past them. Instead, he made a quick pass to Kenji, who was on his left.
Kenji, in turn, passed to Yukihiro, who made a play from deep.
Yukihiro was the fastest player on the Wushia High School soccer team. He had long hair and a confident demeanor. When he ran deep with the ball, it was like watching a cheetah in action. His legs became a blur. However, luck was not in Wushia High School's favor. At that moment, a sharp pain shot through Yukihiro's right ankle.
The truth was that Yukihiro had been slightly injured since the last practice match, but he hadn't told anyone about it. Yukihiro was the only fast winger on the team, and his teammates needed him on the field.
Besides, he didn't want to disappoint his younger brother, who was probably watching the game from home after watching it on the Internet.
For his sake, Yukihiro ignored the pain because he had to cross the ball into the middle of the box. He couldn't let his teammates down, either. With effort visible on his face, Yukihiro crossed with his right leg, but the ball took a far from perfect curve.
As he fell to the ground, he hoped that the ball would reach one of his teammates who was breaking into the area.
As the ball floated into the opponent's area, everything slowed down more than usual, and Yukihiro's thoughts wandered. He imagined his brother's face, frustrated and discouraged by soccer, and also remembered the previous year, the feeling of being eliminated in the same championship, the sight of his third-year classmates crying in frustration at not being enough to lead Wushia High School to glory again.
"SOMEONE! PICK UP THE BALL!!!" Yukihiro shouted with an eagerness that came from his heart.
The ball, though weak and slow in the air, found its way to Kenji, who was strategically positioned in the area after all the confusion. He fired a volley, but a Karaso defender made a herculean effort to block the ball and deflect it into the left corner.
Lucas saw Yukihiro on the ground and went over to help him.
"Yukihiro, are you okay?" asked Lucas.
"I'm fine." Forcing a smile as he accepted the help, Yukihiro replied.
"Your ankle..."
"It's just a little cramp. Nothing I can't handle."
Lucas nodded, although he knew there was more to it. He put his hand on Yukihiro's shoulder, a silent gesture of support.
"Get in the box. We've still got time," Lucas said, taking the corner kick because that was usually Tsukada's job.
The referee allowed the corner to be taken, and Lucas prepared to take it. He raised his left arm and signaled a rehearsed move to his teammates.
For corner kicks and set pieces, it was common for each team to have a few rehearsed moves. Wushia High School was no different, so they had a few basic moves.
Raising one of their arms was a way of signaling to their teammates what the move was going to be.
In the case of Wushia High School, raising the left arm was a signal that the ball was going to be played to the far post, meaning it would go through all the players, allowing them to use the confusion in the area to their advantage.
"That's it Tanaka, you have to pass it to me!!!" Nishida, with a grim and excited expression on his face, jumped higher than anyone else as the ball flew in. It looked like he had springs in his legs, such was the power and height of his leap.
The opposing players were stunned by his momentum, hesitating for a brief second that proved to be crucial. Nishida arched his body in the air, preparing to head the ball with all his might. His muscles tensed, and in one powerful motion, he unleashed a header that sent the ball hurtling toward the goal.
The Karaso High School goalkeeper, his eyes wide open, stretched as far as he could to reach the ball that seemed destined for his right corner. However, he could never reach the ball so quickly.
Unfortunately, something unexpected happened. A defender from Karaso High School threw himself in front of the ball in a last-ditch effort. His head got in the way, and the ball hit him hard in the middle of his face, making a dry, frightening sound. Blood spurted from the defender's nose, and he fell to the ground, dazed, but able to deflect the ball away from the goal.
"Come on guys, it's their counterattack!" Kenji shouted.