Chapter 358 Japan u17 vs Argentina u17 III
Chapter 358 Japan u17 vs Argentina u17 III
As the ball sailed past the reach of Shun and touched the back of the net, supporters of the Argentinian side shot forth from their seats as they began to celebrate the goal scored by Claudio with much passion and excitement.
With their ecstatic cries echoing throughout the stadium, for a moment it felt as if the entire venue had come to life.
Overjoyed, Claudio who had delivered Argentina their first lead of the game, upon scoring this marvelous goal rushed toward the sidelines to celebrate. His teammates followed after him but Mateo who had assisted him, stayed put at his place, grinning.
Amidst this raging celebration, the disappointed sighs and cries of the Japanese fans could barely be heard. But, even if it was not as audible, it wasn't non-existent.
If the cheers of the opposing fans weren't already heart-wrenching enough, the nagging of the commentator was even more brutal. Glorifying the Argentinian side, he harshly criticized the mistakes of the Japanese players who had failed to stop the Argentinian side and conceded a goal so early in the match.
While the players of the Japanese side were devastated by this early blow, the head coach of the Argentinian side and his coaching staff were overjoyed. Though it was still too early to celebrate, they could see a glimpse of the success this last-minute change would bring to their team.
"Diego, I think it might work" excitedly spoke Gonzalez.
Diego nodded his head as he responded with a smile. Turning to look at the celebrating figure of his players, he just couldn't stop smiling even for a second.
Since their World Cup qualifying matches, he had been painstakingly working on a strategy that could possibly make his team the world champions. But, he hadn't been able to come up with a suitable one.
The main reason why he couldn't come up with a good strategy was because of his unfamiliarity with the players. Despite being the head coach of the team, he barely knew the traits of his players. And even that was all thanks to the report provided to him by the association.
But now, he was slowly understanding the traits of his players which had allowed him to work on a better strategy that could utilize the traits of his players to the fullest. One such example was the conversion of Claudio from an attacking midfielder to a striker.
Though, he wasn't planning on sticking with this same strategy for the rest of the tournament as even the strategy he had conjured right now had its flaws. But for now, he was satisfied with the result.
While his coaching staff and his players celebrated the goal they had scored, Diego stood upright with his arms folded and eyes glistening with pride.
On the other hand, manager Haruki was trying to console himself by saying that they still had the entire match to turn around the score.
Unlike his colleagues, Kazan who was seated at his seat wearing a poker face appeared as if he was neither bothered by the outcome nor worried about the game ahead. Just by looking at his face, one could barely tell what he was thinking.
But, at this moment, though he wasn't showing any emotions or expressing his disappointment, he was the one who was thinking the most in the reserve box of the Japanese side.
'They have changed their tactic' analyzing the performance of the opposing players, Kazan concluded.
Amidst this gloomy atmosphere, at this moment, one would expect Hiro to sulk and despair like most of his teammates. But instead, right now, he had a weird smile on his face. Sure this goal as much as it pained his teammates and supporters, pained him as well.
But going up against, one of the finest talents he had seen until now, he just couldn't resist this urge to test himself. And that too when he lacked two of his most precious skills.
[Potential: SSS]
He wanted to find out whether he truly had that inner potential or if it was because he possessed the system. So, if he truly possessed that innate ability, he should be able to hold on by himself without relying on the system.
But, if he couldn't hold his ground in today's match, it would confirm that he was nothing without the help of the system.
Raring to find out if he was truly worthy or not, he then began to head back to console Shun who seemed the most devastated at the moment.
Beep!!
With the referee's whistle, as everybody returned to their position, the game continued.Updated from nov𝒆lbIn.(c)om
With his newfound vigor, Hiro became even more offensive than before. However, his teammates struggled to keep up with him.
"Another missed pass from Hiro. What's happening to him today? He doesn't seem his usual self" Commentator complained.
"Seems like even that kid is starting to get nervous," Gonzalez spoke, "What do you think Diego?" he added as he asked for Diego's opinion who was standing right beside him.
In a rather prudent tone, Diego responded to Gonzalez's inquiry, "Or maybe it's his teammates who couldn't receive his pass"
Upon hearing Diego's response Gonzalez's eyes perked up as he couldn't help but ask in surprise, "What do you mean by that Diego?"
"Exactly how it sounds," Diego answered in a rather ambiguous way.
In the 44th minute of the match, a scenario arrived where Hiro found himself face-to-face against Mateo.
At this encounter, almost everybody present on the stand became extremely curious and excited. The previous showoff between these players had left them thrilled.
Was such a situation about to take place? Would Hiro get his revenge or would Mateo come on top, once again? They just couldn't help but feel curious.
Steadily approaching Mateo, Hiro fearlessly darted his gaze towards Mateo, trying to intimidate him. But, Mateo appeared as calm as the ocean. Intimidation wasn't going to work on him, he could tell just from looking into his eyes.
And simple feints or deception wasn't going to work on him either. If he wanted to get past him, he'd have to do something totally unexpected. He'd have to catch him off-guard. But that was easier said than done.