Chapter 547: Getting Overtaken!
"A handball from Hiroki Ito inside the penalty box. On-field decision, a penalty for Senegal!"
The announcement was short, but it was like lightning striking through the entire Japan team. Some of the boys were so dumbfounded here, finding themselves to be the unluckiest team on earth right now.
Ito, more than anyone else, reacted the strongest here. His face was ashen, and his complexion also turned pale as if he lost a gallon of blood from his body. The white bandage covering his face that had already been full of dirt at this point only made his appearance worse, making him look like a homeless person in the worst way.
Unfortunately, there was no way he could refute this decision. After all, the referee was straight in front of him, and he had clearly felt the ball touching his hand earlier. The boy still didn’t have the shamelessness of the professional players in his bones yet, one that could help him complain no matter how wrong he was. Instead, the captain just turned at Zion apologetically.
"Sorry, Big Zee. I really made a mess here."
Silence followed, with only the cheers from the Senegalese team being heard here. Yeah, they were just celebrating this as if they scored the goal, a classic case of counting the chickens before the eggs hatched. Well, not that they could be blamed here, because this was a rare opportunity for them to take the lead.
"Hah! Don’t worry, Senpai! This is also my chance to shine!" In return, Zion just laughed as if this wasn’t that big of a mess. "I have been waiting for a chance to face a penalty like this! If Higo-san could do that four times against South Korea, I would be able to do the same today! Just watch it!"
"That’s the spirit, Big Zee!" Ayumu Seko patted the boy’s back quite firmly. "Don’t worry about anything else! Just charge in bravely, and even if you fail, let the offensive line avenge us!"
"Yeah, Big Zee! This mess is created by us, Ito and I. Even if you failed, no one will blame you." Sugawara, the one who was getting taken on earlier by Amadou Sagna, also chimed in, nodding seriously.
If anything, though, this just made the goalkeeper laugh more. "You guys really think that I would fail right now?! Ha! Just wait, this Great Zee will prove you guys wrong!"
The Japanese boys who heard this couldn’t help but shake their heads amusedly. Even though the atmosphere was still quite heavy, Zion’s joyful personality was truly a blessing in this situation, enough to lift the mood.
Still, soon, they needed to face the grim reality once again, as the referee finally put the ball on the white spot. Ibrahima Niane, the first goal scorer, stepped up instantly, putting himself in front of the ball to get ready for this execution.
Silence followed for a moment, and even on the Senegalese side, their celebration was halted abruptly. Now, some of them clapped their hands with a solemn expression while also bowing a little and muttering something, probably their prayer here. Ibrahima Niane was also the same, doing that for a moment before waiting for the referee to blow the whistle.
As for Zion, he was just jumping around behind the line, trying to shake off the opponent’s concentration with his movement. However, at this point, he was not playing around. No, while his body moved crazily like this, his brain ran even faster, forcing his eyes to catch every little detail that the opponent revealed.
’He is nervous. He has been taking a deep breath three times in the last couple of seconds. That means he will not try to go for a sophisticated technique or route.’ He noted inwardly. ’If anything, he will only try something simple, executing the pen with his power. Oh, well, that is in line with his reputation, right?’
The next few seconds were spent with the two main protagonists, the goalkeeper and the executor, getting engaged in a silent psychological battle. Soon enough, though, the main confrontation was finally on the board, as the referee finally blew the whistle.
FWEEE!
Zion took a deep breath, slightly adjusting his stance, forcing all the cells inside his brain to work overtime. In the end, he finally found one key piece of information that the opponent revealed, and in the next second...
’Fuck! Left!’
BAM!
The penalty was finally being taken, and just like Zion’s initial prediction, the ball was slammed as hard as possible, resembling a true rocket. The sound of it was so loud that people couldn’t help but jump, and some who were not used to this kind of shot couldn’t help but flinch, finding themselves imagining if they were at the end of it.
However, Zion didn’t even blink when he faced this. The boy dived calmly toward his left side, extending both hands in an attempt to block the shot. It was a pity, though, that even though his prediction was correct and his hands were able to touch the ball, the power was still so strong that it bounced back to the goal.
The boy even gritted his teeth the second the ball hit his hands, trying to muster all of his strength to deflect it outside. Unfortunately, once again, it was a futile effort, as in the end, the ball still found its way to the back of the net, giving Senegal the second goal of the day.
"OH! What a goal, Niane!"
"Yes! Yes! Yes! That’s how we should do it!"
"Come on!"
All the Senegalese players rushed enthusiastically, following Niane, who was running toward the stand while spreading his arms wide, as if he was asking for more cheers here. This was definitely a goal to be celebrated, as they were finally having a lead. As long as they could maintain the result, they would bag one ticket to the semifinal, their best achievement in the tournament.
Even though no one really said it out loud, all the players there shared the same thought here. ’Come on! 45 minutes left, we can do this!’