bestfiction Chapter 146: The Pressure Mounts
Chapter 146: The Pressure Mounts
On the sidelines, Jotaro stood near the fourth official, bouncing slightly on his toes to keep his muscles warm and ready to be subbed in…Inside the hall of the mansion, seated on a couch, Toru, Masaru, and Rukia were watching the broadcast in utter silence. Their body language was, as their anxious eyes remained firmly locked on the screen, feeling every ounce of the pressure from thousands of miles away.
Back on the pitch, the electronic board flashed. Jotaro subbed into the match, replacing Izaya.
The two shared a quick, supportive hug at the touchline before Izaya jogged off and Jotaro stepped onto the field, bringing fresh energy to the midfield.
Watching the substitution from the balcony of the VIP lounge, Itsuki clenched his fists. "Come on, sub in Haruma..." he muttered under his breath, his eyes desperately tracking the manager's movements.
"Yeah, I don't understand why Haruma is still benched!" Haru said, his voice laced with clear frustration.
Nodding in agreement, Isamu added, "Yeah, I also thought he would only be benched for a little bit, but halftime is completely over and Haruma is still not coming in."
Seeming completely calm and deeply focused, Hideo quietly intervened. "I just wish he's not injured."
The words were spoken softly, but they instantly drew everyone's attention.
The heavy implication hit Itsuki, Haru and Subaru like a physical blow, exposing a terrifying possibility none of them had wanted to voice. Their frustration instantly melted into genuine, deep worry as they glanced back toward the bench where Haruma sat.
The ball was now settled perfectly in the center circle with Sam standing over it. All around him, the players took their tactical positions, the tension in the stadium was clear as everyone patiently waited for the referee's signal.
The whistle blew sharply, echoing across the arena. Sam immediately kicked off the second half, carefully playing a short, controlled pass backward into the defense to establish possession.
'And the second half of this intense opening match has kicked off!... But, the Japanese ace Haruma Kusaka has yet to receive the call-up to the field.'
'Yeah, absolutely, with both teams fiercely struggling to find that opening goal, Haruma is exactly the kind of player you want out there. He's a man known for striking early and changing the momentum of a game entirely.
'Remember, folks, he scored a blistering 10 goals in just 4 matches recently, including two spectacular hat-tricks, one of which completely tore apart the opposition in the finals of the recent U19 JFC!"
The ball was now with Jotaro, who took a brief moment to scan the pitch, suddenly he sensed a Qatari player closing in to shut down his space, Jotaro threaded a crisp pass to Nagisa and immediately exploded into a forward sprint.
Reading the movement perfectly, Nagisa layed a delicate one-touch pass right back into Jotaro's path, who without breaking his run fired a sharp, driven pass forward into the left flank.
A couple of Qatari defenders lunged in, desperately trying to intercept the line-breaking ball, but it zipped right past their outstretched boots and found Koujin, who had found a pocket of completely open space.
The Japanese fans instantly jumped to their feet, their heartbeats stopping as the stadium erupted in anticipation.
Locking his eyes on the target, Koujin drove toward the loose ball, and without a second of hesitation, struck it hard on his first touch, unleashing a powerful, blistering shot from the left wing.
The Qatari goalkeeper tracked the trajectory perfectly, leaping into the air and catching the ball cleanly with ease, smothering the danger.
Koujin let out a small roar of frustration, running his hands through his hair while the Japanese fans sank back into their seats with a collective sigh of disappointment.
With the clock now ticking into the 54th minute, Japan began to play with immense caution, prioritizing possession and being extremely careful with their passing sequences to avoid any lethal Qatari counterattacks.
Holding the ball in the midfield, Jiho carefully probed the opposing backline, moving forward inch by inch.
The moment he spotted a tiny seam in the compact defense, he slipped a sharp, low pass right through the middle.
Charging into the gap, Sam burst onto the ball with explosive speed and took a heavy touch to carry it into the penalty box and immediately fired a low, driven shot toward the bottom corner.
But the angle was tight, the ball missed its target, skimming agonizingly past the far post and wide of the net.
A massive chorus of frustrated groans rose from the Japanese supporters, the breakthrough still eluding them.
Sam hissed in pure frustration, aggressively wiping the sweat from his face with the collar of his jersey before turning to jog back into position.
The game reached the 60th minute, a crucial hour mark, as both sides continued to engage in a grueling, physical battle across every inch of the pitch.
Japan was playing well, maintaining their composure and keeping possession as they patiently rotated the ball, searching for that one perfect opening. But Qatar stood absolutely firm. Their defensive unit moved like a wall, aggressively breaking up attacks in the final third and refusing to leave even an inch of space behind their backline for the Japanese forwards to exploit.
Nagisa received the ball smoothly in the midfield and turned into open space, and just as he did, a Qatari midfielder stepped up aggressively to stop his momentum, but Nagisa dropped his shoulder, feinting brilliantly to his left before gliding past the challenge with effortless grace.
Seeing a threat, another Qatari defender quickly shifted across to close him down and plug the gap.
Nagisa kept his composure and waited until the absolute last moment, and as the defender reached him. With expert timing, Nagisa threaded a precise, pinpoint pass right through the narrowing gap, perfectly feeding the run that Jiho was already making.
The stadium erupted as the fans began cheering wildly, hyping up the attack.
With his face etched with fierce determination, Jiho's eyes were locked on the nets as he tore into the final third.
Reaching just outside the penalty area, Jiho met the pass in stride. He took a quick, sharp touch to set his footing and immediately drove a powerful shot toward the goal.
The ball flew with incredible power, but to the heartbreak of the supporters, it soared just inches over the crossbar.
A wave of frustrated groans rippled through the Japanese supporters, many clutching their heads as another promising chance slipped away.
'Jiho tried but missed again! That was another brilliant effort, but just not quite enough!' He's getting the looks, but the execution under this immense pressure is just a fraction off,"
Jiho was rooted in his place, both hands planted firmly on his hips. He then exhaled sharply through his nose, and clicked his tongue in bitter frustration before turning around and jogging back into his defensive position.
Five more exhausting minutes ticked away, pushing the game into the 65th minute.
Despite the mounting fatigue, Japan kept pushing forward relentlessly, throwing bodies into the attack as they desperately hunted for that opening goal.
Raya burst down the right wing with a sudden explosion of pace, leaving the Qatari fullback eating his dust.
Reaching the edge of the penalty box, he quickly looked up to scan the area and fired a dangerous, low pass cutting right across the face of the goal.
Out of nowhere, Gaku came charging in from behind, and with a furious roar he met the ball first time and drove a powerful shot toward the net.
The Qatari goalkeeper reacted with lightning reflexes, dropping low to the turf, stretching out both hands and catching the ball cleanly against his chest, shutting down the threat.
A loud, agonizing groan echoed around the entire stadium as the Japanese supporters dropped their hands onto their heads in pure frustration, unable to believe how close they had just come.
'Once again it's a stop, brilliant by the goalkeeper there, unlucky for Japan.'
Gaku stood frozen in the box for a brief second, staring at the keeper before slamming his fist through the air in venting anger.
'And you can see the exhaustion starting to set in for Japan's midfield. They're doing everything right up until the final trigger pull.'
'Absolutely. Japan seems desperate out there. They are creating the opportunities, but they are just being incredibly unlucky, failing to get that crucial breakthrough.'
On the sidelines, Raon let out a roar of frustration, while Kento just looked down at the grass in sorrow.
Kento then instinctively looked up and turned his eyes toward the bench where Haruma was already staring directly back at him with a calm, piercingly sharp gaze that didn't waver for a second.
Seeing that unshakeable stare, something flickered deep in Kento's mind. He met Haruma's eyes with his brows slightly furrowing as a wave of uncertainty washed over him.
Neither of them broke away, maintaining a heavy, silent stare that spoke volumes across the touchline…