"The first to score is from Blue Lock's No. 9, Shidou. In this stadium tonight, the crowd's gone wild at the sight of the young forward's amazing volley goal," the commentator chimed in.
"Shidou's Blue Lock Football explodes! Did you see that Japan?! Maybe what this country needs is an egoistic forward."
"And the Blue Lock Eleven opens the scoring at 0-1."
"Indeed, how will the U-20 team respond? I can't wait for that."
"We may be bearing witness to the birth of a Hero!" The co-commentator declared.
___
Shidou let out a triumphant roar as he celebrated his goal on the pitch, surrounded by his teammates from the Blue Lock team. Hiori and others praised him, impressed with his shot.
"Great goal, but don't get carried away! We still have more to do," the captain, Murano, reminded them.
On the other side...
"Seriously? An attack after the other," Neru exclaimed, feeling overwhelmed by the relentless attacks from Blue Lock.
"That's mad," Neru added in disbelief.
"I see. It's like the only thing on their minds is scoring. So this is Blue Lock, if you get drawn in. It's destructive indeed." Aiku said.
____
U-20 Japan Nation Team vs. Blue Lock Eleven
U-20 Japan 0-1 Blue Lock
The referee quickly gave the signal for the U-20 players to restart the game.
Itoshi Rin, the receiver of the pass from his younger brother, wasted no time in controlling the ball and initiating an attack.
The Blue Lock players aggressively pressed them, not wasting any time in trying to regain possession.
Without hesitation, Rin passed the ball back to Haru, who made a run toward the left flank. Haru wasted no time sprinting towards open space on the left side of the pitch, strategically positioning himself within the Blue Lock's half.
However, Chigiri's ruthless but clean slide tackle dispossessed him of the ball, sending it out of bounds.
The referee declared a throw-in. Darai quickly threw the ball to Wakatsuki, who then passed the ball to Sae.
Sae seamlessly received Haru's pass at the edge of the middle third, and before any opponent could close in, he sent it towards Sou to initiate a period of slow but methodical possession for the U-20 team.
By the 21st minute mark, they were already in control of the game, showcasing their much more refined tactical prowess and organization as a real team instead of a team like Blue Lock, which was made up of only forwards.
After patiently seeking out an opening, Kitsunezato broke through Aryu and Tokimitsu, leading to a pass from Itoshi Sae. In prime position, Itoshi delivered a cross toward Kitsunezato.
However, Tokimitsu quickly closed in on him, while Aryu positioned himself as well.
With three of them anticipating getting control of the ball, they noticed something peculiar. The ball had a spin, and it was straying away from them and instead traveling to Itoshi Rin, meaning Kitsunezato was used as a decoy.
Realizing that Kitsunezato was a decoy, Rin took advantage of his second opportunity and fired a powerful shot into the net, equalizing the score at 1-1.
U-20 Japan Nation Team vs. Blue Lock Eleven
Minute 27'
U-20 Japan 1-1 Blue Lock
_____
Meanwhile, in the commentary box...
(Commentator's POV)
"Are we seeing things right?! Atsuto, bring me glasses, this is crazy! What a genius play by Itoshi Sae!" the commentator said.
"The Itoshi Brothers are running riot!" The co-commentator chimed in.
"From what I've heard, Itoshi Rin is from Blue Lock but is playing on the U-20 Japan's team."
"Is the Blue Lock's philosophy actually real? Viewers, we might be witnessing a match full of breakthrough stars."
…
"Back on the field, Blue Lock restarts play. A simple pass from Shidou finds Blue Lock's number 10, Murano, and the game's back on! But hold on, here comes Itoshi Rin! Murano with the ball at his feet, a dazzling display of stepovers, left, right—is he going this way or that? My eyes can't keep up with this maestro!"
"Rin lunges to the right; it appears he has been faked by Murano!"
"He just made a dash forward,"
"With a lightning-fast spin, he fakes out Itoshi Sae with a dazzling roulette move!"
"The audacity of this kid! Pure, unadulterated skill! But his journey's not over yet, the Japan midfield's closing in! Sou from the right, Wakatsuki mirroring him—a double-team on Murano!"
"But wait, Murano sees an opening! A perfectly timed pass could find Kurona on the left or Nagi streaking down the right—a goal waiting to happen!"
"Sou comes on first, but Murano's a step ahead! A body feint to break Sou's ankles as he fells on the ground, a masterclass move!"
"Sou sent packing, Murano weaves past Wakatsuki with a cheeky elastico feint! Wakatsuki is left speechless by the sheer audacity! He's toying with them, folks!"
"And here comes Aiku, the captain of Japan's U-20! He closes in on Murano! Surely, Aiku will bring him down!"
"Aiku goes for the steal, but Murano anticipates it perfectly with a deft sidestep! Aiku stumbles forward, completely fooled!"
"Murano doesn't hesitate! He unleashes a thunderous shot that EXPLODES into the top corner! A GOAL OF PURE BRILLIANCE!"
"The crowds are yelling and jumping in pure shock and excitement at this brilliance, as Blue Lock's number 10 just made a fool of the best defending generation we've seen in Japan's history,"
"What have we just witnessed? The young teenager is called Hayashi Murano. Watch out because in a few years this is going to be a household name in all of Japan!!"
U-20 Japan Nation Team vs. Blue Lock Eleven
Minute 29'
U-20 Japan 1-2 Blue Lock