*Whistle*
With a Loud Whistle from the intercom, The first half of the Team Y and Team Z match came to an end, Team Y after getting thrashed by Team V faced the same treatment from Team Z
The current score became 5-0, As per Isagi's prediction, The defenders of Team Y ended up committing to the Wingers and lost sight of the Strikers up ahead who didn't let the chance slip, Kira and Kunigami both scored a goal before the end of 1st half
Isagi was without any doubt again stood as the best in Team Z with 1 Goal and 4 Assists, Both teams walked to the Locker Room with different moods, Team Y was stressed out of their wits as now they were in a position where if they don't win this match, They would get Locked Off and only one of them would get selected
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Team Z Locker Room
"Man, This Match is so fun"
"Yeah Yeah Isagi, We heard you for like 3rd time"
Raichi said as he was getting irritated by the joy the entire Team Z had, He wasn't part of any sequence except that clear
"You were on fire today!"
Bachira said as he jumped on Isagi's back and took the free piggyback ride, Isagi wasn't bothered by this behavior anymore as he got used to it pretty quickly
"Let's thrash them harder than Team V like 10-0 even 15-0 if possible"
"Isn't that too much"
"Yeah! Try scoring those goals yourselves"
Team Z had fun in the first half which was shown through their Locker room atmosphere, On the other hand in Team Y's Locker room, The atmosphere was chaotic, Everybody was blaming each other while some getting nervous about what to do
"Calm down guys, and Listen!"
Niko wasn't about to give up and wanted his teammates to do the same
"Our tactics didn't work because they studied it and played with a formation to counter us, It was well planned but Okawa still broke through, If it wasn't for that Goalkeeper running outside of the Penalty Box, We know he would've scored, Let's keep our heads cool for now and play the same way, I will figure out a path for us to score and win"
Niko spoke confidently and although some still had doubts but they chose to put their trust in their teammates, This was their last chance, If the team loses this game then there is no hope for them to qualify together
The one who was aware of that the most was Niko himself, He understood that winning against Team Z is not logical right now, They have them beat in every aspect, He noticed Isagi the most who played in similar manner as him, but was far more superior than him
He needed to score a goal for himself, He didn't want to become the player who will pass to Okawa to advance, He needed to create an opportunity to score, He stood from his place to discuss the 2nd Half's play
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*Whistle*
With the sound of whistle, Team Z started the game, Kunigami passed the ball to Kira who initiated an attack immediately and dribbled with purpose, He performed one-two with Kunigami to get past the defenders and run deep in Team Y's half, Kunigami tried to pass the ball back to Kira but he was swarmed by the players who were aggressive in their approach, forcing him to pass the ball back to Mid-Field, Naruhaya received the ball and immediately faced the pressure of Team Y
He tried to hold onto the ball and tried to send it to Isagi or Bachira but the pass was stopped by Niko, Niko read the situation as Naruhaya wasn't a dribbler and bet on that pass, Niko passed the ball to Okawa on his left and made a run forward, They replicated Kira and Kunigami's movements and broke through the defense, Isagi made a run towards Okawa but before he could get there he passed it to Niko
Gagamaru sprinted toward Niko to steal the ball but was already behind Niko who got close to the penalty box, Raichi didn't run outside of the box this time since there were two players in the attack this time
Isagi loosened his pressure on Okawa as he knew Niko would pass the ball to him, Niko did consider passing but all the situations and Ego's talk about being the world's best striker kept ringing in his mind, Isagi saw Niko's expression and concluded Niko's thought of scoring for himself and sprinted at his highest speed towards Niko
Gagamaru got close to Niko who tried to steal the ball but Niko's physicality helped him hold onto the ball for a while, Niko saw Okawa open but without much of a thought he nudged the ball to the left, Leaving Gagamaru behind
He saw Isagi coming straight for him, He still had the chance to pass the ball to Okawa but after thinking through all the outcomes and concluding that there was no way for them to win and qualify for the 2nd selection together, He chose to go for the goal
Luckily for him, Raichi noticed Okawa being open and cursed Isagi internally for leaving him open, moved to his right only to see the ball going into his left side of the net
Isagi got to Niko just a second late otherwise he would've stopped it, Niko wanted to celebrate but stopped himself and signaled to Okawa to get back as they had to score more
That lessened the doubts the entire Team Y had about Niko, They thought Niko was going selfish but seeing that he still wanted to win meant something, Although the doubt still remained for the rest of Team Y
Team Y's effort to push through failed as their passing efficiency dropped and The 2nd half ended with Team Y getting slaughtered by Team Z with a score of 9-1, Isagi continued his streak of scoring Hat-Trick, three games in a row at that
Team Z won the Match, Overtaking the Top spot from Team V
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