Chapter 626: Kick-Off! VS Borussia Monchengladbach II!

After the warm-up session was over, the coach didn’t talk too much in the locker room. He had already explained so many things about the opponent in the meeting yesterday, from tactical to psychological points, so there was no point in repeating them before the game began. No, if anything, that would only be counterproductive, serving as another pressure on the players.

He only gave a little speech before they left the tunnel.

"I know you guys are here with different purposes. Some want to show off their ability to break through the main team, the others are content with your situation, while maybe, a little part here have something else to prove. I can accept this situation, but once you guys enter the pitch, I just want to emphasize one thing! Fight for the badge! Show your opponent that this is Schalke!"

"Yes, Sir!"

It was just a short speech, less than a minute. However, that last sentence, to show the opponent that this was Schalke, was enough to get Higo pumped up immediately. He ran straight to the penalty box, taking a deep breath to calm down his nerves.

"Ryusuke-nii!"

Suddenly, a familiar high-pitched voice could be heard from the stands, stunning the boy for a moment. Hell, he thought he was imagining something here, shaking his head quickly to get rid of so many messy things inside. However...

"Ryusuke-nii! Here!"

That voice came again, and this time, Higo couldn’t ignore it. He snapped his head quickly, narrowing his eyes toward the stand. A moment later, his eyes lit up instantly, finding two familiar people there.

Koji Yabu and Chiaki Yabu.

Those two were the Hakodate natives who lived in Germany right now, and they had been supporting him since he was on the national team a month ago. The boy didn’t expect that they would be here for his debut game.

Unfortunately, it was right before the game started, so Higo couldn’t go there to greet them properly. In the end, he just waved a little, enough to make them realize that he noticed their presence there.

He turned around immediately, not wanting to get distracted too long with the thing outside of the game. However, inwardly, the boy was so excited, finding another reason to play well today.

"With them coming here, there is no way I would let anything get past me!"

Meanwhile, on the center spot, the captains from both teams had already gathered there, doing a coin toss with the referee. It went quickly, and soon enough, Jonas Hofmann was back bringing the result there.

He lost.

’Yeah, it seems that Teme and Ito-san were not the problem in the past.’ Higo felt the corner of his lips twitching. ’It seems that everything is my fault. Somehow, whichever team I play for, the captain will have bad luck in the coin toss ceremony.’

Fortunately, the team didn’t have the Blitzkrieg attack like Hakodate Nishi, so they didn’t take the kickoff seriously. Instead, they focused more on what would happen next, not wanting to suffer from an early goal.

Soon enough, the referee had finally finished his last check-up, and right after that...

FWEEE!

The man finally blew the whistle, starting the first game of the season for both teams. Monchengladbach controlled the possession first, but Schalke’s players also didn’t stay idle. The moment the whistle echoed throughout the whole stadium, at least six players rushed forward immediately, wanting to put early pressure on the opponent’s side.

"Come on! Keep everything close!"

"Nassim! Too slow! Press further, don’t let the ball get past you!"

"Cap! Get ready to cover! The ball is coming!"

BAM!

Just a few seconds after the game started, the first collision happened. It was between the opponent’s midfielder and Jonas Hofmann, as they both were chasing the bad pass that the away team’s left back sent. As a result, the ball went out of the sideline, giving Schalke the first throw-in of the game.

However, that wasn’t the main focus here.

It was a small stadium, so the supporters could hear everything the players shouted clearly. In this regard, they also noticed instantly how Morita took control of the center, initiating the pressure and commanding everything from the second line. Even if they hadn’t seen how capable the boy was in the other aspects, at least this was enough to give a good first impression.

"Damn! That Japanese boy is as good as what people said!"

"I know, right?! He read everything so quickly, like a true commander on the battlefield!"

"He should be in the first team compared to those lazy bastards there!"

People started to chat excitedly, finding the game to be promising. Still, this was just the beginning, and Schalke also exerted their muscles slowly. They started playing with the tempo, maintaining possession as long as possible.

Just five minutes since the game started, they had already controlled the ball 68 percent, sending the ball left and right while also trying to pry the opponent’s defense open.

After this, the first chance finally arrived for the home team.

It all started with Makino—yeah, as usual—carrying the ball in the midfield. He was being chased by the opponent’s midfield behind him, and at the same time, one Monchengladbach striker also shadowed him from his left side.

Still, the boy carried the ball calmly, baiting those two to get closer to him. He played a dangerous game, but Morita knew that the team’s defense was capable enough to cover if he messed up.

Fortunately, he didn’t, and after the boy felt like the timing was perfect, he launched a through ball to the right side where Nassim Boujellab was running. The winger from Morocco didn’t hesitate when receiving the ball, using his first touch to turn around and change direction. His move caught the defender marking him off guard, giving him space to cut inside.

This series of actions created panic on Monchengladbach’s defensive line, and Nassim didn’t waste the time here, sending a curl with his left foot.

BAM!