Chapter 628: The First Goal of the Season!

Nassim Boujellab himself was taken aback at the skill that Higo showed. However, the moment the ball fell on his chest, his instinct took over. He didn’t even blink, turning around immediately before starting to speed up on the flank.

"OH! A good chance!"

"Come on, Nassim! Beat that dude with your speed!"

Right now, only one player was chasing from behind, but he had already rushed forward earlier, not expecting Higo to cut the pass like that. Now, that poor man was way out of his position, and he had to chase Nassim, whose speed was one of the fastest on the team.

The winger carried the ball so quickly, and the moment he was close enough to the penalty box, he glanced at the penalty box for a second before making a decision.

BAM!

A cutback pass was sent, not to Luca Schuler, who was trying to push the opponent’s defensive line further, but to Morita, who was sneaking from behind. The boy himself still had a shadow behind him, so in this moment, he also did a little trick.

Instead of shooting the ball directly, Morita just let it through his legs, letting go of the ball to the person behind him. This move caught his defender off guard, and straight behind him, the team’s captain Jonas Hofmann appeared, whacking the ball with his right foot.

BAM!

The shot was powerful enough to get to the goal, and since this attack spread Mönchengladbach’s defensive line thin, the space between their defenders was so great that no one could block the shot. As a result, the goalkeeper could only watch helplessly as Schalke’s captain slotted the ball into the back of the net, giving the home team the first lead of the game.

"OH! WHAT A GOAL!"

"Damn, that dummy is crazy! That pass as well!"

"Hey, don’t forget about that goalkeeper! He looks so much like the young Neuer!"

"Hahaha! What a team goal! This is what we want to see!"

More than 2000 people celebrated the goal enthusiastically, finding that not only did the goal finally happen, but the process was beautiful as well. Higo himself couldn’t help but grin on the back, having his face flushed red in excitement. This was the first time he had done something so bold like this, and his heart was still beating so fast right now.

’Damn! Where in the fuck did I get that courage before?!’ He laughed inwardly while also receiving a high-five from the other players. ’I swear to God, that intrusive thought would kill me in the future!’

Still, for now, his bold action resulted in a goal for the team, and Higo couldn’t help but feel happy about it. Right now, all he wanted to do was for the game to be over as quickly as possible so that he could tell Kumiko and the others about his action in this goal.

Hell, the boy couldn’t wait to brag about how some of the guys here compared him to Manuel Neuer, and while Higo himself would still panic when he was in that situation, no one could deny that in that exact moment, the boy resembled the team’s legendary goalkeeper a lot.

"Nice pass, Higo!" After celebrating with the others, Morita didn’t forget to come to him, scratching Higo’s hair fondly. "Since when were you brave enough to rush forward like that?!" He laughed while also feeling so surprised about it.

"Well, this is my first time intercepting a pass like that, so you can feel my heart still beating so fast right now." Higo grinned sheepishly.

"Oh, well, you have done well enough, so no need to get flustered about it." Jonas Hofmann nodded in approval. "Just stay calm and be confident with your decision. Hesitation is a cardinal sin for a goalkeeper; remember that."

Higo nodded quietly, but still with a goofy-ass grin on his face. It was clear that his involvement in this goal gave him a boost of confidence.

After the goal, Monchengladbach started to push back, wanting to tie the score as quickly as possible. However, their midfield line was not strong enough to face the trio of Morita, Jonas Hofmann, and Alessandro Schopf. The last one, though, was definitely the team’s unsung hero.

He didn’t stand up a big time like the other two, but his presence was everywhere. He covered the whole ground, always being the first one to get closer to the ball. If Morita was the commander who pointed out where to go, Schopf was the mad dog that would run in that direction even if it would cost his life.

Not only that, Schopf’s ability to win the ball was top-notch. He was a big man in the first place, so it was quite easy to suppress anyone with his physicality. The most amazing part, though, was how he dealt with everything cleanly, never fouling anyone else even once.

’Yeah, I have never paid attention to him before, but it seems that anyone here is talented enough to make a living in football, not just a bunch of high school students who only play for fun.’ Higo grinned secretly.

This made everything easier for his part, as Higo didn’t face any huge threat today. The best the opponent could come up with was a weak long shot three meters away from the penalty box, and Higo didn’t even need to dive, just picking it up on the ground easily.

In the end, no matter how hard Monchengladbach players tried, they would always find a huge wall blocking their way. Unfortunately, Schalke’s front line also faced the same problem, as a couple of their threats failed to meet the back of the opponent’s net.

After the first goal, somehow, the game turned quite monotonous, and time passed by without anyone noticing. It wasn’t until the fourth referee on the sideline raised the board to show number ’1’ that everyone realized the first half was about to end. The away team still tried to do something, and yet, their effort was futile here.

Then...

FWEEE! FWEEE! FWEEE!

A moment later, the referee finally blew the whistle three times in a row, ending the first half with Schalke in the lead.