After a few fierce attacks at the start, both sides began to grow wary of each other.
Bayern regained possession and did not rush to attack again.
They started passing the ball around in their own half with delicate footwork.
On the Man City side, as instructed by Prince, the players continuously applied a high press, but after several attempts, they achieved no results.
Thus, Mikage Reo and Dravus stopped pressing blindly to conserve stamina.
The pace of the match suddenly slowed down.
This is a common occurrence in football matches.
After an initial onslaught proves ineffective, many teams, for the sake of stability, will choose to slow the pace and gradually look for opportunities.
However, the moment Reo and the others let their guard down, Bayern's core, Kaiser, suddenly accelerated.
With no warning, he began his run and burst out from the crowd.
As if telepathically linked, the moment Kaiser made his move, Ness sent the ball in front of him.
Just like that.
Manchester City's midfield defensive line was pierced by Bayern without any preparation.
"Danger!!"
"Bayern's attack came very suddenly!"
"Kaiser has the ball, he's charging forward!"
"On the left, Kunigami Rensuke, and on the right, Isagi Yoichi, are both sprinting at full speed!"
Bayern's attack came so quickly that even the commentators cried out in alarm.
But immediately, the audience watching the live broadcast became excited.
Because in front of Kaiser was the "€6 million man," Tendou Kageyoshi.
It was time to see what he was really made of.
And Tendou.
He noticed Kaiser's provocative eyes.
The opponent was coming for him.
In that instant, he threw his promise to Prince to the back of his mind.
Faced with Kaiser's high-speed advance, the off-the-ball Tendou finally moved.
It wasn't the grandpa-like stroll from before, but a high-speed start as swift as a thunderbolt.
Thud
Kaiser had barely managed to make a single touch to change the ball's direction before he was on the ground.
There was no slide tackle.
There was no foul.
The "€6 million man," standing at 1.93 meters, used his body to legally block Kaiser's path in an incredibly short reaction time.
While using his body to squeeze Kaiser, he poked the ball away with his right foot, twisted his body, and then extended his left foot to push the ball forward.
In the span of a single breath.
Tendou completed a series of fluid movements: lowering his center of gravity, getting close, using his strength to interfere with the opponent, tackling with his right foot, and launching a counter-attack with his left.
"A beautiful piece of defending!"
"Tendou has once again won a one-on-one battle against a New Generation World XI player!"
It all happened so fast that the commentators couldn't see clearly what had transpired.
They only saw Kaiser charge towards Tendou, and then Tendou completed the interception.
It was a breathtaking interception.
"Here comes Manchester City's counter-attack!"
On the field.
After intercepting the ball from Kaiser, Tendou did not choose to pass.
As soon as he made the tackle, he had observed that Bayern's goalkeeper, Gagamaru Gin, had run out of his six-yard box and was positioned at the edge of the penalty area, ready to deal with any emergencies.
This was a normal position, allowing him to either charge out or retreat to defend the goal.
If there was any sign of a Man City counter-attack, Gagamaru could make a choice based on the situation.
But...
"Big data analysis..."
In Tendou's eyes, a success rate of nearly 45% appeared.
An opportunity like this was fleeting.
The interception, the shot.
It all happened at the same time.
By the time Kaiser realized he had been dispossessed, Tendou had already zipped past him with a swoosh.
Then.
A whirlwind suddenly kicked up from under the rolling soccer ball.
For the audience watching around the world, on their screens, the ball seemed to be lifted into the air.
This scene was extremely similar to the special effect of Fuji Shusuke's "Giant Bear Counter" from The Prince of Tennis.
And then.
"Hah!"
Tendou let out a sharp cry. The next second, the ball, which had been lifted by the whirlwind, was struck fiercely by a flash of white light.
The camera then gave a close-up of Tendou having completed the shot.
The handsome guy was as dashing as ever.
BANG!
The moment his right foot struck the ball.
Fans all over the world who were watching the match live unconsciously craned their necks, their eyes wide with disbelief.
Behind Tendou, Kaiser was dumbfounded.
This guy... has he lost his mind?
With that kind of wind-up, you must be clearing the ball, right?
Not just Kaiser, but all the Bayern players stopped running.
From this distance, over 50 meters from the goal, and the ball was flying towards their goal... this was...
"Tendou!"
"It's a long pass..."
"No, wait, he's trying to..."
The commentator was at a loss for words, staring at the ball in the air with the same dumbfounded expression as the audience.
It was an ultra-long-range lob shot!
And it had immense power, accompanied by a violent spin, plummeting with astonishing speed.
On the Bayern side.
Because his team was attacking, Gagamaru had habitually left his goal and run to the edge of the penalty area.
He never thought Kaiser would lose the ball so easily.
After all, Kaiser was their No. 1!
A player on the same level as Itoshi Sae.
Likewise, he had never imagined that Tendou would attempt a shot from that position.
Of course, he knew about David Beckham's sensational lob.
But a shot like that, even if you asked Beckham to do it again, he couldn't replicate it.
Just like Zidane's legendary volley, if you asked him to do it a second time, he couldn't.
A legendary moment like that is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.
But Gagamaru was encountering one today. What kind of rotten luck was this? Did he destroy the Earth in a past life?
He hurriedly turned and sprinted back towards his goal.
But the speed at which the ball was flying and dropping was just too fast.
Like a giant dragon, after reaching its highest point, it plummeted rapidly, roaring as it crashed towards Bayern's goal.
"!!!"
At this moment, it was as if the whole world had fallen silent, the mute button pressed.
Riko looked at the live stream room. The rapidly scrolling comments had also stopped at this moment.
She was happy that Tendou had scored, but she didn't know what this goal truly meant.
A moment later.
The live stream room, which had been quiet for a few seconds, exploded.
[FAK!]
[OH MY GOD!]
[HOLY S#!T!]
[AN ULTRA-LONG-RANGE LOB! THAT'S A BECKHAM-ESQUE ULTRA-LONG-RANGE LOB!]
[€6 MILLION? IS €6 MILLION ENOUGH?!]
[SUPER GOAL!]
[WHAT WAS THE DISTANCE? OVER 60 METERS, RIGHT?]
[I DON'T KNOW, I'M WAITING FOR THE OFFICIAL DATA!]
[NO WAY? IS THE SECOND BECKHAM ABOUT TO BE BORN?]
[BECKHAM? IN THAT CASE... THAT €6 MILLION FROM SPURS... DOESN'T SEEM SO EXPENSIVE NOW, DOES IT?]
[EXPENSIVE MY ASS! FOR €6 MILLION, YOU CAN'T EVEN BUY ONE OF PEAK BECKHAM'S FEET!]
[...]
At this moment, countless fans around the world held their heads in their hands.
Even the usually expressionless Noa stood up when he saw this goal.
This goal was absolutely world-class.
Prince, on the other hand, had transformed into the most passionate fan, running to the technical area and roaring with excitement.
And Tendou.
Seeing that the ball had actually gone in, he put on a cool act and didn't celebrate.
Young Master Tendou doesn't celebrate goals in matches without an audience.
He just turned around calmly and looked at Prince.
This action was incredibly infuriating.
Chigiri, Isagi, and the others had been fighting tooth and nail, but it was all thunder and no rain; none of them had scored.
And yet Tendou, on his very first touch of the game, his very first shot, scored a goal, and in such a world-shaking manner.
It was as if he was mocking their incompetence.
However, Prince knew that this wasn't Tendou just acting cool. His look was a message to him.
I gave my teammates a chance. It was they who couldn't seize it.
...
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