The ball went flying through the air before dropping cleanly onto Izaya's chest. He cushioned it down, letting it fall smoothly toward his feet, then immediately dragged it backward to evade a heavy, dangerous tackle from an oncoming Uzbek midfielder.
Keeping his balance, Izaya shifted the ball seamlessly onto his other foot and began carrying it forward through the midfield, his sharp eyes constantly scanning the pitch for an opening.
With the clock at 75th minute, the Japanese supporters had settled into an anxious silence, holding their breath and watching every movement with worried, expectant eyes as the clock continued to tick away.
Izaya continued forward, but with no clear passing option opening up ahead of him, he slowed his pace and turned back, playing a calm pass across to Kabuto. The center-back immediately moved the ball over to Senji, who was positioned wide on the left flank.
