Andou got back to his feet with the ball in his arms, looking for space to launch a possible counter-attack.
After looking around, however, he noticed that Maebashi Ikuei's defence had already regrouped.
"Here!"
Ono called out to his teammate, dropping back towards the penalty area.
Andou threw the ball to him.
The Shūdan-teki midfielder turned and noticed that the opposition weren't planning to press him immediately. He therefore decided to advance slowly, scanning the pitch for an available teammate.
Unable to find anyone, he opted to play the ball sideways to Tamura, who, upon receiving it, passed it on to Nishimura as he came towards him.
Just as Shūdan-teki's number 10 was about to control the ball, the opposition's pressure intensified.
Ito rushed towards him, using his clear physical advantage.
"Man on!"
Nishimura heard the warning and, with a backheel, sent the ball through Ito's legs.
The ball was heading towards Riccardo, who had dropped all the way back to the halfway line to help his team maintain possession.
Before receiving it, the striker checked his surroundings, making sure no opponent was close enough to press him immediately.
Noticing that Watanabe was late to close him down, he used a chop to direct his first touch towards the left, where Tanaka had already beaten the right-back, Sakurai, for pace on the wing.
Before Watanabe could intervene, Riccardo slipped a precise through ball into the winger's path.
The ball reached him perfectly in stride, leaving his teammate stunned.
What a pass...
Tanaka brought it under control, taking it towards the corner flag.
He quickly realised that none of his teammates were inside the penalty area, so he decided to cut inside, heading towards the heart of the box.
Takahashi noticed and immediately called out to his teammate.
"Okamoto, cover him!"
The captain's shout prompted the defender to move in, while Sakurai recovered his position.
Tanaka was now caught between the two defenders.
What a nuisance!
He quickly shifted towards his right, trying to escape their pressure, and decided to take a chance with a waist-high cross.
Riccardo and Nishimura were in its path, but Takahashi intervened with his left foot and cleared the ball.
The ball rose into the air as Tamura and Watanabe prepared to contest it.
The Shūdan-teki midfielder managed to get in front of his opponent and, with a header, directed the ball towards Ono.
Kikuchi and Ito were already closing in on him.
Manager Yamamoto watched the situation and felt slightly reassured.
With Ito pressing him, he won't get past him!
But Ono surprised him.
With an elegant first touch using his right foot, he shifted the ball onto his left and pushed it just far enough ahead to escape the pressure, slipping between the two opponents.
The move left everyone stunned and put both midfielders in difficulty.
Kikuchi instinctively grabbed his shirt, trying to stop him.
Despite the contact, Ono still managed to release the ball and play it out wide to Shimizu.
Manager Yamamoto immediately grew concerned.
"Kamiyama! Don't let him turn!"
Shimizu noticed the left-back closing him down, but out of the corner of his eye, he also spotted Ueno charging forward at full speed.
The Shūdan-teki number 11 quickly came up with an idea.
With a delicate touch using the outside of his left foot, he adjusted the ball's trajectory, placing it perfectly for his teammate to control in stride.
Ueno reached the corner flag completely unmarked. He had enough time to look up and spot several teammates inside the penalty area.
He then delivered a precise cross towards the near post, where Nishimura and Tamura were ready to attack the ball.
Takahashi, however, managed to get ahead of them both.
Those two aren't a problem—
The Maebashi Ikuei captain's thought was interrupted by Riccardo.
The striker had started his run slightly further back than the others, preparing to use his momentum to jump higher.
He got ahead of Takahashi and struck the ball powerfully with his head, sending it towards goal.
Kobayashi read the trajectory, but there was nothing he could do.
13:53 Maebashi Ikuei 0–1 Shūdan-teki
Riccardo celebrated with Ueno, while the rest of the team gradually joined them.
The Maebashi Ikuei players were left almost in disbelief.
Takahashi looked around in frustration until he noticed several scouts taking notes on Shūdan-teki's players.
Shortly afterwards, Ito approached him.
Takahashi wore a knowing expression.
"My fault... I knew he was good, but I still underestimated him. Number 24 is fast, can jump high, and physically dominates almost everyone. But above all, he's..."
"Very intelligent. I saw how he separated himself from the crowd inside the penalty area, finding a position where he could follow the ball's trajectory and prepare for the jump. He beat you to it thanks to his timing."
Takahashi nodded at his teammate's observation.
"Exactly. We need to double-mark him. Let's do what the manager taught us in these situations. Tell Watanabe."
Ito nodded.
"Got it."
He moved away and approached Watanabe.
Meanwhile, Takahashi turned towards Manager Yamamoto and held up five fingers.
The manager returned the gesture with an approving nod before calling over number 12.
The boy approached as Shūdan-teki were getting back into position.
"Kamiyama, listen. Their full-back and winger on your side are considerably faster than you. However, you won't be able to count on Takahashi's support for the time being, as he'll be marking number 24. So I want you to stay focused and close down number 11 as soon as he receives the ball. Understood?"
"Yes!"
"When we're attacking, on the other hand, make sure you hold your position. That way, their full-back won't be able to exploit the space and launch a counter-attack."
Yamamoto gave him an encouraging pat on the back.
As he watched Kamiyama return to his position, his expression turned thoughtful.
This Shūdan-teki looks like a completely different team... Could it really be that the addition of the first-years has changed everything so much?
He then glanced curiously towards Manager Ishii.
Or is there something else behind all this?