A comeback couldn't be possible. They just had to stall the remaining time.
Meanwhile... as Zico walks back to his half of the field, team KC kept looking at him with no words. Then, when they thought of why Zico had never done that earlier, they remembered Captain.
"Freaking moron," one of them was very pissed off and held Captain by the shirt. Captain couldn't do anything because he was still recovering from his stun.
"Motherfucker, you said not to waste our passes on him!"
"Yea, you idiot, you caused all this!"
The whole team was attacking Captain, but before the argument could go on further, the whistle was blown as team Z restarted the kick.
The ball was with Masura, but before he could move, team KC's players organized themselves and locked in on him.
They'd already heard too much about that spatial cannon shot to fall for it again. If Masura didn't get the space he needed, no goals were conceded.
On top of that—"Hey man, we really apologize for earlier. What should we do now?" a player asked Zico.
He sighs. So now they listen. Zico looked at the time and saw almost eighteen minutes left. "Two at the back and two with me, just give me a good pass."
"That's not good; they're starting to work together," Kenji said. Even though they were leading two up, he was still feeling nervous.
Team KC did exactly as Zico said and placed Captain at their eighteen along with another player.
Masura was completely blocked in. He didn't know what else to do and just passed the ball back to Kenji, the Messi on the field.
Zico shared a glance at the player marking Masura. They both gave a nod, understanding themselves. The player ran from Masura, running towards Kenji who was with the ball.
However, Kenji tried dribbling past the player, an attempt to flick it above the player's head, but it failed because the player saw that coming and intercepted it with his head.
Tak'
The ball landed on Zico's feet, but he didn't wait to enjoy the perfection of it and quickly did a no-look pass to the left. An empty space.
"What? Hey, there's no one—" before Captain could complete his words.
Boom'
The left winger dashed in with the ball. At that moment, Zico and Header ran, cutting through Kenji's midfield, heading straight for the two defenders.
"Just hold them, Noboru, we're coming!!!" Masura yelled.
Team KC's right winger was one hell of a speed god. As they reached the edge of team Z's box, Noboru didn't know what to do.
'He could pass the ball to Zico, no, maybe a cross.' Noboru's thoughts were no longer connecting. "Go, I'll mark him."
As commanded, the second defender ran to block team KC's speed god. However, as Noboru had predicted, he passed the ball to Zico.
'Predicted,' Noboru grinned and quickly lunged.
Without letting his heart beat, Noboru dashed towards Zico. Then he heard something—clear. "Do you sit on your brain?" Zico asked.
"Uh?"
It was too late for Noboru to realize it. The attack had been three against two defenders. No matter how they marked, someone would be free.
Before Noboru realized that and lunged forward, Zico passed the ball between his legs. The ball rolled perfectly at the middle of the box.
"Yesssss... rghhaaaaa!!"
Boom'
The Header yelled, his leg muscles enormously swollen with veins. As his feet made contact with the ball, it sounded as if a nuclear bomb was dropped.
Boom'
Bursting through like lightning and sounding as thunder. "Gooooaaaaal!!!!" he yelled. "We're on!"
Masura and Kenji, who had been running the entire time, stopped to catch their breath. They didn't expect what was happening.
~Pweeet~
Team KC (2) >>>> Team Z (3); the whistle sounded and the announcer made the comment.
With the two wingers behind Zico, they were feeling like gods on the field. Zico grinned, seeing the frustrating look on Masura's face.
What happens when you try taking his crown? He beheads you.
"This isn't looking good anymore, Masura. If they score—"
"Pass the ball," Masura growled. There were ten minutes left on the clock. If the match ended as a draw, both teams would leave.
~Pweet
Kenji was under pressure and, as the whistle sounded, he passed the ball to Masura.
At that same moment, the Header ran in again to lock in Masura. However, the moment the pass reached his feet, Masura didn't care about space or not.
Boom' Kweuk'
He kicked the ball with enough anger, so hard that the ball connected with the Header's abdomen instead,dropping him on his feet as he groaned in pain.
~Pweeeet~
Along with the sharp whistle, the system's voice rang through the field. [Team KC has been fouled, Free Kick awarded]
"Tsk, stay out of my way." Masura was undoubtedly pissed off and walked away without helping the player up.
The free kick was awarded just a few steps in Team Z's half of the field. The injured player eventually stood up, smiling with a nod given to Zico.
"Like you said, he reacted."
"I'll take it from here," Zico said. He positioned the ball at the spot. A few feet from him were team Z's players arranged to intercept the free kick.
His teammates, on the other hand, were just beside the edge of the box, although closely marked by Noboru and Kenji.
So the players arranged to intercept were just three, while team KC's defenders were stationed behind Zico in case he attempted a back pass.
Zico inhaled and weaved out a sigh. The silence before the strike, the grass, and the goal became the only things that existed.
For Zico, the pressure didn't vanish—he channeled it. Years of repetition and success turned the crushing expectation into a familiar moment.
What would paralyze most players sharpened his focus. "Woof," he breathed out, sharpened his shoulders, and lunged his feet with tremendous speed and force towards the ball.
Kaboom!!!