Coach Yamamoto watches his players warm up, deep in thought.
"Aogaki!" Aogaki turns to the coach "Come here!"
He gives him a determined smile and runs to Coach Yamamoto.
Finally!
As the players return to their seats, the referee waits before restarting the game.
Ito notices the delay and watches, from the sidelines, the fourth official showing the substitution board, with a Maebashi Ikuei player ready to come on, wearing the number 18 jersey: Aogaki.
Oh... here comes the new kid! Ito thinks, excited.
The board shows that number 11 will be substituted. The player seems disappointed by Coach Yamamoto's decision.
Nishimura watches the new arrival take his position on the right wing.
Same position... tactically, nothing has changed...
Aogaki is about 1.75 meters tall, with short, dark hair and a purple fringe. His eyes are a deep gray.
The referee blows his whistle and the game resumes after Riccardo's goal.
Ishikawa passes to Ito, who, receiving the ball, immediately throws a long and ambitious pass to the new player.
Let's put him to the test right away! Ito thinks, with a challenging smile.
The pass is precise and Aogaki's control is excellent. But Tanaka wastes no time and charges with his speed, yet Aogaki surprises him by nutmegging him almost from a standstill, using only the sole of his right foot.
Aogaki then moves to the center and advances, heading straight for Tamura, who holds his position, waiting.
As Aogaki approaches his opponent, he tries to pass him on the right. Tamura seems to anticipate him, but Aogaki suddenly feints and deflects to the left, beating not only Tamura but also Ono, who fails to get a foot in.
Tamura is stunned by his opponent's lightning-fast reaction.
Who is this guy?!
Tamura tries to recover, but Aogaki is too fast. Meanwhile, Ito overlaps Aogaki's run, further confusing the Shūdan-teki number 5.
Nishimura rushes to support Tamura, marking Ito. But Aogaki heads towards the penalty area alone.
He advances and sees Aoki approaching. Without hesitation, he decides to tackle him.
Aoki studies every move, but Aogaki is fast and skilled. He passes him effortlessly, slightly deflecting the ball to avoid the defensive thrust.
Aogaki enters the area, using his body to shield the ball from Aoki.
At the far post, Ishikawa is positioned, but marked by Noguchi, who leaves him no space. Aogaki notices this, advancing deeper into the heart of the area.
I guess no assist for our striker... Aogaki thinks, confident.
After a quick step, the number 18 takes a left-footed shot and fires a low shot towards the far corner. The shot is sudden and powerful, leaving Andou breathless. The goalkeeper dives, but fails to reach it.
Aogaki scores the equalizer for Maebashi Ikuei moments after he enters the field.
The students cheer and the observers are increasingly amazed.
"He just dribbled past the entire Shūdan-teki team! And he just entered the field!"
"This game was supposed to be a one-way street on paper, and now it's a goldmine of talent!"
Noguchi is devastated: he conceded a goal just a minute after Riccardo's goal.
Mister Ishii is not at all happy with how things are going.
This surprise is not welcome...
Mister Ishii, now thoughtful, also turns to the bench.
If we want to win...
"Nishimura!" Nishimura is called by Mister Suzuki near the bench and approaches.
"Mister Ishii says we need to double the marking on number 18. Every time he gets the ball, anyone nearby should press him. Spread the word."
Nishimura nods and heads back onto the field to Shimizu, his closest teammate.
Riccardo moves to the center of the field, ready to restart the game.
The referee's whistle sounds and Riccardo passes to Nishimura, who controls the ball and aggressively rushes forward, aiming directly at Ishikawa.
Let's regain the lead! Nishimura thinks as he runs.
Ishikawa is taken by surprise by the number 10's aggression, loses his balance and is easily overtaken by a burst of speed.
Nishimura continues his run, but his path is blocked by Ito.
But Riccardo comes forward and calls for the ball. Nishimura sees him and passes it to him.
Riccardo controls it, with Nishimura advancing to his left, dragging Ito's marking with him. But Riccardo turns in the opposite direction and advances towards Shimizu.
He fakes a pass to Shimizu and moves inside.
Nishimura heads towards Maebashi Ikuei's penalty area, and Riccardo sees him, but instead passes laterally to Ono. Ono controls with the outside of his right foot and, with the same foot, throws a long ball forward to Tanaka, who has outpaced the right back using his speed.
Tanaka, however, is stopped again just before the shot, but this time he is beaten to the ball by Aogaki, who beats him to it in speed. After stealing the ball, Aogaki uses his physicality to protect Tanaka, circles him and launches a counterattack.
Damn! Tanaka thinks, falling to the ground after the physical clash with Aogaki.
Aogaki pushes the ball forward, arriving in the Shūdan-teki half of the field, with Sugimoto and Tamura approaching to double him.
Immediately a doubling... let's see what we can do! Aogaki thinks visibly elated.
Aogaki tries to get past them, but before he can make any movement, he is brought down from behind by a slide from Tanaka.
The referee whistles and rushes towards Tanaka, pulling out a yellow card.
Tanaka realizes he has gone too far and approaches to check on Aogaki.
Meanwhile, the fourth official raises the substitution board: number 7, Tanaka, goes out. Number 9, Kaneko, comes in.
Tanaka is devastated by the substitution.
The rest of the team is also surprised, not understanding the logic behind exchanging a winger for a central striker like Kaneko.