Chapter 358 Japan u17 vs Argentina u17 III

Chapter 358 Japan u17 vs Argentina u17 III

As the ball sailed past the reach of Shun and touched the back of the net, supporters of the Argentinian side shot forth from their seats as they began to celebrate the goal scored by Claudio with much passion and excitement.

With their ecstatic cries echoing throughout the stadium, for a moment it felt as if the entire venue had come to life.

Overjoyed, Claudio who had delivered Argentina their first lead of the game, upon scoring this marvelous goal rushed toward the sidelines to celebrate. His teammates followed after him but Mateo who had assisted him, stayed put at his place, grinning.

Amidst this raging celebration, the disappointed sighs and cries of the Japanese fans could barely be heard. But, even if it was not as audible, it wasn't non-existent.

If the cheers of the opposing fans weren't already heart-wrenching enough, the nagging of the commentator was even more brutal. Glorifying the Argentinian side, he harshly criticized the mistakes of the Japanese players who had failed to stop the Argentinian side and conceded a goal so early in the match.

While the players of the Japanese side were devastated by this early blow, the head coach of the Argentinian side and his coaching staff were overjoyed. Though it was still too early to celebrate, they could see a glimpse of the success this last-minute change would bring to their team.

"Diego, I think it might work" excitedly spoke Gonzalez.

Diego nodded his head as he responded with a smile. Turning to look at the celebrating figure of his players, he just couldn't stop smiling even for a second.

Since their World Cup qualifying matches, he had been painstakingly working on a strategy that could possibly make his team the world champions. But, he hadn't been able to come up with a suitable one.

The main reason why he couldn't come up with a good strategy was because of his unfamiliarity with the players. Despite being the head coach of the team, he barely knew the traits of his players. And even that was all thanks to the report provided to him by the association.

But now, he was slowly understanding the traits of his players which had allowed him to work on a better strategy that could utilize the traits of his players to the fullest. One such example was the conversion of Claudio from an attacking midfielder to a striker.

Though, he wasn't planning on sticking with this same strategy for the rest of the tournament as even the strategy he had conjured right now had its flaws. But for now, he was satisfied with the result.

With the referee's whistle, as everybody returned to their position, the game continued.

With his newfound vigor, Hiro became even more offensive than before. However, his teammates struggled to keep up with him.

"Another missed pass from Hiro. What's happening to him today? He doesn't seem his usual self" Commentator complained.

"Seems like even that kid is starting to get nervous," Gonzalez spoke, "What do you think Diego?" he added as he asked for Diego's opinion who was standing right beside him.

In a rather prudent tone, Diego responded to Gonzalez's inquiry, "Or maybe it's his teammates who couldn't receive his pass"

Upon hearing Diego's response Gonzalez's eyes perked up as he couldn't help but ask in surprise, "What do you mean by that Diego?"

"Exactly how it sounds," Diego answered in a rather ambiguous way.

In the 44th minute of the match, a scenario arrived where Hiro found himself face-to-face against Mateo.

At this encounter, almost everybody present on the stand became extremely curious and excited. The previous showoff between these players had left them thrilled.

Was such a situation about to take place? Would Hiro get his revenge or would Mateo come on top, once again? They just couldn't help but feel curious.

Steadily approaching Mateo, Hiro fearlessly darted his gaze towards Mateo, trying to intimidate him. But, Mateo appeared as calm as the ocean. Intimidation wasn't going to work on him, he could tell just from looking into his eyes.

And simple feints or deception wasn't going to work on him either. If he wanted to get past him, he'd have to do something totally unexpected. He'd have to catch him off-guard. But that was easier said than done.