Chapter 656: Quarter-finals VIII

Chapter 656: Quarter-finals VIII



With each motion of the minute hand, the people grew even more anxious.

Beep!

Panting, Hiro turned to look at the time. He was drenched in sweat, his lungs inflating and deflating with each breath he took.

Eight-eight minutes had already passed, and the match had entered its climax.

Since the last goal the stadium had witnessed, both teams had failed to score another. However, the outcome could change very quickly.

Just now, they had earned a free kick, and the game had stopped.

It was an obvious foul; even the opposing side wasn't protesting against the referee's decision. However, the distance from the post was quite far.

More than 35 yards away from the post, Japan had earned a crucial spot-kick in what could be the last set piece of the game.

Though they had earned a spot-kick, Hiro wasn't bothered. He wasn't the appointed set- piece taker. So, there wasn't any need for him to feel concerned.

Hiro took this moment to recover a little stamina. He wanted to take advantage of this momentary stoppage.

Tirelessly running around the field all this time had exhausted him.

Bead-like drops of sweat trickled down his face as Hiro glanced at his bulging legs, 'I don't think I can hold out much longer...'

Hiro could run fast. However, the ability to sprint came with a cost- he exhausted his stamina at an abnormal rate. If he used his talent and skills sparingly, he could easily last the entire 90 minutes. However, if he overused his talent and skills, he wouldn't last the full ninety minutes.

Even though Hiro was aware of the consequences, this time, however, he didn't have a choice. If he slacked, they would have been utterly defeated by now.

The threat they were facing was something that demanded his best.

After stabilizing his heart beat a little, Hiro rose to analyze the field. He found a lot of players gathering at the opposing box.

With that, the preparation for the set piece was done. Now all they had to do was execute the plan and take the win.

"Huh?! Isn't Yamada going to take the free kick?"

The opposition felt confused when they found three people standing behind the ball. It appeared that they were purposely doing that.

Endo did take the role occasionally, but they ruled him out.

This left them with two options; Hiro and Yamada. Having studied Hiro, they had found Hiro to be an excellent set-piece taker. With powerful shots and precision, he could easily rival a well-established set-piece taker.

However, they hadn't seen Hiro do it in the campaign until now. Which left them with Yamada. Hence, even though they were uncertain, they believed that Yamada would take the set piece.

However, even if that were to be the case, they couldn't afford to lower their guard against others.

This feeling of uncertainty made it even more difficult to defend.

With their brows knitted, the wall of players clad in white stared at them, uncertainty evident in their gaze.

Though they were glad that the distance from the post was quite far, they couldn't rest easy. After all, if they managed to pull a miracle, it might cut their journey short.

Hence, they were feeling quite anxious.

Yamada, standing before the ball stared intently at the ball. Exuding an aura of confidence, he stood as if he was prepared to unleash a nightmare and end the hopes of the opposing team.

The people there were aware of the quality Yamada possessed.

Even among this flock of talented individuals, he excelled in shooting from a distance. From such a distance, he had converted many goals for Real Madrid.

Now, he had to do the same thing for his country.

The Japanese folks had placed their hopes in him and were praying in their heart. Their eyes seemed quite desperate.

In the 89th minute of the match, the gaze of the people in the stadium converged on this man bearing the number 10 on his back.