“Welcome to Tokyo National Stadium! The season is coming to a finale at last! We have Kunimi High School facing Kyoto Akiba High!”
“Let me tell you a bit about Kunimi. They are 5 times champions and boast Sota Hirayama and Yoshito Okubo among their illustrious alumni. They have virtually strolled through all the matches so far. And in their team, we are looking at a few future Japan representatives! Look out for Yamaguchi Motohiro, they are already comparing him to Miyamoto Tsuneyasu! And of course, steeped in Kunimi’s tradition, their powerful center-forward Shiozawa Hiroshi is another player to watch. Their left winger, Tani Satoshi is rated the best of his generation. And of course, their captain, the midfield dynamo Ishizuka Hideto.”
“Yes…Morikawa…but Akiba has regained their form. They have been playing well in their 2 games, the quarter-final and the semi-final. The Captain Tokiwa Takuro seems to have put his poor game against Kochi behind him. And of course, they welcome back Terakawa Tetsuyoshi, who was suspended for the previous game.”
“So the teams are lining up. The crowd is raring to go.”
“Let’s take a look at the starting lineup. Akiba will start with a 4-4-2 formation; Aoyama in goal, Tokieda on the left side of defence, Takeda and Mizuzawa in the center, Ihara on the right. On the left flank is Oka, on the right Yoshida. In the center, Tokiwa partners Yokoi. Nagai will partner Terakawa upfront. Kashiwaji will start in goal for Kunimi. They are playing a flat four behind, with Nishizawa on the left, Abe and Yamaguchi in the center, Miura on the right. Playing in center midfield are Ishizuka and Uehara. On the left is Tani and on the right is Tamashiro. Katou will play behind Shiozawa in attack.”
“Hello again, Terakawa,” Yamaguchi shook Terakawa’s hand. “Let me see how much you have improved.”
“I will, Yamaguchi.”
“It will be a pleasure to play against you, Tokiwa Takuro. I heard them talk about you. The new Hidetoshi Nakata. The new Shinji Ono. The new Shunsuke Nakamura. I won’t lose to you, Tokiwa Takuro,” Ishizuka said.
“Please give me your guidance then.”
In the stands, Senzaki was watching. “You are finally in Tokyo, Tokiwa Takuro.”
“We are not too late, the game hasn’t begun,” Kei was all flustered as she guided Miki and Hiroko to Akiba’s supporters’ section.
“I think Taku would be very happy if he knows you are here,” Kei told Hiroko.
“And here we go, the Final of the All-Japan High School Championship, it is Kunimi against Akiba!”
“Tokiwa, still Tokiwa, lays off to Yokoi, Yokoi with the cross…over the bar by Terakawa! And Akiba gets the first shot of the evening.”
“It’s Ishizuka…Ishizuka…knocked off the ball by Tokiwa. Tokiwa, away with the ball, plays it all the way to the left flank for Oka, beautiful ball…Oka, tries to take it round Miura, cross…Oh! Cut out by Yamaguchi!”
“Shiozawa nods it down for Kuraki. Kuraki can’t get past Takeda. Takeda with the pass to Tokiwa, Tokiwa plays another beautiful ball to the right, Yoshida runs with it…OH! Floored by Nishizawa there. First free kick of the evening. Floated in by Tokiwa…flick on by Terakawa…Yokoi tries his luck! Just wide!”
“The Kunimi coach is shouting out instructions. He is worried. For the first time this tournament, Kunimi actually look like they are going to go behind.”
“Short ball by the keeper. Abe takes it, spreads to the left. Nishizawa now. Down the flank…Tani! Tani plays it to the center…intercepted by Tokiwa….Tokiwa is playing like a man possessed. Tokiwa spreads it to his left. Oka…Oka takes it past Miura…Miura with a late challenge. Free kick again. Oka plays it short…Nagai turns…Yamaguchi kicks the ball away…Ishizuka takes control of it. Robbed by Tokiwa again! Tokiwa with the shot…Just over the bar!”
“Akiba are playing very well at the moment. Yamashita of Kunimi is barking out some instructions. Kashiwaji with the long ball…Ishizuka nods it down. It’s Yamaguchi…Yamaguchi plays it straight down the right…Tamashiro just keeps it in play! Tamshiro…Taken it past Tokieda…Cross! Goal! It’s Shiozawa with the first goal of the evening. And Akiba is silenced.”
“Yes…Kunimi scored on their first real chance. It’s a blow to Akiba who have clearly been on top.”
“So the game restarts.”
“Yokoi…muscled out by Uehara, who lays it back for Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi plays it one touch to Ishizuka. Ishizuka hits it back to Uehara. Uehara is free. He threads a through ball…Katou can’t get to it. It’s Aoyama’s.”
“They changed their formation. They have pushed Yamaguchi to midfield,” Tokiwa thought. “It’s harder for us to pass now.”
“3 on 2 in the middle of the park. Let’s see how Tokiwa and Yokoi cope with it,” Kubo thought aloud.
“Katou…Katou lays it back for Ishizuka…Ishizuka! Blocked by the sliding Tokiwa. Ball falls to Oka! Oka runs with it. Herded out of play by Tamashiro. Great defensive work by Tamashiro.”
“Tokiwa again…Pass is intercepted by Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi plays it to Ishizuka. Ishizuka floats the ball. Brilliant curling ball there. Shiozawa is through! Oh! He shot straight at Aoyama. Ball is loose…Katou! Takeda took the ball away. But the referee blew his whistle!”
“It’s a penalty!”
“Ref! I took the ball!” Takeda was arguing.
Katou knelt on the field. He had not expected a penalty.
“But you took him along the way. Penalty.”
“Idiot,” Takeda murmured under his breath.
“It’s a yellow card for Takeda. I think it’s what he said to the referee.”
“It’s hard to tell if it was a foul. I thought Takeda got the ball.”
“But it’s a penalty, all the same. Shiozawa will take it.”
“2-0. Sent Aoyama the wrong way. Good penalty.”
“10 minutes to go till the break.”
“Tokiwa again, he shrugs off the challenge of Ishizuka…Sent to the ground by Yamaguchi. Play on, waves the referee. Here they come again. Tani on the left. Goes round Ihara…Cross! Headed away by Mizuzawa.”
“Yokoi with the ball now. Tokiwa. Brilliant through ball down the right for Yoshida. Yoshida cuts it back for Yokoi. Yokoi puts it into the box. Terakawa! Tipped away by the keeper!”
“Corner kick. Floated in by Tokiwa. Nagai! Against the post!”
“Ishizuka takes it outside the box. Plays it all the way to Shiozawa. Shiozawa puts it right in between Mizuzawa and Takeda. He is free! Oh! The duo went in on him and stopped him there. Takeda plays it to Yokoi. Robbed again by Uehara. Uehara cuts it back for Tani. They are trying to control the tempo. Tani to Ishizuka. Ishizuka with the floating ball again…Katou runs out to the flank. He gets there first, ahead of Ihara. Just manages to stop it on the by line. Plays it back. Tani with the cross. Headed out by Mizuzawa. Tokiwa goes for the loose ball. Ishizuka with the volley…Goal!”
“What a strike, Endo, what a strike. Fantastic. Absolutely a cracker of a goal. Kunimi goes 3-0 up.”
“Terakawa turns and shoots…Against the post! Abe puts it out. Throw in by Tokieda. Oka chests it down, lobs it into the box. Terakawa with a bicycle kick! Over the bar! Just barely.”
“That would have been some goal, Morikawa.”
“Long kick…and it is half time here in Tokyo National Stadium. 3-0 to Kunimi.”
“But it is not as one-sided as the score would suggest.”
“Let me tell you a bit about Kunimi. They are 5 times champions and boast Sota Hirayama and Yoshito Okubo among their illustrious alumni. They have virtually strolled through all the matches so far. And in their team, we are looking at a few future Japan representatives! Look out for Yamaguchi Motohiro, they are already comparing him to Miyamoto Tsuneyasu! And of course, steeped in Kunimi’s tradition, their powerful center-forward Shiozawa Hiroshi is another player to watch. Their left winger, Tani Satoshi is rated the best of his generation. And of course, their captain, the midfield dynamo Ishizuka Hideto.”
“Yes…Morikawa…but Akiba has regained their form. They have been playing well in their 2 games, the quarter-final and the semi-final. The Captain Tokiwa Takuro seems to have put his poor game against Kochi behind him. And of course, they welcome back Terakawa Tetsuyoshi, who was suspended for the previous game.”
“So the teams are lining up. The crowd is raring to go.”
“Let’s take a look at the starting lineup. Akiba will start with a 4-4-2 formation; Aoyama in goal, Tokieda on the left side of defence, Takeda and Mizuzawa in the center, Ihara on the right. On the left flank is Oka, on the right Yoshida. In the center, Tokiwa partners Yokoi. Nagai will partner Terakawa upfront. Kashiwaji will start in goal for Kunimi. They are playing a flat four behind, with Nishizawa on the left, Abe and Yamaguchi in the center, Miura on the right. Playing in center midfield are Ishizuka and Uehara. On the left is Tani and on the right is Tamashiro. Katou will play behind Shiozawa in attack.”
“Hello again, Terakawa,” Yamaguchi shook Terakawa’s hand. “Let me see how much you have improved.”
“I will, Yamaguchi.”
“It will be a pleasure to play against you, Tokiwa Takuro. I heard them talk about you. The new Hidetoshi Nakata. The new Shinji Ono. The new Shunsuke Nakamura. I won’t lose to you, Tokiwa Takuro,” Ishizuka said.
“Please give me your guidance then.”
In the stands, Senzaki was watching. “You are finally in Tokyo, Tokiwa Takuro.”
“We are not too late, the game hasn’t begun,” Kei was all flustered as she guided Miki and Hiroko to Akiba’s supporters’ section.
“I think Taku would be very happy if he knows you are here,” Kei told Hiroko.
“And here we go, the Final of the All-Japan High School Championship, it is Kunimi against Akiba!”
“Tokiwa, still Tokiwa, lays off to Yokoi, Yokoi with the cross…over the bar by Terakawa! And Akiba gets the first shot of the evening.”
“It’s Ishizuka…Ishizuka…knocked off the ball by Tokiwa. Tokiwa, away with the ball, plays it all the way to the left flank for Oka, beautiful ball…Oka, tries to take it round Miura, cross…Oh! Cut out by Yamaguchi!”
“Shiozawa nods it down for Kuraki. Kuraki can’t get past Takeda. Takeda with the pass to Tokiwa, Tokiwa plays another beautiful ball to the right, Yoshida runs with it…OH! Floored by Nishizawa there. First free kick of the evening. Floated in by Tokiwa…flick on by Terakawa…Yokoi tries his luck! Just wide!”
“The Kunimi coach is shouting out instructions. He is worried. For the first time this tournament, Kunimi actually look like they are going to go behind.”
“Short ball by the keeper. Abe takes it, spreads to the left. Nishizawa now. Down the flank…Tani! Tani plays it to the center…intercepted by Tokiwa….Tokiwa is playing like a man possessed. Tokiwa spreads it to his left. Oka…Oka takes it past Miura…Miura with a late challenge. Free kick again. Oka plays it short…Nagai turns…Yamaguchi kicks the ball away…Ishizuka takes control of it. Robbed by Tokiwa again! Tokiwa with the shot…Just over the bar!”
“Akiba are playing very well at the moment. Yamashita of Kunimi is barking out some instructions. Kashiwaji with the long ball…Ishizuka nods it down. It’s Yamaguchi…Yamaguchi plays it straight down the right…Tamashiro just keeps it in play! Tamshiro…Taken it past Tokieda…Cross! Goal! It’s Shiozawa with the first goal of the evening. And Akiba is silenced.”
“Yes…Kunimi scored on their first real chance. It’s a blow to Akiba who have clearly been on top.”
“So the game restarts.”
“Yokoi…muscled out by Uehara, who lays it back for Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi plays it one touch to Ishizuka. Ishizuka hits it back to Uehara. Uehara is free. He threads a through ball…Katou can’t get to it. It’s Aoyama’s.”
“They changed their formation. They have pushed Yamaguchi to midfield,” Tokiwa thought. “It’s harder for us to pass now.”
“3 on 2 in the middle of the park. Let’s see how Tokiwa and Yokoi cope with it,” Kubo thought aloud.
“Katou…Katou lays it back for Ishizuka…Ishizuka! Blocked by the sliding Tokiwa. Ball falls to Oka! Oka runs with it. Herded out of play by Tamashiro. Great defensive work by Tamashiro.”
“Tokiwa again…Pass is intercepted by Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi plays it to Ishizuka. Ishizuka floats the ball. Brilliant curling ball there. Shiozawa is through! Oh! He shot straight at Aoyama. Ball is loose…Katou! Takeda took the ball away. But the referee blew his whistle!”
“It’s a penalty!”
“Ref! I took the ball!” Takeda was arguing.
Katou knelt on the field. He had not expected a penalty.
“But you took him along the way. Penalty.”
“Idiot,” Takeda murmured under his breath.
“It’s a yellow card for Takeda. I think it’s what he said to the referee.”
“It’s hard to tell if it was a foul. I thought Takeda got the ball.”
“But it’s a penalty, all the same. Shiozawa will take it.”
“2-0. Sent Aoyama the wrong way. Good penalty.”
“10 minutes to go till the break.”
“Tokiwa again, he shrugs off the challenge of Ishizuka…Sent to the ground by Yamaguchi. Play on, waves the referee. Here they come again. Tani on the left. Goes round Ihara…Cross! Headed away by Mizuzawa.”
“Yokoi with the ball now. Tokiwa. Brilliant through ball down the right for Yoshida. Yoshida cuts it back for Yokoi. Yokoi puts it into the box. Terakawa! Tipped away by the keeper!”
“Corner kick. Floated in by Tokiwa. Nagai! Against the post!”
“Ishizuka takes it outside the box. Plays it all the way to Shiozawa. Shiozawa puts it right in between Mizuzawa and Takeda. He is free! Oh! The duo went in on him and stopped him there. Takeda plays it to Yokoi. Robbed again by Uehara. Uehara cuts it back for Tani. They are trying to control the tempo. Tani to Ishizuka. Ishizuka with the floating ball again…Katou runs out to the flank. He gets there first, ahead of Ihara. Just manages to stop it on the by line. Plays it back. Tani with the cross. Headed out by Mizuzawa. Tokiwa goes for the loose ball. Ishizuka with the volley…Goal!”
“What a strike, Endo, what a strike. Fantastic. Absolutely a cracker of a goal. Kunimi goes 3-0 up.”
“Terakawa turns and shoots…Against the post! Abe puts it out. Throw in by Tokieda. Oka chests it down, lobs it into the box. Terakawa with a bicycle kick! Over the bar! Just barely.”
“That would have been some goal, Morikawa.”
“Long kick…and it is half time here in Tokyo National Stadium. 3-0 to Kunimi.”
“But it is not as one-sided as the score would suggest.”
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