Chris Prince gestured toward Reo, telling him to take the corner instead.
There was logic in that. Murano was lethal at set pieces, but he was also elite at acrobatics. Headers, volleys, the occasional bicycle kick pulled out of nowhere. His real value on a corner wasn't standing over the ball. It was what he could do once it was in the air.
So as Reo jogged over to take it, Murano peeled off from the middle of the box instead, drifting toward Reo.
'I've got an idea,'
The rest of the box swarmed into position, anticipating the cross. Only one Bastard player left his position to track Murano, it was Menser.
Murano gestured for a short pass.
It caught the rest of Bastard's defense off guard. Four of them abandoned the box entirely, rushing out to close him down.
'There it is.'
That single gesture had just drawn four defenders out of the penalty area and onto himself.
They awaited for the next play.
But Reo never actually gave him the ball.
He ignored the decoy entirely and whipped a real cross straight into the box.
The ball was directed toward where Nagi, Young and Kunigami were.
Kunigami rose above everyone and headed it clear.
Chigiri pounced on the loose ball, unloading his 44-Degree Snipe from a crazy angle.
It took two Bastard defenders throwing themselves in the way just to block it, the ball sent flying away from goal.
Yukimiya was there to retrieve the ball.
After a short spin, Yukumiya was already around Agi.
Reo stepped up next and Yukimiya glided past him just as easily, street-style dribbling on full display.
His joy ended quickly though as he felt Murano charging at him from behind.
Swish.
Before he knew it, Murano was already in front of him.
That was Yukimuya's cue to let off the ball to someone else.
'Ah, I see. So this is the plan,' Murano thought, watching Yukimiya's eyes flick sideways for a support. 'Kunigami man-marks me personally. Three more zone off the space around me. And the second I press, someone just... passes it away to where they can.'
'A whole team's stategy on just one man' Murano laughed coldly in his heart as he realized this.
That was Bastard Munchen's tactics to contain Murano. Being tactically boxed in by a gameplan is a sign you're considered dangerous enough to need one built for you.
Yukimiya attempted to fake by shifting his body like he meant to dribble past and then actually tried to slip the cross through the moment Murano bought it.
But He didn't buy it.
His leg was already there, blocking the ball before it ever left the ground.
It fell out to the left flank, where Manshine's Chigiri was already flying past Grim to reach it.
Grim slid in with a slide tackle but failed to get the ball as Chigiri jumped to avoid collision.
Without stalling, Chigiri whipped a cross straight into the box, where Nagi was tearing away from both Kurona and Menser at once.
Menser would fend off Nagi as Kurona kicked the ball away entirely.
9:15
Isagi picked it up near the center circle, with plenty of space around him. He spotted Hiori and released a pass toward him...
...and Murano stepped directly into its path, cutting it off before it reached its destination.
As soon as Murano touched the ball, Kunigami was on to him so were three other Bastard's players.
They rushed in. Two from the left, Kunigami from the right.
Murano was swarmed from all directions in full speed.
He backed off instinctively, shielding the ball with his body, Birkenstock and Kunigami crowding him so tightly he could feel both of them breathing down his neck.
Michael Kaiser arrived from behind and simply kicked it off his feet.
Ness got possession of the loose ball and crossed it low to Grim. Chigiri nearly beat him to it, but Grim got there first.
Grim dribbled forward. Hiori worked off the ball, occupying both Agi and Young at once, clearing a lane for Grim to keep progressing.
Grim cut infield and sent a cross curling into the penalty box.
This time it was Manshine crowding the six-yard box. Murano, Kaiser, Ness, and two defenders all packed inside.
Murano used Ness's shoulder as a launcher to propel himself to rise above the others to head the ball and clear the danger.
Manshine's Agi retrieved the ball, only to be dispossessed almost immediately by a clean standing tackle from Birkenstock.
Birkenstock didn't waste the opportunity. He sent a through pass to Hiori, arriving into the box at full speed.
Hiori didn't break his speed either.
Upon contact, Hiori unleashed a dazzling finesse shot, curling high and away from the keeper's finger tips and into the top right corner to score Germany's second goal.
GOAL
Germany 2 - 0 England.
Murano stood still for a second as the ball settle in the net.
"OH MY GOD! WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HAPPENING?! GERMANY NOW ONLY NEED A SINGLE GOAL TO END THE GAME! IS MURANO'S GAME ALREADY FIGURED OUT,"
"Well the star system is there, maybe Chris Prince really have to come on to save the day."