Kira Ryosuke made up his mind; he had to expand his own faction. The current Team Z had completely become Tendou's team. It wasn't just the others; even Kira himself was subconsciously playing around Tendou. Seeing him sprint with the ball, seeing him charge forward, his body would involuntarily start running towards the place where he thought he had the best chance of scoring.
The 3:0 scoreline plunged the players of Team Y into deep despair.
Even in the most classic "Miracle of Istanbul" in football history, it took Liverpool an entire half to complete their comeback. That night, in that Champions League final, AC Milan had a 3:0 lead at halftime. At that time, fans all over the world believed that AC Milan had already won the Champions League. Because in the history of football, there had never been a Champions League final where a 3:0 halftime lead was overturned. In fact, even in league matches, examples of coming back from a 3:0 halftime deficit were extremely rare.
That's why the Milan players opened a bottle of champagne in the locker room at halftime to celebrate.
But then.
The tenacious Liverpool did not give up. In the 45-plus minutes of the second half, they launched the most ferocious counter-attack in football history. Led by Liverpool's legendary star, Steven Gerrard, he was the first to breach Milan's goal. Then, the fired-up Liverpool scored two more in a row to tie the score at 3:3. Finally, through a brutal penalty shootout, the incredible Liverpool won the 2005 "Big Ears Cup," creating a miracle that would be passed down for generations.
So.
If it took a powerhouse like Liverpool an entire half to close a three-goal gap, what right did their Team Y have to erase the deficit in a mere ten-plus minutes?
However, Team Y still launched a relatively fierce counter-attack in the final moments. Having lost this match, they already understood that it was impossible for their entire team to advance. After this round, Team Z would have 6 points from 2 wins, and the monstrous Team V would probably also win their match and get 6 points. And their Team Y, even if they won their remaining two matches, could at most only get 6 points. They still had no hope of advancing.
This was because their goal difference was too negative. They had conceded 8 goals to Team V in the first round, and in this round, which wasn't even over, they had already conceded 3 to Team Z. Their goal difference was now a pathetic -8! Even if they had the same number of points, it would be Team Y who would be eliminated. What's more, even if Team V or Team Z had a massive collapse later on, and Team Y had a massive surge to even out the goal difference, according to the head-to-head record, it would still be Team Y who would be eliminated.
Therefore, the players of Team Y were now only thinking about advancing themselves, by staying in Blue Lock as the team's top scorer.
The Team Y that Niko had painstakingly united by sacrificing his own position, at this moment, was like a sandcastle on a beach—it collapsed with a single rush of water.
The eyes of these egoist forwards in Blue Lock were now only filled with scoring goals. They could no longer form any effective offense. With three brilliant assists, Tendou had completely killed all of Team Y's possibilities.
Niko's expression was a mixture of anger and despair. His mind was very clear: the more they played like this, the worse Team Y would lose. The current Team Y had once again gone from a "1" to a "0," fighting for themselves, unable to form any cohesive attack. Once a player got the ball into the penalty area, or even around 20 meters from the goal, they would completely throw away the "pass" button and seek their own chance to score.
But how could such individual struggles tear open Team Z's defense?
Tendou did not participate. He just stood near the halfway line with his hands on his hips.
"Not going to try?" he suddenly said to Niko.
"You guy from Team Y, if you still want to stay, you can only become the team's top scorer."
"Is that okay with you?"
"The guys who get eliminated will never be able to become national team players in the future. Your football life will be over along with it."
A few simple words, yet they were like the sharpest of knives, piercing Niko Ikki's heart.
At this moment, Niko was indeed tempted. He wanted to stay, to continue to fight and strive in Blue Lock. For his own football life, to become the team's top scorer, to stand out from Blue Lock, and become a member of the U-20 representative team.
But.
He resisted the temptation. If even he gave up, then Team Y would be truly finished.
"I know what you're thinking, Tendou Kageyoshi!"
"I won't fall for it!"
He would fulfill his duty and lead by example. Only in this way would he have a chance to awaken the idiots on Team Y, to fight for that less than 1% possibility.
"Fall for it?"
"You overestimate yourself."
As Tendou's voice fell, the ball once again came soaring from the backfield.
The "Kumamoto Prefecture Top Scorer," Okawa Hibiki, was Team Z's main focus in this match. When he received the ball at the edge of the penalty area, he tried to score with a long shot. However, Kunigami Rensuke and Raichi Jingo didn't give him a chance to shoot, constantly challenging him and causing trouble.
And Okawa Hibiki had no intention of passing. He chose the most irrational option of cutting inside, preferring to take a wild shot himself rather than create a chance for a teammate. But his shot, under the interference of Raichi Jingo, no longer had a good angle. Constantly fighting against the "two ghosts" also made his final shot weak and powerless.
The Team Z goalkeeper easily collected the ball. Then he aimed in Tendou's direction and launched a long kick.
"Damn it!"
Seeing the ball suddenly flying over, Niko's heart skipped a beat.
Get to the first ball!
This was his instinctive first reaction. In terms of height, jumping, and strength, he was far behind Tendou in every aspect. So what should he do? Niko chose to rush forward and get close to Tendou, intending to squeeze him out. If he could force Tendou to misjudge the header, this defensive play would be a success.
However.
It was as if Tendou could see right through his thoughts. The moment the ball dropped, he showed no intention of jumping. He just stood there, using his back to shield Niko. The ball went over both of their heads.
"He didn't jump?!" Niko's eyes widened. Feeling the force from behind him, he knew that Team Y was in trouble again.
Sure enough, Tendou kept close to Niko, and the moment the ball landed, he immediately turned. In the span of a breath, he had shaken off Niko and was charging towards Team Y's goal with the ball.
Strong!
Rational!
This was the first time Niko had ever encountered such a difficult opponent. As the saying goes, a brute is not scary; what's scary is a brute with culture. Niko now felt this way. He had been beaten up badly by Tendou, and even though he was battered and bruised, the law couldn't convict Tendou, as his beating was within legal limits.
"This is a warning for you!"
Tendou charged into Team Y's territory with long strides. Niko was left far behind in an instant, only able to watch.
There were less than 10 minutes left in the match. The egoists of Team Z, seeing Tendou start to run, immediately pushed forward recklessly. They were willing to do so because Tendou could help them score goals. Team Z instantly switched from defense to offense, surging forward like a tide, sweeping over Team Y's defensive line.
At this moment, Team Y's defensive line, including the goalkeeper, only had 4 people left.
Tendou aimed for the gap and nutmegged the first person with a poke of the ball. The second person immediately came to cover. He was extremely nervous, thinking about how to tame this beast. Then, he keenly caught Tendou's pupils glancing to his right.
"The right side!"
He immediately reacted, shifting his body's center of gravity.
Swish!
Almost at the same time, Tendou transformed into a streak of white light and rushed out from the left.
Less than 20 meters from the goal. At this distance, with Tendou's speed, it was easy to cross.
Kira Ryosuke, Isagi Yoichi, and Bachira Meguru all pushed forward at the same time. Behind them were Raichi Jingo and Kunigami. Tendou's passing options were too many!
"Here, Tendou!"
"Pass it here, Tendou!"
"I've made a run in!"
"I've made a run in too!"
They waved frantically at him, causing the remaining few players on Team Y to break out in a cold sweat. There were too many people to defend against; they had no idea how to defend.
And Tendou.
This time, he didn't choose to pass.
"Big Data Statistics: Direct shot goal success rate: Top right corner 100%, top left corner 98%, bottom right corner 100%, bottom left corner 99%."
"Big Data Statistics recommendation: Direct shot!"
This was the deterrent effect of three assists. The players of Team Y were afraid of his passes and had forgotten the fact that he was a striker.
"Dismantle!"
BAM!
Tendou unleashed a cannonball shot from the edge of the penalty area. The ball twisted and roared, crashing into Team Y's goal like a missile.
"GOAL~~~~~"
...
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