Possession had now fallen into Itoshi Rin's hands. It seemed that snatching the ball from Itoshi Sae had greatly thrilled his competitive spirit, and he couldn't help but recall how he had been humiliated and then enraged on that snowy night.
But at this moment, he was different from before.
Now he could contend with Itoshi Sae.
Thinking of this, Itoshi Rin's heart surged with passion. All the opponents and enemies before him seemed insignificant in his world, and his physical movements quickened.
At this moment, facing the sudden attack,
the U20 team was not as flustered as imagined; instead, they were very steady. The first goal was Ye Liangqiu tearing through the defensive area, but now they had re-strategized, so it wouldn't be as easy to attack as before.
Moreover, everyone present was clear about one thing.
The U20's strategy had always been defense-to-offense, and their back four were even famous in the World Cup.
Aiku had already adopted a ready defensive stance. His vision was extremely wide, and the bullseye in his eyes was like a pistol pointed directly at the attacking player.
Ye Liangqiu ran without the ball in front of Itoshi Rin and spoke softly, "A copper wall and iron fortress is only so much..."
"Any defense has flaws."
"Pass the ball to me, and I'll tear apart their full-of-holes barrier!"
Itoshi Rin understood perfectly. During training, he and Ye Liangqiu had the most practice sessions together. If it weren't for Ego Jinpachi's proposed tactics, he would never have wanted to play on the same field as that Hong Yan Guai Tai.
However, at this moment, facing Itoshi Sae, perhaps only Ye Liangqiu could launch an equally matched attack across the entire field.
In just an instant, Itoshi Rin processed all the information in his mind.
Their positioning was a classic one-two play.
Solely to tear apart the opponent's defense bit by bit.
"Still trying to break through using the same method as the last game?" Suddenly, a voice rang out. Itoshi Sae had appeared behind Ye Liangqiu at some point, emanating a terrifying aura, but his expression remained indifferent. "I told you, I've seen through your tactics."
At the same time, all the wingers from the U20's previous attack had encircled them.
A trap!
Itoshi Rin's face darkened. He hadn't expected this to be a trap... In fact, when he snatched the ball just now, he had already sensed something was off. The opponent had sent out five wingers and a central attacking midfielder to charge, but why was Itoshi Sae the one to kick off?
Now he understood: Itoshi Sae was the bait, luring Ye Liangqiu into his field of vision for an interception. That's why, even though they were almost at the penalty area, the opponent still passed the ball to Itoshi Sae, who was being obstructed by Ye Liangqiu.
Wasn't this clearly just to give them this ball?
And after getting the ball, to charge forward as quickly as possible, they immediately entered the midfield area!
Was this area precisely where Aiku and the other defenders positioned themselves to assist the forwards in scoring?
"Damn big brother... So you anticipated me, didn't you?" Itoshi Rin gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his face. By this point, he fully understood that Itoshi Sae had completely grasped Blue Lock's situation, and this entire setup was designed to make him snatch that ball!
Now, if the ball fell into the opponent's hands!
Then this point would likely be lost.
Their formation had been shattered. Seeing everyone running towards their direction... Itoshi Rin seemed to feel a sense of powerlessness.
Just then, Ye Liangqiu's cold voice rang out, "Pass the ball to me."
"I'll tear apart their defensive formation!"
Looking at the person now so close, Itoshi Rin's face showed some anger, but his feet were incredibly agile, and in the next second, he passed the ball.
Ye Liangqiu, having received the ball, licked his lips. "If I alone can tear apart your national team... can we end the game early?"
Aiku's face darkened. "There's a limit to arrogance."
"You can't escape our encirclement now."
Excitement, novelty, exhilaration—his entire body's blood seemed to be boiling. Ye Liangqiu's pupils turned crimson, and air currents involuntarily streamed into his chest from the corners of his mouth.
"I never think of myself as arrogant."
"Because arrogance also represents strength."
"This feast that the whole world is watching, is the stage I've long wanted to destroy."
"Don't you agree?"
"Bachira?"
Aiku's pupils contracted sharply, as if he had noticed something.
Ye Liangqiu's front foot chipped the ball up.
With a roar, the ball arced into the inner field, and a figure rapidly advanced towards the penalty area.
Bachira's cheeks revealed a smile, his eyes burning with fire. "Qiu, I saw it... the pass that abandons self."
"Avenger, you must have noticed me too, right?"
"Damn it!" Aiku couldn't help but curse. Wasn't Bachira a defender?
Why was he in the attacking half?
What on earth was Blue Lock doing?
Meanwhile, Ego on the bench slowly revealed a strange smile. "A super offensive system might be rare in professional football, after all, in this era, all teams only pursue stability. Now, for such a team that abandons everything for offense to appear, won't it be somewhat shocking?"
"Don't forget one thing, our team is composed of 11 forwards!"
"When necessary, even the goalkeeper can come down and participate in the battle on the field!"
"This is offense, an offense system that abandons everything!"
Bachira charged forward with the ball, constantly buying time for his teammates to arrive. In an instant, the chaotic field became even more chaotic. All of Blue Lock's central attacking midfielders and wingers had, in this brief moment, arrived in the attacking zone.
But as mentioned before, the U20 team might not be strong in offense.
However, their defensive capabilities were indeed top-notch.
The moment Bachira gained possession, all the defenders had returned to their defensive areas, continuously pressuring the attacking Blue Lock players, ensuring they wouldn't easily expose weaknesses.
And Ye Liangqiu and Itoshi Rin were completely unleashed.
The two ran without the ball, quickly reaching the penalty area.
Itoshi Sae followed closely behind, the three refusing to give way, all seemingly anticipating that the ball would soon come to them.
On Ryu's defense was incredibly swift. He also noticed Ye Liangqiu and Itoshi Rin, and immediately coordinated with Itoshi Sae for a two-pronged interception.
As captain, Aiku precisely calculated whether Bachira intended to shoot or pass.
And if he passed, who would he pass to?