章 70: I'll do what you couldn't do in the past 80 minutes
Hiori patted Murano's back. "That's crazy. The way you executed the bicycle kick goal was godly. You have outdone yourself again."
"Yeah, these guys are mid compared to the World Five. The cross you made was also amazing," Murano replied. "But there are a few minutes left, so watch out for Itoshi Sae, so he won't pull any crazy shit."
Hiori smiled. "Of course, not that he can score three goals to equalize the score in the few minutes we have yet." He said it jokingly.
Without further ado, the players of both teams hurried to their respective positions.
The U-20 team initiated the kick-off once again, with Itoshi Sae taking control of the ball this time.
The game carried on after the substitutions. With his intense pressing, Shoei Barou quickly entered the field and began to maintain a strong defensive presence against the opposing team off-ball.
Itoshi Sae immediately took off, he initially avoided going through Murano's way as he cuts to the left.
With a three-goal lead, you would think the U-20 would give up or look defeated, but that would also mean they have given up their careers to the Egoists.
But with Murano scoring a hat-trick to bring this gap in the lead, all Blue Lock had to do was to fend them off for the next few minutes left.
The U-20 team increased their numbers in the attack, with Itoshi Sae leading the way. Even the fullbacks joined in on the offense.
Itoshi Sae spotted Murano coming on to press him, so he quickly exchanged a one-two pass with Chou to skip past him before breaking into the midfield.
Barou and Shidou came to steal the ball from him, but his precision and agility were impressive, as he effortlessly whirled around Barou with a marseille turn.
As Shidou approached him next, Sae quickly shifted the ball between his feet before knocking it past him and sprinting ahead. His speed was so impressive that Shidou had little time to react.
Isagi was next…
Sae performed a lightning-fast scissor feint that completely threw off Isagi.
Now, all that stood between Sae and the goal were the two opposing center-backs.
"Where do you think you are going?" Murano came from around to face him.
"Why 1v1 everyone but me? Are you scared? You know? You have to go through me first," Murano taunted him.
With the ball at his feet, Sae remained unfazed. "One day, I will make the world's best pass to you, trust me on that," Sae continued, acknowledging Murano. "But for now..."
In one swift motion, Sae flicks the ball over Murano's head. But Murano was quick to react, angling his body and using his legs to kick the ball forward to send to ball elsewhere.
Murano and Sae battled it out, both determined to gain possession.
Ultimately, Murano was able to clear the ball out to the sidelines, resulting in a free throw for the U-20 team.
Haru Hayate was U-20's designated free-throw taker.
He quickly threw the ball towards Oliver Aiku, the defender who was in the U-20's half of the pitch.
Aiku was a bit slow to react, allowing Murano to close in on him with ease.
With no other options available, Aiku kicks the ball towards the opposite side of the field to avoid losing possession in a dangerous area.
"Woosh!"
The ball soared high into the night sky before falling back down towards the middle third. And without any surprise, it fell into Itoshi Rin's waiting hands.
"Press him!" Murano's shout spurred Bachira into action as he rushed to press Rin. "Aryu, join him!" The rest of the team was instructed by Murano to park the bus and defend.
Although they were all forwards with the ego to score a goal on their own, after hearing the captain's shout, they followed suit while Bachira and Aryu charged against Rin like hungry wolves going after their prey.
Rin skillfully controlled the ball, evading their pressure, and then passed it to Kento Chou on his right.
Chou quickly redirected it toward the center, hoping to find Itoshi Sae.
The U-20 players began playing with a sense of urgency, forming tight triangles and passing rapidly as they tried to break through the Blue Lock's solid defense.
Itoshi Sae's ball control was exceptional, and he managed to evade Hiori before unleashing a powerful shot that curled into the net before any other opponents could reach him.
Murano was more than just a remarkable goal-scorer. He possessed the ability to dribble and pass with precision, creating opportunities for his team to score.
His positioning, spatial awareness, reaction time, and timing were all top-notch. Above all, it came down to instincts—the ability to anticipate chances and be in the right place at the right time.
This time he had to do extra chores for the defenders as he appeared in the net out of nowhere to kick the ball out.
"Quickly..." Jyubei shouted. "Hurry! Go after the ball for the rebound..."
Both teams aggressively chased after the just-cleared ball.
Then, what followed was a fight for possession in the box for a few seconds, but at the end of it all, Kurona got the last laugh.
Kurona lunged forward, clearing the ball and sending it soaring into the center circle.
Isagi, who was much closer than anyone else, sprinted after the ball with as much haste as he could muster.
His long strides covered several yards in mere seconds, and he reached the ball just before it hit the ground.
Teppei Neru was also charging at Isagi to steal the ball.
At this moment the referee could be seen holding the electronic board, indicating a single additional minute.
Most of the Blue Lock players could've predicted what was coming next as they saw Barou heading toward Isagi.
In one smooth movement, Barou bumped into Isagi and pushed him away, stealing the ball.
As Neru came closer, Barou swiftly sidestepped him, throwing him off balance and allowing Barou to slip past him.
A few moments later, Barou found himself face-to-face with the goalkeeper who had come out to meet him.
Without hesitation, Barou charged forward and engaged in a 1v1 against the goalkeeper. In a split-second decision, Barou chipped the ball.
The goalkeeper leaped desperately, stretching his fingertips towards the ball, but it was no use - the trajectory was too perfect.
As the ball sailed towards the goal, it seemed almost surreal, moving in slow motion as it arched gracefully over the goalkeeper's outstretched arms, only to hit the goalpost.
Pi!
Pi!!
Piii!!!
The referee blew the whistle and signaled the end of the game.
"They have held out and it's Blue Lock five and U-20 Japan two," the commentator continued. "It's a fairy tale ending, and a big upset. No one could stop them, what a night for Blue Lock!"
U-20 Japan Nation Team vs. Blue Lock Eleven
Minute 90' +1
U-20 Japan 2-5 Blue Lock
[A/N: Hello! Thanks for reading this far. Although the match has concluded, there are only about 2-3 chapters before I catch with the current arc, the NEL. I might wait for the NEL to conclude before writing it. But, I'll let you know in a few chapters if I will write the NEL now or later.]
クリエイターの想い 
Luciffero
Luciffero Thanks for supporting and catching up with my fanfiction. This was my first fanfiction ever so I mostly made a lot of errors but that has served as a great learning experience for me as well. I'll take this experience with me and continue to serve you. With the conclusion of this arc, I'd also like to share that I've been planning to write my own football novel. I'm still in the planning stages but I'll share more in the upcoming chapters.
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