Blue Dream Trail (Soccer) - Episode 32

──Tuesday, September 12, 2028

World Cup Asian Final Qualifiers Round 2: Oman vs Japan

@Sultan Qaboos Stadium (Muscat)

A scorching night.

Temperature: 38 degrees, humidity: 70%.

The dry wind and the heat that clings to your skin envelop your entire body.

(Is this the true nature of the Asian final qualifying round?)

Ren thought this as he wiped the sweat from his brow in the tunnel before entering.

The quality of the grass is poor, and the ball bounces irregularly.

And best of all, the judges were also in “away gear.”

Starting eleven.

Goalkeeper: Suzuki Zaki.

Defenders: Kamisawa, Tomita, Takaguchi, Ii.

MF: Ando, ​​Naoe, Kai.

Forwards: Hisaka, Onizuka, Mihara.

The best lineup, just like in the previous match.

Oman came out hard from the start.

He relentlessly charged at the ball holder in midfield.

The spikes blatantly scrape his feet.

But the whistle doesn’t blow.

“That was a foul!”

After the play, Kai and Tomita approached the referee, but his expression did not change.

(If you get irritated here, you’ll lose.)

Ren said to himself in his mind.

15 minutes into the first half.

Oman’s counterattack saw a shot hit the crossbar.

The audience erupted in cheers at the suspenseful scene.

Nevertheless, Japan’s final line remained firm.

Takaguchi won the aerial battle, and Ii put his body on the line in a one-on-one situation.

Tomita pushed his teammates forward and calmly organized the line.

“Calm down, don’t drop the line too far.”

The voice of instruction gave Ren a push.

In the midfield, Kai and Ren were running around freely.

Kai picks up the second ball.

Ren handles the ball he has stolen.

By repeating this process, you will gradually regain control of the pace.

Ren’s long pass reached Ando, ​​who took a close shot.

Another chance from Mihara’s cut-in.

…But the goal is still far away.

The game finally started to move in the 70th minute of the second half.

Hisaka breaks through with a one-touch pass from Ren, but is brought down inside the penalty area.

For a moment, a whistle–

It doesn’t ring.

However, Onizuka followed up on the loose ball and shook the net!

1-0, Japan takes the lead.

The next 20 minutes were truly a time of endurance.

Many crosses.

Unstable ground.

Rough play and inconsistent judging.

Still, Japan did not back down.

Tomita blocked it by sliding with his whole body,

Takaguchi bounces it back, Kai picks it up, and Ren carries it forward.

The game ended with the score 1-0. A valuable away win.

Locker room.

Everyone was drenched in sweat and had towels over their heads.

“…Nice one, Kai-kun.”

“You too, Naoe. You were moving.”

Kai and I lightly bump fists.

“Honestly, I was a bit discouraged halfway through.

But because you weren’t broken, I was able to persevere.”

Ren laughed.

“Me too. Kai-san, you were able to move around at that time…”

Close your eyes.

My heart was still beating fast.

But something was soothing about the sound.

(This is what it means to “fight”)