Chapter 629: Japan vs Portugal III
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Even the corner failed to produce any positive oue. Just like this, the first half ended in a scoreless tie.
Beep!
The whistle sounded, signaling the end of the first half.
Exhausted and drenched in sweat, yers slowly walked out of the field. The fans on their edges for the better part of the game finally rxed.
They could still feel their hearts pounding. The game had been intense until the end, keeping them on their toes.
Though they didn''t have much toin about, they couldn''t help but feel disappointed.
On the pitch, Hiro looked equally gloomy. Though he delivered a magnificent performance, he wasn''t satisfied.
Especially, the crucial miss at the end of the first half.
''What went wrong? It wasn''t supposed to end like that. Did I miss the timing?'' Hiro couldn''t help but contemte the moment.
Recalling the moment, he could tell with certainty that he had smelled the goal. It was something like intuition. But he had rarely been wrong about it. So, he couldn''t help but feel worried about the miss.
If that shot had been converted, they would have gained a huge advantage over Portugal.
s! He blew the opportunity away.
While pondering the missed opportunity, Naoto approached him, holding a water bottle, "What are you pondering about?" he asked, handing him the bottle.
Hiro took the bottle, "Nothing."
However, Naoto wasn''t convinced. So, he stared at him inquisitively, "Are you thinking about thest shot you took?"
''How did he figure it out? Was I too obvious?'' Hiro couldn''t help but feel surprised.
Yet still, he remainedposed. Squeezing the water bottle, he sted a stream of water into his mouth. Then he gargled and spit it out.
Though he was thirsty, it wasn''t the optimal time to drink.
"Honestly, I thought that would go in for sure. But the thing that surprised me the most was your sprint before you collected the pass. I knew you were fast but even for you, how could
you go that fast?" Naoto inquired.
With an indifferent expression, Hiro responded, "I have always been fast. What''s there to be surprised? Plus I was wide open."
Knowing Hiro, Naoto knew that he wasn''t trying to brag. However, in thest sentence he spoke, there was something different.
''Exactly! Now that I think about it, he was wide open. Usually, he''d have at least one marker. But at that time, nobody was paying attention to him.'' Naoto couldn''t help but feel baffled.
Soon, the yers left the field and walked inside.
Simultaneously, the stands started to be vacant as the fans left their seat for recreational purposes. In the stand, you could find a couple of mobile vendors wandering around the stand, selling their products.
Meanwhile, on the pitch, the maintenance staff began to tidy up the field. The loudspeakers of the stadium kept bombarding loud lively music, maintaining the atmosphere of the stadium. The screen disyed the crucial highlight of the first half.
Inside the Portuguese locker room, the atmosphere was rather intense.
While their coach was giving instructions, the yers were ardently listening to him. He was talking about their ws in the first half and the method to correct them in the second half.
"Iste their number 10 and keep a watchful eye on their number 19. Prevent him from exploiting his strengths."
While giving instructions, the coach''s eyes rolled to Bruno.
"Bruno. Keep spreading the ball wide."
Bruno nodded.
After giving out the instructions, he rolled his eyes toward Ronaldo who had been rather silent until now, "Now, I''d like your captain to speak a few words."
Bruno who had the captain''s armband was about to stand. However, he noticed that the captain the coach was mentioning at that moment wasn''t him. So, he couldn''t help but feel annoyed.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
The coach should have considered his words before announcing.
''So, he''s the true captain huh?'' Bruno grunted looking at his captain''s armband. He was dissatisfied with the coach''s attitude.
He felt mocked. So, he couldn''t help but re at the silent Ronaldo.
Everybody else was already waiting for him to speak.
Walking toward Ronaldo, the coach nudged him slightly and spoke in a deep voice, "Be prepared. You''ll be going in."
An eerie light shed past Ronaldo''s striking eyes and he slowly lifted his head. There were a few wrinkles around his eyes. Nheless, he looked younger than his actual age.
"We can''t stop here. Not after what we went through to get here. I know that every single one of you has sacrificed a lot to be here and every single one of you deserves to be here. Our family, our people, they are waiting for us to bring the glory," Ronaldo swept his gaze, his words heavy and deep.
Even with their eyes converging on him, Ronaldo didn''t feel pressured. Instead, he was used to bearing such pressure.
It would be a lie if he said that he wasn''t anxious. But he had faith in himself and his ability. He was certain that he could change the oue.
So, even if they performed poorly until now, he believed that he could change the oue. Emitting unwavering confidence, he continued, "I know that you all are just as eager to bring them the glory as I am. So, let''s win this game and keep on winning until we grant our people what they deserve."
Perhaps, it was the influence he had on the team. But the yers felt an unlimited surge of energy after they heard his speech.
It was liberating and rejuvenating.
It was exactly as he said, they hadn''t won a World Cup until now. Despite being one of the powerhouse nations, they hadn''t won the most prestigious award there was for a national
team.
Because of that, they would get taken lightly. Now, even more, after Ronaldo''s retirement, who knows if they would even be considered a powerhouse nation.
Most of the fame they had until now could bergely attributed to Ronaldo.
The people from other nations mostly supported Portugal because Ronaldo yed here. But after he retires, they would encounter a great loss in their fanbase just like Argentina after Messi retired.