Chapter 750: Things Start to Get Better

That reminder from his teammates was like a slap in Higo’s face. However, he wasn’t offended by that. No, if anything, the boy was so relieved after he woke up from his delusion that he had to carry everything by himself.

’Yeah, they are right. Defense is a collective effort, not just something that I can carry alone. That goal before is also not my fault. If anything, it is a miracle that I managed to touch that shot, right?’

Something started to shift in his mindset at this point. If before, he would always put his standard to a point where a good performance meant he got a clean sheet, this time, the boy started to normalize it, using the other goalkeepers as his benchmark.

’If I was replaced by the others, could someone else stop that kind of shot?’ He thought to himself. ’Well, even for the best goalkeeper in the world, that kind of one-on-one situation favored the striker heavily, so they wouldn’t be able to do anything as well. Also, if it was any other player than Haaland, my clairvoyant ability would work better, and I would be able to save it. Yeah, this time, I am just unlucky here.’

At least, the boy managed to cope with the situation, not falling into the self-blame thought that could kill him in the future. Still, he didn’t notice that some of the guys around had a change of expression here, as he wasn’t the only one who got affected by the captain and Caligliuri’s words.

’Yeah, to drive our rookie goalkeeper to the point that he would blame himself for not being able to save that one-on-one scenario... We defenders sure are useless as hell, right?’ Ozan Kabak smiled wryly as he felt like a slap was landing on his cheek.

Oczipka was also not in a better situation, as the boy recalled every single detail of Haaland’s goal earlier. ’If only I could be a little bit better in positioning, would I be able to cover the far post, allowing Higo to focus on the near post?’

The players who always protected the defensive line started questioning themselves right now. No matter how much they didn’t care about the team, their professionalism would never allow them to accept this situation, not when Higo had been working his ass off to cover their weaknesses in the last couple of months.

’No, not again!’ Ozan Kabak shook his head, his eyes burning with determination. Now, he looked like his past self again, when he was considered one of the best defenders in Turkey. ’We have to prove to everyone, Higo, especially, that we are not just a bunch of useless dead sticks! Come on! We have to get better!’

Now with the defensive line being on fire, the rest of the first half somehow became easier for Higo. Ozan Kabak took over the command quickly, using his game-reading ability to point out what the others should do.

"Weston! Don’t charge in blindly! Cover the passing lane!"

"Todibo, move back! Don’t get baited!"

"A through ball! Bastian, get him to me! Get him to me!"

BRUGH!

A collision happened as Haaland tried to overpower those two defenders again. This time, Ozan Kabak didn’t play with the same rule. Instead of falling for the same scenario again where he would get beaten by Haaland in a physical contest, he went with a bold tackle from the striker’s left side, getting rid of the ball while also tripping the boy in the process.

It was a risky move, because a one-second miss in his calculation would be enough for the referee to point to the penalty spot. If that happened, it would be a disaster for the team.

Fortunately, this time, the Turkish defender showed why he was one of the biggest prospects in his country.

The move was clean, without any excessive additional movement, and even when, in the end, Haaland fell to the ground, the referee just shook his head quickly, indicating that it was a fair challenge.

"HELL, YEAH!" Ozan Kabak roared excitedly, for the first time managing to stop Haaland from roaming freely in his territory. "COME ON!" He chest-bumped Oczipka, who was also equally excited, knowing that this was going to be the turning point for them.

Haaland himself was so helpless on the ground as he watched Schalke defenders celebrating wildly as if stopping him was a big achievement. Well, he was flattered by that, but it only made the boy more eager to score more, wanting to prove that Schalke’s enthusiasm was not without a reason.

After getting help from some of his teammates, the striker was back on his feet again, ready for another fight. This time, he was followed by the other tall players around, as it was a corner kick for Dortmund.

Well, at least this was an easier scenario for Higo to stop. Even though the ball flew straight to Matt Hummels’ head, and the opponent’s captain was a strong player in the aerial duel, the boy’s anticipation skill was still way better. Even without his clairvoyant ability, he read where the ball would land, picking it up in the air easily.

"OH! COUNTER AGAIN!"

"HIGO! FORWARD! FORWARD!"

Three players were moving together the moment they saw Higo having the ball here. Nassim was pointing forward, Caligliuri was ready to stop the ball in the center circle, and Rabbi Matondo, the winger on the left side who was replacing Fabian Reese today, was also ready to receive it.

Of course, Higo didn’t hesitate here. He threw the ball far like a javelin, going straight to Nassim once again. In his mind, since it worked the last time, why would he need to change the scheme?

Nassim himself was also happy when he received the ball. He controlled it with his chest, and with a quick turn, the Moroccan winger was ready to break through Dortmund’s defense.

However, the moment he got past the center line...

FWEEE! FWEEE! FWEEE!

The referee finally blew the whistle three times in a row, ending the first half of this Revier Derby with a draw, 1-1.