Chapter 772: Trying Their Luck with the Blitzkrieg Attack

It took a while for the referee to start the second half, as the man still had to check on everything, but the moment the whistle was on the tip of the man’s lips, all the Schalke players were waiting eagerly, finding themselves getting excited over this situation.

Higo himself didn’t know since when the team had developed a love for a kick-off here, but in the last couple of games, Frohling had basically used a Blitzkrieg attack a lot, so it was clear where the source of the excitement was.

Well, Higo himself didn’t mind it. If only the team could get the third goal so quickly, it would make things easier for him. However, the boy knew that football wasn’t that simple, so it was better not to put all of his hope in this thing. Instead, he put his eyes on the two new Augsburg players on the pitch, trying to assess them quietly.

’That number 14 is replacing Marco Ritcher on the right side, huh? Well, it seems Juan-san is a bit too much to handle there.’ He could feel the corner of his lips twitching here. ’Still, the problem here is that number 9. He is tall and quite lanky, so speed shouldn’t be a problem, right? Then, what kind of striker would he be?’

At this moment, Higo couldn’t help but berate himself, getting so annoyed that he didn’t listen carefully to Kumiko’s report on the bench players. Although this didn’t mean the man would be that dangerous, the boy didn’t like an uncertainty like this, and he just clicked his tongue at his own stupidity.

’Yeah, that is completely my fault. Later, I’ll let Kumiko-chan tell me ’I told you so’ as many times as she wants.’ He took a note to himself.

Well, that was for later, because the referee had already glanced around, making sure that everything was ready. Caligliuri and Nassim Boujellab were also waiting impatiently, wanting to start the game as quickly as possible.

Then, after waiting for a while...

FWEEE!

"YES! The second half starts!"

"Come on, Morita! Get the job done!"

The ball was passed back to the midfield quickly, and in this scheme, somehow, Morita’s role was similar to Takaaki when Higo was in Hakodate Nishi. The boy controlled the ball for a second, glancing at the frontline where at least five players were ready before launching a Hail Mary pass to the side where he deemed to be full of flaws.

BAM!

"Oh! To me?!" Benito Raman grinned, rushing as quickly as possible to chase the ball.

The full back there was taken aback for a moment, turning around frantically while also keeping his eyes on the ball. However, it was clear that he wasn’t ready, as the poor man stumbled on his own feet here, letting the Belgian winger get it easily.

"Yes, Beni!"

"This is your chance! Come on, get it done!"

Everyone on Schalke’s side was so excited when they saw Benito Raman receiving the ball easily, having so much space on the left side to do anything he wanted there. Even if two Augsburg players were running in desperation to shut him down, at least the Belgian winger still had three seconds to consider what to do, which was a very long time in the middle of the play like this.

In the end, after getting closer to the byline, Benito Raman finally took a glance toward the penalty box, and when he saw Caligliuri, Weston McKennie, and Nassim Boujellab fighting for a position there, the man didn’t hesitate to cross it high.

Thud!

Honestly, this was a poor decision. If it was any other top winger, they would rather send a cutback pass than a cross that would increase the uncertainty there. However, if anything, this was Caligliuri’s favorite, as he fought against the opponent’s center back so fiercely.

BAM!

A header was made! A strong one, even, aiming straight to the left side of the goal!

That center back was so desperate the moment he realized that he had lost in this aerial duel, having already foreseen the ball finding the back of the net. However, it seemed that he was being too pessimistic, as Augsburg’s goalkeeper showed off his reaction speed by extending his left hand far, blocking the ball away from his goal.

"FUCK!"

"REBOUND! REBOUND!"

While Caligliuri cursed after seeing his header was blocked, two more Schalke players rushed to get the second chance here. Of course, Augsburg’s defensive players also reacted, wanting to clear the ball as far away as possible. For a moment, chaos descended on the box as everyone wanted to get a foot on the ball here.

In the end, no one truly knew which person shot the ball, but it was clear that it came from Schalke’s side. After all, the ball was sent back to the goal here, and it packed a lot of power.

BAM!

The goalkeeper was so desperate, knowing that he couldn’t get up from the ground and save the ball in time. However, it seemed that luck was completely on his side right now, as instead of slamming the net, the ball that was shot from a close distance rose so high into the sky before leaving the pitch, denying Schalke the goal that all of their players were ready to celebrate.

"FUCK!" Weston McKennie cursed as he got up from the ground; his face was a mixture of disbelief and frustration. "How could the ball fly away like that?!" He even looked at his own right foot, starting to question everything in his life.

Yeah, it was the American midfielder who got the second chance earlier, and he even managed to whack the ball before anyone from Augsburg managed to form a blockade. Unfortunately, he was being too hasty, and the ball hit the wrong part of his foot, making the ball fly so high and far away from the goal.

"Fuck! Come on! Don’t mind it, Weston!" Caligliuri helped the boy get up quickly before patting him on the back. "This is just the beginning, and we have a lot of time later! Come on, let’s score more goals in this second half!"