Chapter 899: Morita Stealing the Show!

It had been a while since Morita received such a good counterattack scenario from Higo. The last couple of games had been difficult for him as well, as he always faced so much pressure from the opponent’s side.

Yeah, at this point, people knew that he was the team’s focal point, the one who initiated everything. Just kill Morita, and they would be alright for the rest of the game.

However, there would still be a moment like this, where everyone somehow fell asleep on him. The boy himself didn’t remind them that he existed.

No, he waited for the right chance to appear, and this time, though, with Makoto Hasebe moving way too forward, and the gap between Frankfurt’s midfield and defensive line widen, the boy knew that the chance that he had been waiting for finally came.

"RYUSUKE! THERE!" He pointed his finger forward to the space in front of him.

Higo himself knew what his friend wanted to ask, so he didn’t hesitate, not even caring about Andre Silva, who was still stumbling on the ground. The boy recoiled his arm, exerting all the muscles in his shoulder before using it to throw a launcher straight to Morita’s feet.

BAM!

"YES! Nice pass, Ryusuke!" Morita grinned as he rushed to chase the ball.

"SHIT! A COUNTER!"

"MOVE BACK! MOVE BACK! HE IS GOING TO PASS!"

"SLOW HIM DOWN! DON’T OPEN UP ANY SPACE TO PASS!"

All the Frankfurt side moved back in a rush. They all operated with the thought that Morita was a passer, so their first instinct was to keep an eye on all the Schalke players on the frontline, thinking that as long as they got shut down, Morita’s threat would be neutralized so easily.

Still, that was a naïve thought.

Out of everyone else on the pitch, probably only Higo knew that Morita was never just a passer, but the boy was also a dancer when it came to dribbling the ball.

Seeing that the gap widened when the opponent’s defensive line stepped back, Morita didn’t hesitate anymore. He gritted his teeth, trying to force all the muscles in his feet to work harder before pushing the ball further.

This time, Morita showed a speed that anyone had never seen from him before, and when one of the Frankfurt players tried to stop him head-on, the boy just changed direction subtly, not enough to let the ball go out of control, but enough for him to avoid that man with his speed.

Thud!

"OH! THAT’S IT, MORITA!"

"COME ON! GO FURTHER! DON’T LET ANYONE STOP YOU!"

At this point, all the bench players on the away team’s side started to bounce restlessly, looking at Morita with anticipation that something great would happen.

Morita himself gritted his teeth as he was chasing the wind. However, a grin also formed on his face, as this was probably the first time he had done a solo run like this on his own.

’Well, they give me the space, so why wouldn’t I use it to my own advantage?’ He thought inwardly. ’One more coming. No, it is a double marker. Someone behind him is ready to support if I could get through one. How should I do this?’

Now that he was at full speed, it would be hard to stop suddenly and make any sophisticated dribble move. However, his mind moved fast, and in that exact second, his peripheral vision caught Mark Uth running parallel to him, probably wanting to support him as well if he failed to get through the opponent’s defenders.

’Well, I have no choice anymore.’

Thud!

Somehow, in that full-speed mode, a short pass was sent to the boy’s left side, catching everyone off guard. Honestly, it was so ridiculous how Morita could do that so accurately while also running at full speed.

However, at this point, no one cared enough to think about that. No, their minds were still on the pitch, as Morita shouted with a heavy breath, "PASS IT BACK! DON’T LET IT STOP!"

Mark Uth was startled for a second, but he saw Morita was already close to getting through Frankfurt’s last two defenders.

Not wanting to get his friend trapped in an offside scenario, the striker moved instinctively, pushing the ball to get through those two and fell into the space where Higo was running.

"FUCK! HE IS GETTING CLOSER!"

"SOMEONE, STOP HIM! FUCK!"

Those two defenders gritted their teeth, turning around and trying their best to chase Morita from behind. However, they were already one step behind, and their momentum wasn’t as strong as the boy’s.

It was quite easy for Morita to get the ball first, and that only left him in a one-on-one scenario.

In this case, though, Morita didn’t really need to do much. Hell, just one glance toward the goalkeeper’s position was enough, as he could do the rest of it with his eyes shut.

The boy didn’t even slow down, and the moment he was close enough to the goalkeeper...

BAM!

He sent the ball through the area between the goalkeeper’s legs, getting it straight to the back of the net without the man in front of him having a chance to stop it.

The moment the ball went in, everything seemed to stop instantly at that stadium. Everyone watched with their jaws dropped as Morita dismantled the whole defensive system from Frankfurt in just one sequence of dribbles.

Morita himself was panting heavily. However, he kept running here, not being able to stop his momentum, and the moment the boy saw the ball went into the back of the net, he changed direction immediately, rushing toward the corner with the biggest roar he could muster.

"COME FUCKING OOOON!"

Right at that moment, all the Schalke players finally realized what happened, and they all rushed in the same direction to celebrate the goal as well. Mark Uth, especially, was so flustered, as somehow he got an assist out of nowhere.

"Fucking hell, Morita! I didn’t know you were that good at dribbling the ball!" The striker laughed. "You are a crazy bastard, I tell you!"

Morita grinned widely, accepting all the praise from his teammates.

However, at that moment, the joyful atmosphere around stopped abruptly, with some having their faces look so pale. The reason was simple. On the sideline, the linesman could be seen raising the flag, which only meant one thing here.

Morita got caught in an offside scenario, and the goal was not valid.