Chapter 903: This Time, It Sure is a Goal!

Honestly, the shot itself wasn’t that good.

No, if any other striker watched that, they would grimace instantly, finding Fabian’s choice to be weird.

After all, the winger aimed at the near post where it was heavily guarded by the goalkeeper, and the power itself was lacking. If only the goalkeeper positioned himself right, he wouldn’t even need to make a move, just picking up the ball easily from the ground.

However, any shot that went in was definitely a good shot, and this was the exact same scenario for that statement.

Frankfurt’s goalkeeper thought that Fabian would aim straight at the far post, and he had already shifted his position to that side right before the shot happened. IN the end, though, his pivotal foot had already moved, and when the ball went to the opposite of where he moved, the poor man froze instantly, not being able to stop the ball from getting into the back of his net.

"OH! YEAH!" Fabian roared instantly the moment he saw the ball go in, wanting to rush toward the corner kick for his little celebration.

However, PTSD kicked in, and he paused for a second to see the linesman on the sideline. It was only when he was so sure that the flag wouldn’t be raised that Fabian finally could let loose, hitting a knee-slide while also punching the air excitedly.

"COME! FUCKING! ON!"

Soon enough, Morita also followed behind, hugging the boy from the back with great enthusiasm. "Damn, Fabian! I know you can run like crazy! Hahaha! You didn’t disappoint me here!" The boy laughed boisterously, shaking the winger’s body quite violently.

The others also joined the party, and this time, they vented out their emotion a little bit more excessive, knowing that after such an immense pressure from the home team for the whole game, they finally managed to steal the first blood, earning them the precious lead that put Schalke slightly ahead at the odds of winning the game.

Yeah, after all, the team still had Higo on the back, so sometimes, getting only one goal was enough to make them the better team of the day.

Meanwhile, all the Frankfurt players looked so dejected by this. They just stared at each other helplessly, not knowing how and who to blame in this situation. After all, their transition speed to go back to defense was quite trash today, getting breached through the same exact scenario twice just in the first half.

They were so lucky that the first goal was disallowed, or it would be mission impossible to break through Schalke’s iron wall defense twice to even the game.

Still, the one with the most complicated mood here was Makoto Hasebe. The veteran defensive midfielder just sighed helplessly, staring at Morita with a mixture of awe and annoyance.

’Fucking hell... How could he always target us when I was away? Would that only make me look so bad?’

Yeah, the man had all the reason to be mad. After all, even if the coach didn’t blame him, the man would still take notice of it, and something would change later when it came to his game in the second half.

Still, he also couldn’t blame Morita here. This was definitely a testament to the boy’s respect toward him, as Morita would always avoid him at all costs before the boy would start to attack his team.

That pass before was also beautifully done, and coupled with how the disallowed goal went, Makoto Hasebe could finally figure out why Koki Morita was considered one of the biggest talents in the country.

Honestly, with how Higo and Morita played so far, Makoto Hasebe was so excited to see how the Samurai Blue team would turn out once the international week started, wanting to see how they would change the whole team to challenge the stronger nations in the world.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the time for him to admire his kouhai. No, they were opponents right now, so he had to focus on this game first. After all, the man still had his own pride, not wanting to get humiliated by those juniors, especially on his home ground.

All the Frankfurt players were also on the same page here. Losing against Schalke in front of their own crowd was never an option, and that was why, in the last four minutes before the first half was over, they hit the accelerator, rushing toward Schalke’s players to even the score.

This time, Filip Kostic also went berserk, even inserting himself into the penalty box sometimes. The Serbian wingback somehow turned himself into a ’pseudo-striker’, often being found in the most dangerous place in the box.

It worked to some extent, as the man was able to handle the ball even in a tight space, when he was being surrounded by Schalke’s defenders. His control over possession was so strong that the only way to stop him was with physical battle, and doing so inside the penalty box was definitely a recipe for disaster.

Hell, a minute before they entered the additional time, Filip Kostic managed to receive a long ball with his chest inside the penalty box, and when Stambouli tried his best to jump and cover for the space to shoot, the Serbian winger changed direction completely, fooling the defender with one sharp move before using his left foot to whack the ball with all of his power.

BAM!

The ball was so close to the goal, and if not for Higo’s ability to see the future, the goalkeeper wouldn’t be able to raise his hand quickly enough to save the threat.

Fortunately, that was the only chance that Frankfurt had for the rest of the game. Not for the lack of trying, of course, but because the referee only gave two minutes of additional time for the first half.

Time passed quickly, and after waiting for a while...

FWEEE! FWEEE! FWEEE!

The referee finally blew the whistle, ending the eventful first half with Schalke leading one goal from the home team with a sole goal from Fabian Reese at the end of the game.

Eintracht Frankfurt 0 - 1 Schalke 04