Chapter 944: A Matchup Against Hoppe!

Well, the moment that Higo was waiting for came pretty quickly; the next day, he had already joined the training session, facing Matthew Hoppe directly.

The training session itself was still not full squad, with some of the guys still celebrating Christmas with their family. However, that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm there, since everyone was so eager to witness this encounter.

It was the fight between the team’s best player, the one who carried them so far in the league, Ryusuke Higo himself, and the talented striker who had only emerged in the last game, Matthew Hoppe.

As for how they should battle it without putting one of them at a disadvantage, of course, it would be with a classic and probably the fairest method here.

The American style penalty.

"Fuck, this reminds me a lot of the past, huh..." Higo couldn’t help but snort; his brain brought him back to the time when he challenged all the retired senpai for something similar.

"Who would’ve thought that I am going to be in this position again?" He murmured inwardly, feeling like this was just a big irony.

Matthew Hoppe himself was standing close to the center line right now, warming up while also eyeing Higo excitedly like a hunter targeting its prey. It was clear that the boy also wanted to test just how capable he was against one of the best in the game nowadays.

As for the others, they just waited outside of the sideline with some helping to get rid of the snow on the pitch, especially on the spot where it would be Hoppe’s route to run later.

"Shit! How could I be the janitor out of nowhere?!" Fabian Reese cursed while carrying a big shovel in his hand.

"Ha! That’s what you get from losing the game, Fab! Just accept it!" The others laughed their ass off.

Higo shook his head in exasperation before he put his focus on the pitch, tightening the gloves on his hands while also staring at Hoppe directly.

He could see his breath clearly right now, and yet, somehow, the boy felt like his body was quite warm from the adrenaline of this matchup.

’Maybe this is what I really need to get my motivation back after the break, huh?’

Soon enough, the pitch was finally ready, and Waldoch became the referee to make sure that they didn’t go overboard.

"Okay, this is best of three, and you both know the rule! Ready?!"

Both Higo and Hoppe nodded simultaneously, wanting nothing but to start this game as quickly as possible.

"Well, come on, Hoppe! You can start!"

The American boy didn’t need to be told twice here. He pushed the ball immediately, and while his touch was heavy, he compensated for it with his long steps, the advantage he gained from his height.

"Shit! He covers the middle area in three touches?! Are you kidding me?!"

"He is a cheat code, I swear!"

Everyone was so excited about the boy, never expecting that he would also have dribble in his arsenal.

Higo himself was quite calm right now. He moved forward in a crab step, trying to cover as much space as he could. Inside his head, his brain worked hard, giving the image of what would happen next.

’Hmm... So, you want to push to the flank to create your own space and force me to run? Not a bad idea... Unfortunately, you are playing against me today!’

With that thought in mind, Higo had already shifted his body weight to the left, the direction where he believed Hoppe would try to go to force himself to get rid of the goalkeeper.

Well, just as Higo thought earlier, this tactic would work for any other goalkeeper. With one push toward the left, the goal would basically be empty from his point of view, and the only thing he had to do was to put it in the back of the net.

Unfortunately, Higo had already anticipated that, and the moment Hoppe tried to change direction, the goalkeeper had already been there, diving far to catch the ball first before it could go far away.

’Wait, what?!’ Hoppe felt his pupils dilate for a second. From his perspective, it was as if Higo moved like lightning, shutting down the space in front of him in a snap.

Brugh!

In the end, Higo managed to catch it, and his body also tripped Hoppe, making the boy fall at the same time.

"The ball is on Higo’s hand, and the play is valid! First point for the goalkeeper!" Waldoch announced decisively.

Right at the same time, commotion broke out, as everyone got so excited at this high-level confrontation.

"OH! As expected of Higo!"

"Still, Hoppe’s speed is so ridiculous! If only Higo failed to read him, he would’ve been scored at this point!"

"Damn! Are we really going to have those two on our teams?!"

While everyone was so ecstatic about this development, the same couldn’t be said for Hoppe. The boy was still so stunned, not knowing how Higo could read his movements perfectly.

’I swear, I only showed my intention right before I pushed the ball to the left! How could he know about it?!’

Higo smirked, knowing what this junior was thinking right now.

"So, ready to play again? One more, and I win, you know?" He said with a little hint of provocation in his tone.

The striker growled instantly, getting back on his two feet before asking, "Give me the ball again!"

The moment he was back in the center, Waldoch blew the whistle once again, and Hoppe dribbled the ball quickly, intending to pay back the humiliation earlier.

Once he got closer to the penalty box, though, the boy slowed down for a moment, taking his time to observe Higo’s movement.

’Let’s see... The left side is open! High... No, low! Between his legs!’

His brain moved fast to determine the best route to send the ball to.

However, the moment his right foot rose and was about to slam the ball, the boy saw that Higo anticipated his action as well, and he widened his eyes in panic.

’Oh, shit! He will get it!’

This made him lose his balance, and in the next second, his foot still hit the ball, just without the power he wanted to have.

Thud!

As a result, the ball just fell on Higo’s clutch, ending this little matchup anticlimactically.