Soccer System: All the Skills, One Player!

Penalties.

The result of months of training and effort would now be summed up in a sequence of kicks.

Lucas approached Nishida, who was standing next to him, trying to catch his breath.

"Straight to penalties? That wasn't in the plans." Nishida said.

Lucas forced a smile. "Nothing ever is, is it?" He snapped his fingers, as he did whenever he got nervous, and looked up at the sky. "Let's end this the right way."

Coach Yamamoto called them together for a quick meeting near the dugout.

"You know what's at stake better than anyone. You also know that you've trained for this. I'm not going to keep repeating the same old words of encouragement. It's us who will take the first penalty, and it's us who will win. Let's follow the order we discussed in the hotel this morning when we imagined this scenario."

Nishida nodded. "Yes, sir." Find your next read at empire

Nishida would go first. After him would come Kenji, Lucas, Tsukada and, finally, Hidefumi.

The weight of responsibility was enormous. Lucas looked at his teammates, who, despite their visible fatigue, seemed ready to take the last step.

When the referee blew the whistle to signal the start of the penalties, the players from both teams lined up on the halfway line, while the fans held their breath, aware that every shot was now decisive.

"Who would have thought we'd get to this point?" One of the commentators on the online broadcast said. "This is undoubtedly the most exciting game of the championship so far. The Wushia College team, who no one expected to go this far, now have the golden chance to win on penalties.

And look, Nishikawa High School, with its solid defense and aggressive attacking tactics, also has the chance to win after such a tough game."

"That's it. Let's see who has nerves of steel."

Nishida was the first to walk slowly to the penalty spot. His countenance was serious. The goalkeeper from Nishikawa College, a young man with an intimidating expression, looked enormous under the stadium lights. He swayed from side to side, trying to unsettle his opponent.

Lucas knew that his friend had skill and confidence, but he also knew that the moment could move anyone. And so, with a simple gesture, Nishida positioned the ball, took two steps back and, when he heard the referee's whistle, shot with force.

The ball flew into the right side of the goal. The goalkeeper jumped in the right direction, but the shot was strong and placed well enough to pass through his outstretched fingers.

Goal.

Lucas smiled, feeling the first layer of tension dissipate. They were ahead. But there was still a long way to go.

Goalkeeper Toshinori, from Wushia College, was greeted by Nishida, who whispered:

"I trust you! Catch even one of their shots and we'll be in the semi-final!"

Toshinori agreed with a nod, but the truth was that he wasn't very confident. Before entering high school a few months ago, Toshinori hadn't imagined himself playing soccer because he had always preferred basketball, but he had started playing because his best friend, Kuwabara, had joined him in training as a goalkeeper and so he had gradually joined the team.

So although Toshinori didn't see himself as a great professional goalkeeper in the future, he was just as nervous as his teammates who wanted to become professional players because his friends' fate was in his hands too.

Luke, Nishikawa High's most skillful striker, was already positioned with the ball at the penalty spot. He had a relaxed, almost casual posture as he adjusted the ball with his foot.

From the bench, coach Yamamoto watched silently. "Football is more mental than physical now."

Toshinori positioned himself in the center of the goal with his hands outstretched and his eyes fixed on his opponent. He knew that the technique for taking penalties wasn't just to throw yourself to one side and hope for the best. You had to watch the player's body, his eyes, his movement, his feet.

The referee raised his arm and blew the whistle, then Luke began his run towards the ball.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Lucas barely blinked. He saw the striker advance, place his supporting foot firmly on the ground and shoot. The shot was perfect. The ball flew towards the top left corner of the goal. Toshinori jumped up, stretching as far as he could, but he knew mid-jump that he wouldn't make it in time.

The score was level.

Lucas exhaled slowly, feeling a pang of frustration. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but deep down there was a silent hope that Toshinori would be able to make the save early on.

Toshinori stood up slowly, wiping his hands on his shorts.

Kenji walked to the penalty spot with an intense focus in his eyes. He was known for his calmness on the pitch, technical defensive skills and control under pressure. Unlike Luke, Kenji wasn't the main striker, but his precision with the ball was respected by everyone in the team.

Kenji adjusted the ball, took three steps back and waited for the whistle. When it sounded, Kenji advanced and his shot was dry, straight into the bottom right corner of the goal. The Nishikawa goalkeeper dived the other way.

Goal.

The next spot-kick came from Klaus, another skillful player from Nishikawa High School. He had a reputation for taking penalties with impressive force, which made his shots dangerous, because even if the goalkeeper got it just right, the force of the shot often made it indefensible.

The referee blew the whistle again, and Klaus shot with all the power of his right leg. The ball flew like a bullet, but this time Toshinori was ready. He had been watching Klaus' foot, noticing the slight angle of his position. In fractions of a second, the goalkeeper dived to his right, stretching out as far as he could.

His fingers touched the ball, diverting it slightly from its trajectory, but it still ended up inside the goal.

The tie still stood, and Lucas sighed. Now it was his turn.