The one who stopped the shot was none other than Hoffenheim’s captain himself, Benjamin Hubner. He didn’t have any supernatural ability like Higo, but the moment the shot was taken, with his observation skill, the man could figure out its trajectory quickly.
’He’ll try to bend it to the bottom corner! Shit, Oliver will not be able to catch that!’
With that thought in mind, the man didn’t even hesitate, throwing his body in line. As a result, by stretching his left foot far forward, he managed to deflect the ball outside of the pitch, saving the team from disaster.
"COME ON!" The man roared wildly the moment he realized his foot managed to reach the ball.
"YES! Come on, Captain!" Oliver Baumann, Hoffenheim’s goalkeeper, also celebrated the action enthusiastically before the rest of the defenders there followed by high-fiving the captain and helped him get up from the ground quickly.
They all knew that this action was timely. If only they conceded a goal here, everything would be more difficult to handle. Hell, they could even say that the game was in Schalke’s hands at that point, and their struggle since the beginning of the game would be completely meaningless.
It also helped that what Benjamin Hubner did was crazy enough to pump up their spirit. A goal-line clearance would always manage to make the team excited, giving them the confidence that luck was on their side. It was no different for Hoffenheim, as they were all now bouncing excitedly while also waiting for the referee to restart the game.
Meanwhile, all the Schalke players just stared at each other helplessly. Weston McKennie, especially, still had both his hands covering his face, looking at the ball that was rolling slowly outside of the pitch with disbelief in his eyes. He was so confident about his calculation before, so when the shot was blocked right just a few centimeters away from the opponent’s goal line, the American midfielder couldn’t help but feel heartbroken.
"Fucking shit! What the hell is that tackle?! How could it arrive so in time?!" He glared at Benjamin Hubner so fiercely as if the man had just killed his dog back home. Of course, Hoffenheim’s captain just smiled smugly, sending a silent provocation to the afro-haired midfielder.
"Come on, Weston-san, don’t think too much and get ready for the corner kick." Morita patted the man on the back while also walking toward the corner spot. "Get ready, we will try it again."
Soon enough, six Schalke players were ready in the opponent’s penalty box, waiting for Morita to deliver the cross. This only left two outfield players on the backline to handle a counterattack, and if the worst-case scenario happened, Schalke would be screwed. That was why Morita decided not to go for a normal crossing.
’Well, they are stronger than us in the aerial duel, so why would I try to force my way here?’
With that thought in mind, he passed the ball shortly to Juan Miranda, who got closer out of nowhere, and before anyone with the white jersey around could come and approach that side, the Spaniard rolled the ball back quickly, giving Morita a better space to look at the goal.
Of course, he would never shoot it directly from his spot. No, the angle was too difficult, and Morita didn’t want to waste any chance today. So, instead of taking the ball directly...
Thud!
He pushed it to the pocket space slightly outside of Hoffenheim’s penalty box, and there, Weston McKennie popped up once again, whacking the ball as hard as he could.
’Come on... This time, get into the fucking goal!’
BAM!
Unfortunately, his luck was the worst today. While the power was decent, the ball’s trajectory was awful. It rose so quickly in the air, and to make it worse, the ball even bruised Fabian’s blonde hair, making the winger yelp in shock and pain.
"Ouch! What the fuck?!" Fabian felt like his heart was about to jump before turning around to Weston with a fierce glare. "Damn, are you trying to headshot me or what?! The goal is down there, okay?!" He scowled, trying to show his dissatisfaction.
"Ahaha... Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to." Weston McKennie just rubbed his afro hair awkwardly, knowing full well that he was on the wrong side this time.
Unfortunately, it was also the end of Schalke’s counterattack attempt, and now, they had to go back to defending their side again. On the sideline, Frohling couldn’t help but click his tongue in annoyance, finding that it was a pity that his team couldn’t secure the second goal.
’It is so difficult to get a good chance like that, but it seems that luck is not on our side. Man, defending this lead will be a long day for us...’
Still, even though the chance earlier failed to give Schalke the second lead, at least it still affected Hoffenheim to some extent.Now, they realized that the home team still had a long pass to be used, so rushing recklessly toward the opposition half could lead to the same scenario as before.
They were just lucky with Benjamin Huber earlier, and they didn’t dare to bet on their luck for the second time in a row. That was why they decreased their pressure intensity, only aiming for Morita and Weston again.
It was fortunate that those two were indeed the best midfielders that Schalke had right now, as they could bear with the pressure quite well. Even if they got cornered, those two were still clever enough to find a way to at least make them get fouled, resetting the game on the spot while also killing the opponent’s momentum.
This was enough to frustrate Hoffenheim players, and in the end, they even started to play rougher than before. Seeing this, Higo couldn’t help but smirk, letting out a slight sigh of relief.
’Yeah, just as expected, the second half is getting better for us. Now, let’s see if we can hold on until the end of the game... Clean sheet, come on! Here I go!’
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