The One to be Reborn

Down to the final sixty seconds, both squads throw everyone forward for one last push. Team Y commits fully to attacking, which leaves Team Z scrambling at the back. The ball reaches Niko, who is being pressed by Iemon, and rather than shoot he slides it toward Okawa. Isagi cuts in and traps the pass with his foot before it can arrive. He recognizes the pattern instantly, since Okawa carries the strongest pull toward the net and Niko, sharing a similar read of the pitch, keeps feeding him. Isagi tells Niko the match belongs to him and Team Z now, privately dismissing Niko as gutless for offloading the ball at the decisive instant.

With possession won, Isagi carries the ball upfield and lays it off to Kunigami. Team Y, unwilling to concede, chooses to commit a foul rather than let the break run, but Kunigami releases the ball to Bachira before he can be crowded out. Bachira strikes it toward Gagamaru's flank, and while everyone reads the pass as meant for Gagamaru, its real target is Isagi. Standing clear in front of goal, Isagi hammers the finish home to make it 1 to 2. The announcer confirms Team Z as the winner. Sprawled and defeated, Team Y's players slump to the turf while Isagi, far from pitying them, savors the thrill of shattering their hopes.

Team Y forfeited a winnable game the moment Niko chose to pass instead of finishing himself. Isagi's late strike proved the difference, and the contest ended with Team Z on top by a 1 to 2 scoreline.