29 Murano vs Nishioka

Blue Lock

Second Selection

Stage 4

4 vs. 4

Team White; Kurona, Murano, Barou, Shidou

Team Red; Nishioka, Niko, Hiori, Saramadara,

Kickoff!

In Stage 4 of Blue Lock, Team White and Team Red face off in a competitive kickoff. Both teams are focused on winning and showcasing their abilities. The players from each team quickly strategize and position themselves strategically on the field, ready to give their all in this 4 vs. 4 showdown.

Team White(1-2-1)

S- Barou

M- Murano, Shidou

DM - Kurona

Team Red(2-1-1)

S- Nishioka, Hiori

M-Niko

DM- Saramadara

The whistle was blown afterward.

On hearing the whistle, Murano's mind and eyes achieved a high focus. His mind was instantaneously free of all the surrounding noise, leaving him in a calm state. At that moment, the boisterous conversation between Shidou and Barou seemed very distant. He was completely focused on the match, with no other thoughts occupying his head. In that state, he watched Niko kick the ball to Hiori.

The 4 v 4-second selection game had finally started with Niko's kickoff. Yo Hiori received the ball in midfield with a simple touch. He then pulled it back with his right foot and passed it to Hajime Nishioka. After swiftly dribbling past Barou, Hajime sent Hiori a long cross.

Shidou accelerated in anticipation of the pass. He positioned himself precisely to receive the ball as it flew in the air and quickly handled it with his chest.

He then swiftly maintained possession of the ball on the left flank, near the touchline. He quickly kicked it at Kurona, who was standing close to the penalty area. Team White had already begun attacking after regaining possession of the ball. It appeared that Team White intended to attack rapidly in order to open the scoring first.

Murano adjusted his position in the midfield, moving towards the middle when he saw Shidou steal the ball from Hiori. As the Shidou touched the ball, he would immediately sense a "goal" thanks to his keen awareness and exceptional vision. Murano raised his tightened hands and motioned for the "Explosive Overdraft" combination to be rolled in.

Murano sprinted forward as Kurona closely followed him. Niko already had a gut feeling that if both Kurona and Murano weren't stopped right there, they would cause a problem for his team.

So, with a single-minded focus, he acted right away. He decided to cut into the space between Murano and Kurona before Murano moved any further toward his goal area. As a midfielder in a 2-1-1 formation, He couldn't only worry about attacking. He had to assist his team in protecting the goal from any potential threats.

But the space between them was largely widening, so Niko instructed Hiori to charge against Kurona. Just as the space was large enough, Kurona kicked a high cross toward Murano. Murano, with his exceptional aerial ability (Gareth Bale's Acrobatic skills), leaped into the air, elevated his right leg, and hit a volley toward the goal.

PA!!!

Team White 1 : 0 Team Red

The score was announced after the ball had gone into the net.

The match restarted as Nishioka passed the ball to Hiori near the penalty box zone.

Then, like the wind, he dashed over the field in the direction of Shidou. In a split second, he reached his full speed, his legs pumping like a track-field athlete. In no time, he skipped past Barou and cut off Murano.

But Murano didn't lose his cool; he sneaked in and tackled the ball, barely touching Hiori's legs directly. He had made sure to steal the ball when Hiori had just turned toward the goal after trying to cut him off.

The challenge was successful.

Murano stopped the ball with an outstretched right foot, and with a couple of stepovers to the left and right, he sent Saramadara tumbling to the ground.

He didn't even cast a second glance at Niko, who was in the middle of the pitch.

Saramadara quickly picked himself up from the ground and charged at Murano right away.

"Mark the other one!!" Niko shouted at Saramadara, telling him to mark Barou.

He didn't want to only focus on Murano, because this would leave their defense vulnerable if an unmarked player was to receive the ball.

Murano dibbled toward Niko when he noticed there were no unmarked players from his team in his view.

Though he had just entered the attacking third, Murano elevated his right foot so as to shoot the ball from such a distance.

With great anticipation, Niko positioned himself perfectly to intercept the ball and clear it away from their goal, ensuring the team's defense remained solid.

But that was a fake shot, as Niko's trajectory was shifted towards Murano's right leg. Although he hasn't tried his ambidexterity yet, he was perfectly fine holding his chopsticks with his left hand during lunch. He had wanted to hold off using his non-dominant foot, but this seemed like the right moment to try it out.

Murano swiftly switched the ball to his left foot and then shot the ball from the attacking third.

Niko, caught off guard by Murano's sudden switch, lunged toward the left but couldn't reach the ball in time. The shot sailed past the Blue Lock Man and into the top corner of the net, leaving the opposing team stunned and his teammates ecstatic about his incredible display of skill, surprising everyone with his ambidexterity. Though it was impressive, they thought it had been a fluke, 'Of course, he can't do it again,' they all thought.

Team White 2 : 0 Team Red