60

The humiliating jeers and taunts from the Manchester students did nothing to demoralize the Southampton Stags. Instead, their fighting spirit soared to new heights.

Coach Carter's pre-match speech had completely ignited their blood.

Beside the visitor's bench, the team's self-proclaimed "cheer captain," Drummer, was doing his best to pound his drum in support.

Drummer wasn't on the match roster, but as an assistant, he was allowed to sit on the bench.

The designated home and away benches were fixed and didn't change regardless of side selection or halftime switch.

The home team's bench had a large red pirate flag hanging nearby. Their seats were comfortable cushioned chairs, and above them was a protective canopy for shade and rain cover.

The away team's bench, however, had torn and slashed seat cushions, leaving only the hard wooden planks. The canopy was long gone, with not even a pane of glass left.

But none of this mattered to the Stags. If anything, it only fueled their determination further.

Manchester Pirate Ship was a powerful team, so even securing a single point from them would be a massive victory.

"Gu—"

Already seated on the visitor's bench, Coach Carter waved Gu Ran over. "Come sit next to me."

"Yes, Coach." Gu Ran didn't hesitate and immediately sat beside him.

Carter casually asked, "You looked like you had something to say in the locker room?"

Gu Ran quickly shook his head. "No, Coach."

Now was definitely not the time to question his coach's tactics.

Even with 12 years of extra life experience, Gu Ran knew he couldn't pretend to coach a man with over 40 years of football expertise.

Besides, if he started 'advising' on tactics, Carter would definitely start questioning where Gu Ran's knowledge came from.

Carter's tone remained calm. "This first half is crucial. I want you to carefully observe our opponent's formation shifts and key movements during their attacks."

"Yes, Coach." Gu Ran nodded.

At that moment, both teams' starting players had already taken the field.

The Manchester Pirate Ship team lined up to the left of the three referees, while the Southampton Stags stood to the right.

As per the rules, the away team had to initiate the pre-match handshake with the referee team and the home squad.

The Pirate Ship players stood with arrogance. The Stags were seething with intensity.

Neither team was willing to back down.

After the handshake, both captains stepped up to the center referee for the coin toss.

Stags' captain, Bread, won the toss and chose sides.

This meant that Pirate Ship was given the first kick-off of the match.

Once positions were finalized, both teams spread out across their respective halves.

At exactly 3:00 PM, with the referee's whistle, the National High School Football Championship – Group E: Southampton Stags vs. Manchester Pirate Ship – officially began.

The Pirate Ship team started with possession.

They deployed a classic 4-4-2 formation.

Right from kickoff, both of their wingers pushed high up the pitch, immediately putting the Stags under heavy pressure.

Just five minutes in, midfield general Albert made a brilliant long pass, switching play to the right wing—targeting the Stags' left side.

The Stags' left-back, Temp, sprinted frantically to close the space.

Bread, rushing from the center, came to support, forming a 2v1 defensive advantage.

However, Pirate Ship's right winger used dirty tactics—he wrapped an arm around Temp's neck and pulled him down!

Temp hit the ground hard but quickly got up, raising his hands to the referee in protest.

The referee ignored him.

Without wasting time, Temp lunged in for a recovery tackle.

But Pirate Ship's winger had anticipated it. With a sharp diagonal pass to the middle, he split the Stags' midfield defense wide open.

Albert accelerated towards the ball.

But before he could reach it, Bohr—the Stags' designated man-marker—locked onto him.

Bohr pressed his body in close, grabbing onto Albert's jersey.

The referee was right there, but didn't blow the whistle.

British football had a rough, physical style, and in lower-tier leagues, this level of contact wasn't even considered a foul.

With Albert's speed slowed down, Bread raced back and cleared the ball with a big boot forward.

The stadium was in chaos.

Gu Ran, seated on the bench, could feel his heart pounding violently.

It was a brilliant piece of defense from the Stags.

Temp had been a weak link, but the double-pivot midfielders had covered well.

The problem, however, was this kind of high-intensity defending wouldn't last.

By halftime, Bohr—who was relentlessly shadowing Albert—would be out of stamina. Temp, the left-back, would be exhausted.

Unless…

Gu Ran suddenly understood Carter's real tactical intention.

He stole a glance at Carter, who remained calm and composed before quickly looking away.

The match continued.

The pace of play was incredibly fast.

The Stags focused entirely on defense.

Bohr, like a relentless shadow, stuck to Albert, making the Pirate Ship's midfield maestro miserable.

However, as time passed, the Stags' weaknesses began to show.

The first issue was the disconnect between midfield and attack.

Both defensive midfielders were too busy defending, leaving no one to transition the ball forward.

In the first 30 minutes, the Stags' midfield and forwards only touched the ball seven times—mostly from loose clearances won through scrappy battles.

Watergate kept dropping deep to get involved, but he rarely got a real opportunity.

The second issue was that Pirate Ship dominated physical battles.

Every single pass or touch was met with immediate contact.

And the Stags weren't winning these fights.

The third issue was that Pirate Ship had fully recognized the weakness on the left flank.

Bohr, after 30 minutes of chasing Albert nonstop, was visibly fatigued.

The Pirate Ship's head coach, dressed in a sleek tailored suit, stood at the touchline with one hand in his pocket, calmly instructing his team to keep exploiting the left side.

To the Pirate Ship coach, the Stags were just an easy, fourth-tier opponent.

There was no need for his team to go all out.

Their real battle was in three days against Rugby School, a proper powerhouse.

With precise coaching adjustments, Pirate Ship began hammering the left wing.

They entered the Stags' penalty area more frequently and took more shots on goal.

The Stags' defense was on the verge of collapse.

At minute 37, as the game continued at a relentless pace, the Pirate Ship launched another dangerous attack…