NOVEL NEXT Chapter 48: End of Group Stage, Japan does it in Style
The world was watching.
Japan had already decimated Germany (8-0) and humiliated Brazil (6-0).
Now, only the Netherlands remained.
The Dutch team had speed, control, and tactical structure.
"Japan has been dominant, but the Netherlands is different!""Our total football will dismantle them!""Brazil and Germany failed, but we will stop Isagi!"
Or so they thought.
Because what was coming…
Would be worse than anything they'd ever experienced.
🕰️ 1st Minute
The Netherlands started aggressively.
Their midfield tried to hold possession, passing the ball quickly—
But Japan was pressing even faster.
Sae rushed forward, cutting passing lanes.Rin intercepted a pass and immediately launched it forward.
🚀 Isagi was already sprinting.
💥 He exploded past the defenders—
And lobbed the ball over the rushing goalkeeper.
📢 GOAL!
📢 JAPAN 1-0 NETHERLANDS!
🕰️ 32 SECONDS INTO THE GAME.
The Dutch froze.
"H-he already scored…?""No, no… that was too fast!"
But for Japan, this was just the beginning.
The Netherlands tried to regroup.
They pushed forward with intricate passing, weaving through Japan's midfield.
They reached the final third.
🚫 BUT AIKU INTERCEPTED.
"This shit got intercepted by me, Oliver Aiku."
Aiku sent the ball to Hiyori.Hiyori to Kurona.Kurona to Sae.
Sae sent a long ball to Isagi—
And he took off.
💨 One touch.💨 A feint.💨 A shift of balance.
Two defenders fell for it.
🚀 HE DRIBBLED PAST THEM LIKE THEY WEREN'T EVEN THERE.
One-on-one with the keeper.
💥 A left-footed curler.
📢 GOAL!
📢 JAPAN 2-0 NETHERLANDS!
"HE MADE THAT LOOK SO EASY!""IT'S LIKE HE SEES THE FIELD IN SLOW MOTION!"
But Isagi wasn't smiling.
He wasn't celebrating.
"Two goals aren't enough."
"Not yet."
The Netherlands pushed desperately.
But they weren't facing an ordinary team.
They were facing monsters.
Every attack? Shut down.
Every pass? Intercepted.
Every dribble? Countered.
The Dutch couldn't breathe.
And then—
They lost the ball again.
Rin to Sae.Sae to Kaiser.Kaiser to Isagi.
🚀 Isagi was already moving before the ball even arrived.
The Dutch defenders tried to react.
Too late.
💨 A spin move past one defender.💨 A double-touch past another.
The keeper rushed out—
💥 Isagi chipped it over him.
📢 GOAL!
📢 JAPAN 3-0 NETHERLANDS!
A foul on Sae.
Free kick.
30 meters out.
The Netherlands set up their wall.
"He can't shoot from here."
"No way he—"
🚀 BOOM.
The ball EXPLODED off Isagi's foot—
And swerved violently mid-air.
The Dutch keeper dived—
🚫 TOO LATE.
📢 GOAL!
📢 JAPAN 4-0 NETHERLANDS!
The Dutch players fell to their knees.
"What… is this monster?"
"How do you stop someone like that?"
Isagi turned away.
Expressionless.
Because he still wasn't finished.
The Dutch lost all confidence.
Their bodies were playing—
But their minds had already given up.
And Japan?
"Let's finish this."
In the 49th minute—Isagi broke past three defenders, faked a pass, and then curled a shot into the bottom corner.
📢 GOAL!
📢 JAPAN 5-0 NETHERLANDS!
In the 63rd minute—Sae sent a through ball over the defense.
Isagi outran the entire Dutch backline and smashed it past the helpless keeper.
📢 GOAL!
📢 JAPAN 6-0 NETHERLANDS!
In the 77th minute—Kaiser whipped in a Kaiser Impact Magnus-Cross.
Isagi jumped higher than anyone—
🚀 A POWERFUL HEADER.
📢 GOAL!
📢 JAPAN 7-0 NETHERLANDS!
🕰️ 88th Minute
"Just blow the whistle already…"
The Netherlands just wanted it to end.
But Isagi didn't care.
He stole the ball one last time.
🚀 He dribbled past FOUR defenders.
He stared down the terrified Dutch goalkeeper.
"End this."
💥 A final, ruthless strike.
📢 GOAL!
📢 JAPAN 8-0 NETHERLANDS!
📢 FULL TIME!
📢 JAPAN 8-0 NETHERLANDS!
Aftermath – The Emperor Stands Alone
"Eight goals… again?"
"Not a single team could even challenge them!"
"Isagi Yoichi… he's not human."
With the group stage over, the final standings were announced:
🇯🇵 Japan – 9 Points (22-0 GD)🇧🇷 Brazil – 6 Points (6-9 GD)🇩🇪 Germany – 3 Points (3-11 GD)🇳🇱 Netherlands – 0 Points (2-13 GD)
Group B
🇪🇸 Spain – 7 Points🇫🇷 France – 7 Points🇦🇷 Argentina – 3 Points🇺🇸 USA – 0 Points
Group C
🇵🇹 Portugal – 9 Points🇮🇹 Italy – 6 Points🏴☠️ England – 3 Points🇲🇽 Mexico – 0 Points
Group D
🇧🇪 Belgium – 7 Points🇦🇺 Australia – 7 Points🇰🇷 South Korea – 3 Points🇿🇦 South Africa – 0 Points
With the Round of 16 now set, the matchups were revealed:
🔥 Japan 🇯🇵 vs. Argentina 🇦🇷🔥 Portugal 🇵🇹 vs. Australia 🇦🇺🔥 Belgium 🇧🇪 vs. Italy 🇮🇹🔥 Spain 🇪🇸 vs. Brazil 🇧🇷
🔥 France 🇫🇷 vs. Germany 🇩🇪🔥 Netherlands 🇳🇱 vs. Mexico 🇲🇽🔥 USA 🇺🇸 vs. South Korea 🇰🇷🔥 England 🏴☠️ vs. Japan U-18 🇯🇵 (A surprise wildcard entry!)
And the world held its breath.
Because one name overshadowed everything.
"This World Cup… is the Isagi Yoichi show."
"The question isn't if Japan will win—"
"It's if anyone can even challenge them."
AN: A few twists in Knock-out Rounds, but I'm sure you'll love this in the end.