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The Takagawa Gakuen High School soccer team's free routine kick was viewed more than five million times.
Takagawa Gakuen High School got their Japanese High School tournament off to a great start with a win over Star Ridge of Ishikawa.
The first round of the competition was won by Takagawa Gakuen with two goals from Haruki Hayashi and Keigo Nakayama. One goal in particular caught the attention of the world thanks to it involving a truly inspired bit of set-piece silliness.
Takagawa Gakuen decided the time was right to put on an elaborate routine after receiving a free kick in the wide area.
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December 29, 2021.
Five attacking players joined hands in a circle and ran around the far side of the field in an attempt to confuse the defence. The players in the ring broke apart and charged into the six-yard box before the ball was headed home.
The goal was posted on the social networking site and immediately went viral. The video was viewed five million times in its first 24 hours.
East Fukuoka FC enjoyed a brief wave of global attention when they executed their "walking wall" routine, but Japanese high-school football has a glorious history when it comes to innovative set pieces.
The team can't claim to be the originators of the method, as Takagawa Gakuen's choreography might seem. The Czech outfit tried to bamboozle Teplice with a jaunty little pre-corner hoedown. The routine was pointless as the set-piece delivery was sent sailing over the entire penalty area and out for a throw-in on the far side.
The "maypole dance" pre-free kick routine has been legitimised by Takagawa Gakuen as a viable option for any teams looking to maximize an attacking set piece.
