During the group stage, the Blue Lock rules stated that five teams would compete against one another. The ranking within a group was determined by a point-based system from match results. A win awarded 3 points, a draw gave 1 point, and a loss provided 0 points.

However, only the top two teams in the standings would advance to the next stage, while the bottom three teams would be automatically eliminated. There was, however, one exception: the top scorer from a losing team would still advance to the second selection of Blue Lock.

After Team Z suffered a crushing defeat against Team X in their first match with a score of 5:1, their next objective was to secure at least second place in their group standings to move forward to the second Blue Lock selection stage. This was crucial because if they were eliminated from Blue Lock, they would lose their chance to ever join Japan’s national team.

Here Are Isagi Yoichi’s Strengths That Helped Team Z Advance in Blue Lock:

1. Isagi Yoichi Knows How to Stop Team Y’s Counter-Attack & Understands Ikki Niko’s Strategy

After Team Z decided to rely on Bachira’s dribbling ability to break through Team Y’s defense and for Bachira to pass the ball to Kunigami, who was expected to score with his powerful long-range shot, Team Y had already anticipated Bachira and Kunigami’s abilities. The center-backs of Team Y repeatedly blocked Kunigami’s long-range shots, preventing them from reaching the goal.

Although Team Z seemed to dominate by constantly attacking and trying to dismantle Team Y’s “bus parking” defense, Team Y was actually baiting Team Z’s players to push forward. The strategy paid off when Niko launched a counter-attack and delivered a through pass to Ohkawa, who sprinted freely without being marked by Team Z’s center-backs. Ohkawa then successfully netted a goal against Lemon, Team Z’s goalkeeper, putting Team Y in the lead 1-0 by the end of the first half.

Entering the second half, Team Z earned a corner kick opportunity. All Team Z players gathered inside Team Y’s penalty box, hoping to score. Fortunately, Isagi Yoichi’s instincts proved right—he predicted that Team Y’s goalkeeper would deflect the corner kick toward Niko, who would then pass the ball to Ohkawa for a counter-attack.

True to his prediction, Isagi Yoichi intercepted the ball intended for Niko and attempted a long-range shot toward Team Y’s goal. Although Niko managed to block Isagi’s shot, Gagamaru capitalized on the deflection and scored, leveling the game at 1-1.

As the second half neared its end with the score still tied, Team Y executed their ultimate strategy. After 89 minutes of relying solely on Ohkawa to lead the attack, all Team Y players moved forward in the final minute. Through their seamless teamwork, they passed the ball until Niko found himself one-on-one with Team Z’s goalkeeper, Lemon.

Once again, Isagi Yoichi’s intuition proved correct—he predicted that Niko wouldn’t shoot directly but would instead pass to Ohkawa. Isagi managed to intercept the pass to Ohkawa and launched a counter-attack, delivering a long ball to Kunigami.

Realizing that he couldn’t handle the ball alone, Kunigami passed to Bachira. With his exceptional dribbling, Bachira skillfully bypassed several Team Y defenders and sent a precise pass to Isagi Yoichi. Isagi then executed a direct shot, scoring a decisive goal against Team Y. The match ended with a 2-1 victory for Team Z over Team Y.