Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 105



Only Krnovel

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Coach Choi Yong-seok made strategic player changes. In general, the players who were replaced were bold, had good kicking power, and were good at penalty kicks.

‘What are you going to do if you keep doing this and end up scoring a field goal?’

Well, it wasn’t like it would work even if an additional 30 minutes was added to something that hadn’t been eaten for 90 minutes.

And then the overtime begins.

As expected, the sluggish game continued.

Spain came out aggressively in an attempt to somehow end the match before a penalty shootout, but they were unable to break through as Korea, who had also beaten France and Egypt, were determined to stay put.

‘Even if the strategy is to go to a penalty shootout, it would still be better to score a goal before that.’

At that moment, the angle came out and I used a quick and accurate kick. I threw the shot put with my hand, with all my might.

Spain pushed their line too high in an attempt to end the game, and in return they were met with a speedy counterattack from Korea.

The national team runs wild in the midfield with Lee Kang-im at the center.

‘good···.’

It was Korea’s first opportunity to attack in a long time.

Even the opposing defenders only had two people.

Our attacking numbers are three: Lee Kang-im, Jo Young-woo, and Yang Hyeon-ju.

They were a midfielder, a striker, and a winger respectively.

And Lee Kang-im passes the mark to Jo Young-woo, and Jo Young-woo passes the mark to Yang Hyeon-ju, who has an empty mark.

Yang Hyun-joo, who received the ball, immediately hit it from the side.

Boohoo-!

The ball flew powerfully, hit the goal post, and bounced out.

The ball was bouncing around on the grass, but a Spanish defender ran at full speed and kicked it far away, sending it out of bounds.

“Ahhhh!”

It was Lee Jin-seop. Lee Jin-seop saw it and fell to his knees.

“Fuck···.”

Can’t you put that in?

Even if I had been cold, I would have put that in.

Let’s take a quick look at the coaching staff. They were also in despair.

It was the one and only perfect chance to end the game, and he blew it.

‘Hannover pass, PSG pass, Sangmu pass, Celtic shot···.’

Someone said that the Scottish league is too low level.

Looking at that, I can relate to that a little bit.

Of course it’s a mistake, but there’s nothing more frustrating than a professional making a mistake at the most crucial moment.

“Ugh.”

Let’s prepare for a penalty shootout.

*

And the extra time ended in a draw without any major surprises.

Spain was startled by Korea’s counterattack and went back to their original tactics, and there were no more chances for either team.

Korea missed a golden chance to win with 19% possession, but there was still one last chance left.

Equal opportunity granted to both countries.

Penalty shootout.

‘It’s a penalty shootout.’

I drank my water while listening to Coach Choi’s enthusiastic remarks. Penalty shootout. How long has it been?

It was the first time since your pro debut, after the Dortmund match. Including your pro debut, was it twice?

Penalty shootouts are the highlight of any tournament and it is difficult to predict the final winner.

“Minwoo, can you do it?”

I nodded my head, still drinking water.

“Yes, sir.”

“okay!”

Actually, I’m nervous.

For an average goalkeeper, it would be normal for them not to be as nervous as kickers because they would break even if they got kicked anyway and would hit the jackpot if they blocked it, but I was different.

Unlike others, I could see the trajectory of the shot and I had a sense of urgency that I had to block it to win the game.

‘Other people are happy when they block one, but if I get one, it’s a big deal.’

As if he had read the gloom in my expression, Director Choi patted my back and spoke loudly.

“Don’t worry! The goalkeeper has five chances! Do you understand? The kicker only has one chance!”

“Yes, Director. I will consider blocking just one.”

“Huh? That won’t work···.”

At that moment, the players around him burst into laughter. I also burst out laughing at Coach Choi’s realistic reaction.

“Are you relaxed? I believe you.”

“Hehehe, yes, director.”

And now the penalty shootout is really ready.

The lead was decided to be South Korea, and the back naturally went to Spain.

The players lined up near the halfway line, arm in arm, looking toward the goal, and I watched from the side of the goal as Cho Young-woo, the first kicker from South Korea, and the opposing Spanish goalkeeper were receiving explanations from the referee.

The Spanish goalkeeper went towards the goal and Jo Young-woo tapped the ball.

Beep─!

And the referee’s whistle.

Even after the whistle blew, Jo Young-woo stood still for a long time, watching his opponent. When that time passed by more than 10 seconds, I tilted my head.

‘Didn’t you hear the whistle?’

As boos erupted from the stands, Jo Young-woo quickly moved.

and······!

Boohoo-!

The ball was blocked by the goalkeeper and the ball was missed. The stands erupted in cheers.

Jo Young-woo pulled up his uniform and lowered his head.

“ah···.”

A powerful left-footed shot was read perfectly by the goalkeeper. The Spanish goalkeeper was so happy that he jumped up to express his feelings.

‘It doesn’t matter since I’ll be discharged soon, right?’

He walked around the goal with a shit-eating expression. Well, I expected our kickers to miss a couple of times, so it didn’t really affect my mentality.

But I thought they would include Jo Young-woo since he is also my running mate.

‘You’ve been taking too long. You should’ve kicked me right away after the whistle blows.’

As I stood in front of the goal with a sigh, I saw the Spanish kicker walking towards me from afar.

Well, it’s okay. As Coach Choi said, the keeper has five chances.

I prepared myself, waving my hands.

***

Before the penalty shootout, caster Choi Jun-ho and commentator Park Jun-seo, who were watching the game from the broadcast booth, were checking data from both Korea and Spain and informing the viewers.

“As the overtime period ended, the data from the 120-minute battle came out. First of all, Korea’s ball possession rate was… exactly 20%, while Spain had 80%.”

“Spain had the ball and dominated the game, but the game was tighter than expected. In the first half of extra time, Kim Min-woo passed the ball to Lee Kang-im as if he was throwing a shot put, and that counterattack threatened the opponent’s goal, which was really unfortunate. If they had scored, the game would have been over.”

The relay team worked hard to package the data from South Korea, which was bleak at first glance.

Coach Choi’s practical soccer, customized strategy depending on the opponent, the opponent is actually an absolute powerhouse just like France······.

“···And anyway, in the end, what’s important is that we didn’t concede a goal and went into overtime, and then into penalty shootouts!”

“That’s right! In the end, the team that wins at the end wins. Even if you lead the game and have possession of the ball, soccer is a sport where you win by scoring goals. In the end, Spain couldn’t break through Korea’s defensive scrum, so they just passed the ball around, and that’s why there’s such a big difference in possession.”

Even taking that into account, the gap in market share was excessively high, but the commentators tried hard to ignore it.

“Coach Choi has perfectly mastered the swamp football style against a truly formidable opponent like Spain, so the match will now go to a penalty shootout!”

And then the penalty shootout began.

The referee’s whistle. Not only Choi Jun-ho and Park Jun-seo, but also the commentators of other channels currently broadcasting the game all held their breaths and watched the situation.

“······Okay, Jo Young-woo?”

“Oh my. This is a suffocating psychological warfare. I wish you would hurry up and give it to me.”

Despite the wishes of the commentators, Jo Young-woo did not move at all. It was like a still image. The commentators also watched with their mouths tightly shut.

And Jo Young-woo moves.

“Okay, Jo Young-woo-!”

Boohoo-!

Jo Young-woo’s shot is blocked by Spanish goalkeeper Arnau Tenas.

As soon as they saw the blockage, the relay team screamed in despair.

“Ahhhhh! It’s blocked!”

“You’ve dragged it on for too long! If you drag it on for too long, you’ll inevitably become psychologically depressed! Ah! What a pity!”

The viewers watching the game must be swearing at the commentators right now. That thought crossed their minds.

And then, leisurely, Spain’s first kicker was caught on screen, and Kim Min-woo’s appearance was also caught on screen. Kim Min-woo had his lips tightly shut and a dark expression.

“Well, but our goalkeeper is Kim Min-woo. The legendary goalkeeper of the Republic of Korea who has repeatedly frustrated France’s offensives, Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, and Spain’s overwhelming offensives in this match, Kim Min-woo is coming!”

“There are still many opportunities. I firmly believe that Kim Min-woo will do it at least twice out of the five opportunities.”

The two people had even more affectionate feelings for Kim Min-woo because they had known him since his days at Suyang High School.

A little preparation time.

And then the referee’s whistle blew.

Unlike Jo Young-woo, the opposing kicker ran as soon as the whistle blew.

As the entire commentary crew clenched their fists, glared and held their breath, Spain’s first kicker, Manchester City’s Sergio Gomez, slammed the trigger.

···It was a shot towards the center.

“Ahhhhh! Kim Min-woo! Kim Min-woo blocks it with one hand!”

“That’s it! The Kim Min-woo we’ve been waiting for! Kim Min-woo blocking with one hand, as if he were laughing at something! Hahaha, how can there be players like that?”

Kim Min-woo stopped in his tracks and blocked it with one hand.

He stretched out his left hand and stopped the flying ball in front of the goal.

And Kim Min-woo shook his head from side to side with a blank expression. The commentators smiled like they were in love at that sight.

“Wow! That’s really cool! How did we get such a player in South Korea!”

“Isn’t this something that would come out of a movie or drama? No, wow. How do you block it like that? Even when you think it’s going to come to the center, you just stand still and block it with one hand···.”

“To that extent, Kim Min-woo read the direction perfectly. The fact that he was able to block it so leisurely means that he knew in advance that it was going to go to the center!”

“Ah! You didn’t see the opponent’s stepping stone, you just predicted that Sergio Gomez would kick to the center before he even kicked!”

“That’s right! It’s a story from the Qatar World Cup finals, Argentina’s goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez….”

What commentator Park Jun-seo was talking about was the psychology of the players.

It was said that if a kicker on the same team misses a goal, the next goalkeeper has no choice but to run to the left or right, and it was said that Martinez advised the first kicker in the final penalty shootout and won the shootout.

“Ah! This is like a fairy tale!”

“Yes! And the next kicker is Lee Kang-im! Lee Kang-im, who is famous for his strong heart!”

South Korea’s second kicker, Lee Kang-im.

With the referee’s whistle, Lee Kang-im kicked hard to the left.

Opposing goalkeeper Arnau Tenas read the direction, dove and blocked the ball with his fingertips, but was unable to change the direction.

“Oh my! Thank goodness! It went in!”

And again, it was Kim Min-woo’s turn.

The commentators raised their voices as if they were already looking forward to it.

“Okay, the opponent’s first attack was blocked like in a movie! I wonder if Kim Min-woo will show us another great performance!”

“This year’s Spanish kicker is Abel Luis. He is from Barcelona and currently plays for SC Braga.”

“But Abel Luiz has been blocked time and time again by the Korean defense and Kim Min-woo. I hope Kim Min-woo can block it this time too, but it’s okay if he can’t! There are still many opportunities!”

And then the referee blew the whistle.

Spain’s second kicker, again moving quickly.

“It’s the left foot!”

Abel Lewis kicks with his left foot, as commentator Park Jun-seo said.

I thought I was watching Kim Min-woo dive this time, as he started from the right, kicked with his left foot, and then kicked towards the left, but I was wrong.

···It was the center again.

“Kim Min-woo─!”

“It’s the center again! It’s the center again!”

“Kim Min-woo blocks it again─!”

The two referees shouted so loudly that you could almost hear the blood in their voices.

This time, Kim Min-woo blocked the shot with both hands instead of one, because it was a shot flying upwards, even though it was aimed at the center of the goal.

Moreover, Kim Min-woo did not kick it away but caught it with both hands, as if playing catch.

“I guess he didn’t expect me to kick it to the center again since I kicked it to the center once? That’s what I was thinking, but our goalkeeper is Kim Min-woo!”

“Kim Min-woo! Kim Min-woo! Kim Min-woo is doing a basketball ceremony!”

Kim Min-woo bounced the ball a few times with the ball he had blocked, then jumped like a basketball player and celebrated by making a free throw on the backboard.

“Ah! Kim Min-woo! What a wonderful ceremony!”

“I absolutely, absolutely cannot believe that it will work. Why are you blocking it so well, Kim Min-woo!?”

“He is a flawless goalkeeper. I have never seen a goalkeeper this dominant!”

“Kim Min-woo, stepping into world class!”

South Korea’s third kicker was Park Seung-ho.

A captain with a shaved head and a business background.

And a midfielder who is surprisingly good at mid-range shots.

The whistle blew, and Park Seung-ho hit the net so hard that it tore.

It was a shot towards the centre, as Spanish kickers used to do.

“That’s it! That’s it!”

“Just do it like that! Captain Park Seung-ho clearly shows the Spanish players that this is how to kick the ball in the center!”

“Okay, now South Korea has succeeded twice and Spain has failed twice. If Kim Min-woo blocks it again and the next kicker scores, the game is over.”

“Historically, Korea has been strong in penalty shootouts against Spain!”

Historically, Korea has only had one penalty shootout against Spain.

Well, one win is a win anyway…

And the next kicker for Spain was Alex Baena, a winger and mezzala from Villarreal.

And Alex Baena must have been under a lot of pressure because he ended up hitting the post.

Kim Min-woo stood still in the center, and the ball hit the goal post and bounced out, resulting in a miss.

“Now, Kim Min-woo can block without doing anything!”

“Just stay still! Your very existence is a threat!”

“This is truly the color of a king!”

And South Korea’s fourth kicker was Yang Hyun-joo, a winger from Celtic who unfortunately missed the last chance in extra time.

“Okay, let’s have a heart-to-heart talk! Yang Hyun-joo, who has gritted her teeth and come out! I hope you succeed this time and end this match just like that!”

“Yang Hyun-joo, you have another chance. You unfortunately couldn’t finish it in overtime, but this time, you have a chance to finish it for sure. I hope you don’t feel pressured and just play calmly!”

Yang Hyun-joo, who had kissed the ball, caught her breath and waited for the referee’s whistle.

Beep-!

And Yang Hyeon-ju running.

There were three options.

Left. Center. Right.

Among them, Yang Hyun-joo’s choice is,

“I got in-!”

“Korea beats Spain and advances to the semifinals!”

“Is it a penalty shootout! A penalty shootout that started with a kick to the center ends with a kick to the center!”

It was central.

The opposing goalkeeper, like Martinez, could not overcome the pressure and ran to the right.

“Yang Hyun-joo decided the match that I couldn’t tie up myself! We’re now going to the semifinals!”

“He did really well, blocking the opposing goalkeeper once, but the opponent was Kim Min-woo······!”

“He is a goalkeeper who cannot be compared to anyone! At the age of 18, Kim Min-woo is knocking on the door of the new world as a goalkeeper!”

The broadcast screen was full of Kim Min-woo.

In this penalty shootout where Kim Min-woo’s saves were absolute, the Korean players were running around Kim Min-woo and cheering.

The two commentators looked at Kim Min-woo with a complex mix of emotions: emotion, joy, and awe.

“Oh, really, no matter who comes up, we won’t be scared. We beat Spain and France, so who would we be scared of?”

“The semi-final bracket hasn’t been decided yet, but I personally hope Argentina advances from the opposite port.”

“Is this the coronation that Messi inherited? Haha.”

End

ⓒ Doctor Am