Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 108



Only Krnovel

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After Korea’s opening goal, Brazil created countless attacking opportunities.

With one pass or one move, the line was broken, and several solo sprint opportunities emerged.

And Joao Pedro’s attack is inevitably blocked by Kim Min-woo’s fingertips.

“wow···.”

Han Seung-woo, Kim Jun-young, Ko Young-jun, and Lim Seung-min, who were watching the quarterfinal match between Korea and Brazil together as old friends from Suyang High School after a long time, laughed in vain as if they were tired of Kim Min-woo’s continuous saves.

“The kid has really grown by leaps and bounds since moving to Germany.”

Ko Young-jun and Lim Seung-min, who are pursuing their dreams of becoming professional soccer players in college, shook their heads as if they had no idea, while Han Seung-woo and Kim Jun-young, who are making a name for themselves in the professional scene, also watched with expressions of admiration.

“I think I’ve really grown a lot too… Minwoo hyung is really amazing.”

“Junyoung, do you remember? You got scolded a lot by Yoo Jinho for not putting it in before Kim Minwoo joined the soccer team?”

It was Ko Young-jun. Ko Young-jun was looking at Kim Jun-young, giggling.

Kim Jun-young also nodded with a faint smile.

“I don’t remember why I still think about it.”

“Mom. But you are still my teacher. Huh?”

“In places where people don’t listen, they even curse the king.”

That moment when the Suyang High School family was laughing and chatting while eating chicken and watching the quarterfinal match against Brazil.

‘We lost to Korea? To Korea with the finals just around the corner?’

73 minutes in the second half.

Brazil’s Olympic team coach Menizis, still trailing by a score of 0:1, swallowed hard as he could not believe the reality of his team’s situation.

“Director. Replacing Joao···.”

Coaches who don’t know the speed of the manager were talking about replacing Joao Pedro as a solution.

The club’s name value is falling, but is it even reasonable to replace Brighton’s starting striker who has been firmly in the top ranks of the league since the year before last?

But Menezes was patient and asked the coach.

“Who do you want to replace me with?”

“Wouldn’t it be Leonardo?”

“Are you saying that we should take out the starting EPL striker and put in the Santos striker?”

“It’s true that Joao has been playing well in his league, but his form is not good at the moment. If we had converted half of the chances Joao had, the score would have been 3-1.”

The director wanted to make a rebuke like this.

It’s not that Joao Pedro has been in a slump this match, it’s that the goalkeeper has been making some insane saves.

That goalkeeper is so good that it just makes the strikers look bad.

but······.

‘It is also obvious that if we do not make changes, we will be defeated.’

I started with Brazilian classics, but none of them worked. So it was time to try variations.

“···Okay. However, since Pedro’s penetration ability is useful, move Pedro to the wing and put in Leonardo in his place.”

“Okay, then where would you like Pedro to go?”

“left.”

“Then, I will proceed with the replacement.”

Menages nodded.

Just one goal.

Just one goal can turn the game around.

Even though they didn’t score a goal, there were always attacking opportunities, and if they could just break through the blockage once, Brazil would get excited and destroy Korea with samba soccer.

.

.

The announcer shouted in a tearful voice.

So much so that everyone who hears it feels sad.

Youngjun Ko, who had been quietly watching TV, clapped his hands loudly.

“What’s important is the mind that breaks everything down···.”

“It’s a double-cross.”

Kim Jun-young responded with a smile.

South Korea has advanced to the finals.

Before the Olympics, I thought Korea was truly amazing, having only won one game.

‘It’s all thanks to our Minwoo Ham···.’

Kim Jun-young looked at Kim Min-woo on the broadcast screen with a proud face.

“Oh, so Minwoo is exempted now?”

“At least it’s a silver medal, right?”

“Beat France and get a private, beat Egypt and get a corporal, beat Spain and get a sergeant, beat Brazil and get discharged… I deserve to be exempted from military service!”

“They even broke my military exemption···.”

“Youngjun is right. What’s important is the heart to break everything.”

Han Seung-woo casually said something. We laughed and started to slowly clean up the area. Now that the game was over.

***

The players who were confirmed to be exempted from military service literally went crazy. They gathered in a circle and sang the Red Devils cheer song, and even cried out, “I’m discharged!” while shedding hot tears.

“It’s thanks to you, Minwoo! It’s thanks to you!”

Park Seung-ho’s hot tears. I burst into laughter and playfully saluted.

“Private Kim! Min! Woo! You have been ordered to be discharged~”

“Good job, kids!”

Festive atmosphere.

Now, the mood was such that it didn’t matter how the finals turned out.

···That’s not really something to be said.

I still have the Football Manager rewards.

They said that the rewards change depending on the rank, so since I’ve come this far, I’d like to wear ‘gold’ around my neck.

“Okay! Okay! Everyone! Calm down!”

Coach Choi tried to calm the players down by raising both hands in an attempt to restrain them, but it took several more minutes for the players’ excitement to subside.

To that extent, military exemption was a huge thing for an athlete. Even Son Heung-min was overjoyed as soon as his military exemption was confirmed for the Asian Games.

For athletes, military exemption was like that.

Even the best stars in South Korea compete in the Asian Games, which are much lower-level games, to avoid military service, and then jump for joy when they win the Asian Games.

But even though we’re not at the Asian Games, we’re at the Olympics, right?

“I understand that you are all happy that you have been exempted from military service, but everyone, you can celebrate after the Olympic schedule is over. We still have one more game left. Our Minwoo brought us here, and you want to go back with just a ‘silver’ around your neck? Shouldn’t you go back after suppressing Messi or Mbappe and winning a gold?”

“you’re right!”

“Mbappe, come out!”

“Messi, you little brat! Kill me!”

Everyone was in a huff. Director Choi also smiled faintly and let out a sigh.

“Yeah, whatever I say in this situation won’t be understood by you all. So just enjoy today↑! Enjoy today! Starting tomorrow, things will go back to normal. Got it?”

“yes-!”

The players shook their butts in the locker room for a few more minutes (some of them actually twerked) before leaving the stadium.

***

Kylian Mbappe was left gritting his teeth at the news that South Korea had beaten Brazil and advanced to the final.

[······If France advances to second place in the group anyway, they won’t be able to meet Argentina and make it to the finals.]

That blue Asian boy.

A bastard who beats us by luck and thinks that’s true skill.

[Anyway, Mbappe. You were really good. You were the best striker I’ve ever met. ······Maybe you’ll be updated when you meet Messi?]

That goalkeeper, Kim, was spurred on by the thought that Lionel Messi would make it to the final, but that was never going to happen.

‘In the group stage, we suffered a series of misfortunes and lost, but in the final, we will double what we couldn’t make last time and make it.’

And the semifinal opponent Argentina? Lionel Messi? I can say for sure that South America is not as good as Europe.

France’s loss to Argentina in the last World Cup was also due to a virus that spread among the national team two days before the final.

If it weren’t for that virus that spread like wildfire, France would have won the World Cup.

‘Messi is going to retire in a day or two anyway. This time, there’s no cold issue.’

France will crush Argentina and advance to the final. France has won all matches, both in content and results, except for one match against Korea.

Even if you only look at the content of the Korean War, it was a landslide victory.

‘Leo. This time it’s my victory.’

The French and Argentine players shook hands before the match at the Parc des Princes, PSG’s home ground and the stadium most familiar to Mbappe.

I know the whole world is watching this game.

Korea, which has already advanced to the finals, will also be watching this match.

‘There’s no need to think about anything else. First, we have to win this match.’

There was a clear reason why Mbappe had to wear the gold medal around his neck. The superficial reason was to promote national prestige, but winning the Olympics was also clearly an important achievement to become the world’s best player.

And for Mbappe, the world’s best player was just a stepping stone.

What Mbappe ultimately wanted was to be an icon of the times. That was also the reason he turned down Saudi Arabia’s 1 trillion won annual salary offer.

If you become an icon of the times, not only will the money follow, you can make even more money.

His ultimate goal was to become a representative soccer player like Kylian Mbappe, just like Roger Federer in tennis and LeBron James in basketball, although they are different sports.

And to do that, you had to get everything: the best skills, the best grades, the best results.

Mbappe, who had no intention of being pushed out by the likes of Argentina and Korea, looked at the Argentina camp while overwhelmed by various emotions such as desire, determination, revenge, and anxiety.

And with the referee’s whistle, all those emotions were forgotten for a moment and he did what he had to do.

***

The Olympic semifinal between France and Argentina, a matchup that has captured the attention of the world.

The Korean national team also watched the match closely as it was the match that would determine our opponent.

And the famous feast was a delicious meal.

Di Maria received a pass from Messi, broke through the defense, and as soon as the goalkeeper jumped out, he put the ball into the goal with a short chip shot, putting the team ahead by one point.

Di Maria’s ceremony.

Next, a close-up of Mbappe’s shit-chewing expression.

And from that point on, the game got heated.

The header from a corner kick bounced off the foot of an Argentine defender, but in the ensuing duel, Mbappe found a narrow gap and finished the game.

Score 1:1.

“It’s hot···.”

I muttered while watching the game.

To be honest, Korea’s tournament journey has been a bit unmanly.

The Spain match ended in a penalty shootout after a space defense, and Brazil also fought well in the first half, but as time went on, didn’t they focus more on defense?

But the match between France and Argentina was the exact opposite. Both countries bared their teeth at each other without mercy, and when they saw an opening, they quickly opened their mouths and bit it.

“Wow! Look at that! Mbappe is so lucky, he just touched the ball with his foot!”

The camera showed a close-up of Mbappe’s goal, which went into the goal with no power at all and only a slight angle.

“That’s also a skill, I guess···.”

And the game continues with France on the offensive again.

Kingsley Coman picks up the ball on the flank and dribbles.

He passes the ball to Mbappe, who is digging into the penalty box, and just before Mbappe goes out of the goal line, he turns back and passes it briefly to Coman.

Coman made a sliding tackle and fired a shot past the far post.

At the same time, the audience’s enthusiastic cheers erupted on the TV screen.

And just before the end of the match, it was a free kick chance for France.

The game progressed as if it was a corner kick, and goalkeeper Martinez actively intervened and punched the ball far away.

And Argentina’s counterattack is underway.

Lionel Messi passes a through ball past the defender to striker Alejo Bellis.

Alejo Bellis, a Tottenham player, was given a crucial chance and calmly closed the gap to aim for the goal with a low shot.

The match was extended due to a counterattack by Argentina with one minute left.

“Right! I have to extend it!”

“Oh, if we do this, whoever comes up, we’ll have better stamina.”

Naturally, all South Korean players were delighted with the news of the extension.

We continued watching the game while munching on popcorn, and the extra innings followed.

Lionel Messi went down during a challenge with a French defender.

The replay went live, and it turned out that in a tangled battle for position, the defender had stepped hard on Messi’s ankle.

Messi’s rise, a godlike figure in Argentina, has enraged his teammates and led to a bitter emotional battle with France.

The French crowd that filled the stadium booed the Argentine players loudly.

After calming down the players, the referee conducted a VAR review. After checking the situation in the technical area, the referee said it did not appear to be an intentional step and showed the defender a yellow card.

The audience applauded as if it was a fair decision, and I nodded my head bitterly when I saw that.

“The home team is a bit too dominant. If we had done that, we would have been in the red.”

“If we do this, will we be at odds with France?”

“Messi is missing! Minwoo, isn’t Argentina a better opponent? Messi might not even show up in the final.”

Messi, whose participation is uncertain, is much better than Mbappe, who is sure to play.

“I don’t want to see Mbappe again. He must have really gotten sick of it…”

Lionel Messi was eventually substituted, and extra time was Argentina without Messi vs France with Mbappe.

Mbappe’s France went on the offensive as soon as Messi left, and Argentina looked as if they would collapse at any moment.

The one who shined in France’s repeated attacks was Argentina’s wild card and one of the key players in their World Cup victory in Qatar, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

Just like in the last World Cup, he saved several crucial moments when the team was in danger of conceding a goal.

Beep- beep- beep-!

And the match eventually went into a penalty shootout, just like the last World Cup final.

Mbappe stepped up to take the first kick and beat Martinez, while Argentina’s first kicker Alejo Bellis also made it without difficulty.

The penalty shootout, which had been successful without a single failed kick, has now entered its fifth kick.

“I think the match will be decided here···.”

Argentina’s fifth kicker, Infantino, successfully fired the ball to his right.

France’s fifth kicker, Amine Gouiri, hit a left-footed effort that was saved by Martinez.

The players gasped as soon as they saw it.

“Wow! Argentina won!”

All the players who had secretly thought that France would advance were shocked and opened their mouths.

On the screen, the Argentine players are seen jumping for joy and hugging each other after beating France again in their home stadium following the World Cup.

“and···.”

Mbappe’s expression looks as if he has been faced with an unbelievable reality.

I watched that face through the screen and burst out laughing.

“It really happened just as I said.”

But Lionel Messi wasn’t there.

This was a story reminiscent of Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi from Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Anyway, we who know France’s aggressiveness well were very happy that the next opponent was Argentina.

“Argentina without Messi is like a steamed bun without red beans. We could really win the gold medal.”

“Maybe Messi will come out…”

It would be funny if Lionel Messi’s last dance ended with an ankle injury.

Anyway, our final opponent has been confirmed as Argentina.

End

ⓒ Doctor Am