Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 171



Only Krnovel

2 years ago

* * *

I thought that the two matches of the third preliminary round held at South Korea’s home stadium would not be filled to capacity with over 66,000 seats as the opponents were weak teams.

But it was a leaning.

Fans sold out every seat to see the Korean national team’s ultra-star squad, no matter who they faced.

All sorts of emotions surged, including gratitude, a desire to do well, a sense of mission, and elation. The national team is only in its third match.

The veterans of the national team seemed to be used to this situation and didn’t seem to mind, but the rookies like me who didn’t play much seemed quite nervous and were twitching and twitching.

And I glanced at the Vietnamese team lined up next to me, who were a hand’s length smaller than the Korean team.

‘… What’s wrong with them? Did they catch coronavirus?’

The Vietnamese players were beyond nervous, they were sweating even before they had even started playing.

He was even blatantly spying on the Korean national team players… … .

The Vietnamese national team’s goalkeeper made eye contact with me. He quickly turned his head away as if he hadn’t seen me, so I tapped him on the shoulder.

“Hi?”

“H, Hi!”

“Let’s do our best.”

The Vietnamese goalkeeper swallows hard as I shake his hand. He then tries to talk to me in broken English.

“U, Uniform change? Are you ok?”

“You want to change your uniform? OK. Yes.”

Then the Vietnamese goalkeeper keeps saying “thank you, thank you”. He is so moved that tears well up in his eyes, he looks like he might cry if you touch him.

“let’s go!”

And we strode briskly toward the stadium entrance. The Vietnamese players in white uniforms looked tense overall, and the Korean players in red uniforms looked relaxed.

As Kim Shin-ah said, the outcome of the game may be obvious, but the ball is round.

Even if the opponent is a rabbit, a cornered rabbit might do a body slam as a last resort, so I, as the final defender, decided not to be nervous and straightened my frame of mind.

* * *

Vietnam striker Nguyen Dinh Bac felt increasingly helpless.

‘I knew there would be a clear difference…’

Manager Philippe Troussier employed a defensive and counterattacking tactic (a very common tactic against a strong team) against South Korea, which is 70th in the FIFA rankings, and gave a long speech before the match saying that they could do it.

We gathered in a circle in the locker room and listened to the coach’s desperate speech.

[We can do it! Believe in yourself! You are the best elites in Vietnam! Korea is a powerhouse, but it is definitely not enough to defeat them helplessly!]

Director Philippe Troussier seemed to be appealing beyond desperation: never let defeat come in a helpless defeat… .

But we couldn’t beat other countries that were a few levels below Korea, so can we?

The cheering of over 60,000 Korean spectators played a part in dampening the spirits of the Vietnamese national team from the start.

We were pushed back as soon as the first half started, and as soon as we were pushed back, we started doubting ourselves.

And now it looked like this.

“I can’t get past the halfway line.”

You can’t even catch the ball.

If you catch the ball, it will be taken away within 15 seconds at most.

We were unable to keep up with the all-out pressure from the Korean national team.

“I wanted to make at least one valid shot.”

I can see the famous Kim Min-woo over there.

It was too far away to see his face clearly, but I could clearly see him loitering around the goal.

I wanted to shoot at Kim Min-woo just once. I didn’t care if it got blocked, but I just wanted to get there…

“Nguyen!”

Nguyen hurried to his feet at the sound of his name being called. It was the first time in a long time that the ball had come, and Nguyen showed the pressure relief he had always shown in the Vietnamese league when the Korean player number 18 got very close.

“Huh.”

And in the blink of an eye, it was taken away.

What the heck? This was stolen?

But there is no time to be surprised. Nguyen hurriedly chases No. 18 to get the ball back, and No. 18 makes some incomprehensible moves and easily breaks through Nguyen behind him and Nguyen in front of him.

“no….”

Number 18.

Was it Lee Kang-im who plays for PSG?

It’s definitely different.

It’s just that the method was different.

‘Isn’t it just the soccer we’re playing that’s different?’

A brief exclamation.

And number 18 threw the ball in a difficult-to-understand route, and with that one pass, the Vietnamese defense collapsed in an instant.

The opposing attacker received the pass and kicked it past the goalkeeper, resulting in our third goal.

The current score is 0:3. Only 20 minutes have passed in the first half.

“shit….”

I pulled up my pants with a sigh. I should at least tie my shoelaces again while the Korean players do their ceremony.

Nguyen retieve his shoelaces and glance back at the bench to see that the ceremony wasn’t over yet.

… I don’t know how to say this, but director Philippe Troussier’s expression was spectacular.

Nguyen turned his head with a blank expression, as if he couldn’t believe the situation.

It was really hard to see the director like that.

* * *

“… Did I get too greedy about competing for nothing?”

Maybe Kim Shin-ah is wise.

Nearly 30 minutes had passed in the first half, but the Vietnamese players had not yet crossed the center circle.

Korea was being beaten up so mercilessly.

This scene looks exactly like a middle school student twisting an elementary school student’s wrist… .

Because originally, someone who was moderately strong was better at beating someone who was weak.

‘We won 2-0 in the last away game against Vietnam, but how did it end 2-0 with this performance? Is there really a home buff?’

Or did Vietnam act as shady as Japan? Like assigning training grounds to places that were very far away, or assigning training grounds to places that were poorly managed… .

Whatever it was, Korea’s current offensive power was at an all-time high.

Considering that the score is already 3-0, it seems like an unimaginable number of goals could be scored.

I thought I shouldn’t let my guard down, but seeing the Vietnamese national team getting hit throughout the game made me feel a little sorry.

‘It’s really scary that the World Cup tickets have been sold out for no reason.’

Even now, Korea continues to go on the offensive as if it is not enough… … Hmm.

Since I was already here, I took a quick look around the stands that I had been told about beforehand.

‘Let’s see. Where is my family… .’

There are so many people that it’s hard to find something.

I’ll be watching from among those huge crowds.

.

.

So the first half ended and the second half also ended.

It was an overwhelming match with no surprises.

Score 7:0.

A literal goal parade game.

In the second half, Vietnam finally had a chance to attack, but the defenders cut it off without me having to step up.

I seriously debated whether I should shower or not.

* * *

Not long after the match ended, breaking news broke that Vietnam national team coach Philippe Troussier had been fired.

The Vietnam Football Federation has announced that it will sack the incompetent Philippe Troussier and move into an interim managerial position until a new coach is appointed.

‘Vietnam has also been on a downward slope since coach Park Hang-seo took over.’

It seemed to be moving a little bit… … and then…

“Brother. Weren’t you unable to control your strength? I heard the Vietnam coach was fired.”

“Oh really?”

Son Heung-min laughs at my joke.

“Hong Min hyung made a French person unemployed~ Wow. That was bad.”

It was Lee Kang-im.

Then Son Heung-min also laughs and counterattacks.

“Hey. Was it just me? You guys weren’t joking? Kang-Im’s play made me think I was watching the Champions League. I was in the Champions League quarterfinals by myself.”

“Huh? Are you saying you’re going to the quarterfinals right now?”

“Did you hear that?”

“That’s what I heard?”

As we were laughing amongst ourselves, Kim Yang-kwon, a domestic figure who had been quietly listening nearby, joined in.

“Wow. We haven’t even experienced the Champions League yet. Isn’t this a bit like the two of us secretly showing off that we’re Europeans?”

The team atmosphere was very good after winning 7:0.

And I also heard news from Japan.

I told the national team players about Kim Shin-a’s news.

“Ah. I heard Japan beat Jordan 4:1?”

“Really? We scored 7 goals, so we won.”

“Fuck. We even got a clean sheet.”

And the remaining game is against Iraq.

Iraq is a bigger opponent than Vietnam, so it is not something to be taken lightly.

The FIFA ranking is 30 levels higher than Vietnam’s, and the Middle Eastern style of soccer is famous.

* * *

And it looks like Leon’s goalkeeping rotation was ultimately a failure.

I heard that Yoo Jin-ho agonized over who would be the starting goalkeeper for the Iraq match until the very end, but he ultimately decided on me.

‘Yes. That’s correct.’

If the wheel was turned, it would have been right to use Seung-gu Kim for the Vietnam War and me for the Iraq War.

But, since using the starting goalkeeper in the Vietnam War and then using the sub-goalkeeper against Iraq, which has a higher FIFA ranking, is not an option that only someone with a crazy mind would choose, things went as I expected.

The Iraq War was a sellout, following the Vietnam War. This time, the stadium was called the Big Bird, Suwon World Cup Stadium.

Although it was a team of a higher weight class than Vietnam, it was a team that was infinitely smaller compared to Korea.

We played in front of a crowd of over 40,000 people, receiving overwhelming support, and the game felt like a rehash of the Vietnam War.

‘It’s definitely better than Vietnam.’

I thought about it as I watched the game in front of the goal. Iraq’s current record is 2 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses.

They were in 4th place, closely following the United Arab Emirates, which had 11 points with 3 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss.

Iraq seemed to be trying to get even in this match, just like Vietnam, but the Korean attack led by Son Heung-min completely destroyed Vietnam, which had such intentions, so it seems that Iraq’s intentions will not be easily accepted.

“Wow!”

Spectators surfing the waves.

Like the heated atmosphere in the stadium, Korea was currently riding high.

‘I guess the Japanese catch last time was big.’

I think that beating Japan, the reigning Asian champion, three times gave the players confidence.

Korea continued to try to score a goal by knocking on various parts of Iraq’s defense.

I stabbed the left side and then went into the center.

He goes into the right flank and then tries to dribble directly at the ball.

However, unlike Vietnam, Iraq still maintained a strong defensive organization.

Kim Min-je had already moved forward, and I was positioned slightly in front to fill the gap left by him.

‘It was the same during the Vietnam War, but the free kick angle is not good at all.’

The Iraqi players were always on defense, carrying their hands behind their backs, as if they were trying to avoid giving themselves any chance of foul play.

I never thought I’d see Middle Eastern players trying to play fair like that. Are you watching, seniors?

“Minwoo!”

When the breakthrough fails, the ball comes back to me.

I lightly received the ball that Kim Yang-kwon passed me.

As the ball rolls back towards the Korean camp, several Iraqi players slowly stick their heads forward.

I watched for a moment while dragging the ball, then sent it far away towards Hwang Hee-cheon.

Boohoo!

The Iraqi players surrounded Hwang Hee-cheon in an instant as if they had expected this to happen, and Hwang Hee-cheon succeeded in heading the ball despite the difficult situation and passed it to Lee Kang-im, who was nearby.

Lee Kang-im, who received the ball, suddenly ran backwards toward the friendly camp (?!) and made the opposite transition with his left foot.

It was a ground ball pass that found its way into the Iraqi defense and Son Heung-min received it, ran straight into the penalty box. It literally happened in two seconds.

And Son Heung-min’s calm ground ball shot.

and…….

“Wowaaa …

It was a goal.

I watched from afar and stuck out my tongue in admiration.

‘No. What is Kang Im-hyung?’

Monthly action following related action.

Lee Kang-im, who saw the pass, was amazing, but Son Heung-min, who calmly scored a goal despite the situation being more difficult than expected, was also amazing.

If it had been another player there, wouldn’t it have been blocked and blocked?

It was truly a collaboration between the world’s best.

.

.

And then Iraq’s counterattack began.

Iraq, having conceded a goal, raised the line as if it was a do-or-die situation (although it was not a full-scale attack), and what could be called a crisis finally came to Korea.

Of course, every time.

“Tch~cha.”

I watched the trajectory and blocked one of Iraq’s few attacks.

A side cross following a counterattack.

“Tchcha.”

I blocked the sharper header than I expected by curling my fist into the trajectory.

“Ugh!”

An attack that passes between the defender’s legs.

This was perhaps Iraq’s biggest offensive opportunity of the match, a ray of light.

I stretched out my legs and arms like a butterfly to block the attack. The Iraqi attacker looked absent-minded and, above all, excited.

For a soccer player, especially a striker, composure in front of goal is an important trait that determines whether the player becomes a first-class player or not.

When you get excited, your vision narrows, and when your vision narrows, attacks become obvious.

What if the attack becomes obvious?

“عليك اللعنة! آآآه!”

You shouldn’t think about scoring a goal.

The Iraqi attacker in front of me was screaming something in unintelligible Arabic.

I looked at the player with a pitiful look and then threw the ball to fullback Kim Jin-seok.