Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 195



Only Krnovel

195 Kim Min-woo does everything alone

The second half, which started like that, continued the flow of the first half.

A mess. Individual battles. A mess. Disarray.

‘What kind of game is this like neighborhood soccer?’

World-class football is, paradoxically, similar to neighborhood football: attack and defense alternate in a matter of seconds.

I used to say on the internet that opposites attract, but who would have thought that would apply in soccer too?

“Johnny! Johnny! Run! Fucking run!”

I shouted at the top of my lungs at Jonny Evans, who was playing in place of the regular defenders.

Jonny Evans, who is much older than Coutinho, was a defender who gave me a hard time.

Jonny Evans was running slowly but was easily beaten by the Brighton attacker, leaving him open to a shooting angle.

As befitting the best league in the world, Brighton’s Joao Pedro took the shot without hesitation as soon as the shooting angle opened up slightly.

‘Ugh!’

Evans puts his leg into that shooting angle to show his usefulness, and the trajectory changes in an instant.

I flinched once, then turned sharply toward the changed trajectory, and the shot just barely managed to block it as it hit my fingertips.

The situation didn’t end, but he got up and ran, but Dalot snatched the ball out of possession and averted the crisis.

‘Oh my. I really can’t let my guard down.’

You can’t let your guard down at all. Every moment is a crisis. Even if all the players rush to the opposing team’s camp, they will rush back to their own camp within 10 to 15 seconds.

This isn’t something that hasn’t happened before in the Bundesliga, but it happened so often throughout the game that I was sweating all over.

‘You make me sweat…’

After all, I should have gone to Real Madrid and played happy soccer.

But in today’s game, even a little thought is not allowed. Brighton quickly regained possession of the ball from Manchester United, who had been advancing far ahead, and the opponents began to anxiously continue to loiter around Manchester United’s penalty box.

And again, a red trail appears in my eyes.

‘Oh my god.’

It’s generated to the right of my standard. I’m ready. And the Man U defenders are doing something that I don’t know if they’re defending or doing Irfanshaimase.

Another wide open shooting angle.

The opponent seemed to be about to kick, then hesitated for a moment, and the trajectory was immediately regenerated. It was to the left.

“Tchcha!”

A very clever and difficult route to block, aiming for the left corner. If the trajectory hadn’t been known in advance, it would probably have worked.

I held the ball tightly in my arms and suddenly a thought occurred to me.

‘Oh, nana. What kind of fight have you been in…?’

The gap left by the two starting players out with injuries was really big. In fact, I didn’t get to play in a game with those two as a back four, so I didn’t really feel it, but I think it’s much better than the current situation. Yes.

It was almost like Hannover were being pierced against Munich. At that time, they had Corsic, but now… … Phew.

“Is this a hidden camera? Do they have some kind of initiation ceremony in England too?”

I muttered to myself. It doesn’t make sense that Manchester United are being pushed back by Brighton like this, even if they are missing a lot of their regular players.

And as if stimulated by my continued defense, Manchester United launched a full-scale counterattack.

They harassed Brighton in various ways and fired shots. A feast of shots. But they say that if you knock, it will open.

Once in the flow, Man U continued to beat Brighton by forcing them into a corner. And finally.

Rashford led the Brighton players away like cattle, then slid a pass from the flank a few metres from goal to Hoylun, who had a solo chance right in front of the goalkeeper.

The defenders were completely consumed by Rashford, and the only person who could stop Hoylun was the opposing goalkeeper.

Hoilun calmly kicked a maiden shot towards the other goal, and the ball settled into the net. It was a goal that seemed certain.

“Whaaaa …

A goal finally scored after 70 minutes in the second half.

Hoilun also roared with joy at scoring his life-extending goal, and Manchester United finally took the lead.

And now, I thought that all I had to do was keep trying hard.

“Ah. Why are you looking at VAR…?”

I heard that British referees have a peculiar twang and don’t really look at things like VAR. Was that a joke?

… Well, it’s ridiculous. It’s hard to believe that there are referees like that in the best league in the world.

And the referee went to the technical area and checked the VAR. On the screen, Rashford passed the ball to Hoilun while it was out of the goal line, and even a five-year-old could see that the goal was disallowed… … .

And of course, the referee ruled out the goal.

I’m glad it happened.

shit.

And this situation took away Man U’s momentum. Now it was the start of another decline, and it was time for me to get to work.

Brighton’s furious onslaught.

Shoot. Shushush. Shushush. Shoot. Shushush.

As the threat inside the penalty box continued, Evans ended up doing something he shouldn’t have done while defending.

“Ahhhhhhh!”

Beep!

The referee’s eerie whistle.

Brighton’s Joao Pedro is down, and the referee blows his whistle with his left hand outstretched.

That was a fucking penalty kick.

I nodded and laughed.

“The initiation ceremony was so fancy. Wash~pal.”

* * *

It was a match that could be described as a game that was a perfect fit. In the second half, Kim Min-woo’s performance continued, and especially when he reacted and blocked a deflected shot, it made me wonder if he was really human.

[Kim hesitates for a moment, then twists his body to block! Is this the level of clean sheet required for two consecutive seasons?]

The commentators’ cries.

H&B’s Philip Harris, who was watching Kim Min-woo’s debut match at the pub with his colleagues, took a sip of beer and exclaimed “Wow.”

The people in the pub each said something while watching Kim Min-woo’s performance.

There were those like Philip Harris who were like, “Wow,” or “Oh my goodness,” or those who are still talking about drug conspiracy theories… .

Philip Harris looked at them pitifully, then looked away again.

‘If you can have that kind of skill just by injecting a little bit of drugs, then soccer in this world would be played only by aliens.’

That’s a movement that can’t be changed even with drugs. It’s just a matter of talent.

Manchester United’s attack continues.

Once Manchester United got into the swing of things, they kept pouring and it seemed like they were going to score a goal, but the goal was ruled out by VAR.

And from that point on, Brighton took control this time.

[Brighton tear through Manchester United’s defence.]

[You can’t let them move around so freely in the penalty box! You have to defend a little more actively!]

[Kim is solely responsible for the defense. With the defenders not running, Kim is taking on all of Brighton’s attacks.]

The commentators were determined to criticise Man U’s defenders. Their colleagues also clicked their tongues.

“Why does Kim look like he’s having a hard time even though he transferred to a world-class club?”

“Yeah. It looks harder than when I played soccer in Hanover.”

In fact, it was a planned procedure. It is a trial that will inevitably come to those who wish to take the difficult path. And this is only the beginning.

Kim will probably have to go through similar levels of ordeals every game.

“If this trend continues, even Kim will probably lose a point… … Hmm.”

“You guys still don’t know Kim?”

“huh?”

Philip Harris acted like a prophet who had seen the future in response to his colleagues’ reactions.

“Kim has saved goals in games worse than this one. He will probably be more consistent when he adapts to the Premier League.”

“Well… that’s true.”

Even now, there are places all over the world that bet on whether Kim Min-woo will concede a goal or not.

And Philip, who had confidence in Kim, watched the game without much worry. This year’s league was a great game from the start.

[Oh, and…! The referee blew his whistle! It looks like a penalty kick!]

[Evans did something completely useless in the penalty box! Penalty kick looks obvious!]

The penalty call was met with harsh swearing from all over the pub. This was London, but there were Manchester United fans all over the UK.

The colleagues who were watching also shook their heads. Philip chuckled as he watched Kim on the screen smiling in vain.

“Kim probably wants to go home by now.”

Penalty kick. The rule is that the kicker scores and the goalkeeper scores.

But it was useless in front of Kim. Once, Philip and Kim were chatting and the conversation was about penalty kicks.

“Actually, I’m most confident in penalty shootouts and shootouts. I’m better at one-on-ones than when the penalty box is full of players.”

“I’m kicking it right in front of the goal. Is that okay? If I make one mistake, I’ll lose a goal.”

“It’s okay. I can tell where the opponent is going.”

If another goalkeeper showed that kind of confidence, I would have laughed it off, but I couldn’t do that when Kim did it.

Above all, didn’t he prove it with his skills? With the unique achievement of keeping a clean sheet in every game… .

[Joao Pedro prepares. In today’s game, there were many opportunities, but Kim blocked them every time. Today, Joao Pedro has a clearer opportunity than any other.]

[Kim said that the drug scandal was caused by fear of himself. Is it karma? He is facing a life-or-death crisis. He must overcome this crisis to avoid becoming a laughing stock.]

The commentators looked very serious. The people in the pub also stopped chattering and focused on the situation.

A tense atmosphere swept through the audience, and the referee on the screen blew his whistle!

However, kicker Joao Pedro is not easily moved and is watching the situation.

The people who were watching also became quiet… … .

“When on earth are you going to move?”

When Joao Pedro didn’t move for nearly 20 seconds, a loud noise was heard. The commentators also reported with a slightly embarrassed voice.

[I think it’s time to start moving now.]

[Yes. And Joao Pedro runs!]

After waiting, Joao Pedro ran with all his might and kicked to the left. It was a kick that was refreshing to watch, but Kim read it and knocked it away with a bang!

Philip Harris smiled and drank his beer, saying, “Of course.”

There were gasps from all over the pub, as if they didn’t know that a penalty kick would be blocked.

[Kim blocks it! Read it perfectly!]

[Guardian of Manchester! No need for league adaptation! Kim shows the same form he showed in Hannover here!]

“Wow!”

The colleagues who had been watching nervously also laughed and applauded.

Philippe, watching the game, felt that perhaps Manchester United were just a slightly bigger Hannover.

If they can do this to Brighton, why are they doing this to strong teams like Manchester City and Liverpool?

The game continued, leaving a dispirited Joao Pedro behind.

Replacement cards are used 3 to 4 at a time and the time decreases by the minute.

Both teams gave their all to somehow score a goal.

and…….

[Free kick foul! This one looks obvious. Manchester United get a free kick in a pretty good spot.]

“hmm?”

no way?

[Kim used to score free kick goals often in Hannover. In this game… … Ah! He’s coming!]

Kim runs forward as if he will finally tie up this match himself. The British who had not seen his performance in Hannover were in an uproar, and the H&B officials who knew Kim’s performance well were all giggling.

“100% success rate in saves and 100% success rate in free kicks. It’s definitely worth Manchester spending a lot of money.”

On the screen, Kim appeared to be bickering with the players over something that had not yet been agreed upon. However, the players soon gave way for Kim, and the referee blew his whistle.

[This is an unfamiliar scene for the British. The goalkeeper prepares for a free kick.]

Kim stared straight ahead for a moment, then kicked him right away without wasting time like Joao Pedro.

Considering that most players have a free kick success rate of around 10%, Kim… … .

[Kiiiiiim―! What a fantastic shot!]

Success rate 100%. He never missed a single one. He was just a free kick wizard. Once he got the ball, he just put it in.

Kim, who finished the game on his own after a sluggish start, ran to the excited Manchester United fans and pumped his fists in joy.

The players also ran and flocked to Kim, who scored his debut goal in his debut match.

[An incredibly precise goal for a goalkeeper! It blocks all of Brighton’s attacks and drives a wedge into the heart of Brighton!]

[The goalkeeper who dominated the Bundesliga is on his way to conquering the Premier League! Many in the football world, including Klopp and Guardiola, have criticized Kim’s ‘fear’ comments, but maybe we should really be trembling in fear now!]

Anyway, the equation is Odubangjeong.

Philip was impressed by the excessive narrative given by the commentators, but he thought that sports need stories to be fun, so he let it go.

And the pub was in an uproar. There were more United fans than expected, and the game was about to end… … .