Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 203



Only Krnovel

Episode 203

# I did it like eating rice

Today’s game was held in Gyeongnam, down south, not in the metropolitan area.

Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium.

Ulsan Daehyeon’s home stadium and considered one of the best stadiums in the K League.

‘It reminds me of the old days….’

Even when I was at Suyang High School, I traveled around the provinces a lot to compete.

Now, two years and a few months later, I am wearing the Taegeuk mark and playing in a stadium that is incomparable to that time.

The game had already started, but there was a brief lull, and the fans who filled the stadium were all singing ‘For Victory’ together.

As more than 40,000 people sang the cheering song together, their voices reflected off the roof and reverberated.

“Wow.”

I laughed in amazement while looking ahead. It gave me goosebumps down my spine. I just couldn’t get used to the cheering song sung by over 40,000 people.

It’s familiar in Hanover or Manchester, but Korea feels different.

Is this… the weight of a national representative or something like that? Or is there something unique to the Korean language?

Even I, a goalkeeper, feel this way, so how much pressure do field players feel?

‘I think I understand why attackers pass up shots when they have a chance to attack.’

Even if you usually kick without any worries, when you try to kick in a stadium like this, you get overwhelmed and end up making a development shot. In order to shake off that kind of pressure, you have to be experienced and skilled, but how many people like that are on the national team? At most, there are Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-cheon, Kim Min-je, Lee Ja-seong, Hwang Yu-beom… … What? That’s a lot?

“Minwoo!”

Kim Min-jae’s call.

South Korea was currently taking two steps back to take one step forward. In short, it was in the process of building up.

Since the opponent was the opponent, we couldn’t do things like twisting a child’s wrist, so we played the game carefully.

Of course, the default setting was ‘aggressive’.

As soon as I received the ball from Kim Min-je, I looked at Hwang Hee-cheon, who was running forward with his hand extended.

The players near Hwang Hee-cheon also seemed to notice and followed him, but their movements were unsteady.

‘I can’t stand this anymore.’

The super long distance delivery long pass that Junyoung praised is going up!

Boohoo!

The ball I kicked coolly crossed the field. Now, I was able to achieve this level of accuracy without the help of Quick and Accurate Kick. Of course, there were times when it was inaccurate depending on the condition… … but then I could just use Quick and Accurate Kick.

Hwang Hee-cheon, who received the ball accurately, received the ball with his chest, beat one player with a trap, and then quickly crossed the ball into the box.

It was a click build-up.

If I give a ‘click’ long pass, Hwang Hee-cheon peels it off and crosses it, and Jo Kyu-seok, who may not be good with his feet but is quite good with his head, finishes it… … !?

“Ah!”

The crowd that had been cheering during the attack that unfolded in an instant soon began to sigh. The ball did hit Cho Kyu-seok’s head, but the header hit the crossbar.

I thought it was going in, but it was empty.

‘If I think about it carefully, even if we go out with the current squad, it would probably work well against Japan, right?’

Because Japan tends to be weak in aerial duels and physical fights.

Well, let’s catch these guys first and think about it.

* * *

Leon Harpus scratched his chin.

‘Uruguay came out determined.’

Perhaps because they were crushed in their last away game against Japan, Uruguay was taking this evaluation match seriously as if it were a World Cup group stage match.

The lineup of players was also impressive.

Darwin Nunez at the forefront.

Bentancur on the left wing.

Pellistri on the right wing.

Valverde and Ugarte in the two-man squad.

The back four are Araujo da Silva, Cáceres, Olivera and Viña.

Even the goalkeeper was Rochette, who plays for Inter Milan.

‘… How on earth did Japan catch Uruguay?’

Uruguay, who came out with a lot of strength, showed a tight match with us. In fact, even if you take out everything you were hiding, the final result was Uruguay’s victory.

It was the same even then.

We adopted an aggressive tactic and ordered our players to advance without hesitation, but we were losing in the midfield battle.

Suddenly, I felt impressed by Bento who showed an equal performance against Uruguay.

‘Well, Uruguay is stronger now than it was back then.’

And Bentancur and Valverde exchanged one-twos on the flanks, physically breaking through three friendly players who were marking them.

Bentancur broke through to the edge of the penalty box and struck with his right foot without any hesitation.

And Kim Min-woo easily blocked the shot.

The 40,000 spectators applauded in relief at the save. Leon also nodded in satisfaction.

‘A shot from that angle would be a snack to Kim.’

Even though it was a hole, Kim was able to block 100% of shots. A shot from that angle was essentially a concession to Kim.

And then Kim jumps up.

After looking around wildly, he takes a slight step forward and then throws himself forward with his powerful arms.

“Heh heh.”

The more I look at it, the more amazing the arm strength becomes.

Kim’s shot put-like pass quickly launches a counterattack.

The other players who were watching from the bench were also surprised and all stood up from their seats.

Kim’s pass was touched by Son.

Son ran down the flanks as if he were at Tottenham.

“““Woo …

The crowd’s cheers of anticipation.

But the one who was stopping Son was Araujo.

Ronald Araujo. Barcelona’s Vinicius Piçal ‘the best defender I’ve ever played against’.

But Son is no less than that.

Leon, as a football player, watched the psychological battle between the two.

Son and Araujo.

Son didn’t bother to try to get through Araujo and kept running down the flank, but when he felt the focus was on him, he passed to the center.

Jo Gyu-seok received the ball, hesitated for a moment, then hit it as quickly as possible.

And the shot bounced off the defender’s leg.

“… Sigh.”

It’s a pity.

Starting from the goalkeeper, the winger’s side runs were amazing.

Since both of them came from the EPL, it was safe to say that at that moment, it was part of a Premier League match.

But the ending… … .

“It’s okay! You did well!”

Leon hid his emotions and gave her a thumbs up. Then he turned his head and shut his eyes tightly.

‘Damn. Should I have just sent Kim in?’

Even though he was sent down to the reserves as soon as he got there, I think if it had been striker Kim in that situation, it would have been a better situation.

But, even though it is regrettable, it cannot be helped.

It’s not this game that’s important, it’s the next game.

And we haven’t even decided yet which striker we’ll deploy in the Korea-Japan match.

There were three options.

Cho from Midtjylland. Hwang from Norwich. And Kim from Manchester United.

It may seem strange to be concerned about the value of the team name alone, but Kim is a minor league player and as a manager, you have to consider as many options as possible.

* * *

The first half, a tense, back-and-forth affair, ended and the second half began.

Manager Leon Harpers substituted Hwang Eul-jo for Cho Kyu-seok as soon as the second half started.

‘It looks like you have no intention of putting Junyoung in this match.’

It is very, very rare for a striker to be replaced and then brought in again.

However, the fans kept shouting, “Kim Jun-young!” “Kim Jun-young!” as if they didn’t understand.

‘It’s like this because the competitiveness is maintained to some extent.’

The team’s performance is not good, so why aren’t they putting in a striker from Manchester United? Public opinion will rise up like, “Cut that guy out right now!”

Traditionally, soccer fans have little patience.

‘Coming.’

Uruguay continued to focus on attacking the flanks in the second half, just as they did in the first half.

Breaking through the flank, a sharp cross a beat faster.

The trajectory appeared before our eyes, and Nunez, who was coming into the center, was fake.

I quickly jumped to the side and targeted Bentancur.

As expected, the ball bounced past Nunez and landed in front of Bentancur, who was free to play without being marked by defenders.

‘Huh!’

And in a flash, a header. I fell backwards after blocking once, and Bentancur also did a diving header, so I couldn’t get the loose ball.

I quickly crawled over and grabbed the ball.

“Oh my. This is surprising….”

If the trajectory hadn’t been visible, this would have worked no matter what.

It was a header right in front of the goal, so if there had been no trajectory, I wouldn’t have been able to even react.

I stayed like that for a moment, breathing, and soon I felt the defenders’ encouraging hands.

I then passed the ball forward as I had done in the first half, but Uruguay’s attacks showed no signs of stopping.

The Uruguayan players kept trying to score from the side as if they had been given a mission, and every time they did that, I felt like I aged a year.

Damn, the sides get pierced too easily.

“I guess it would be okay to lay the Gyeongbu Line.”

The fullbacks weren’t neglecting their duties. They were working hard, but Uruguay’s weight class was too high.

And again the sides.

The cross came, and I blocked the header. I don’t even remember how many times. I couldn’t catch it, so as soon as I blocked it, another attack came.

A volley shot that is kicked away before the ball even hits the grass.

I quickly raised my upper body and blocked the shot, even though I was off balance. This time, I caught it without letting it slip.

‘Why does the national team smell like Manchester United…?’

That’s strange. This is Ulsan, not Manchester… .

Although we were being pushed back a lot, we weren’t being beaten without an answer.

Lee Kang-im’s mid-range shot aimed for the Uruguayan goal, Hwang Hee-cheon’s breakthrough was followed by a disappointing goal-post shot, and Hwang Eul-jo’s sharp header was blocked by the opposing goalkeeper.

However, both teams missed crucial chances time and time again, and the score remained 0:0 even after the 80th minute of the second half.

And Uruguay’s build-up.

Our players were completely down on their line due to Uruguay’s fierce attack, and the Uruguayan players lost possession of the ball during the pass-and-take.

Son Heung-min, who was stuck close to the Uruguayan players, snatched possession of the ball from the passing lane and passed the ball to Lee Kang-im, who was stretching forward.

And Son Heung-min falls down with the Uruguayan player while holding on to him. He was already off balance when he snatched the ball… .

Lee Kang-im passed the ball to Hwang Eul-jo, who had no space left, without hesitation. Uruguay’s defense was wide open.

Hwang Eul-jo ran towards the ball coming into the space and hit it. There was no player to stop him.

Araujo and Viña also try to chase after Hwang Eul-jo while biting their bullets, but it seems to be insufficient.

“Please! Please!”

This one has Hoilun in it too! This one has Anthony in it too!

Show me, Euljo!

The two defenders who were far away tighten their grip on Hwang Eul-jo’s sides, and the goalkeeper runs straight ahead. In an instant, the shooting angle narrows.

Hwang Eul-jo turned to the side as if he thought it wouldn’t work.

‘Oh shit.’

I gave up as soon as I saw the yellow croaker fold. I can’t put this in.

Boohoo!

Fold once and shoot Hwang Eul-jo.

Araujo probably didn’t expect it to fold at that timing, as Araujo folded like origami, and Hwang Eul-jo, whose shooting angle was open, hit it right away.

Even the opposing goalkeeper came forward to narrow the shooting angle, so it didn’t look easy to block the shot unless the goalkeeper’s arms stretched out like a rubber man.

And the shot that flies goes straight into the empty left goal.

It was a goal.

“Woooo!?”

In an instant, the stadium became a concert hall.

Cheers so loud they were deafening came from all around, and I too raised both hands in joy.

“Is this okay?”

The match between South Korea and Uruguay, which was fiercely contested throughout the game, ended with a buzzer-beater goal with not much time left.

South Korea’s first goal.

While the attackers were celebrating from afar, Kim Min-je came to me, smiled, and hugged me.

“You worked hard, Minwoo. If it weren’t for you today, I would’ve lost.”

“You worked hard, hyung. But there’s still extra time and regular time hasn’t even finished yet, so you can’t let your guard down.”

Kim Min-je laughs like a fool at my words.

“Okay. Let’s celebrate again when the final whistle blows.”

“yes.”

The game resumes after the ceremony. As expected, Uruguay pours on the ball and Korea blocks it.

However, because the remaining time was short, regular time ended quickly and extra time was granted.

There were two minutes of extra time.

It’s not often that a goal that hasn’t been scored in 90 minutes is scored in two minutes. People usually describe it as dramatic.

The players’ dedicated defense continued for those two minutes, and during the extra time, I was cut off by the defenders without having to come out.

Yeah. I’ve been blocking a lot of things so far, but I have to do this much. Okay.

Beep— beep— beep!

And the final whistle.

Although the performance was far from the goal that coach Leon had declared, we won anyway.

It was a very difficult game for a goalkeeper, but I was proud. Only then did Kim Min-je come back to me.

I finished the game by hugging Kim Min-je again.

‘It’s hard, it’s hard… .’

I was already worried about the Japan match, but for now, I decided to enjoy the moment.