Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 243



Only Krnovel

Episode 243 That’s true!

Korea, which showed a shaky performance at the beginning, regained its original form and won 3:0 against Canada.

And surprisingly, it was not Korea but the Netherlands that welcomed this news the most.

[Leon Harpers on the rise, will he become the next Hiddink in Korea?]

It was Dutch-style nationalism.

In any country, it is always good to hear news that its citizens are achieving success abroad.

The fact that the Dutch are particularly delighted and inspired by Leon’s success is also related to the national power of the Republic of Korea.

Success in a developing or middle-income country is something to be proud of, but success in Korea, a developed country with a global reputation for K-culture, carries a different weight.

“This is Seoul, Korea! Let’s ask Koreans what they think about director Leon Harpers!”

This is what Korea looked like from the Netherlands.

A country on the other side of the globe.

A country with a rich culture.

A well-off country.

In their view, Korea was one of the world’s advanced countries, equal to them.

And as humans, we cannot help but have a little desire to be recognized by others.

Dutch broadcasters were quick to dispatch people to Korea to monitor Leon’s movements and public sentiment.

“Do you know director Leon Harpers?”

The blonde reporter’s fluent Korean questions. The Korean who was interviewed by chance nods.

“Yes, I know. You’re the national team coach.”

“What do you think about Director Leon?”

“Coach Leon…? Well, he’s doing well. Before that, up until Klinsgel, I wondered what was really going on with our country’s soccer, but after Coach Leon took over, Kim Min-woo also joined, and I’m very satisfied.”

The Dutch people who saw the interviews with the Koreans were, of course, very satisfied.

[Advancing Dutch Director, Expanding into the World!]

“The World Cup is just around the corner. How far do you expect the South Korean national team, led by coach Leon, to go in the World Cup?”

“Hmm… … The semifinals? Coach Leon is doing well, but the current South Korean national team is truly an unprecedented golden generation, so I wonder if they can repeat the semifinal myth they created under Coach Hiddink… … .”

Coach Leon Harpers joins the Dutch version of the Douyunno Club.

Many Dutch people had hoped that Leon would be as successful in Korea as Hiddink, and the news of their 3-0 win over Canada in January was enough to get them excited.

Dutch reporters who flew to Turkey also interviewed Korean players participating in the game to satisfy their nationalist sentiments.

“What is director Leon Harpers like and what does he mean to Kim?”

Kim Min-woo is said to be doing very well these days.

The Dutch reporters looked at Kim Min-woo with eyes full of anticipation, and Kim Min-woo, although bewildered, tried to figure out what kind of answer they wanted.

“Um… … He is a very meaningful coach to me. First of all, he is the coach who first selected me for the senior national team. Also, his training sessions and tactical style, I think he is a great coach who is not inferior to any coach in Europe.”

“Wow…!”

The Dutch love sunflowers because they give you the answers you want to hear.

Not only that.

Dutch broadcasting even aired a special program analyzing Leon’s life and the Korean national team.

“If you look at his career, Leon was actually in a downward spiral. The Korean national team seemed to be on the rebound after a good performance at the Qatar World Cup, but it seemed like its status was falling again after the appointment of the wrong coach.”

“… … In fact, if you look closely at the teams coached by Leon, there were almost no cases of dismissals due to ‘poor performance.’ The Korea Football Association paid attention to Leon’s career and style.”

It was a long, long broadcast, but it ended with Leon being great! The best! Not only that, it was also directed to show that Korea and the Netherlands have a deep historical connection.

The story of Hamel is quite famous.

“If we objectively look at the current strength of the Korean national team, it is a strength that cannot be taken lightly even if thrown into the middle of Europe. Who would break through Kim, who cannot even break through in the Bundesliga and the Premier League, as a national team member?”

“It’s not just Kim. There’s the captain of Tottenham, a winger from Wolverhampton and a number of other players who play for big clubs.”

“The Netherlands may need to seriously consider playing Korea in the World Cup.”

The story of the Korean national team’s strength that started in the Netherlands soon spread to other countries, and even opened a forum for discussion on how far South Korea would go in the 2026 North and Central American World Cup.

It was quite surprising that Europeans, who pay little attention to countries outside Europe, were talking about this topic.

“That’s why you feel threatened by Korea and are on guard….”

This is the first time that a goalkeeper has appeared who doesn’t score goals.

Shin-Ah replayed the highlights from the match against Canada and reflected on them.

“These two saves early in the game were really big. I think their resolve was broken here.”

Now, with Denmark and Ghana facing off, Shin-Ah has no doubts that they will win both matches as well.

The Korean national team’s recent momentum has been beyond optimal; it’s been sublime.

* * *

After successfully completing the evaluation match against Canada, we watched the match video again and gave feedback on the good and bad points.

It was as if I was watching a free-flowing conversation. It was a shame to be pierced like this, it was a shame to break through like that, the field of vision was too narrow… … .

Most of the players showed at least one regret in the game, and even if they didn’t, they somehow found it and ‘made up for it’.

But I.

“No, what… … I looked with my eyes wide open but I can’t find it?”

Dozens of colleagues who keep replaying the video to try to get me to do something about it.

“There’s nothing to say about the defense. The defense is well coordinated. The build-up is perfect. Hmm… .”

“I’m sorry for doing so well.”

I made a fuss on purpose to make people laugh, but my colleagues didn’t say anything in response, as if they really had nothing to say.

The only one is Lee Kang-im,

“Your shit is thick!”

He must have had nothing to say, so he just said something insignificant.

“Let’s do well in the remaining two games!”

The match against Denmark that followed wasn’t that difficult either. Although our FIFA rankings are similar, our FIFA rankings are clearly higher.

And in terms of power, we had the upper hand over Denmark.

A fierce battle played out in a match without spectators.

And the first goal was scored by South Korea.

It was a rather meaningless score compared to the fierce battle in the central plains.

The opposing goalkeeper attempted to kick the ball from a distance during the build-up, but he accurately passed the ball to Lee Kang-im, who then passed it to Lee Ja-seong.

As soon as he received the ball, Lee Ja-seong scored with a mid-range ground shot.

It was a preemptive goal that went in surprisingly easily.

The opposing goalkeeper took a shot from a distance away from the goal, and it felt even more futile because it was saved while he was trying to return the ball.

‘What is losing…?’

It felt like we had secured the win in just 12 minutes of the first half.

Although I felt even more nervous because there was no audience, I forced myself to stay calm.

And again, Lee Kang-im.

Lee Kang-im’s decompression.

I admired it from afar.

‘The real method is different.’

Is Mbappe’s love doll different?

He dribbled the ball a few times, then passed it to one player, then another, and then Lee Ja-seong.

As soon as Lee Ja-seong receives the ball, he passes it forward to Kim Jun-young.

Just before Kim Jun-young’s shot, a Danish defender tackles him from behind, and the referee awards a penalty kick.

It was a clear penalty kick with no justification.

The next kicker is Sony.

The captain expertly converted the penalty kick.

In an instant, the score was 2:0.

‘It’s a similar flow to Canada.’

Denmark continued to show strange behavior after that, perhaps because it was unable to adapt to the climate of Turkey.

We did nothing, but it was like we were tripping over our own feet and falling down.

‘Are you afraid of us or something?’

Even though they regained their place as the king of Asia, from Europe’s perspective, Korea was a periphery of peripheries. In addition, their opponent was a country that had made it through the difficult European qualifiers.

‘Huh huh?’

Denmark’s impulsive behavior, I don’t even know how many times it’s happened.

It was a goal kick situation, but we had our players surrounding us tightly tactically.

However, the opposing goalkeeper did not send the ball far, but passed it short to a nearby player, as if ignoring the Korean players nearby.

Immediately, his teammates responded by pressuring Denmark for a short pass, and Lee Kang-im competed by sticking close to an opposing player.

And in the process, the ball bounces forward.

Son Heung-min didn’t miss it and immediately ran to catch it. Then, with an unmarked chance, he put the ball into the goal.

It was a chaotic situation because it happened inside the box and in an instant, but Son Heung-min is not a player so naive as to miss an opportunity like this.

I’ve been working in the EPL for 11 years now, it would be a shame to miss this.

So the score was already 3-0 in the first half.

“They really can’t come to their senses….”

After that, Denmark also made a counterattack, but it was a more threatening counterattack than expected.

‘Oh. A pass like this?’

It was a pretty creative pass.

Of course, it was an impossible pass for me, who read the trajectory of the final pass.

The trajectory indicated that the opponent was crossing out front.

It was a counterattack in a Korean offensive situation, so the box was completely empty, and as soon as the opponent crossed the ball, I ran out and received the ball with both hands.

The opposing attacker slides a header into the air, as if it were a promised play.

If I hadn’t jumped out and blocked the cross, it would have been a header that went right into the goal, but thanks to my blocking, the opponent ended up going overboard with his header flying into the air.

… … The player was so shocked that he couldn’t get up for a while.

“hmm.”

I passed the ball forward and watched the situation again.

The Denmark match was, well, what should I say.

It felt like we were playing something similar to soccer, rather than soccer.

Not to belittle them, but the level was really low. I guess the Danish players weren’t in good shape…

The first half ended with a score of 3:0, and the second half was a battle between the two. And that kind of battle is the type of battle I am most confident in.

Denmark had several scoring chances in the second half, but failed to score.

It was also a big deal that South Korea openly focused on defense in the second half, but the guy standing in front of the goal had not allowed any goals since his debut.

“… … We didn’t play our football. There is no excuse for the performance, as many people were disappointed.”

After the match, the Danish national team captain lowered his head and said this in an interview.

The coach also clearly realized through this match that Korea is a strong team, and he admitted the crushing defeat, saying that it was not the players’ fault and that it was all their fault.

“I don’t know if it’s just me, but the teams that play against us don’t seem to be able to show their usual skills.”

As I said that in passing, Kim Jun-young opened his eyes wide and smiled.

“Brother. Don’t you really know why?”

“… Is there a reason?”

“That’s because my brother is a goalkeeper. When I’m training, I get discouraged when my brother is a goalkeeper. It’s like a black hole. No matter what I do, it doesn’t work.”

“… Ahem. That’s true!”

That’s true.

And, Kim Jun-young’s words in the Ghana War turned out to be true.

The Ghana match was a match that assumed I was ‘injured’. So I was out and the original best 11 played, but the performance was shaky from the start.

“… … ?”

I watched the game from the bench and observed the creaking organization. Is it really true that the team will fall apart just because I am missing?

I thought things would get better as time went on, but the game didn’t get any better even after 10, 20, or 30 minutes in the first half.

He even went so far as to offer up a preemptive strike.

‘I’ve heard that Korea is traditionally weak against African teams…’

Still, you’re saying that it’s hard for Ghana with this power?

The other players watching from the bench seemed to have similar feelings as they looked at me and whispered quietly.

“The kids won’t come to their senses because the ultimate weapon is gone?”

“Look, I’m saying that goalkeepers are more important than you think. It’s not just about making saves, but also about building up and supporting from behind, but people don’t see goalkeepers as that important.”

It was Jo Han-woo. In fact, compared to field players, goalkeepers have quite a reputation of being the ones who suck up to honey.

“Uh, okay. But even considering that, why didn’t it suddenly become so bad?”

The defense may become unstable if I leave. But shouldn’t the midline show their usual skills? It seems like there’s a screw missing there too…

.

.

The match turned into a slugfest.

While Canada and Denmark were easily defeated as if they were subduing children, Ghana looked like two adults engaging in a street dog fight.

It meant a horn tax.

Ghana scores 1 goal.

Then Korea followed suit.

In the second half, Korea scored a comeback goal.

Ghana followed up with an equaliser before the end.

Both teams continued to attack until extra time, but the game ended there.

2:2 draw. A match where it was unclear who would win or lose until the very end.

It was definitely more fun than the previous two games because a lot of goals were scored, but the defensive organization was unstable, so the game overall was quite shaky.

“Minwoo, you really need to be careful not to get injured right before the World Cup. Do you know what I mean?”

Jo Han-woo’s heartfelt advice.

I nodded.

“But still… … it was okay.”

“I hope Manager Kim is satisfied.”

The bench players laughed. I laughed along with them. The January evaluation match ended with 2 wins and 1 draw. If you only consider the results, it was a good record.

There were a lot of weaknesses that needed to be improved in the Ghana War, so I’m sure Leon will somehow be able to improve them before the World Cup.

As I got up from my seat and stretched, my cell phone in my pocket vibrated. I checked to see what it was, and it was Kim Shin-ah.

[Kim Shin-ah: I realized this after watching the game today]

[Kim Shin-ah: Kim Min-woo is a national power level goalkeeper]

[Kim Min-woo: lol]

That’s true!