Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 27



Only Krnovel

Taebaek First High School and Taebaek Central High School.

Taebaek First High School was a prestigious team that did not receive the care of a professional team, but was able to advance to the finals of the Geumgang Banseok Competition.

The opponent in this quarterfinal is Taebaek Central High School.

This is a team that is a rival team of Taebaek Jeil High School and at the same time receives care from a professional team, so it is expected that this will be a more difficult fight than the last final.

Although the conditions were certainly worse than before, the atmosphere and situation at Suyang High School were very different.

At that time, Suyang High School was immature for big competitions and had serious physical problems.

But today’s Suyang High School was different.

We experienced a big competition once, the manager took care of the players’ rest, so there were no physical issues, and above all, a winning mentality was developed.

“Trust the defense and be aggressive!”

“Run! Hey!”

The offense gained confidence that the defense would prevent goals even if they didn’t get too involved in defense.

The defense became confident that even if we got through, the goalkeeper would eventually stop us.

It’s a mentality that would disappear like a mirage if we concede even one goal, but I was able to be confident after blocking Taebaek Central High School’s attacks a few times.

‘No matter how bad I am, I’ll go all the way to a penalty shootout.’

I definitely felt that my movements were different from before.

My visual acuity seems to have improved significantly, and my body’s reactions have also changed.

“Minwoo!”

As soon as Go Young-jun is pierced, he shouts reflexively.

I reacted immediately too.

The opposing attacker dribbles past the center back, faces the goalkeeper, and powerfully slams the ball into the ground.

It’s a quick shot, but······.

“Fuck.”

The opposing attacker lets out a short curse under his breath.

Ground ball shooting was actually a very thankful shot from my perspective. I was so thankful that I could stop it just by putting my foot on the trajectory.

Even ground ball shots don’t require any timing.

The ball bounced off and was passed by Suyang High School’s right back.

Taebaek Central High School certainly has extraordinary skills, but they didn’t get beaten up as one-sidedly as they did in the last final.

It was General Menggun.

If the other side attacks and overcomes a crisis, we will also attack and pose a threat.

With that style of play dominating the flow, speedy and fulfilling play continued.

The audience alternated between exclamations and sighs, even in the cloudy weather.

‘If we score just one goal, it will all fall apart.’

In fact, this was Suyang High School’s winning pattern in this competition.

As the time goes by where we score and the opponent doesn’t, the opponent gets more and more anxious and starts to rush, eventually getting hit with a counter punch and scoring.

Also, the attack of Suyang High School’s triangle formation (Kim Jun-young, Han Seung-woo, Lim Seung-min) is very sharp, so it’s not like they don’t score goals.

Even now, if you look at it,

“Eww!”

Kim Jun-young’s screams of regret can be heard from afar.

The header bounced off the goal post, causing screams of relief not only from Kim Jun-young but also from the bench.

Suyang High School, which was unknown and called David until the Geumgang Banseok Competition, now fought on equal terms against Taebaek Central High School, a strong candidate and Goliath for the championship in this competition.

It seemed as if the flow of the game was unexpected on the other side, and there were some bewildering movements on the bench.

‘As expected.’

They probably laughed at Jeil High School for allowing a goal to be scored against Suyang High School in the last tournament, and thought that they would easily destroy a team like Suyang High School.

And the first half of the second half.

When the flow of the game unfolds completely differently from their expectations, confusion and frustration arise.

That feeling on the bench will probably soon spread to the field, and if you try to make a hasty tactical change, Yoo Jin-ho will burst out in laughter.

And I thought that time would not be far away.

Looking at the flow up until now, as my saves continued, my opponent’s confusion only grew and grew, not decreased.

‘I guess this is because they are inexperienced youths. It will be different when they reach the pro level, right?’

Anyway, aren’t all the players participating in this competition fresh out of high school?

Even if they have dedicated their entire lives to soccer, they are still on a different level from seasoned professionals who have experienced everything from highs and lows to highs and lows.

“Minwoo. Sadness is coming again.”

Go Young-jun’s warning.

Oh, Youngjunshichi.

If you know, you should think about stopping it. What if you tell me to stop it?

I tapped the goalkeeper’s gloves and shouted at the defenders to stick to them, and unlike Suyang High School, which was rough and tumble like a youth team of a professional club, the opponent played the ball smoothly.

It was as if the movements were a set circuit.

The circuit was so smooth that it seemed to see through our movements that we would be stopped in the middle, but it could not penetrate everything and reach the end.

Another one-on-one situation.

I easily kicked away the ground ball that was coming again.

“Fuck! Fuck!”

Did you eat some foreign food? You’re suddenly praising it so highly.

I approached the attacker and whispered to him to clear his mind.

“Oh, my goodness.”

These days, even elementary school students don’t use the school lunch menu.

But the effect was remarkable.

The opposing attacker glares at you as if lasers are shooting out of his eyes.

I smiled and walked back towards the goal. If I touched it even a little, I would fall down.

***

The first half ended and halftime began.

The weather was gloomy and the humidity was very high, so I was covered in sweat from head to toe.

‘Ugh, I feel uneasy.’

Kim Jun-young listened to the director’s words while gulping down water.

The first half went back and forth between 4-5-1 and 4-3-3.

The game was fast-paced and intense, but the score was ultimately 0:0.

However, if there is something I felt.

‘Is it because it’s still the quarterfinals? Is it worth it?’

I didn’t feel as gloomy as I did when I played against Taebaek First High School. At that time, I really thought we couldn’t win, but today, what should I say? I felt like if we played well, we could win.

Kim Jun-young looked at Kim Min-woo, who was gulping down water. Their eyes met for a moment. Kim Jun-young smiled without realizing it, and Kim Min-woo also smiled and held out his middle finger.

“Phew.”

I told you that guy is really fun.

It’s solid. It’s so solid. It’s the first time I’ve felt like I wouldn’t lose just because of the goalkeeper.

The shutout so far, and the outstanding performance shown in today’s game.

Even Kim Min-woo seems to renew his growth every time.

Today, the opponent’s breakthrough and attack were both fierce, but seeing them block them easily with a kick left the attackers, including Kim Jun-young, all sticking out their tongues.

How can they stop it so easily?

If something looks easy to others, they are actually quite an expert in that field.

“Hey! Junyoung! Are you listening?”

“Oh, yes!”

Kim Jun-young quickly turned his gaze to the tactics board at the coach’s scolding. The second half will be 4-4-2, which is now our main tactic.

The manager’s tactic was to confront the opponent head on, using the best strategy we could.

Why did Yoo Jin-ho suddenly change his mind?

Well, I guess it was a decision made after judging that 4-5-1 was not very effective in the first half and that an aggressive tactic was better.

“···You guys are doing well, so don’t worry and keep doing what you’ve been doing. Got it?”

“yes!”

It was almost halftime. We returned to the ground. And Han Seung-woo gathered the players and gave them a boost just before the second half.

“Okay, if we just do this, we’ll advance to the semifinals. Let’s go giant killing! One, two, three!”

“Wow! Woof! Woof!”

Like the native tribes, we gathered our spirits and moved to our respective positions.

‘Yes. We beat Taebaek Jeil High School and then Jungang Cheongun High School, which was considered a contender for the title in the round of 16. We did it twice, so how can we not do it a third time?’

Kim Jun-young clenched his fist and shouted.

I feel a sense of elation that I can do it spread throughout my body.

Let’s do it! Let’s go!

***

Yoon Tae-yoon watched the quarterfinal match between Suyang High School and Taebaek Central High School, the favorite to win this tournament, with interest.

no?

I was watching with my legs trembling.

‘Isn’t this basically the final of this competition?’

I’ve watched a few other matches in this tournament, including Im So-yeon’s, but I’ve never seen such a well-organized and good match.

I didn’t expect to see this level of soccer at a high school level, but what stood out was Kim Min-woo.

The balance of the game was clearly held by Suyang High School goalkeeper Kim Min-woo.

A defense that is strangely easy to break through, and a goalkeeper that is strangely easy to block.

This mysterious combination.

It almost felt like the defense was deliberately narrowing the shooting angle by delivering the ball in front of the goalkeeper so that it would be easy to block.

‘The name of the director of Suyang High School was Yoo Jin-ho, right?’

If he devised a tactic with this in mind, he must be a genius and a very greedy manager.

“I thought Jungang High School would win easily······ That goalkeeper is amazing.”

This is the scout from Seoul Furys that I saw in the round of 16. We were sitting next to each other and watching the game.

It seems that Kim Min-woo is quite jealous of Suyang High School, as he is attending the game again.

“If the goalkeeper positions of Jungang High School and Suyang High School had been switched, we probably would have scored 4 goals by now.”

“Yes. I expected Suyang High School to lose since they are pro youth teams, but I really don’t know. Haha.”

As the game progressed, Suyang High School’s defense committed a foul. It was a free kick for Jungang High School.

‘Oh. Can you check it properly this time?’

The location seems to be roughly between 24m and 26m, and it is a distance that can be easily reached as long as the central high school is full.

‘I wonder if he can really block free kicks?’

I swallowed hard and waited for the free kick to be taken. The opponent must have thought that there was a high chance of scoring a goal this time, as there were three kickers.

As the whistle blows, the first kicker runs towards the ball and passes it.

‘The first one is fake.’

The second kicker also runs with all his might and passes the ball again.

‘The second one is fake too?’

The third kicker runs straight behind the second kicker and kicks with all his might.

With a bang, the ball flew out with force like a cannonball.

‘uh!’

The angle is unusual. Left corner of the goal! The angle is too precise. If it was kicked this well, it could be considered a hit.

“Gyaaaah!”

“Hey, kid!”

“Whew.”

The audience’s reactions were varied.

“···wow.”

Yoon Tae-yoon also swallowed hard and let out an exclamation of admiration. Kim Min-woo stretched his legs and arms out as much as he could and flew into the sky. The shot aimed for the corner of the goal was barely blocked by Kim Min-woo’s fingertips.

It was a really, really crazy save.

It kicks really well and blocks ultra well.

“Hey···. What the···.”

The scout from Seoul Furics who was nearby was also speechless at this incredible scene.

‘How on earth?’

The situation was too unfavorable.

Even some of the opposing Taebaek Central High School players were stuck to the Suyang High School free kick wall, blocking the goalkeeper’s vision, making it difficult to stop them.

Goalkeepers usually check the ball with their eyes and block it in these situations.

But Kim Min-woo’s case was different.

Yoon Tae-yoon looked at it clearly.

‘I flew as soon as I kicked the ball. You probably couldn’t even see where it was flying!’

Even if you hear the sound and react, you still have to use your body to see where the ball is flying.

If what he saw was true, Kim Min-woo flew first based on his intuition.

‘That’s a method only used by sewers.’

A method sometimes used by amateurs.

A method of diving anywhere when it seems like the opponent is about to kick the ball, as the body cannot react to blocking it.

But this method had a fatal problem.

What if you trust your instincts and jump, but the ball doesn’t come flying? Or what if you kick it in the opposite direction as soon as you see that the goalkeeper has made a show of it?

There’s a good chance the goalkeeper won’t play again that day.

But Kim Min-woo did it. And he succeeded.

It’s an amateur method that would be unacceptable in the professional world, but the goalkeeper did it with flying colors.

‘How on earth do you know the direction?’

Luck? Animal instinct? Or inference in that brief moment?

I don’t know how he did it, but one thing is certain.

‘He is definitely not an ordinary guy. He has the heart of a beast.’

Only then did Yoon Tae-yoon admit it.

The data that Kim Min-woo created was something he created himself. I couldn’t believe it until then, so I thought the defense had some help, but that wasn’t the case.

Kim Min-woo’s data was created by himself.

Yoon Tae-yoon swallowed hard again.

The game resumed, but I didn’t care.

More than that, I was more concerned about the scout from Seoul Furyx who seemed completely captivated by Kim Min-woo.

‘There are at least four professional scouts watching this match. This match is even being broadcast on video because it’s a tournament. This isn’t something to waste time on. We have to sign the contract as quickly as possible. If we miss it, we’re screwed!’

It wasn’t that Yoon Tae-yoon had such thoughts because he was overflowing with affection. It was just a gut feeling. He had a gut feeling that if he signed this guy, things would go well for him in the future.

The chairman personally threw him in a corner and told him to stay quiet, but if he does something big in that corner, won’t the long-standing restraint be lifted? He said he finally came to his senses.

My hands were sweating with nervousness, and I was curious about what Im So-yeon would do. Still, among the scouts gathered here, we seemed to be the first to move, but ultimately, the one signing the contract was Kim Min-woo’s job, so I couldn’t guarantee anything.

“Oh, just wait a minute.”

“Yes? Where are you going?”

“Oh, my stomach suddenly hurts…”

I was so nervous that I got a signal from my gut. Damn it.

End

ⓒ Doctor Am

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