Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 52



Only Krnovel

The second half felt like a continuation of the first half. Manager Jan Rytl’s tactical changes didn’t really hit home.

Because getting beaten up is the same!

We were still trapped in our camp, suffering severe stings from the bee swarm.

How upset must the tens of thousands of fans be watching from home? They probably didn’t pay for tickets to see a game like this.

In particular, isn’t it well known that Germans don’t open their wallets?

“after.”

In the second half, after being beaten up for a while, there was a brief lull and I looked out at the stands for a moment.

I was so focused on stopping the ball that I had no idea what the crowd was doing or what kind of jeers they were making.

Because I was just busy blocking it.

So I checked briefly.

‘···The reaction isn’t as bad as I thought?’

It really was.

The fans were still waving their flags and singing their chants. It would have been annoying to have such a frustrating game, but there was no sign of agitation on their faces.

‘These people······ are they Bodhisattvas?’

Long ago, a commentator’s praise for a pro-gamer comes to mind.

[The team is losing 3-0 and they’re laughing!]

Are they people who enjoy the game itself? Or are they people who watch the game with an empty mind since it is a game with non-regular players and the opponent is a very strong team?

‘Or is it okay since the score is still 0:0?’

Yeah, I get it when you think about it that way.

It’s a long-standing tradition for weak teams to get beaten by strong teams. The audience has been watching soccer for quite some time, so they understand…

I glanced to my left. A large woman was slurping a hotdog into her mouth.

The woman noticed my gaze and gave me a thumbs up while eating her hot dog.

‘Ugh.’

I chuckled and focused on the game again. Before I knew it, my teammates had slowly started to climb up and were peeking over the center line.

Yeah. Get over here! Don’t even come near here!

*

The second half has already lasted 23 minutes.

Halfway through, less than halfway through, and the game was still sluggish.

Hanover was really good, especially from my perspective.

Dortmund seemed to have overused their energy in the first half, and the momentum only lasted until the 10th minute of the second half, with the remaining 13 minutes just passing by without any real chances.

However, what is a bit disappointing is that Hannover’s attack is also too blunt.

Taylor Nielsen, who impressed the manager with his calm and orthodox playing style, clearly proved in this match why he is not a starting striker.

Hannover had their fair share of chances during the 70-minute game, but Nielsen squandered them all.

Getting robbed while running, getting robbed while trying to shoot, getting robbed while passing…

‘Well, it’s not just him that’s the problem.’

There were a lot of problems.

Werner, who wore the captain’s armband, was certainly charismatic, but he made more mistakes than Corsic, who I listened to.

Early in the second half, when his opponent went to the left and then suddenly turned to the right, Werner lost his center of gravity and fell.

At that time, I shouted at Corsic not to approach him and to continue marking the attacker who was marking him, and I took care of it myself.

Of course, because it was such an urgent situation, I shouted very briefly and strongly. I’m sure I shouted ‘Stay!’ over and over again.

‘Fortunately, Corsic understood.’

If Corsic had stuck to fill the position of the fallen Werner, the striker that Corsic was marking would have been left unmarked, which would have been really dangerous.

It’s a league where you can win even if you see the trajectory, and 1-on-1s always have a lot of variables.

After overcoming that crisis, I couldn’t say anything to Werner like I had to Corsic.

I, who just debuted today, can’t say to Werner, who is wearing the captain’s armband, ‘Hey, are you really going to play defense like that?’

I just gave him a look of reproach.

Werner also felt sorry and apologized to me.

After overcoming so many crises, Dortmund’s flame was clearly fading.

I had the feeling that if things continued like this, the game could go into overtime, and even a penalty shootout.

‘It’s quite possible. If it’s a one-off match, it wouldn’t be strange if Hannover wins.’

Korea has caught Germany, Japan has caught Germany, so why can’t I catch Germany?

I feel sorry for my teammates, but I gave up hope early on that our team would score a goal.

So I just hoped it would continue like this.

“Kim! It’s a substitution!”

“huh?”

It was Corsic. Corsic is referring to the Dortmund players who are being substituted.

“The starting players are coming in. It’s going to be really tough now.”

“Hey, fuck.”

As soon as you start rolling the hope circuit, you see it shatter.

“Oh. SSIBAL? I know that! That’s a Korean swear word, right?”

···Now I can’t curse carelessly even when I go abroad. I knew that Korea was well known to the world thanks to K-pop and other things, but I didn’t know that K-swearing had spread to the world as well.

‘Well, it’s strange that the shit that’s being shouted at Ogame doesn’t spread.’

It’s already been two years since Korean dramas became a worldwide hit on Netflix. Time really flies. I enjoyed watching them back then too…

“Alegria is coming in. It’s going to be really hard.”

Corsic muttered as he drank the water I handed him.

Dortmund made three changes, mostly to their attacking line-up.

All of the attacking players who had lost stamina were being replaced with elite first-team members.

‘My fate…’

I thought things would get easier now, but it wasn’t.

We looked around the bench to see if there were any substitutions, but the players were just warming up, and there were no substitution signals. I humbly accepted.

The manager had no intention of winning this match in the first place. The league match is more important to Hannover than the DFB Cup.

*

The game, which had been in a lull for a while, was turned around thanks to Dortmund’s use of substitutions.

It was as expected.

And Dortmund’s attacking power is back.

Harder, faster, more threatening.

The goalkeeper and defenders are dying to block the attack, but the bench is still just watching with their arms folded.

Even though it was a game that we had given up on, it was frustrating to see the non-regular lineup being neglected.

So I shouted at Werner.

“Captain! What don’t we have!?”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Change! Player change! Not me!”

“Let me suggest something!”

When there is a moment of free time, Werner can be seen shouting something to the left-back, perhaps to get the full-back to suggest something to the bench if the game is stopped for a short while due to a foul or something.

And then the whistle blows.

It was a corner kick.

We blocked the opponent’s shooting opportunities with a dedicated, cooperative defense, or in fact, even that was not enough, literally to a pitiful degree.

The only thing that gives them strength is the cheers and boos from the audience.

And so time passed again, tick tock tock.

35 minutes in the second half. 40 minutes. 45 minutes. And 3 minutes of added time.

To our surprise, the score was still 0:0.

I can’t even remember how many attack attempts I thwarted. To be precise, I didn’t have the luxury of time to remember them.

Even now, Dortmund is still pouring on the attack.

“Corsic!”

I was busy coordinating the players’ movements. If I just hold on a little longer, I’ll be able to catch my breath. Just a little longer.

***

“Ale! Long range shot-!”

The commentators raised their voices.

To be exact, Müller shouted and Schmidt took over.

“Hit the post! How many times! Dortmund, why are you so unlucky today!”

“It’s Ale who sweeps the face!”

The 40,000-plus crowd at the Heinz von Heiden-Arena breathed a sigh of relief at the heart-pounding Dortmund attack.

It was really the end now. If we held on a little longer, the game would be extended by 30 minutes.

“Kim, who blocks again and again! He is so impenetrable that he reminds me of the Kim in Munich!”

“When Kim wears goalkeeper gloves, he makes saves like that!”

“Hannover 96 still haven’t made a single substitution. Are they preparing for extra time? Manager Jan Rytl is looking on expressionlessly!”

While the commentators chattered, director Jan Lytle scratched his eyebrows.

“Barleyman. I guess I’ll have to change my strategy.”

“yes?”

“Use all the substitution cards as soon as overtime starts. The players to be put in are Muramoto, Becker, Teuchert, Keller, and Fischer.”

“Are you thinking of catching the game?”

“Wouldn’t it be foolish not to catch something when you can?”

“This is a list of substitutions that is skewed towards attacking resources. Why don’t you make substitutions on defense? It must be extremely exhausting.”

“We have to trust Kim.”

To that extent, it is blind faith.

The head coach swallowed his words and nodded.

“Dortmund also used all their substitution cards on offense, so it’s a fencing match.”

“that’s right.”

Whoever stabs first wins.

Anyway, both teams’ defensive stamina is bound to be depleted when the game goes into overtime.

The referee’s whistle blew and Jan Lytle walked to the locker room.

The players sitting on the bench also had determined expressions on their faces as they watched the game, as if something was coming up.

***

And then it went into overtime.

I looked back at the players with a grin.

‘This is truly an unforgettable debut.’

It was the most intense, fierce and vicious game in my short football career.

One side is fiercely resisting to defend itself. The other side is fiercely attacking to break through.

Just one goal.

If only one goal was scored, the fierce resistance would have scattered like dust and the fierce attacks would have died down, but we have come this far without even one goal being scored.

And since we’ve come this far, we have to win. If I want to leave an impression on the coach, my teammates, and the countless people watching this game, I need to win.

A victory due to my decisive role.

‘If that happens, the Hannover fans who are fascinated by me will pressure the manager to use me. At least I will continue to be remembered.’

In the end, the ending was what mattered most.

If I win this game, I will be remembered for a long time as the main player in the victory, but if I lose this game, I will be remembered as a person who played well as a goalkeeper but unfortunately lost, and I will be forgotten for a while.

That can’t be. Absolutely not…

Beep-!

And then the overtime began.

The manager changed his mind and sent all the starting players into overtime. All five substitution cards.

Except for sideback Muramoto, they were all in the forward positions, and it was clear that they wanted to win this match.

“Corsic! Werner! Do your best in the last 30 minutes!”

At my shout, Corsic and Werner turn around and answer with a grin and a nod.

*

Overtime with both teams using substitution cards.

The stadium was heated up and Hannover had the enthusiastic support of the home fans.

And as time passed and the penalty shootout drew near, the offense of both teams became more and more extreme.

It was a match that was decided by how well the substituted players performed, as the existing players’ stamina was depleted.

And Hannover’s substitutes, who had been watching the game the whole time, literally went crazy and messed up the game.

At this moment, he played so hard and well that I almost thought he was a first-team player.

“Woah! Woof! Woof! Woof!”

Fans enjoyed the game by beating drums and singing songs. The camera captured the face of the Dortmund coach with an anxious expression.

Then the fans cheer.

This time, I grab the face of the Hanover manager. His expression is stern the whole time.

This time, the fans cheer again.

“Muramoto is charging at you from the side! He’s going at incredible speed!”

“The counterattack happens in an instant! The substitutes are sprinting!”

“Muramoto to Becker!”

“Becker! Oh! Fantastic dribble! And!”

Center forward Becker, who received a link from Muramoto, attempted a Marseille turn. It even worked well.

Becker quickly spins around with the defender in front of him, shakes off the Dortmund defender and immediately kicks powerfully with his right foot.

Tae-Ang-!

It was perfect, but it hit the goalpost.

The screams of the relay crew continued.

“Ouch! This is hitting the goal post!”

“This was Hannover’s best chance in this match! It’s such a shame!”

There were countless opportunities like this for both teams, but neither team was able to convert those opportunities into goals.

In soccer, the most important thing is ultimately scoring.

However, the spectators watching, although feeling regretful, were fascinated by this exciting game and sang their cheers at the top of their lungs.

And he also sent praise to Kim, who is having a debut match. That is why there are people who shout out for Kim in cheering songs everywhere.

and···.

Beep- beep- beep-!

The referee’s whistle signals the end of the game.

Then most of the players collapse on the ground, catching their breath. They have used up all their energy.

“The game will eventually go to penalty shootouts!”

“We can remember one thing for sure by watching this game: it’s games like this that we love football!”

“I agree, Müller. Isn’t this what fans come to the stadium to see? This is a huge match. It’s amazing that this is happening in the last 32.”

And the cameras kept rolling. The penalty shootout was ready in no time. In that short time, the players drank water, and the coaches and managers prepared the kicker.

In that short time, all the preparations for the penalty shootout were completed, and now it was time for the penalty shootout.

End

ⓒ Doctor Am

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