Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 70
Only Krnovel
“Nuremberg silences Hanover!”
The commentators were screaming as they watched Nuremberg open the scoring. In front of 40,000 spectators, the Nuremberg players smashed a fantastic free kick into the Hannover goal.
The camera focuses on the player who scored the goal, then switches to Kim Min-woo sitting on the bench, quietly watching. Then the camera fills the entire screen.
The commentators didn’t miss it and moved their mouths.
“I’m Kim from Korea, competing with Ron Robert Ziller for the starting spot! He has a blank expression on his face, but I wonder what’s on his mind!”
“Kim will be happy no matter what Hannover’s position is, because the undisputed starter and overwhelming competitor Chiller conceded a goal before Kim. For Kim, securing a starting spot is more important than the team’s victory!”
What is disappointing for Kim Min-woo is that Hannover did not ultimately lose.
After a fierce battle lasting 90 minutes in both halves, Hannover and Nuremberg each scored a goal, ending the match in a 1:1 draw.
As the game ended, the camera alternated between Chiller and Kim. The commentators exchanged meaningful conversations while checking the scenes on the screen.
“It’s not because of the goalkeeper, but if you look at the recent matches that Kim and Chiller played in, Hannover won every match that Kim played in.”
“Yes. But?”
“On the other hand, all the games that Chiller played in ended in a draw. I’m not saying that Hannover won or drew because of the goalkeeper, but if I were the manager of Hannover, I think I would think deeply about this issue. After all, all the games that Kim played in ended in a win. At least, isn’t the goddess of victory smiling on Kim?”
“I see. Currently, Yan is alternating between Kim and Chiller. That means Kim will be playing in the next match, and if he wins that match, we can say that luck is on Kim’s side.”
“Professional football matches are not all about luck, but we will definitely be watching Hannover’s next game with interest.”
“Luck is definitely a part of soccer, right?”
“I agree.”
***
Time passed and it was January 31st.
On the fourth day after Hannover’s match against Nuremberg, the fateful moment arrived in Qatar.
This is Education City Stadium, where the best first-team teams of South Korea and Japan face off.
It was a very familiar stadium to the Korean members.
South Korea played three matches in this stadium during the World Cup.
Here, they drew 0:0 with Uruguay, lost 3:2 to Ghana, and miraculously beat Portugal 2:1.
Sorrow, joy, sorrow. Koreans, especially the World Cup members, cannot help but feel affectionate towards this stadium, where they will face Japan.
It was the first match between Korea and Japan in 13 years since 2011.
“Let’s go!”
The national team members clap their hands as they enter the stadium. For the national team, this is a place close to home.
During the Qatar World Cup, if Korea had beaten Brazil and Japan had beaten Croatia and they had met in the quarterfinals, the Korea-Japan match would have been held here.
And 14 months later, the two nations actually met, although it wasn’t the World Cup.
As the players enter the stadium, Korean residents and fans supporting South Korea begin to cheer enthusiastically.
It was so huge that it almost seemed like Sangam, and the cheers of Japanese fans were buried.
The national anthem is played and the players sing the national anthem at the top of their lungs. Then comes the time for handshakes between the players, the referee tosses a coin to their respective camps, and finally, the players gather in front of the cameras to take pictures and then move busily to their respective camps.
Just before the game began, Captain Son closed his eyes and recalled his memories. What miracle had been accomplished in this stadium 14 months ago.
At that time, I was wearing a mask because of a facial fracture, but today I didn’t have a mask.
‘The schedule is tough.’
There was a lot of talk in the media and among the players that this match was essentially a ‘preview of the finals’.
Both Korea and Japan advanced to the round of 16 with outstanding performances at the World Cup, and although one year and two months have passed since then, there has been little change to the lineup from then.
If there’s anything that’s changed, it’s the director.
Japan’s captain, Hajime Moriyasu, who defeated Germany and Spain, remained at the helm, while South Korea changed its captain from Portuguese Bento to German Klinsgel.
Although the world has evaluated that the Korean squad is weaker than Japan’s, the rivalry match between Korea and Japan had no meaning in terms of the strength or weakness of the squad.
Korea has already defeated Portugal, a team several levels stronger than Japan, in the World Cup, and Japan is also a team that has advanced to the round of 16 by defeating Germany and Spain, two powerhouses that are considered absolutely impossible to beat.
The prediction for the match is a close one.
British bookmakers predicted that Japan would advance to the quarterfinals with a 54% chance, but Korea was the only team to advance to the World Cup round of 16 with a 9% chance.
Beep─!
The game started with the referee’s whistle.
No one knows who will win this match.
However, depending on the outcome of this match, both Korea and Japan will be able to see who made the right choice after the World Cup.
***
It was a fierce fight.
The South Korean national team played like crazy, to the point that everyone watching felt sad.
It is currently 88 minutes past the hour.
The score is 2:3.
Korea was 2, Japan was 3.
Contrary to the proverb that says there is nothing to eat at a famous feast, this Korea-Japan match was a game as filling as a king crab.
That is, if a person other than Korean were to see it.
“Ah. Please. Put it in, please···.”
Kim Shin-ah never watches a soccer game without Kim Min-woo, but she was watching it specially because it was a Korea-Japan match.
And the content was definitely interesting.
When Korea finished the first half with a score of 2:0, I thought, “Ah! We won!” But in the second half, Japan gained momentum and scored three goals.
Every time we conceded a goal, I would imagine that if only the goalkeeper had been my brother or if only Kim Min-woo had been there, but it was meaningless.
As soon as Japan turned the game around, they went all-out on defense, and Korea pressed hard, but Japan, which was all-out on defense, did not open up at all.
and······.
Beep- beep- beep─!
A whistle blown by the referee.
It was the final whistle.
There are still 3 seconds left, why are you blowing!
···I wanted to, but honestly, I felt like even if there were 3 more minutes, the goal wouldn’t have gone in.
As soon as the final whistle blows, the Japanese national team in blue uniforms all run somewhere to express their joy.
The Korean national team in red uniforms sat down in their seats, gasping for breath or looking frustrated.
The announcer’s voice trembled.
Most of the people watching felt the same emotion.
Korean residents and fans cheering enthusiastically at the stadium are shown on camera. They were crying.
“Look at that salty thing… Ao Klinic! That’s why you should have taken Kim Min-woo! You’re such an idiot old man!”
Kim Shin-ah, who learned soccer community terms, jumped around in front of the TV and soon touched her forehead.
The first half was so fun, but what is this? It was such a disappointing game.
We thought we would sink our arch-enemy, Japan, but Japan wavered for a moment and then regained stability, while Korea, which had been aggressive, was instead destroyed.
Captain Son sat down and burst into tears, showing how upset he was about losing this game. It was heartbreaking for the onlookers.
“Ah. Dad. I can’t look at you anymore. I’m going to get sick.”
“Oh my. The coach ate everything we won.”
What my father said was true.
If you end the first half with a score of 2:0, you should know how to walk and lock up, but you were so excited that you didn’t even guard and kept hitting, and it was too much to hit three times in a row with a straight hit.
Even if the goalkeeper was Kim Min-woo, it would have been different if he had shown a super save, but the national team’s goalkeeper Kim Seung-gu was unable to show such a performance.
‘I only watched my brother’s games, so when I saw the national team’s goalkeeper, I felt a sense of loss…’
Kim Shin-ah took a deep breath and entered the family chat room.
[Kim Shin-ah: Ha….. It’s really too bad that we all won]
[Kim Min-woo: If I were the goalkeeper, we would have won 2:0]
[Kim Min-woo: This is true]
[Kim Shin-ah: Haha]
[Kim Shin-ah: Honestly, okay]
[Choi Sung-hee: It’s a shame ㅠㅠ It’s sad to see Son Hong-min cry ㅠ]
[Kim Min-woo: When our Hong does the last dance, I have to be there to help them until the finals.. I also get teary watching it]
[Kim Min-seok: If our Min-woo goes to the World Cup, I’ll quit my job and go watch it^^]
[Kim Min-woo: tsk tsk]
“Dad, really?”
Kim Shin-ah, who was checking her KakaoTalk, asked her father, who was tapping away on his phone on the sofa. Her father thought for a moment and then answered.
“What if Minwoo earns hundreds of billions?”
“Hey, there are only two years left until the World Cup. How can that be?”
“Then I guess I should keep going. Hehehe.”
Kim Shin-ah discovered a surprising fact here. Two years later, at the World Cup, Kim Min-woo’s age was 21 in Korean age. 20 in international age. Wow…
***
······Leaving behind the disappointing performance in the group stage, Korea clearly showed a decent performance against Japan.
However, the result was a 2:3 defeat, and the people could not stand it, especially because they lost a game they had in hand and the defeat was ultimately due to the players’ physical exhaustion rather than coach Klinsgel’s good tactics.
Moreover, Koreans are the type of people who never give in easily when the opponent is Japan, let alone another country.
Immediately after the match, Klinsgel was immediately surrounded by public criticism, and there were those who defended his better-than-expected performance, but as always, they were in the minority.
Now, the results of the Cleansgel team and the Cleansgel team, which has been wandering around overseas and not being able to show their sincerity towards Korea, are being punished with interest.
“If you think you need to harden the cleanser immediately, I recommend it.”
→First of all, me haha
→Let’s also cut the chairman of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation
Klinsgel, as a silver-tongued speaker, responded in a post-match interview that he was aware of the public criticism he received, and that although it was a disappointing match, the World Cup was what we were looking at, and we will work to improve our performance and advance to the round of 16 for the second consecutive tournament.
But it was not a crisis that could be passed over with such words.
South Korea is a country whose goal is to win the Asian Cup anyway, and if they lost in the round of 16, especially against Japan, they had to take responsibility.
However, the high-ranking officials of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation protected Klinsgel due to the continued blame game.
“Korea Football Association, Head-on Confrontation of Klinsgel’s Dismissal Theory”
《······The Korea Football Association’s Technical Committee is going head-on with some public opinion that coach Jurgen Klinsgel needs to be fired, saying that they will stay with him until the 2026 North and Central American World Cup······.》
Then···.
“(Breaking News) National Assembly to hold a hearing on the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation!”
The hyenas of Yeouido moved as they smelled the scent of the sign.
There was no distinction between the ruling and opposition parties here.
The 22nd general election is scheduled to take place in two months, and the two major political parties need the support of the people, or more specifically, votes.
As election day approaches, the members of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea work harder than anyone else, even if it is just for show.
***
While the country was in an uproar over the dismissal of the national team coach, I steadily prepared for the next round.
It is true that it is regrettable as a citizen and as a soccer player that the journey to the Asian Cup ended at the round of 16, but I could not get caught up in that.
The opponent Hannover will face at home is ‘Hansa Rostock’.
They were a lower-ranked team, currently ranked 14th.
I linked arms with my coach and analyzed the attack patterns of the opposing team’s starting attackers.
“Look. The opposing number 9 is good at digging. And there’s something you have to remember, that guy is ambidextrous, so you have to be careful.”
“Hmm···.”
You may wonder, what does this mean when you see the trajectory? However, analyzing the attackers you have to face is essential for a professional player.
I also knew very well that there was a clear difference between knowing your opponent and facing them, and blocking them without knowing them and only observing their trajectory.
The coach asked them briefly about the players they would have to face, not just the number 9, but also how the opposing team would attack.
“Do you have any questions?”
“Your opponent is number 9.”
“Proeger? Why?”
I looked at the photo of opponent number 9 and spoke seriously.
“Even after running like that for 90 minutes, your head doesn’t get damaged at all?”
“what?”
“Your hair style. How strong of a spray do you use?”
“Are you curious about that?”
The coach laughed in amazement. I smiled back.
“I’m pretty serious. Please ask if you have any questions.”
I wasn’t curious enough to ask about anything outside of the game. I’ve heard everything about the play style, and the variables in actual games are offset by the trajectory.
“More than that, how about the next game? Can you keep a clean sheet in the next game too?”
“Maybe? Why?”
“Why would you? I’m saying this because this competition could end depending on how you do in the next game.”
A bloody competition for the starting spot.
And when I see the coach say things like this, it seems like the end is finally near.
If we go for a penalty shootout, it would be like this.
The opponent’s shot went into the air, and now all I have to do is score and the game ends in victory.
And I was confident about this kind of thing.
“I’m going to do it as usual.”
The coach understood what I meant, smiled brightly, and nodded.
End
ⓒ Doctor Am
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