Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 76



Only Krnovel

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South Korea was placed in Group C of the U23 Asian Cup group stage.

The number of pots received is determined by the ranking in the previous tournament, so South Korea’s pot was 2.

Group C included not only Korea, but also Uzbekistan, China, and Thailand, and the pots were as follows.

=Group C=

1. Uzbekistan

1. Republic of Korea

1. Thailand

1. China

====

‘They say Uzbekistan is a very strong team in the U23 division.’

It was a country that beat Japan 2:0 with 10 players, who had defeated Korea 3:0.

And that country was pushed out by Saudi Arabia’s stronghold and ended up as runner-up in the last tournament.

‘It doesn’t matter who comes.’

I am the one who held on without wavering even in the Bundesliga.

He is not a weak goalkeeper who can be eaten by age-group representatives at the Asian Cup.

And two days later.

The group stage matches of Group C of the U23 Asian Cup were held.

The first match, Uzbekistan vs. China, ended with Uzbekistan’s victory as expected.

3:0 landslide victory. China was crushed in a one-sided game without a doubt.

And two hours after the first game ended, the second game started.

It was a match between South Korea and Thailand.

As expected, I was left out of the starting lineup. It must have been quite harsh for Choi Yong-seok to be asked to play in a match just two days after arriving in Qatar, so I started the first match on the bench.

‘It reminds me of the old days…’

It wasn’t that long ago.

Back in the days when I was just warming up the bench in Hanover.

That time came to mind.

And the national anthem.

It felt strange to hear the national anthem, which I had only heard during school assembly before the game started.

The bench players also stood in front of the bench, put their hands on their right chests, and sang the national anthem with all their might. The Sangmu players were saluting.

Next is the Thai national anthem.

I stared blankly at the Thai players.

[Thailand Ace Akara, “Korea is a country of racism. If I had the time, I would throw a wooden bowl.”]

Before the game, I watched the news from Thailand.

The source, as expected, was Kim Shin-ah.

[Kim Shin-ah: Go away, Kim Min-woo. Go and show the difference in power..]

[Kim Min-woo: What is this again]

[Kim Shin-ah: Come and show us the difference in skill..]

According to Kim Shin-ah’s additional explanation, players from the K-League Ulsan Daehyun team specifically mocked a Thai player on loan from another team on social media, and the incident spread in Thailand and caused controversy. That was the gist of it.

[Kim Min-woo: I’m not going to the Thailand match]

[Kim Shin-ah: ??Why?]

[Kim Min-woo: It doesn’t make sense to ask me to play a game just two days after entering the country, little brother]

[Kim Shin-a: I think it’s okay since goalkeepers don’t play much?]

[Kim Min-woo: You jump]

[Kim Shin-ah: I’m not a soccer player ㅗ]

After that, Kim Shin-ah waited for the game, but she started grumbling that she waited for nothing.

‘Well, this is the first time I’ve heard of such an incident, but I think we’ll win, right?’

However, there is a gap between Korea and Thailand that is difficult to explain in words.

There are teams that can win just by burning their fighting spirit, and there are teams that can’t. Korea is a team that is located exactly in the latter category.

So I sat on the bench afterwards and watched the game comfortably.

Of course I’ll win, I thought.

.

.

And as the outlines of the game slowly began to emerge, it was finally coming to an end.

‘This is serious.’

I crossed my arms and took a deep breath.

Even though several starting players did not participate in this Asian Cup, the level of performance was truly unparalleled.

The current score is 1:1. There are 5 minutes left until the end of the game. Even this was after they had conceded a goal first and were dragged along until they finally managed to score an equalizer.

‘If we don’t even qualify for the Olympics, let alone make it to the finals, even an eagle would be plucked out and boiled.’

And it is highly likely that Yoo Jin-ho, who is riding on the eagle’s head, will also say goodbye. I don’t know what he did to join the national team, but with this kind of performance, it’s not worth watching. He will die together before he can even blossom as a coach.

“Ah, ah! Please···.”

Since Yoo Jin-ho wasn’t a director, he couldn’t say anything loud and was just groaning alone in the corner.

There are times when that gentleman shows such a pitiful appearance. You only live long enough to see such things in this world…

‘Thailand is very active. Does that racism incident really affect the game?’

In fact, it was full of dirty play, not so much active play as dirty play. Whenever a Korean player got the ball, he would foul it or make a deep tackle with an unclear intention.

Even though the Korean players who were angry actively fought and protested, the referee dismissed all of these actions as legitimate fighting or just a few yellow cards.

The referee, who should have stopped the fight, did not actively intervene, but instead just watched and threw a few yellow cards when he felt it was a little too much, so the game became more and more heated as time went on.

It seemed like both teams’ goal was not to win but to subdue their opponents, and the game continued emotionally. Even though it was a second-tier game, to my eyes, playing in the Bundesliga, it was a series of truly absurd and ridiculous events.

‘···Is this the most prestigious competition in Asia?’

Mr. Jan Light, perhaps it is understandable why you have been ignoring Asia···.

Fortunately, right before the end of the match, Sangmu’s Cho Young-woo scored a dramatic header to turn the game around.

The manager and coaches were so happy that they hugged each other and ran around.

The players sitting on the bench all clapped their hands in joy, but I just folded my arms and watched indifferently.

‘Fuck.’

Looking at Thailand, it looks like things will be really tough from now on.

***

After the game, public reaction was cold.

When Kim Min-woo first failed to play, the disappointment was even greater, but those who watch soccer made various diagnoses due to his poor performance.

“It was an expected result”

◆It’s only been four months since Choi Yong-seok took over as manager. Even the squad is half-assed. No matter who comes, this is useless.

“The only way for Choi Yong-seok to survive”

◆I just hope Kim Min-woo keeps a clean sheet in every game ㅋㅋㅋ

→Minwoo, “Do it” without giving up a run

“If we fail to qualify for the Paris Olympics, Choi Yong-seok could fall even further than the previous coach.”

◆Minwoo is out

“Kim Min-woo’s expression in the meantime ㅋㅋㅋㅋ.GIF”

◆This guy really can’t control his facial expressions

→The close-up of Kim Min-woo is so funny because he got kicked by Thailandㅋㅋㅋ

→The camera director has a great sense lol

→It really does look like he has a lot to say

→When I played in Germany and watched soccer in the Asian outskirts, my eyes started to rot.. I can tell what they’re thinking just by looking at their expressions.

The following is time for interviews with reporters.

The atmosphere was not good because we only won a close match against Thailand.

“Coach. We barely managed to win the first game. First of all, congratulations. However, we are now facing the second game, and our opponent in the second game is Uzbekistan, a country that is a candidate to win this tournament. In the first game, Kim Min-woo started on the bench and did not play. Will Kim Min-woo play in the second game?”

“We are trying our best to adjust it that way, but I don’t think we can give you a definite answer. We will consider Kim Min-woo’s physical condition, condition, form, etc., and then decide whether or not he should play.”

“Game 1 was a bit disappointing. What kind of game do you expect Game 2 to be? Do you think we can win?”

“I haven’t been able to do much training since I was appointed, so unexpected problems have been popping up here and there, but I’ll try my best to… no, I’ll… no… haha.”

Choi Yong-seok, who was unable to use Japanese at an official event, racked his brain and gave an awkward smile in return for his answer.

After the interview ended, the reporters wrote articles as if it were a foregone conclusion that Kim Min-woo would play in the next match.

In addition, they mixed together all the keywords that were provocative and likely to generate views, such as the performance in the first game, the leadership of coach Choi Yong-seok, and negative keywords, and made an article about it.

It was natural for Choi Yong-seok to become furious when he saw the article the next day.

“Hey, you little shits. Why did you write the article like this?”

***

There were three precious days until the Uzbekistan match.

During that time, I became close with the players and joined the national team training in earnest.

Above all, coach Choi Yong-seok emphasized training that felt like a real game, and I played my first practice match with the national team to fit that atmosphere.

I was used to it.

This is a training game that we played a lot at Suyang High School and many times in Hanover.

“Hey! Hey!”

“here!”

“hey!”

They were divided into blue and white teams and played for 40 minutes as if it were an actual game, and the players were very enthusiastic even though it was just practice.

Of course, I took it seriously. Although I was a representative of my age group, this really had the weight of a national team.

‘Now I understand. Why do players who do well in their clubs fail to play for the national team?’

I just changed my uniform, but I feel a burden deep inside. Why is it? Is it because I received long messages from people around me saying they are cheering for me in the next game, that they will watch me and expect me to do well?

Or is it because the name ‘national representative’ itself carries a huge weight?

Boohoo-!

I don’t know right now.

But what I had to do was decided.

No matter where he plays or what uniform he wears, he always blocks shots that go over the goal.

I blocked a total of nine shots from the opponents in the practice match, leading the blue team to a 2-0 victory.

I can see Yoo Jin-ho and Choi Yong-seok whispering in the distance. Yoo Jin-ho makes eye contact with me and secretly lifts his hand. And then he speaks in silence.

I chuckled and took off my goalkeeper gloves. Still, there was good news about the game.

[You have successfully completed the practice match. As a reward, your ‘Stamina’ stat increases by 1.]

*

And as time went by, I was named in the starting lineup for the Uzbekistan match.

The South Korean starting roster was announced a few hours before the match, and as this was my debut match wearing the Taegeuk flag, the interest from those around me was truly enormous.

It was funny to see Kim Shin-ah and even people who don’t usually do that make a fuss on KakaoTalk, but I also felt a sense of duty that I had to do well because I thought that it was something that people had been hoping for.

‘If we keep 16 clean sheets in Germany and then get beaten by Uzbekistan, we’re screwed. We absolutely have to keep a clean sheet.’

I entered the stadium. The atmosphere was different from when I entered as a candidate member.

‘···It’s a little late.’

I was nervous. Even the stadium was grand.

The stadium that was used for the World Cup is being used again for the Asian Cup. It is heart-pounding to think that world-class players played here just a few years ago.

Just a few months ago, the national team A competed here.

‘Is it an illusion that the Qatar World Cup theme song is ringing in my head?’

BTX Junggun’s Dreamers.

It sounded like an auditory hallucination.

That too, quite clearly.

I was really nervous.

“What World Cup theme song are you playing?”

Jinseop Lee, who was standing next to me, grumbled.

Ah. So that’s what really happened…

*

And the game began.

I decided not to be nervous, but how nice would it be if people could just do what they set their minds to?

Most things don’t go as planned, and most plans don’t go as planned.

It was the same even then.

“Jinseop! Jinseop!”

I shouted at the top of my lungs for Lee Jin-seop, who was playing center back.

The mark was too loose.

He’s supposed to follow the player he’s assigned to like a comrade, but to me, it felt like he was just letting them run wild.

‘Fuck. Just standing next to someone doesn’t make them a mark!’

Less than five minutes into the match, Uzbekistan was pummeling South Korea without mercy.

They said he was a candidate to win, and it seems like the public opinion was true.

Despite being the first team, Korea lost the ball and completely gave up the early lead.

Boohoo-!

A cross comes in from the side. The striker, Lee Jin-seop, jumps with all his might and heads the ball.

‘Huh!’

Since the trajectory was created fairly quickly, I was able to block the ball without much trouble. Instead of punching or letting it slip away, I held it tightly with both hands.

“Jinseop! Mark it properly so it doesn’t hit the header!”

Before the game started, I treated Lee Jin-seop like a senior, but after the game started, I just kept getting angry.

I don’t want to get angry and I want to look like a good person, but Lee Jin-seop’s play turned me into a devil.

“Sorry.”

An apology as calm as if someone accidentally stepped on my foot while passing by. I laughed in disbelief.

‘Ah. The national team is fun.’

Eugene Ho told me in the past to tone down my personality and speak more nicely, but I don’t think that will work.

In Germany, he was somewhat of an underdog, so that was fine, but now that he’s playing against players of the same nationality, I think his old personality is starting to come out.

End

ⓒ Doctor Am