Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 94



Only Krnovel

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“···I think there will be complaints.”

Ukrainian Olympic team coach Rebrov opened his mouth with a stiff expression.

“Why should we have to face a weak team like Korea in the final Olympic evaluation match? That’s probably what they’re thinking.”

The players looked at each other for a moment and then shouted without saying a word.

“No way!”

“Not at all, sir!”

“We are proud to play for our country, no matter who the opponent is! Aren’t you all!?”

“that’s right!”

Rebrov touched his chin and nodded.

“Thank you for saying so.”

And then Rebrov continues speaking.

“The people need a place to breathe for a moment. A refuge to forget reality. Or something to be proud of. As you know, Ukraine needs glory right now.”

“Glory to Ukraine!”

“Glory to Ukraine!”

Several players stood up and chanted Ukraine’s official salute. Rebrov followed suit, albeit reluctantly.

And again.

“Korea is a team that cannot be ignored. They have a goalkeeper who is receiving attention from all over Europe, and a midfielder who plays for a big club. In particular, their goalkeeper is a goalkeeper who achieved the great feat of keeping 18 clean sheets in the German second division, so he would be a good sparring partner. And you guys?”

Rebrov nodded, looking into the determined eyes of his players.

“Please, take it easy. Korea is not Russia. It is a country that provides weapons and financial support to Ukraine.”

Director Rebrov, who woke up from his thoughts, blinked several times.

The conference room had been transformed into a stadium. The players were competing fiercely, sweating bullets.

“Guys, you’re not even listening to what I’m saying….”

Rebrov watched the current situation with a complicated mind. What the country needed now was a victory. A refreshing victory that would allow the people to forget the miserable reality for a moment.

For that reason, an evaluation match against Korea was set, but the content was going in the exact opposite direction of Rebrov’s expectations.

Well, everything in the world was like that.

If Russia had known it would get into this much trouble, it would not have invaded Ukraine.

“hmm···.”

Ukraine’s hope, Mikhail Mudrik, has been running wild as expected.

It seemed like the Korean side had prepared something to block Mudrik, but in the face of overwhelming force, the paper-like preparations were bound to be torn apart.

However, the final defense was the problem.

goalkeeper.

Number 1.

Kim, the famous name that is a hot topic in Germany and all over Europe.

If we consider the process of getting to a score to be 5, then Moudrik delivered from 1 to 4 quickly and safely.

But I kept getting stuck at the last step.

The shots either went slightly off target, hit the goal post, or just kept getting caught on the goalkeeper’s fingertips, arms, knees, shins, or somewhere on his body.

“It’s stuffy.”

Tactically and physically, the first half was a landslide victory for Ukraine.

That overwhelming victory was led by Mudrik alone.

However, in order to call it a landslide victory or a perfect victory, a final ‘score’ was needed, but that period seemed to be nowhere in sight.

Even Mudrik, who created a situation by entering the penalty box and breaking through four players alone, failed to score a goal.

Because of that one goalkeeper.

Amazing dribbling, amazing progression, amazing game content.

I’m satisfied with everything, but I’m frustrated because I can’t put a period to it.

“He is a player that all of Europe would be interested in.”

You can’t judge a player by one game, but I knew that player played like that every game.

And Rebrov applauded the goalkeeper’s successive saves as if he acknowledged them. It was frustrating, but it seemed like he had to acknowledge the goalkeeper’s skills at least.

I know Korea is in the group of death, but if that goalkeeper is with them, won’t they come back from the brink of death? Just like Ukraine…

***

And the first half ended.

My feeling was, it was fucked.

Where does the problem start?

Probably from beginning to end.

‘Coach Choi is originally a slow starter.’

It was the same at the Asian Cup, right?

I believe so.

Even if that’s not the case, I want to believe that.

It seems difficult to win a medal with such a miserable performance.

‘But the good thing is that the main players are under 23 years old, so they are quite capable.’

The only one who felt threatening was Mikhail Mudrik, a billion-dollar player.

And since it was an evaluation match anyway, there wasn’t much pressure about losing. It was literally a match to evaluate each other’s abilities.

However, there is one thing that is concerning.

‘If this is the case for Ukraine, then it is the case for other countries···.’

Especially France with Mbappe at the center, Argentina with Messi, the god of soccer and GOAT, Spain with good players overall, and even Brazil, a powerhouse with a long history.

How do we get through these countries and win medals with these players? Is that even possible?

Well, those countries all have U23 as their main team, but maybe because the Olympics are being held in Europe, most of the players called up were players who are good at what they do.

‘There is a limit to what I can do.’

There is only one way.

Because the draw was so lucky, they only played against weak teams in the tournament and advanced to the semifinals.

But that was already an impossible option, as France had virtually secured first place in Group A, which Korea was in.

In that case, they will have to compete with other countries for second place. If they advance to the tournament in second place, there is a very high chance that they will face Spain in the quarterfinals and probably Argentina in the semifinals.

If we are lucky enough to beat Spain and advance to the semifinals, then lose to Argentina (I have no intention of winning), we will play in the bronze medal match, where we will face Brazil or France… Hmm.

‘No matter how much I think about it, it’s still fucked up.’

Should I postpone military exemption until the next opportunity and just go into this Olympics with the mindset of just getting my stats up?

Anyway, I’m young and have a lot of opportunities…

But then my thoughts suddenly stopped.

Because of director Choi Yong-seok?

no.

Coach Choi was more gentle than expected, telling the players what they needed to improve on and what they should do in the second half.

then?

[Little World Cup]

[Get into the top 3 at the Paris Olympics in France!]

[Rewards vary depending on final performance.]

‘scent.’

A sly smile appears.

okay.

This will definitely motivate you.

Mbappe? Messi? Fuck you. From now on, it’s Kim Min-woo’s time. This Olympics will be the coronation that announces that my era has arrived.

Don’t we have enough national team players for that? Fuck you. Whether it’s Mbappe or Messi, if I block them all, our team will win in the end.

‘I’ll make it so that even if Grandpa Messi comes, he won’t be able to score.’

And when we actually meet, I won’t be able to move. Damn it.

*

Coach Choi made tactical changes in the second half. The changed tactics gave South Korea many opportunities and showed many threatening appearances, but the result was always disadvantageous.

Then, in the 83rd minute of the second half.

The final minutes of the game were an endless repetition of both countries taking a step forward and taking a step back.

Unable to control his anger at the frustrating performance, captain Park Seung-ho fired a powerful cannon shot from mid-range.

Like a ball thrown by a major leaguer, Park Seung-ho’s shot flew surprisingly fast toward the goal, and the goalkeeper threw his body but could not stop the net from shaking.

“downpour.”

A shot to change the mood leads to a goal.

It looked exactly like the second coming of the mid-range goal that Park Seung-ho himself scored against Brazil during the Qatar World Cup.

As South Korea scored a goal ahead of the other team, Ukraine went on a ‘mad rampage’.

The Ukrainian players, who were already rough, now openly committed fouls and made rough plays as if there was no room for any indiscretion.

As if, for the sake of victory, they could always throw away their sportsmanship.

“Tchcha.”

But in my opinion, this kind of excessive excitement doesn’t have much effect in turning the game around.

Even though Ukraine somehow managed to break through, I was able to block their attacks with ease. It wasn’t because I did well, but because my opponent was so nervous.

And above all, although the opponent had star players, in the end, it was the U23 national team, not the national team, so we were able to block them sufficiently.

‘Don’t they have a wild card? Why can’t they calm down?’

Or are we just excited together? Or are we going to the battlefield right now… Hmm.

In any case, Ukraine’s excessive aggressiveness gave Korea the opportunity to score another goal.

The fact that the opponent was rolling their eyes and only attacking meant that a good situation was created for a counterattack, and a counterattack situation was unfolding centered around Park Seung-ho and Lee Kang-im.

Of course, I was there at the beginning.

I threw the ball to Lee Kang-im with a quick and accurate kick, and he quickly went up and played······.

“Wow!”

Still valid U23 running mate Jo Young-woo did it.

Cho Young-woo, who is also in the same league as the other wildcards, scored an additional goal with a ground shot after receiving a pass from Park Seung-ho.

‘Well, the process was a bit questionable, but anyway, the result was 2:0.’

I clapped my hands in satisfaction.

And a few minutes later, the referee blew the final whistle and I laughed heartily as I watched the stats come in as the game ended.

[You finished the first match of the final evaluation without conceding a goal. As a reward, the ‘GK Diving’ stat increases by 2.]

[Running mate ‘Cho Young-woo’ scored the winning goal. As a reward, the ‘GK Kick’ stat increases by 2. The running mate’s ‘Speed’ stat increases by 2.]

‘I get this message every time a game ends, and it makes me feel good whenever I see it…’

When the game ended, the Ukrainian players all collapsed on their seats, apparently exhausted, and some were even wiping tears from their eyes.

Even though it was an evaluation match, I guess they really wanted to win.

Well, given the circumstances in his home country, he probably wanted to bring victory to his people.

I felt sorry for him and went to the Ukrainian left winger who was lying nearby and consoled him, Mykhailo Mudrik, who had been making some very threatening passes, shots, and penetrations throughout the match.

“You guys did really well. It was an evaluation match, so you’ll do much better than you did now when you get to the main event.”

Mikhail Mudrik glanced at me for a moment and then sighed deeply.

“Thank you, Kim. You did a great job. I thought it was the Berlin Wall.”

This is the second time I’ve heard of the Berlin Wall.

I smiled awkwardly.

“You’re really good at it, too.”

“···Want to exchange uniforms?”

“Okay. Let’s do it.”

I reached out to Mikhail Mudrik, and he took my hand and stood up.

And we exchanged uniforms and hugged each other with our sweaty bodies.

*

“Today’s game summary.jpg”

◆(Photo of the Berlin Wall standing in front of the goal) This kid is just finished

“Look at this. Hehe.”

On the way back to my lodging after the game, Jinseop Lee, who was sitting next to me, thrust his cell phone into my hand.

It was a post on a soccer community. The players also look at the community. I thought only Kim Shin-ah did that…

“I totally agree with this, Minwoo.”

“I think so too.”

Lee Jin-seop is getting dizzy again by my words.

“Minwoo.”

“yes.”

“I can’t imagine that you’d lose? If we just trust you, isn’t it possible to win a real gold medal?”

“If we play against France, that fantasy will be shattered.”

“Oh. You can’t do that to France either? Is it hard?”

This guy keeps getting on my nerves.

I answered while looking out the window with a tired face. I didn’t want to see Jinseop hyung’s face. My breath also seemed a bit bad.

“The wildcards there are Mbappe, Griezmann and Kingsley Coman, and if I stop them, they go to Real.”

“Then I guess we can start from this Olympics!”

I couldn’t hold back my laughter for a moment and let out a huff. Then I turned my head and looked at Jinseop Lee. Jinseop Lee had a smiling expression, but I could also see a serious side to him.

“Are you serious?”

“What’s not possible? You have to try to find out the long and short terms, right?”

I closed my mouth for a moment and thought.

So, the opposing team is Kim Min-je’s teammate and our team is Kim Jun-young’s teammate, and, um, since the goalkeeper is me… maybe it’ll work out if we just rub it well. Everything depends on how you think about it.

I clapped my hands once and answered.

“Even a broken clock is right twice a day, wow.”

“What the heck? Are you saying that my brother has a broken clock?”

“The defense is at a broken level…”

“Hey, what if I just block it well? That’s it!”

Lee Jin-seop was joking around by putting me in a headlock. I smiled and answered.

“If a soccer player is good at soccer, then that’s all!”

“······admit.”

Jinseop Lee released the headlock and looked straight into my eyes and said.

“Minwoo, I don’t know about Bape, but I’ll cover for the other kids somehow.”

“It really helps.”

I forced myself to smile at Lee Jin-seop. Lee Jin-seop laughed, perhaps not knowing that I was being sarcastic. He really is so innocent.

The End of the Berlin Wall

ⓒ Doctor Am