Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae - Chapter 207



207 – A Toast

207

France is famous for being a team with great fluctuations in performance, along with the Netherlands.

When France is at its peak, it’s a team that can be called the “Brazil Killer” in international competitions, but when it’s at its lowest, it’s a team that can suffer a catastrophic defeat.

It’s truly a team that can be called a ” rollercoaster” in the soccer world.

There are many reasons why France has become such a team, but one of the biggest factors is the lack of unity among its players.

Although only 10% of the French population is black, the national team has a dominating number of black players, and during the Russian World Cup, only two out of the 23 team members were native French.

Even Zinedine Zidane, who is considered the GOAT of French soccer, and Karim Benzema, who is undeniably skilled, are not of French origin.

Many soccer fans might not know, but Zidane’s full name is Zinedine Yazid Zidane, and his middle name “Yazid” has an Islamic tone. Zidane is a Muslim, and his first name “Zinedine” means “beauty of faith” in Arabic. Benzema is also a Muslim.

The problem isn’t that there are Muslims and blacks on the team, but that the French national team has a reversed composition, with most players being from the minority groups of African and Islamic descent.

Naturally, the team’s unity will be low.

Some might think that having a small number of native French players and a majority of minority players could lead to stronger unity, but that’s not the case.

Even among Africans, there are differences between those from North Africa and those from sub-Saharan Africa.

Even among Muslims, there are differences between those who are more secular, like Zidane, and those who are more conservative.

Moreover, even among those with the same skin color and religion, there are differences between those who are more assimilated into French culture and those who are closer to their roots.

From a Korean perspective, it might be hard to understand, but skin color and religion are extremely sensitive issues.

It’s a reality that even among Muslims, differences in beliefs can lead to conflicts.

This is evident in the French national team’s cycle.

When the French team is at its peak, it has outstanding leaders like Platini, Zidane, and Griezmann, who can unite the team and create a strong bond. Or, even without a strong leader, the team can occasionally show amazing synergy when it’s united internally.

But when it’s not?

It’s a total mess.

It’s not just a matter of words; there are reasons why the French national team is plagued by factions, bullying, and internal conflicts.

The current French national team is in the latter case.

There is no outstanding leader, but the team is united internally. Although there are only two native French players on the team, they’re doing well, and the team is dominating the World Cup with an unusual atmosphere—

“What are you doing?! Get back and cover!”

“What nonsense are you talking about? You can’t just get pulled away like that! Think before you act! If you stray out of your coverage area, space will open up!”

“Hey, hey, brothers. What are you doing? Are we going to fight among ourselves? Focus!”

As the argument continued, they were getting worn out little by little.

Joo Ji-tae, with the ball in hand, momentarily stopped and surveyed the ground.

The guy who had been lurking around the same line since earlier, as if to provoke, took a stance and then slinked away, smiling slyly in this direction. His face was dark, but his teeth shone brightly, and his name was Pellegrinus, if I recalled correctly. What an unpleasant guy.

Joo Ji-tae’s gaze shifted beyond the guy to the scoreboard.

First half, 10 minutes.

It was about time to get a feel for each other.

France was still pressing down, not giving an inch of space, making it hard to breathe.

“I don’t think they have any other plans, judging from what they’ve been doing so far.”

They seemed to be defending, but it wasn’t like they were going to suddenly burst out. And besides, as a player, I had a ‘gut feeling’ that told me they were just trying to hold back. No, they were just too defensive. It was as if they were stuck.

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Joo Ji-tae lightly pushed the ball forward, and as the French players hesitated, he burst out laughing.

They were still quite far away, not even past the halfway line, but they were already so tense it was comical.

“Hey! Let’s go all out!”

“What? Then what about our defense?”

“I’m enough on my own! It’s fine, so let’s go all out!”

As Joo Ji-tae shouted, the players, who had been looking back at him with awkward expressions, nodded and pushed forward into the French territory.

Then, a bizarre scene unfolded.

Although the two teams were divided by the halfway line, the French side was packed with almost 20 players, while the Korean side had only three, including the goalkeeper and Pellegrinus.

The benches of both teams were also in an uproar, unable to comprehend this bizarre situation.

“What… what’s going on? Are you all going to go?! Ah, Joo Ji-tae told you to, didn’t he? What’s wrong? It’s fine, go ahead. Yeah, go ahead.”

Manager Jang Ki-seok, who had been stunned by the extreme lineup, gestured for them to go ahead, as if he had always meant to do so.

“This is… Pellegrinus! Threaten them more! Make a bigger move! You have to threaten them so they can’t come up!”

Jang Blanco glared at the Korean bench, grinding his teeth.

And the game that followed was a complete mess.

[Joo Ji-tae’s long pass was headed by Han Seung-jun!! Second ball— France gets it first, but Song Ga-ram pressures and gets it back, and Emont intercepts! France counterattacks— Whoa, Han Seul-gi tackles the ball away!!]

[The ball flies high! Alain Matlet heads it again! Gong Ji-hoon rushes over and gets it back, and Dominic Amadou Tigna receives it with his chest, and then Gong Ji-hoon again! Han Seung-jun gets it! Shoot!! Ah, it’s a big one!!]

Since most players were crowded around the center of the field, there was no time to think after getting the ball.

As soon as they got the ball, they were pressured. It was a muddy, back-and-forth battle, but in the end, it always ended with a Korean shot.

[Song Ga-ram’s shot hits Karangbwe’s foot and flies away— Whoa, it’s dangerous!! The ball falls into Korea’s backcourt! Pellegrinus is coming! He’s fast! Faster, Pellegrinus!]

[But Joo Ji-tae, as if he had been waiting, calmly takes possession of the ball and resolves Pellegrinus’s pressure! Is this player seeing into the future?! He’s easily neutralizing France’s good chances again!!]

[Wow! Joo Ji-tae saw through the gap! A pass through six players!!]

The occasional French counterattack opportunities were all easily blocked.

While individual skills were generally higher on the French side, and they had more players, Korea’s extreme offense meant they had to have at least one defender and a goalkeeper in their own territory.

However, players who only defended and worried about mistakes, but didn’t have the freedom to attack without worrying, would eventually show differences in concentration as time went on.

The French players, who had been stubbornly defending against Korea’s all-out offense, began to tire as their counterattack opportunities were repeatedly thwarted—

“What the… what are they doing?! Why can’t we catch it this time?!”

“Pass it to me, don’t give it to the opponent!”

“Shut up! What are you doing? Chase them quickly!!”

They started shouting at each other.

Even Captain Christoph Givarsch tried to mediate, but—

[PK!! Penalty Kick!! The referee has blown the whistle!!]

[Yes, this is a penalty kick that the referee has called correctly!! Captain Christoph Gibraltare is taking the penalty kick!! Han Seung-jun tried to block it with his shoulder, but it was too late!!]

[Who’s going to take it? Originally, Korea’s penalty kick specialist is Joo Ji-tae. With a success rate of 93%, he’s an incredible player… but this time, it seems like Jo Jae-sin will take it? … Ah, yes, Jo Jae-sin is taking it.]

A penalty kick with just one minute left in the first half.

If Korea had failed, it would have been a trivial matter, but…

[Jo Jae-sin, Jo Jae-sin! If he scores, it’ll be his 12th goal in the World Cup… Jo Jae-sin, he’s doing it! Jo Jae-sin, Jo Jae-sin— Whoa!? He’s trying a Panenka… Ah! It’s blocked… No, it’s not! It hit the goalpost and went in!!]

[Ugh, Jo Jae-sin! Why did you try a Panenka here!!! It was a close call, but he still managed to score, so it’s okay!!]

The French goalkeeper, who quickly reacted to Jo Jae-sin’s Panenka, seemed to block it at the last second. But the ball hit the goalpost and rolled into the net, giving Korea the lead.

The expressions on the faces of the French players, including Christoph Gibraltare, changed to despair, and the dam that was holding back the conflicts between the players finally broke.

[France is… France is collapsing miserably. They’re already down by three goals! Korea is leading 3:0.]

[Ah, Coach Jack Blanco is finally giving the signal to attack. The French players are rushing forward— Joo Ji-tae intercepts! Whoa! He’s taking it all the way! Joo Ji-tae scores with a beautiful mid-range shot from afar!!]

[Korea gets a free kick opportunity in a good position! The kicker is— Joo Ji-tae. Joo Ji-tae carefully places the ball. He’s taking his time, and… He shoots! Goal!! Joo Ji-tae scores with a free kick!!]

[It’s a corner kick. Song Ga-ram delivers it… and Joo Ji-tae heads it in for another goal!! 6:0!!]

[The game ends with Korea’s historic 6:0 victory!!]

As soon as the game ended, the French players started arguing with each other, and Coach Jack Blanco made a ridiculous comment in the post-game interview, saying, “At least we kept our record.” Joo Ji-tae couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up in his heart.

“You may have kept your record, but you only allowed one goal to Jo Jae-sin. That’s something to celebrate.”