Breath of The Interferer - Chapter 156



Only Noblemtl

#156 – Breath of the Interferer_Key – 1714581

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Italy VS Korea

The 2026 World Cup will feature 48 teams. The first World Cup featured 13 teams. Then, it steadily grew to 16 teams, then to 24, and then to 32. In order to maximize the huge commercial benefits that the World Cup brings, FIFA increased the number of participating teams to 48.

The 48 teams are divided into 16 groups. After deciding on the 16 teams with the 1st seed, 16 teams with the 2nd seed, and 16 teams with the 3rd seed, the groups were drawn without any avoidance rules. Korea went to Group K as the 3rd seed and played against 1st seed Italy and 2nd seed Portugal.

Only one team out of three will be eliminated. It is a group match that does not determine the strong, but the weak. Of course, people debated who is the real weaker between Portugal and Korea. Since the 2022 World Cup, defensive teams have started to show strength, so few people mentioned Italy.

“We were drawn in the same group as Italy and Portugal. Many fans say that this is a way to repay the debt from 2002. I wonder what the manager thinks about this.”

“I don’t understand the debt from 2002.”

Kishin glanced at the reporter’s microphone. There was something written in Chinese characters. The letters looked familiar, so it seemed to be a mainstream Chinese media outlet.

“We made it to the semifinals in 2002, beating Portugal and Italy. Now that I think about it, if we make it to the tournament, there’s a chance we’ll face Spain.”

“The Chinese team is really good. They have a lot to owe.”

The Chinese reporter lost his self-control at Kisin’s sarcasm. If he were a reporter from the mainstream media, he would know how to choose his words, but he was so angry that he responded in an absurd way.

“Shouldn’t you apologize for your wrongdoings in 2002?”

“Okay. Can I apologize to the Chinese fans on your behalf?”

Since the two spoke in English the whole time, all the reporters on site understood what they were talking about. The reporters laughed heartily at Kisin’s words. If an Asian team performs well in the World Cup, Asia is given more quotas.

If there are more quotas, the Chinese team has a higher chance of advancing to the World Cup. It is natural to cheer for the same Asian team, but this inconsiderate Chinese reporter seemed determined to lower the morale of the Korean team.

He realized his own slip of the tongue and kept his mouth shut, wondering if he was an idiot. The Chinese reporter heated up the atmosphere, so other reporters also actively asked questions. Kishin’s fighting spirit also increased rapidly, and he gave excellent answers to the reporters’ difficult questions.

The schedule is very unfriendly to the 3-seed team as the number of teams increased from 32 to 48. The first game is between the 1st seed and the 3rd seed, and the second game is between the 2nd seed and the 3rd seed. If the 3rd seed loses two games in a row, the 1st seed and the 2nd seed will have a game of wits in the last game. They have to think carefully about whether it is better to be 1st or 2nd in the group. And they can give the starting players a proper rest.

The Korean team faced Italy in the first match. It was a tight match between the Red Devils cheering for Korea and the Italian female fans chanting.

“Hello. I am Kim Seung-ri, who will be commentating the match. Next to me is Choi Moon-eo, the commentator who will be helping me with the commentary. I have decided to use a pseudonym during the World Cup.”

“The Italian and Korean players are warming up now. The Korean players look light and have bright expressions. I saw them joking around sometimes, so they didn’t seem nervous at all.”

“We have not conceded a goal in three World Cup-related matches. Although the average level of Asian teams is not comparable to that of Europe or South America, it is not easy to keep a clean sheet. We can be confident.”

“I see Gil Seo-jun. He is considered a competitive player in Dortmund. He shows much better performance in actual games than in training. That’s why we have no choice but to let him play even when he doesn’t perform well in training.”

“At first, he showed an unstable performance in training and was pushed out of the competition for a starting position. He proved himself in limited opportunities and earned a starting position in the latter half of the season.”

“I see Kim Si-woong. He is famous in the Premier League as a ghost defender. He appears out of nowhere and intercepts the ball from the opposing attacker. He is a master of positioning.”

“Player Gong Min-hoon is more famous for his offense than his defense. He is one of the two wings of Notts County along with player Black. He is a player who always makes us look forward to him as he sometimes scores goals.”

“Hyun Ki-cheol is a player who is guaranteed a stable starting spot at Atletico. He is a player with a very high tactical utilization rate. He is fast and his dribbling and breakthrough are excellent.”

Suddenly a loud shout was heard.

“Cha Beom-soo went near the stands to pick up the ball that was kicked far away. Korean fans, especially the women, welcomed him enthusiastically. He is a really handsome player.”

“It’s a pain in the butt to say it all. There were a lot of rumors about a transfer, but in the end, he extended his contract with Notts County. There’s also a rumor that Wenger had a fight with the club’s management because he couldn’t sign Cha Beom-soo.”

“Then, please watch the advertisement and I will come to the game later.”

After the commercial, the screen went to the studio. After reporting the hot news, the screen went back to the stadium. After the national anthem, the game started with Korea’s first goal.

“Cha Beom-soo passes to Kim Si-woong, Kim Si-woong passes to Yoo Jae-beom, Yoo Jae-beom passes to Cha Beom-soo, Cha Beom-soo passes to Gil Seo-jun, and Gil Seo-jun passes to Kim Si-woong.”

“Despite Italy’s aggressive pressure, the Korean team is steadily maintaining possession of the ball. There was a lot of talk about coming to Canada a month before the start of the World Cup. Looking at the five minutes so far, it seems like the results have been great.”

Cha Beom-soo passed the ball to Han Yoon and ran forward. Left winger Hwang Hee dropped back and received the ball from Han Yoon. Kim Si-woong supported Cha Beom-soo and Yoo Jae-beom headed to the left. The center spot vacated by Yoo Jae-beom was filled by right winger Choi Gil-soo. Gong Min-hoon stepped up to fill the right wing spot vacated by Choi Gil-soo.

Han Yoon, Kim Si-woong, and Hwang Hee passed the ball back and forth to Yoo Jae-beom. Yoo Jae-beom passed it to Choi Gil-soo, and Choi Gil-soo passed it to Gong Min-hoon. It seemed like a pre-planned tactic, as the process flowed naturally.

“Gong Min-hoon crosses! Unfortunately, the Italian defender kicks it away. It’s a throw-in for the Korean team.”

Italy and Korea traded offense and defense, but failed to create a particularly threatening scene. Italy’s defense is known to be strong. And the Korean team’s defense was also much more stable than expected.

Kim Seung-ri poked the octopus, who was becoming increasingly quiet, with his finger. The octopus realized Kim Seung-ri’s intention and immediately opened his mouth.

“I hesitated to say because I wasn’t sure. Based on what I’ve observed so far, Cha Beom-soo is leading the entire team.”

“Is our Octopus commentator still having trouble adjusting to the time difference? I don’t understand why he’s bringing up something that anyone with even the slightest interest in the national team would know.”

“The attack always starts from Cha Bum-soo’s feet. When Cha Bum-soo passes the ball to the central defender, the attackers drop their line. When Cha Bum-soo passes the ball to Kim Si-woong, the players spread out to both sides.”

“Now that I hear it, it seems like what commentator Choi said is true.”

“If Cha Beom-soo passes to the second-line striker, the defense quickly raises its line. If he passes to Han Yoon or Gong Min-hoon, the players rush to that side as you can see. Then, they pass the ball to the other fullback.”

As Cha Beom-soo passed the ball to Gong Min-hoon, Kim Si-woong, Yoo Jae-beom, and Choi Gil-soo headed toward him, while Hwang Hee took the attacking midfielder position. Then Han Yoon pushed up to the wing.

“Cha Beom-soo leads the entire team with just passes, not with gestures or words. And I also discovered one very important thing.”

“As expected, being a commentator isn’t something just anyone can do. Your perspective is on a whole other level than mine. I’d like to hear your opinions.”

“When the ball is passed around and only Cha Beom-soo catches the ball, all the players’ concentration increases. And when Cha Beom-soo passes the ball to the two fullbacks or the second striker and instructs the attack, it feels like all the players know what they have to do and move accordingly.”

“I think I know a little bit, but I’m not sure. Can you be more specific?”

“First, let’s look at this attack. Up until now, all the attacks have ended with the wings or fullbacks aiming for Park Jung-hyun and sending a cross. I wonder if there will be any changes this time.”

Gong Min-hoon, who succeeded in breaking through, crossed the ball. Park Jeong-hyeon succeeded in heading it, but the ball went wide of the goal.

“It’s a shame. Park Jung-hyun jumped a little early. I’ll finish what I was saying earlier. When Cha Beom-soo passes the ball to the defenders, the players are relaxed and comfortable. Then, when Cha Beom-soo starts attacking, they raise their concentration.”

“Player Cha Bum-soo is in charge of controlling the tension of the entire team. Some people may think that’s not a big deal, but he can quickly raise the team’s condition at the beginning of the game. There is a time when we have a hard time physically between the 30 and 40 minutes. Thanks to Player Cha Bum-soo, we can get through that time stably. Usually, when we play a game, we get excited and waste energy unnecessarily. With Player Cha Bum-soo’s direction, that will happen less.”

“Then, commentator Choi, please evaluate the defense. What is the level of the national team’s defense?”

“First of all, Gil Seo-jun is running a lot. He is showing a good performance. However, I would like to give more praise to Park Dong-chun. He is assisting Gil Seo-jun’s movements very well. If Gil Seo-jun makes the defense solid, Park Dong-chun makes the defense stable.”

“And Kim Si-woong, who has the nickname of ghost defender. His protection of the two fullbacks is really great. In defensive situations, the two fullbacks don’t have to worry about cutting in. If the Italian attacker cuts in, Kim Si-woong takes the ball.”

Kim Si-woong’s positioning is creepy. As soon as the Italian wingback cut in, Kim Si-woong waited and intercepted the ball. Another change was that Park Jung-hyun also came down to the center line and participated in the defense. This was different from the previous first-line strikers who did not participate in the defense.

“And so far, all the attacks have been crosses, looking for Park Jung-hyun’s head. I think it’s probably a preparatory move to deliver a fatal blow.”

“It’s obvious to us, but don’t the Italian players know?”

“I know it, but I still get hurt. When Gong Min-hoon or Han Yoon get the ball, the first thing that comes to mind is a cross. Then, other decisions become slower. There must be a tactic that can take advantage of that moment.”

Gong Min-hoon passed the ball to Kim Si-woong. Kim Si-woong passed it to Yoo Jae-beom, who passed it to Cha Beom-soo. Cha Beom-soo passed it to Han Yoon on the left. The Italian defense moved flexibly to the left of the Korean team.

Han Yoon crossed the ball after getting past the Italian wingback. Hwang Hee ran madly to the near post and headed it in. The Italian goalkeeper hurriedly dove and blocked Hwang Hee’s header.

The ball that hit the keeper’s hand and the crossbar did not bounce far. This was because most of the power put into the ball by the keeper was dissipated. Park Jung-hyun, Cha Beom-soo, and Yoo Jae-beom had already penetrated inside.

The ball luckily came to the position where Yoo Jae-beom was holding it. Yoo Jae-beom did not make a mistake in a situation where the goal was as good as an empty one. Yoo Jae-beom, who scored the first goal, ran toward the audience. This is a tactic that can be used only once. If the opponent knows about it in advance and prepares a defense, it will not work. Now, the remaining mission is to protect this one goal advantage until the end.

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