Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 284



Only Noblemtl

Episode 284: World Cup Opening

The Korean national team, which finished the first half with a score of 0:1, was naturally not in a good mood.

‘I don’t think even a grocery store would have this kind of atmosphere.’

The atmosphere was so dark that it felt like we were at the end of an underground tunnel. This atmosphere was like the kind that would emerge if Korea had been dealt a crushing blow by Ivory Coast or Norway in the World Cup group stage.

“The game isn’t over yet. Everyone, wake up! Why?”

Kim Min-je, who took over as captain for this match in place of Son Heung-min, spoke in the Yeongnam dialect, which he does not usually use.

The director also seemed to dislike the current atmosphere, so he spoke through an interpreter.

“The captain is right. In football, it’s common for the weaker team to score first. Now that the first half is over, we just need to win the second half. And above all, this is a friendly match. There’s no need for everyone to be so depressed. Cheer up.”

Son Heung-min, me, and Jun-young also provided support. Are you going to be discouraged by this little ordeal? In real life, situations worse than this will come up. We say we are strong, but objectively, we are in the position of an underdog on the world stage… … .

When you encourage them like that, the players finally feel their spirits lift and their eyes light up.

And coach Leon announced that he would change tactics. The tactics used until the first half were the same as before, but he meant to try a customized strategy.

The second half started like that.

The second half, which was played with only tactical changes and no player changes, played out in a similar manner to the first half.

Korea seems to be leading with a high market share, but it lacks a decisive blow.

And the sight of Honduras’ counterattack being precariously blocked.

Even I, who was watching, felt uneasy.

Time passed like that. The manager and the coaching staff began to whisper. Since there were no major changes, it seemed like they were going to make a player change.

Meanwhile, the Korean side launched a corner kick attack, and fortunately, they scored a goal from that set piece.

It was Jo Gyu-seok.

Jo Gyu-seok’s header shined.

He is a player who scored multiple goals with his head in the match against Ghana four years ago, so he really used his head well.

Score 1:1.

We all applauded with relief.

Yeah. Now we can turn things around.

After that, some players are replaced.

Naturally, the expressions on the faces of the players being replaced were full of regret. The reason for being replaced was simple. They did not perform well and did not satisfy the coach’s standards.

The game started again like that.

The tactics and players changed, but the game was the same. Korea was pushing almost 7:3. But the most important ‘goal’ was not scored.

‘Is this how the players facing me feel?’

I’m so frustrated.

No, I would have liked to have at least a shot that seemed like it would go in, but when I did, it would either deflect off the opponent’s body or just go in absurdly, so it was hard to watch.

At this point, coach Leon could have sent in players like Kim Jun-young or Son Heung-min to boost the team’s morale, but Leon held out until the end.

He persistently urged Honduras to somehow catch this formation.

‘If it’s great, then it’s great.’

Even if it is an unofficial match, the score is leaked to the public after the match. If Korea did so well and ended up drawing 1:1 with Honduras or losing, even if you don’t want to assume it, how shocked would people be?

That’s why I really wanted to win. Please, score even if it’s by a single goal!

.

.

And then the bad news came again.

It doesn’t mean you’ve lost a point.

It would have been better to have lost a point.

During the attack, a Honduran player tackled Hwang Hee-Cheon deeply, and Hwang fell down and cried out in pain.

“Fuck, what the hell!”

We all jumped up in surprise, and Lee Ja-seong made an X mark for us near Hwang Hee-cheon. It meant to replace him. It was done… .

“What the hell are those kids doing in the evaluation match!”

All the players were angry, but after the situation had already occurred, coach Leon hurriedly replaced Hwang Hee-cheon with another player.

And Hwang Hee-cheon was carried out of the stadium on a stretcher.

“Ah… … It shouldn’t be a big deal.”

But I know. If something had happened, I would have walked out myself. Maybe, in the worst case scenario, Hwang Hee-cheon would be the one to be dropped from the national team. Damn it.

Naturally, the players who were running ran to the Honduran player who made that stupid tackle and protested as if they were going to chew him to death.

The player also ran away as if he was scared, and the referee mediated the confrontation between the Honduran and Korean players.

I sighed and slumped down on the bench.

‘What’s going to happen? Is Heechun hyung out?’

Is this the best 10+1?

Damn… One of the pillars of our offense is being pulled out. Not good.

Time passed again and it was the 88th minute of the second half.

Honduras’ all-out defense. Even though it was the final evaluation match, they were extremely focused on defense.

It was such a serious defensive game that it made you think, “This is what swamp football is like.” If it had been the existing best 11, they would have bulldozed through this swamp… … But the Korean national team was stuck in there and struggling.

And the game that seemed like it would end like this was reversed with the whistle just before the end.

In a heavily defended defensive zone, Hwang Eul-jo came in as a substitute and had a great opportunity, but the opponent tackled him too deeply.

The referee blew his whistle immediately and it went to a penalty kick.

Hwang Eul-jo, who created the opportunity himself, even kicked the penalty kick himself, and succeeded with ease.

It was encouraging that both attackers, Cho Kyu-seok and Hwang Eul-jo, had attack points, but in reality, that didn’t even come into focus.

The players were a little happy about the penalty kick, but not that excited.

Everyone’s attention was focused on Hwang Hee-cheon’s injury.

And that’s how the game ended.

Score 2:1. Korea’s victory. The final evaluation match where they lost much more than they gained.

‘It would be better not to do this… .’

I got up from the bench with a sigh. And I encouraged the players for their hard work. Although we won, it was a disappointing performance.

Leon also had a lot to say, but he couldn’t say anything to the players who worked hard, and instead encouraged them by saying they did a good job.

* * *

The final friendly match against Honduras was quickly reported by the media.

Even if the match content or video is not leaked, the general public will be made aware of who scored the goal, what the score was, and who suffered injuries.

When the national team defeated Turkey and Switzerland 4-0 and 2-0 respectively at home, but drew 2-1 with Honduras in the United States, people had question marks over their heads.

→They said it was a sure defeat but as soon as they got to the US they barely won 2:1 against the 82nd ranked teamㅋㅋㅋ

→Even he barely managed to score before the game ended with a penalty kick

→But looking at the lineup, it’s the 1.5 team? Not the 1st team.

→Is it the legendary first team? Do you care about that? Honduras is an opponent that we have to beat no matter what, whether we send them to the second or third team in Korea’s weight class.

Naturally, there was a lot of debate about this result. Some people were unable to hold back and criticized Leon, saying that he is maintaining his current performance thanks to Kim Min-woo, while others defended him, saying that it is not too late to evaluate him after watching the group stage, since he played right after he arrived in the US and it must have been Leon’s last experiment.

[Kim Shin-a: The national team is doing well]

[Kim Shin-ah: It’s a mess without Kim Min-woo]

[Kim Min-woo: It wasn’t just me who wasn’t there]

[Kim Shin-ah: You are the biggest, right?]

[Kim Shin-ah: What about Hwang Hee-cheon’s injury?]

[Kim Shin-ah: You look like you could chew on rocks, but why is your body so glassy?]

Kim Shin-ah was dissatisfied.

I wasn’t happy that we barely won the final evaluation match, and I wasn’t happy that Hwang Hee-cheon, a key member of the national team, got injured.

This was especially true because Kim Shin-ah had decided to fly to LA with her family during the summer vacation to watch the World Cup in person.

[Kim Shin-ah: Seriously… Seriously, if we raise expectations like this and then lose with 3 draws in the group stage, I’ll cry]

[Kim Shin-ah: I’m really going to cry]

[Kim Min-woo: I would cry too in that situation]

If there was only one way a goalkeeper with no clean sheets could be eliminated from the competition, it was through group stage elimination.

If you draw all three matches and fail to advance to the round of 32 with a lower number of points, you will be eliminated from the World Cup even if you are an undefeated goalkeeper.

Of course, I believe that won’t happen now. Even though Hwang Hee-cheon is injured, the other pillars are still healthy.

Fortunately, Hwang Hee-cheon’s injury was not serious enough to warrant elimination from the World Cup, so he was able to play later.

Instead, the remaining members will have to do well during Hwang Hee-cheon’s absence.

So public opinion has become more inclined to watch the World Cup group stage matches. There are even those who say that if they just make it to the round of 16, this World Cup will be a success, saying that they will lose.

Meanwhile, the day of judgment has arrived.

Now it was really time for the North and Central American World Cup to open, and now it was time to say goodbye to someone.

I thought he would still be kind and not send all of these players home, but Leon was tougher than I thought.

The members who were finally eliminated in the final elimination round have emerged.

There were three people in total: Hwang Eul-jo, Kim Yang-kwon, and Kim Jin-seok.

They were all characters of a certain age. And it was a bit shocking because I had secretly thought that these players would survive.

“…and.”

Jo Gyu-seok survives, but Hwang Eul-jo goes.

He even scored a goal. Is it an inevitable age issue? Instead, it was Oh Hyun-goo who survived to join the national team.

A striker who is in good form these days and is said to be the next choice after Kim Jun-young.

Kim Yang-kwon definitely dropped down a lot in weight class, but I thought he would stay for the sake of the national team’s mentality, but that was not the case.

Kim Jin-seok, a valuable fullback resource, was also eliminated.

And here was Eom Won-seok with +1. He wasn’t eliminated, but he was a reserve candidate. It seemed to be due to Hwang Hee-cheon’s injury.

If he hadn’t been injured, Eom Won-seok would have had to return home with them.

In any case, players whose elimination was confirmed had to pack up and leave base camp immediately.

I felt uneasy watching them pack their bags.

I felt bitter because I had been with the national team for a long time and they were all veterans who had dedicated themselves for a long time.

In particular, Son Heung-min’s expression, who is of a similar age, was the worst.

“You’ve worked hard. No matter what I say, it won’t comfort you, but… … We’ll really try our best. I’m sorry.”

The atmosphere was so gloomy that it felt like a funeral. I was afraid I would get in trouble if I tried to lighten the mood, so I stayed quiet. Lee Kang-im was also quiet.

“I really can’t believe it. This is not right. How can you drop such dedicated players from the national team right before the World Cup? This is not right. This is just too much… .”

As expected, Lee Ja-seong, born in 1992, who was the same age as him, muttered with a complicated expression. What would I, born in 2006, say here? I should just stay still. Not say anything and just stay still… .

In such a gloomy atmosphere, the veterans left. Yoo Jin-ho also had a dark face. Let’s ask the veterans about the mass elimination this time.

“That shameless brat with no mercy or tears. I insisted on taking him even as a reserve candidate, but do you know what the coach says? He said that it absolutely cannot be done because discipline will be weakened. He said that we have to cut him off with a strong will. Huh? I guess he doesn’t even think about the team spirit if he cuts off this many veterans. That damned nosed brat. I didn’t like him from the moment I saw him.”

Eugene Ho, who spouts out words as if he’s pressing a button. Leon is also a person.

If the national team’s performance had not been this good, the coach would have been viewed with suspicion and his authority would have fallen. Or perhaps there would have been internal strife.

In any case, all decisions in the national team are made by the coach, and he is also responsible. It was a position that had great authority, but also great responsibility.

I understand both sides’ positions, so I decided not to judge who is right or wrong and to focus more on the upcoming World Cup.

What happened is what happened. Now we have sent the people we wanted to send, and we need to come together again and prepare well for the final World Cup.

.

.

As a few more days passed, the case was forcibly closed.

There is a reason why they say time heals all wounds.

And June 11, 2026.

Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

The North and Central American World Cup that people all over the world have been eagerly waiting for has finally opened.

The splendid opening ceremony has begun.

The Korean national team played the next day, so we all gathered together to watch the spectacular opening ceremony.

The opening ceremony will soon be over and Mexico, one of the host countries, will play its opening match.

Mexico’s first opponent is China.

For Mexico, this was a must-win opponent, and one they could start off on a good note with a hot victory.

“Are we about to see the Chinese Five-Party City being divided into five parts?”

As I muttered briefly, Kim Jun-young, who was next to me, giggled. China was also in a festive mood as it was its first time attending the World Cup since 2002, but well.

I wonder what the atmosphere will be like if we get hit harder than expected in that World Cup….

While watching the opening ceremony, I also thought about our first match the next day.

Our first opponent was Côte d’Ivoire.

Drogba’s country. There is no Drogba now. It is a country to be careful of, but it is not an opponent we cannot beat.

My heart is pounding a little bit thinking that the World Cup will finally be held soon.

‘You can do it.’

It’s a big stage, so if you don’t do things you don’t usually do because of the tension, there won’t be any problems in the group stage. They’re all average opponents.