Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 289



Only Noblemtl

Episode 289: The goalkeeper who destroys motivation

The United States, which had been leading the game, gave up a goal to Korea and then became passive.

It was correct to see that the momentum had been broken.

It was really fun and exhilarating to see him run wild like a mad dog and then get hit and become calm. If I hadn’t participated, I wouldn’t have seen that kind of thing.

‘It doesn’t really put a strain on my body.’

It was my first game playing with an injury, even if it was minor.

I felt it during training, but since my body showed no abnormal signs during actual combat, I continued to guard the rear.

And as I participated in the build-up, I felt that the flow of the game definitely changed.

‘It seems like the US is also turning to the Ivory Coast strategy.’

Lowest loss. And then Shobu in the next game.

But there was a world of difference between doing that in the first game and doing that in the second game after a draw in the first game.

They seem to be aware of it, as their movements are inconsistent and erratic.

It was easier to see that the team’s organizational skills were not aligned. Just like in the first game, Korea did not move aggressively after scoring one goal, but rather controlled the pace and played the game.

If the US dominated the first half and then gave up a goal and became quiet, Korea was now clearly taking the lead in the second half.

‘If the second game goes smoothly like this and we win…’

First place in the group stage is virtually certain.

In the worst case scenario, they could advance to second place, but that would only happen if either Ivory Coast or Norway win their remaining two games, and Korea loses their last game and is ahead on goal difference.

But let’s leave that aside, because the chances of that happening are very slim.

The game continued after that.

The US showed a markedly different movement from the first half in an attempt to prevent further scoring, and we also gained confidence from their passive action and launched several attacks.

Once from the side.

Once to the center.

Once at medium range.

And just as he was about to take advantage of the momentum and start blowing off some steam, Leon quickly stopped him.

The reason was that the line was raised too high.

From Leon’s perspective, he was still winning, so there was no need to force himself to raise the line and attack.

He said that he would control the game appropriately because he didn’t know which way the game would go if he gave them a chance to counterattack just to score a few more points, but I clicked my tongue behind his back.

‘After all that you’ve been through, you still don’t know me?’

I have experienced countless chances to score and countless crisis situations in my life.

Even if we made a critical mistake and gave up possession, I was confident that it wouldn’t work unless the opposing team had a world-class attacker.

The shooting that shoots like a laser is still scary, but… … since the trajectory is visible anyway, it’s not dangerous.

Anyway, once Leon got the team going, we stopped trying to beat them up and returned to a balanced game.

Lose moderately and defend moderately.

The United States also cautiously carried out its attacks, paying special attention to counterattacks in the rear space, but made no progress.

There were no special issues.

The game went smoothly like the first game, with regular time running out, and the four minutes of extra time also passed with a moderate exchange of offense and defense.

It was a pretty stress-free match for a World Cup.

Another 1:0 win.

I felt like it was a one-sided and boring match, but I think the Koreans who watched it found it quite exciting.

The US didn’t completely give up its attacks either.

However, our defenders blocked the ball well and we were not pushed back at all in the midfield battle, so no effective shots were made.

The national team members, who secured their spot in the round of 32 by winning the second game following the first, roared with joy.

Some players were so overwhelmed that they even shed tears.

‘Originally, even advancing to the tournament was a very high wall for us.’

Among the South Korean national team’s previous World Cup challenges, this was the one in which they most easily advanced to the tournament.

Even though the number of participating countries increased and even the top three could advance, advancing to the tournament was not something to be taken lightly.

“Everyone worked hard.”

The players’ reactions varied.

Some players were roaring with joy, others were sitting down and crying, and others were dumbfounded and couldn’t believe they had advanced to the round of 32.

And while we were rejoicing, the American players around us were bowing their heads or shaking their heads in despair.

I also comforted those players without fail.

‘It’s not that you couldn’t do it. You just hit a wall… .’

In any case, with this victory over the United States, the early elimination scenario predicted by some experts for Korea has completely disappeared.

If my injury was so severe that I really couldn’t play in Game 2, that scenario could have happened, but I’m in really good shape.

And today, the players took turns conducting post-game interviews.

Kim Jun-young was the first player to be interviewed since he scored a goal. And he seemed awkward during the interview, as if he still couldn’t believe that we had advanced to the round of 32.

What about Son Heung-min?

He responded with tears in his eyes, saying he was so proud of the players and that with today’s victory, they would be able to aim higher than they had expected, and that they would go as high as possible for the sake of the people.

After going around and around, it was my turn.

“Everyone in the world expected that Kim Min-woo would miss the game today, but he was surprisingly selected! I hope he is feeling well and I would like to hear your overall thoughts on today’s game!”

“I focused solely on recovering to prepare for the competition… … .”

I recited it in a rambling manner.

I was happy that we secured our spot in the tournament by quickly winning two games in the group stage, and I also wanted to come out because I was annoyed at the US for treating Korea like a fish that had already been caught without me, etc.

There is nothing wrong with his body, and he said that he will finish the remaining three matches well and advance to the group stage in first place without any upsets.

The reporter seemed a little curious about my answer and asked me a question related to the third game.

“Korea is currently leading Group I with two wins. Don’t you think Coach Leon will rotate the players? Do you think Kim Min-woo will play in the match against Norway?”

“That is a matter for the manager to decide. If he asks me to play, I will go out without a word and stop Holland like I did in England.”

“Oh… I understand. Thank you, Kim Min-woo!”

“Yes. Thank you for your hard work.”

With this, the second round was also concluded perfectly.

Now all that’s left is the third game, and since first place is virtually certain, I think Leon will probably play in full rotation.

The statement that he would go out and block the order to go forward without a word was… … a kind of showmanship.

Because I knew from the beginning that Director Leon wouldn’t do that.

* * *

While Korea beat the United States 1-0, the match between Côte d’Ivoire and Norway was underway on the other side.

Norway, who drew with the United States in their first match, and Côte d’Ivoire, who lost to Korea in their first match.

Since both countries were in a position where they had to capture the other, a bloody battle was expected.

And as everyone expected, the confrontation between the two was very fierce and close.

Following the United States, Norway played against Ivory Coast, and while the first match ended in a 2-2 draw, this time they pulled off a hard-fought victory with a score of 3-2.

It was a match where Holland, who is known to be a ghost in big matches, was possessed by Ronaldo and saved his home country, Norway.

Holland proved in this match why he is competing with Mbappe and why he won the Ballon d’Or.

Like Ronaldo against Spain, he scored three goals on his own to complete a hat-trick and saved his country from a crisis on his own.

By doing so, they were able to earn three precious points. Unlike when they played against Korea, Côte d’Ivoire showed off their wildness to the fullest, and although they unfortunately lost, they played a great supporting role.

Norway. 1 win, 1 draw. 2nd place in group after Korea.

The current rankings are as follows:

1st place South Korea. 2 wins. 6 points.

2nd place. Norway. 1 win, 1 draw. 4 points.

3rd place. USA. 1 draw, 1 loss. 1 point.

4th place. Côte d’Ivoire. 2 losses. 0 points.

If it had been a previous World Cup, Côte d’Ivoire would have been eliminated, but starting with this World Cup, third-place teams could also advance to the tournament based on their performance, so it was not a complete elimination.

There was a very high chance of meeting France, but there was reason to give it our all until the end.

The US was also in a situation where they were on fire. Depending on how the last game ended, they could finish in third place, or second place. Or they could finish in fourth place.

In particular, since only a few countries survive the competition among the top three, they had to do whatever it took to beat Côte d’Ivoire and advance to second place.

Another bleak point for the United States was that Korea had already won two games and the possibility of them giving it their all in the final third game was slim.

Only Norway has a fleet.

Holland, who scored three goals against Ivory Coast and earned his country a precious victory and personally recorded a World Cup hat-trick, answered this in his POTM interview.

“I really hope Kim comes out in Game 3. I think this time we’ll be able to break through the goal that Kim is guarding.”

“What if it doesn’t come out?”

“Then you must be scared of me.”

If the usual Kim Min-woo had been provoked like that, he would never have tolerated it. He would have immediately shouted, “You come out!” and clearly showed the gap in skill, but now it is the biggest event in the soccer world, the World Cup.

The World Cup was something that Kim Min-woo couldn’t go to even if he wanted to.

Also, Leon responded to a reporter’s question about his previous statement that Minwoo Kim would not be able to play in an interview after the victory by saying:

“It was a kind of trick. Isn’t it part of the game to use deception before the game?”

I declared a trick.

Koreans were excited by the national team coach’s announcement of a trick after 8 years, but the United States showed a very sharp reaction. They said it lacked sportsmanship…

Koreans enjoyed chewing over the loser’s grievances. For that day alone, the number of people mocking the United States increased significantly, and now people were discussing which country they would advance to first place in the group and face.

Some people who went further passed the round of 32 and started by checking their opponents in the round of 16.

There is now only one match left in the group stage.

Group I is Group I, but there were many surprises here and there.

Who would believe me if I told them before the World Cup that the United States, ranked 11th in the FIFA rankings, was ranked 3rd after playing two games without winning a single game?

But the reality was like this.

In other groups, countries that were expected to pass the group stage without a hitch were struggling.

In Group A, Croatia was a representative example, and in Group B, Italy was going through a period of adaptation to the World Cup.

In addition, European countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Poland, and Belgium were having a hard time in this World Cup.

Not all of the countries mentioned will be eliminated from the group stage, but their rankings have not yet been determined.

Currently, the only country that is almost certain to be eliminated from the World Cup is China.

China has 0 wins, 0 draws, 2 losses, 0 goals scored, and 8 goals conceded so far, so even if they win their last game and move up to 3rd place, their miserable record means they will be eliminated from the group stage.

Except for a few specific countries with clear skills, the rankings for this North and Central American World Cup were not determined until the very end.

Korea prepared for the final round leisurely.

Since they had already secured two wins, the Korean national team had to face a happy dilemma: should they rotate the entire team from attackers to goalkeepers, or should they start some of the starting players?

The coaching staff meeting discussed this issue every day, but since it wasn’t an urgent situation, no arguments arose.

And after putting our heads together, we came to this conclusion.

“Minwoo.”

“Why are you calling me that? It makes me feel uneasy.”

Eugene Ho’s lively expression is hard to see.

And what he says is,

“You said you would play without complaint if the coach made the decision, right?”

“… Yes? Well, it was like that before. But―”

“You have to go out.”

“yes?”

“I decided to rotate everyone except you. You always say that you need to fix that Holland brat’s hair. Let’s show them properly this time, Minwoo.”

“Huh?”

No, that’s only when there are a certain number of first-class soldiers―

“Do you know that my brother trusts Minwoo a lot?”

“You want me to come to the World Cup and do what I did at Suyang High School?”

“Why? You were doing well in Hanover too.”

“That’s why I escaped from Hanover.”

“Just give me one more game, honey. If the opponent makes too many substitutions or rotates the players, I’ll take them out right away.”

“ah.”

Being the head of the household by myself is now a real challenge… .