Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 295



Only Noblemtl

Episode 295 History Repeats Itself

Early in the game, Italy was shocked by a surprise blow from Korea and changed their tactics.

The aggressive attack was replaced by a passive attack, and the defensive formation that Italy excels at was completed.

Then, the heated match from the start disappeared and both teams just passed the ball around, keeping an eye on each other.

And when this kind of game unfolds, the one who laughs is Korea.

‘It’s good to be careful, but… … if it goes into overtime and a penalty shootout, then my stage will eventually open.’

And the Italian side will definitely know that.

There’s no rush. If it goes to penalty shootouts, we’ll feel more at ease.

A few minutes of meaningless spinning continued like that. I kept looking ahead while rubbing my legs.

As the opponent started to play defensively, the Korean national team took a quick look and slowly moved up.

A 2-on-1 pass between Hwang Hee-cheon and Kim Jun-young.

A pass from Hwang Hee-cheon to Kim Jun-young, who then passes the ball into space in front of Hwang Hee-cheon.

In an instant, they penetrate the Italian flank.

And Hwang Hee-cheon crossed straight in without penetrating that deep. It was a good decision.

Torino centre-back Buongiorno slid wide with his right foot to clear the cross, but missed.

Then, Son Heung-min, who was right next to him, also stretched out his leg, but unfortunately, Son Heung-min’s leg also missed… .

Lee Kang-im recovered the ball that fell into the opposite cross zone and continued the attack, but this opportunity was lost due to the Italian defense that was quickly filled.

“good!”

I clapped my hands at that task. Good job, huh?

There’s no need to be nervous. It’s the opponent who’s nervous. Even Italy hasn’t had a chance to attack to match this.

As Korea was caught taking chances, the Italian players also became impatient and started to fight actively.

He was so aggressive that the referee called a foul.

‘Ah. Kabi. It’s too far for me to go there myself.’

And this situation was very positive. If you actively engage in a physical fight and the referee blows the whistle, the opponent will receive a card or a free kick will be awarded. If a free kick is awarded, I can go and kick it myself.

The Italian coach must have known that too, because he was shouting something so loud that it could be heard here as well.

“Are you really burning inside?”

The offense is so world-class that it is difficult to ignore Korea’s attacks, but the defense is also not bad if you want to counterattack.

Even if I somehow manage to get past the defense and get to the goalkeeper, well, can I get past him?

Anyway, the game resumes again.

I was worried that if the opponent kept acting like that, there would be nothing to do today other than the round of 32, but fortunately my worries were unfounded.

It seemed that the other side felt that there was no answer to just playing defensively, so they launched an offensive attack.

It wasn’t like they stole the ball and counterattacked.

Certainly, Italy is a world-class team, so they know how to fight in the midfield and attack from the side with 2-on-1 passes.

It was a short cross from outside the box. Kim Min-je stretched his left foot to clear it, but it didn’t go far and the ball fell in front of his nose.

Federico Chiesa runs after the ball has rolled a few times.

And then immediately a trajectory is created.

‘What kind of trajectory is this?’

There were two trajectories. One was a normal trajectory. The other was a strangely curved trajectory.

From experience, if this trajectory appears, there is a 200% chance that it is a deflected shot that hits the body.

And we still don’t know which of these is real.

I concentrated my mind,

‘It’s refraction!’

As soon as I saw the normal trajectory disappear and only the refracted trajectory was displayed in red, I jumped in the opposite direction.

Let’s dive straight into the speed of the shot… … .

“Whoa!”

I barely managed to block it just in time.

A deflected shot that you only see once a season happened in the World Cup round of 16. It was a shot that I couldn’t have stopped if my prophet’s eye hadn’t been upgraded to the final version.

I held the ball tightly and took a deep breath. This was really dangerous. It was really dangerous.

When I performed this ridiculous super save, the crowd erupted in cheers and gasps of amazement.

The Italian players also all had their heads covered as if they had no idea this would happen.

“Kim Min-woo, you crazy bastard―!”

What are your fellow soldiers saying?

Since I blocked a goal that would normally go in unconditionally, my teammates were so surprised that they ran to me, hugged me, and muttered something in an excited voice.

“You fucking do better than Yasin! Admit it!”

“You’re just the best in the world! I just knew it with that save! We’re going to win this World Cup! It’s just over!”

“If you get goosebumps, then… Ugh.”

The players continued to chatter excitedly among themselves, seemingly unable to hear my voice.

“Hehehe.”

Yeah. I’m a goalkeeper with this taste… .

This feeling of frustration for the opponent every time you block.

In particular, the sense of accomplishment is doubled when you block something that you absolutely must do.

I stood up and looked around, and it was definitely like that.

The Italian coach in the distance was kicking the water with his foot as if it were a soccer ball, and the Italian players’ faces showed frustration.

What makes soccer fun is that the more super saves you can make, the more buffs you give to your team and debuffs you give to the enemy.

To put it simply, our team’s morale will greatly increase, and the opposing team’s morale will greatly decrease.

It was kind of like a war.

I took a break from the flow and took a breather, then passed the ball to fullback Kim Jin-seok.

The score is still 0:0.

But if we look at the momentum alone, we have already won.

That super save just now was crucial.

* * *

The second half begins with the first half ending 0:0.

Italy’s second half was clearly evident. They were extremely dirty.

‘Ah, why are you so close and annoying…?’

Italy’s corner kick situation.

The opposing players were glued to me, the goalkeeper, and had no intention of leaving. It was almost like a fan meeting.

“Oh, sir. Look at how close they are.”

My teammates are also shaking in fear. It seems like it won’t work out, so now they’re going to surround me?

Beep!

A corner kick starts with a whistle.

Of course, there was no way Italy’s attempt would succeed. Some players even tried to ‘hug’ him, but they were not fooled by such a foolish trick.

Next came another Italian attack.

He kept running at full speed with a 2-on-1 pass, but the defenders of his team tried to block him, but were unable to stop the running Chiesa.

Chiesa, who entered the box in an instant, broke through Kim Min-je and finally shot.

And the shot just fell into my hands.

10 points for dribbling.

Breakthrough 10 points.

The shot was also worth 7 points.

But the goalkeeper is me.

Should I block it?

‘It certainly has potential.’

I was horrified as I watched how many people were passed by that dribble breakthrough just now, but I have eyes that can see the shooting trajectory.

Almost all my attempts are blocked by panic attacks.

And as Italy came out aggressively, Korea also got a corresponding opportunity.

The problem was that the ball didn’t go in.

The fierce competition continues with only one goal to be scored.

Italy probably wants to pressure us by being aggressive in physical contact, but if it gets too much, they end up giving us a free kick. Knowing that if they give Korea a free kick, it will almost always lead to a goal, they were unable to use their superior physicality.

‘Is this the Kim Min-woo effect?’

Hahaha.

Even Italy, who were going crazy before the match as if they were going to devour Korea, knew what would happen if they gave me a free kick once they actually got into the match and were careful.

It was a good thing.

I don’t have to worry about my teammates getting injured, and since I’m a goalkeeper, I don’t get into physical fights that often.

As the game continued, time soon passed by the 43rd minute of the second half.

Now, both sides were tired enough, and it was time to start thinking about overtime.

As time went on, extra time came, and the extra time in the second half was 6 minutes. It was longer than I thought.

‘Let’s block it well for 6 minutes.’

Italy is also a country with a reputation for good defense in Europe, so the game was definitely not easy. They were solid when defending, and very threatening when attacking.

‘That’s okay. The longer it drags on, the more advantageous it is for us.’

As time goes by, the probability of advancing to the next round increases inversely. If we go to penalty shootouts, I am confident that I can definitely do better than the opposing goalkeeper.

So I watched the game slowly without rushing. Since the Italians would know this anyway, there would definitely come a time when they would try to force the game to end before the penalty shootout.

If we finish it in one room then―

Beep!

“huh?”

What the heck. There’s still some time left before extra time ends.

As I looked ahead, tilting my head, I saw Kim Jun-young lying down.

And the players were gathered together in a crowd.

I could tell as soon as I saw it.

“What the fuck!”

The referee gave a free kick as if it was a penalty kick. The Italian players were going wild, saying that Kim Jun-young was overreacting.

I don’t know what it is… … Is this real? A free kick? A free kick with 3 minutes left in the game? To me?

“No, this is… … The game ends here without going into overtime.”

I tilted my head slightly and then chuckled. It’s actually good. But Italy would be furious. How upset would they be if they lost to me after conceding a goal despite being a strong team?

I looked toward the bench and saw all the players, coaches, and coaching staff shouting at me and gesturing for me to run forward quickly.

Oh, right. I should go.

I couldn’t hold back my laughter and ran forward. As I ran slowly, the Italian players were still excited and yelling at the referee.

“Hey, why are you guys so excited when we didn’t even score a penalty kick?”

“Brother, if it’s a free kick, it’s actually worse than a PK!”

Kim Jun-young is flattering me with a big smile. Kid… I admit it.

The Azzurri? The World Cup Champions? What?

Am I going to get scolded for clicking a free kick?

* * *

Coach Luciano Spalletti glared at Kim as he prepared for a free kick with a fierce look on his face.

At this moment, Spalletti’s mind was imagining Kim missing a free kick and before he could even reach the goal, one of his teammates fired a long-range shot into the goal and ended the game.

The goalkeeper’s free kick success rate is ridiculously high, but it’s time for him to miss once.

First of all, it is impossible to succeed in a free kick every time.

The reality is that even the best free kick takers only have a success rate of around 80%.

It must fail now. It must fail.

‘It’s too risky for the goalkeeper to just kick a free kick with the goalpost empty. If only Donnarumma could block it this time… … damn.’

Watching the free kick being prepared, I felt like I was playing Russian roulette.

You put a revolver to your head and pull the trigger, but you never know if the chamber is empty or has a cartridge in it.

Only God knows.

And the referee puts the whistle in his mouth and signals to start.

By then, Director Spalletti had noticed that anxiety, tension and a slight fear were taking over his body.

Sweat was dripping down his palms and forehead, and his breathing was trembling.

‘Fuck. My heart feels like it’s going to burst out of my chest.’

Kim stood there for a long time even after the referee’s whistle blew. This drove Spalletti even more crazy.

It was hard to watch. Just watching made my throat tighten and my hands tremble.

‘What happens if that goes in?’

And if that happens, we lose to Kim… … .

And at that moment, Kim takes off.

The shot goes off like a cannonball with a refreshing “whoosh” sound.

Donnarumma also jumped in sync with him. His movements were almost predictable. The trajectory of the shot and the timing of the dive seemed similar.

‘Please… please!’

At that moment, Director Spalletti felt a flash of light pass by. And then… … .

Crash!

It was the sound of my heart pounding.

At the same time, there was a rippling sound of the net.

Kim aimed for the lower right corner, not the upper right corner. Donnarumma expected the upper right corner. The speed of the shot was also faster than expected.

It was a mistake.

The Korean fans let out a scream. Spalletti closed his eyes.

There was only about 30 seconds left. The game was essentially over. In the worst possible situation.

He gave away a free kick before extra time, and then conceded a goal to Kim, who set the Italians’ hearts on fire.

It was a dramatic defeat right before overtime.

’24 years ago we lost by a golden goal, but this time we lost right before extra time.’

Coach Spalletti sighed deeply and touched his forehead. The Azzurri’s challenge for the North and Central American World Cup was Again 2002.