Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 307



Only Noblemtl

Episode 307 11:12

The 3rd and 4th place match was held just before the final match of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup.

Although it is not comparable to the finals, it became a hot topic because the two countries competing in the 3rd and 4th place match are different countries.

It’s a match between Argentina and Brazil.

The two countries were enemies beyond the Korea-Japan match. Even though it was a match for 3rd and 4th place, the two countries with great rivalry faced each other in the World Cup, so it was obvious what kind of mindset they would have.

Brazil was shocked by their loss to Korea, but they could not afford to lose to Argentina, so they prepared thoroughly. Argentina, too, could not let Messi’s last national team match end in defeat, so they tried to wrap up their final journey in the World Cup on a good note.

The 3rd and 4th place match was held like that.

[Lionel Messi—! He’s on fire again! He keeps blocking threats from Korea in the finals and finally gets past Alisson, who showed amazing performance in the penalty shootout!]

The spectacular goal parade began with Lionel Messi’s opening goal.

[Neimarq! Fantastic penetration! Fantastic shot! Fantastic goal!]

[The legendary striker who even got past Kim despite being caught offside in the semifinals is lighting up the final spark! This match is just beginning!]

Neymar’s equalizer. And,

[De Paul! Eeeeeeeeeee! It’s in!]

[A mid-range shot that you can’t believe even when you see it!]

Argentina on the run again.

And then there’s Brazil chasing after them.

The two countries provided great entertainment to the audience who watched them run wild like a runaway train.

Goal, goal, goal, or a valid shot.

I looked away for a moment and someone was attacking me.

And the final outcome of this match was once again a penalty shootout.

Score 3:3.

The game was mired in a maze until the end, with Alisson and Martinez blocking shots from several kickers by possessing Kim Min-woo.

[Eder Militao! He decides the match! He missed the kick as the last kicker in the semifinals, but this time he succeeds!]

Eder Militao, who contributed to the loss by having his kick blocked by Kim Min-woo, stepped up as the final kicker and succeeded in the penalty shootout this time.

Militang was under so much pressure that as soon as he succeeded, he collapsed and cried like a child.

The Argentine players were bitter, but they generally accepted the result, and showed great generosity by approaching the emotional Brazilian players first and comforting them.

And, as the 3rd and 4th place match became such an exciting match, the excitement for the final naturally grew even hotter.

France vs Korea.

If you look at the national name value alone, anyone would raise their hand for one side, but Korea was an unknown team that was difficult to predict the outcome no matter who it faced.

The finals took place the day after the 3rd/4th place match, and the time came quickly.

* * *

The venue for the North and Central American World Cup finals was a place we had already experienced once.

MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey.

If I just say it like this, it might be confusing, so I’ll just say that it was the stadium where we played the round of 16 against Italy.

‘I remember that we barely won back then.’

While waiting for the game to start, I looked back over the KakaoTalk messages that Kim Shin-ah had sent me.

Kim Shin-ah said that people all over the world are rooting for Korea. Almost all of Asia overwhelmingly supported Korea, and other continents seemed like they would win for France, but they were still rooting for the underdog Korea.

‘Once this match is over, the World Cup will really be over.’

There is no way to know what the outcome will be.

Mbappe could go into a conquest mode and give me the first goal. He’s a striker who’s more than capable of doing that.

We soon entered the stadium. Just like during the round of 16, the seats were packed to the brim, as it was the final.

Looking around, there were more fans rooting for France. It’s only natural. There are probably a lot more French fans here than Korean fans.

Not only that, but geographically France is closer.

‘Look at the French flag waving.’

There are so many.

Anyone who sees this will think this is France’s home.

Of course, there were just as many spectators cheering for Korea. It was the finals. The finals.

Korea’s first away World Cup final. They did what they couldn’t do at home, but they did it away.

Korean-Americans living in the U.S., college students studying abroad, and other foreigners cheering for Korea waved small Taegeukgi flags.

I really liked that.

And we had time to shake hands with each other.

I was shaking hands with the French players, and when I shook Mbappe’s hand, I made eye contact with the guy.

It was a brief moment, but the guy didn’t avoid my gaze. Was this our second meeting?

We met once during the Olympics and again during the World Cup.

‘I only meet this guy at really big tournaments.’

After the World Cup, will we see each other again in the Champions League?

Well, that’s a long time ago.

For now, let’s focus on the finals.

The national team’s teammates were still out of their minds a few days ago due to the dreamlike record of advancing to the finals, but thanks to Son Heung-min’s urging, they have regained their winning mentality.

Although we were physically very far apart, the same goes for our opponents.

We really gathered in a circle for the last time, cheered each other on, and then dispersed.

Let’s give it a try.

We beat Brazil too.

Spain and Italy too.

* * *

I don’t know how the other players will react to this match, but Kim Jun-young felt a sense of duty to do well.

In fact, over the past few games, Kim Jun-young has seriously realized his own lack of ability.

It seemed like there was some good energy up until the round of 32, but that energy completely disappeared after the round of 16.

The biggest problem was not scoring.

Kim Jun-young hasn’t been doing surprisingly well since meeting countries that are a bit stronger.

The so-called burrow was burned.

In the match against Italy, Kim Min-woo, who was showing off his crazy saves, ended up scoring a goal and ended the match, and in the match against Spain, it was Kim Min-woo again.

The Brazil match was also Kim Min-woo… .

‘This is really Kim Min-woo’s one-man team.’

This was Korea’s original grand strategy.

Once Kim Min-woo blocks everything, the Korean offense, which is comparable to that of EPL teams, will aim for the opponent’s goal.

That strategy only worked until the Senegal match.

This two-track strategy has been hit hard when meeting teams that are considered world-class.

Above all, the attackers failed to do their job.

It’s impossible to count the number of shots I unfortunately missed.

At the center of it all was Kim Jun-young.

So I wanted to show it even in the last game. I wanted to score all the goals I couldn’t score in this game.

Beep!

As soon as the game started, Kim Jun-young (as in every game) ran around with all his might.

And we knew it within five minutes of the game starting.

France was stronger than any of the powerhouses we’ve ever faced, but it wasn’t weak at all.

‘It’s fortunate that coach Leon rested some players in the quarterfinals.’

If we had played the quarterfinals full time, semifinals full time, and finals, wouldn’t the players have run a little bit and then all spread out?

Thinking about it that way, Kim Min-woo looks amazing again. That guy has been playing full-time in every game since the group stage. Even though he’s a goalkeeper, isn’t that hard?

‘Come to think of it, that’s why we had such a hard time against Brazil.’

Even for Kim Min-woo, it would be difficult since he hasn’t rested even for a single game.

Kim Jun-young, shaking off his thoughts, focused on the game again, and the game was unfolding as he had expected.

Overwhelming French superiority.

It wasn’t much different from the Brazil game.

‘At least at that time, he showed that he was attacking.’

This time, France had the upper hand throughout.

Even though the attack wasn’t that threatening, they continued to dominate the game and hit shots.

Kim Jun-young actively participated in the defense, but felt helpless in the situation itself.

It wasn’t even a strategy to openly defend, but we got pushed back so overwhelmingly.

Even if the Korean side happened to get possession of the ball, it was quickly taken away or given back to the team.

After about 20 minutes of game time, we also acknowledged this flow and focused only on defense. It was just an endless defense.

‘It’s okay. It’s our goalkeeper, Minwoo hyung.’

France only had a high possession rate and took many shots, but failed to create any particularly threatening situations.

Above all, since the Korean attack line was healthy, they couldn’t attack recklessly.

If you allow a counterattack in the back space even once and get scored on, you will go to the other world.

However, that doesn’t mean we just blindly lock the back door and stay on the defensive.

They tried to find a way to break through by going up aggressively when they had possession of the ball and beating up the French defense.

But the problem is that it doesn’t have much effect.

We kept defending and looking for opportunities.

First of all, France is not normal either.

There were several attacking opportunities, but they were all cut off by the defense line. There were times when Kim Min-woo came out, but they were not many and were not threatening.

‘I thought I’d be really nervous because it was the finals, but I wasn’t really nervous.’

Kim Jun-young spat and thought.

In fact, even if I lost, it was an honor to win the principal.

It was a miracle that I got here, and I did well to get here.

of course.

[The difference between winning and running 2 is just a hair’s breadth, but it’s as different as heaven and earth.]

I have no intention of being swayed because I have been thoroughly mentally trained by Kim Min-woo.

From the beginning, I wanted to score a goal today.

I want to score a goal against France for the sake of those who have been expecting me and for the sake of my poor performance so far.

And after holding my breath for a long time, my chance finally came.

No matter how strong France is, they are not invincible.

After all, those players are also people made of blood and bones, and as humans, they are bound to make mistakes.

It started with Kim Min-woo’s long ball.

Hwang Hee-cheon from the side received it as a header and sent it forward.

Lee Kang-im was also running ahead of Hwang Hee-cheon in that area, so he received the ball, and Theo Hernandez, who was running opposite Lee Kang-im, fell during the competition, leaving the side open.

And at that moment, a spine-chilling roar fills the stadium.

““Woo …

It was a roar of anticipation from the people gathered here.

Kim Jun-young ran in the center, following Lee Kang-im’s tempo.

The French defense also responded in an instant, surrounding him. It was a surprisingly quick reaction.

Lee Kang-im watched the situation from the side, entered the box, and passed.

It was a cutback.

*Cutback (an action in which a player on the side passes the ball to a friendly player behind him)

Kim Jun-young watched the cutback blankly along with the French defenders surrounding him.

And the shot by Hwang Hee-Cheon who had been running after him.

French goalkeeper Mike Maignan stretched out to react, but the shot was quicker.

‘!?’

The moment I thought, “Did the goalkeeper react too slowly?”, the shot hit the net.

It was a side net.

Unfortunately, Hwang Hee-cheon’s shot went just wide of the goal.

“Ah, damn it.”

I’m missing this.

Of all the chances Korea had throughout the first half, this was the most plausible attack.

But this is just the beginning.

* * *

Kylian Mbappe watched the situation unfold.

‘The game is being led, but it is by no means advantageous.’

Even though the detailed data, such as possession rate, showed a landslide victory for France, the score was essentially 0:0.

If so, then it can never be considered as being ahead.

If France are to be considered ahead, they need to score.

And Kim, whom I met after a long time, had definitely grown beyond comparison to the Olympics.

‘I’ve only heard people say you’re good, you’re good, but you’ve really grown tremendously.’

Just a moment ago, Korea almost conceded a goal through a counterattack. The first was the famous long ball from Kim.

If it’s defense, it’s defense, if it’s deployment, … if it’s attack, it’s attack.

Kim, who had grown without missing a single thing, was an extremely difficult opponent for Mbappe.

‘Still… it’s worth doing.’

Body checks were completed by tapping here and there throughout the first half.

Now, Mbappe and the French national team are ready to make a big splash.

If you keep pushing him, Kim will eventually have no choice but to kneel.

The match against Brazil was that milestone.

The French national team began to move towards more aggressive tactics in order to gradually push Korea back.

France made some pretty rough moves during the match, but surprisingly the referee ruled it as a legitimate fight.

Even when a Korean player fell openly, the whistle was never blown. Scenes that made people tilt their heads appeared little by little, without any hint of it… .