Soccer Genius Wants to Get Noticed - Chapter 142



Only Krnovel

Episode 142: Consecutive Winnings (4)

The relegation battle in the Bundesliga is a fight for just one or two points.

Greuther Fürth, ranked last in 18th place, boasted an overwhelming lead with 17 points, but their opponents in the previous round, Bielefeld, had 26 points, Stuttgart in 16th place had 28 points, Hertha Berlin in 15th place had 30 points, and above them, Augsburg was in 14th place with 32 points.

Even though it may not seem like there is much of a difference at first glance, there was a clear difference in the level felt inside the stadium.

“Back up!”

“Don’t miss number 11!”

“Left side! Hector, you have to catch it!”

First is positivity.

While Bielefeld crouched down and focused solely on defense, Augsburg went on the offensive aggressively even after conceding an early goal.

Based on the 343 formation, the team attacked from the side, with the left wingback Daniel Caligiuri at the center.

Too-woong!

As the central defender’s long ball flies in, Jonas Hector rushes in to challenge for the ball in the air. Victory belongs to the opposing team.

It may have been due to the fact that he had just recovered from his injury, but his physical strength seemed to be more important.

And here the second difference emerges.

Air gap.

While three attackers loiter on the first line, four midfielders push up to the second line while maintaining a certain distance.

In this case, the final defensive line would have no choice but to rise higher in line with this, but the opposing team’s coach took a rather bold move.

“One two!”

“I have to watch it 30 times!”

“Don’t miss the player-”

Perhaps because of this, a hole appears in the friendly defense line momentarily.

Shortly after Schiri moved to the left to relieve Jonas’ defensive burden, Augsburg moved the ball to the center and attempted a 2-on-1 pass with Michael Gregoritsch, the striker, as the standard.

At this very moment, an error occurs in the command.

Luca Killian, the central defender and leader of the defense, pointed to the Augsburg midfielder who was running in from the second line and told him to mark him, but he ended up missing the player he was supposed to mark.

Knock, knock.

What bad luck?

To make matters worse, Michael Gregoritic’s deflected pass deflected off Kylian’s foot and rolled right into the feet of the opposing team’s number 16, Ruben Vargas.

And here, the crucial difference between the 17th and 14th place teams is revealed.

Boohoo!

It’s the power of decision.

slam!

[Wowaaaaaaaaa-!!]

Bielefeld squandered a few chances, while Ruben Vargas finished with a curling effort into the right-hand net.

It elicits loud cheers from the home crowd.

The game was dominated by Cologne throughout, with Augsburg only attempting four or five attacks at most.

22 minutes into the first half. The score is tied 1-1, and the game returns to square one.

“hmm…….”

“It won’t be easy to win. We have no place to retreat either.”

Then, suddenly, a defender standing next to me spoke to me. He was a dark-skinned central defender, a head taller than me, named Reece Oxford.

“Oh, really? Isn’t that pretty precarious for something like that?”

“But the score is 1 to 1.”

“But the first half isn’t even half over.”

“… … You want me to prove it with results? I wonder who will back out. But if I win, your uniform is mine.”

“My uniform is expensive.”

“Then it’s better to make a bet. Are you sure you’ve decided to do it?”

I have to save my jersey and other Cologne club merchandise for my new friends (I was actually going to give my away jersey to Lisa Weiss).

Still, I didn’t think I would lose, so I nodded my head and expressed my intention to accept.

Reece Oxford may have been excited by the equaliser, but I don’t think it would be a bad thing to give the opposition another incentive.

Do you want to win the game and also win your personal bets?

It would be great if both could be achieved, but sometimes excessive greed can cause one to fall apart.

This is especially true if the match is one that is pushed back in terms of content.

As expected, Augsburg’s cracks come from the right flank.

Boom, boom!

Beep!

Near the second line sideline.

Remperle, who was in top form today, evaded the opponent’s tackle with a soft touch of the ball and was about to take another step forward when the opposing central midfielder Niklas Dorsch slid on the grass and kicked with his back foot.

Naturally, the referee immediately stops the game and puts his hand in his front pocket. A yellow card without hesitation.

Augsburg players rushed in to protest, but it was no use. No, it was closer to the worst behavior.

We are Cologne. No matter how poor they were last season, they are currently ranked 3rd in the league, so it is true that there is a difference in their performance.

The team’s momentum, individual confidence, and the conviction that they had an advantage over the opponent – a number of factors came together to make a one-sided attack possible regardless of left or right, so the defense had to admit its inferiority and approach with even more caution.

So, it was inevitable that praise would come out of my mouth too.

“good job.”

“… … ?”

I pretend not to see Remperle’s look that seems to say, ‘What the heck are you talking about?’

“It’s not bad to accumulate cards. I should start piling them up little by little from now on.”

“… … No, but shouldn’t you ask if it’s okay before saying you did a good job?”

“From the way you say that, it definitely seems okay.”

“… … .”

And as expected, the subsequent developments did not deviate from my expectations.

Although there were no immediate goals scored, yellow cards were shown here and there.

In the 27th minute of the first half, during a counterattack, the short opposing central midfielder Carlos Groeso tried to stop Mark Utt, who had come down to the center line, and struck him in the thigh from behind.

In the 36th minute of the first half, right-back Robert Gumni swung his elbow during an aerial ball challenge, causing Modeste to bleed under the eye.

In the 41st minute of the first half, left wingback Iago pushed Schmitz, who was involved in an attack, out of the sideline, leading to a clash between players from both teams.

It was amazing how no one got sent off, with each position receiving a yellow card, and at the end of it all… … there was a person I had a bet with.

* * *

It starts with the conversion of airborne weapons.

Thud!

[Ahhhhh!]

In front of the box. Michael Gregoritic heads in a cross from the flank, the ball hits the post and is deflected wide by Julian Chabot.

A chance to counterattack.

Mark Uth, who had dropped down to the lower half of the halfway line, took on the opposing midfielder and the ball hit the side of his head and fell backwards.

So the next control is Eliez Schiri’s.

Augsburg did not just sit there helplessly, as the surrounding players quickly rushed in, but a short pass to the left was made one moment earlier.

“Forward!”

“Back up!”

The one who received the ball was Jan Tillman, who started as a left-wing attacker, and he pushed forward while the opposing defenders were hurriedly returning to regroup.

At this point, Augsburg makes a mistake.

“I’ll take care of it!”

“Robert! Damn it!!”

The opposing left-back, Robert Gupni, made a hasty decision to run towards Jan Tillman.

Then… … bang!

Modeste, who had briefly stepped down to the second line, became the connecting point, and the ball rolled to Mark Utt, who was jumping forward, and then back to my feet.

“Hold on tight! Push hard!”

Since you have the goal and your back to it, you have time to think.

The choices are countless.

He could turn his back now and take on the opposing defender, pass the ball to Mark Uth, target Modeste as he runs into the box, or link up with Remperle as he comes up the right flank.

Of course, my choice was already decided.

Charurk.

Within a few seconds, scrape the surface of the ball with the sole of your right foot and pull it inward, while turning your head obliquely to check the situation behind you.

There is no need to perceive it accurately, so the distance can be judged by just the shadow that passes by the pupil.

He looks like he’s about to step on my back, but he’s not in a hurry. It’s always easier to attack than to defend.

All I had to do was use Mark Ut and Remperle, who were pushing up from the rear within sight, as chess pieces.

Kwuuk, swoosh!

Pretending to stand with my back to the ground, I took a step forward with my right foot and used it as a stepping stone. Then, just as Mark Ut was on the same level as me… … I kicked with my left foot.

The movement from the thigh to the calf is maintained like a real pass, but the ball is pulled towards the instep by braking just before contact.

A gentle 180-degree rotation so that the upper body faces the side instead of the center.

As a defender, especially when there are equal numbers of attackers and defenders, it is impossible to ignore a crucial pass, so even Reece Oxford is fooled.

“Big!”

Although I didn’t completely get rid of it, I did react, so I used up one turn.

Follow me, the heavy body leaning towards the center with the knees overloaded. Another chess piece awaits on the right side.

Cologne winger Tim Remperle is coming up about a beat and a half too slow.

So, I’m going to try to trick you again.

WHEEK!

This time, even the opposing defender can predict the move.

The kicking motion is something we’ve seen before. At the pro level, getting hit by the same technique twice is something that deserves to be called a retard.

But sometimes, even the most obvious tricks become not so obvious when exposed to a third party.

‘Turn around, or not.’

The decision wasn’t mine to make.

If I can’t make a decision within the time limit… …then I’ll do whatever I want.

And Reece Oxford didn’t make a clear choice either way. Instead of shouldering me and stopping me from turning, he just took care of the possible passing routes.

Thanks to this, immediately after turning around, I am given a split second to dodge the opponent’s outstretched leg and hit the bottom of the ball.

Boom!

The next task is to run forward and cross the penalty box line.

Try not to let your uniform get caught, but focus solely on controlling the ball. Even if you do get caught, there’s nothing you can do about it.

But the whistle never blows.

Since I didn’t look back directly, I can only infer from the light footsteps that went on the grass.

Have you given up completely?

If the decision had been made late, I might have thought of leaving it to the person behind.

That was when.

Kwak!

“Ahh!”

There is no way to avoid a tackle that comes from out of the corner of your eye.

The soccer shoe that came out from behind scraped the side of my right foot, and soon my opponent’s leg became entangled with mine, causing my body’s center of gravity to collapse.

The ball quickly rolls away from my control, and as soon as it lands on the grass, I check the details of the right foot.

Did it get scratched by a stud?

I noticed that the leather of the soccer shoes was partially torn, so I put my finger in and, fortunately or unfortunately, no blood seemed to be leaking out.

“Oh, crazy… … .”

This is ridiculous.

It wasn’t that I was crazy, but it was even more ridiculous because it was the guy who tackled me muttering quietly.

If I get angry, I should be the one getting angry. Who am I to do that?

“Isn’t that outside the line?”

“No. I saw it correctly.”

“But we still have to look at VAR. It’s an important decision.”

“I’ll see. I’ll listen to your opinions. But nothing will change right now.”

aha.

When I realized the situation later, I understood.

As the Augsburg players rushed in, the one wearing the captain’s armband was speaking to the referee as if he was begging.

Judging by the direction the referee’s finger was pointing, the penalty for the foul was a penalty kick. It looked like he had been tackled right after he had crossed the line.

By the way, until Reece Oxford was booked.

Maybe there was no need to be so angry. It was the fifth yellow card. With this, the game was basically over.

All that’s left is to stir-fry the well-prepared ingredients to complete the dish.