Soccer Genius Wants to Get Noticed - Chapter 155



Only Krnovel

Episode 155 Each Person’s Choice

In the second half, I ran around like a mad dog, to put it bluntly.

When defending, he joins the right flank of the friendly camp, sometimes gets involved in a fight for the ball in the midfield, and in competitive situations, he thrusts his body first.

I just did things randomly and haphazardly that I would never have tried normally.

The aftermath leaves a sour taste in the mouth.

The once cool smell of grass has turned musty, my calves are starting to tingle, sending me strange signals, and my thighs are also feeling tight and like they have weights on them.

So, was my challenge effective?

If I had to put it into words, it would be like half success.

Mistakes were countless if you look at them down to the smallest detail. My concentration was slacking off here and there, so it was a natural result.

It was defense and offense, every move was within the realm of inefficiency, and before the 70th minute had even passed, his stamina was at rock bottom.

But that was also the best.

Today, the country is struggling in its own inefficiency as the highest human achievements fall short of expectations.

Ta-da-dak, slap!

When defending, he dives to cut off Leipzig’s passing lane, then raises his upper body without even having time to feel regret as the ball passes by his toes and rushes towards the opposing player again.

‘Hanul, inside!’

On the other hand, when attacking, he played the minimal role of a link with the help of his fellow players.

Bam, boom!

‘Aaah!’

Although he was not always successful, suffering from tackles by Benjamin Henricks and, after the 80th minute, by substitute Angelino… … the presence of reinforcements was a great help.

‘Ha-nul, let’s pick up the tempo a bit. The checks are intense.’

‘I think so too. The midfielders, wingbacks, and defenders all defend by narrowing the space momentarily. I think the top priority right now is to avoid counterattacks.

Veterans on the team, including Elis Schiri and Beno Schmitz, were openly concerned about me. Of course, not all of them spoke in a meek manner.

‘… … Tempo Ramen-‘

‘I’m talking about the timing of the pass. Kid, you’ve only played a game or two. You should know it when it’s done.’

‘… … .’

Mark Ut’s reprimand only made him frown for a moment.

He gives an example even though his face looks haggard.

‘Do you remember Jens Castro? He was a guy who came up from the second team for a while.’

‘huh.’

‘How was it?’

‘It was a mess. The passes kept getting cut off… … Ah.’

‘That’s right. It seems to me that you’re trying to be like that guy back then. Do you get what I mean?’

Thanks to the amazing metaphor, I understand the meaning perfectly.

The most common mistake made by players who have just been promoted from the second team to the first team.

It seems like there is space, so you force yourself to come up, but your way forward is blocked by opposing players who have narrowed the space in an instant, and at the same time, your timing to pass to your teammates disappears, and you get eaten.

I felt a bit resentful since I hadn’t touched the ball more than three times during the entire game, but I understood what he meant.

And with that advice as a guide, I managed to get through the most difficult and painful time, from 70 to 90 minutes.

Beep!

Immediately after the whistle blew to end the second half, I fell to the ground where I was standing.

I feel like I could fall asleep if I just close my eyelids.

As I turned my head and looked around, it seemed that I wasn’t the only one having a hard time. In the distance, there were Jonas and Skiri, and the veteran players’ expressions weren’t good either.

The score is 1 to 1.

The game went into overtime thanks to a goal barely scored around the 70th minute. I wondered if I could play two more 15-minute periods after completing the full 90 minutes.

“Ha-nul, just lie down.”

“……huh.”

Then suddenly, I heard the physical coach’s voice and felt a tingling sensation in my calf muscles.

Since the right side of the enemy camp was close to the bench, it seemed like he came over and stretched his muscles as soon as the final whistle blew.

“… … Can you run more?”

“… … .”

“It’s the last game of the season, but you don’t have to risk injury. If you think it’s too much-”

“I want to run more.”

The physical coach’s consideration was difficult to overcome. It is true that I hesitated for a moment, but I didn’t want to back down after coming this far.

Since you’ve decided to put your pride aside and fight in the mud, you’ll need to bring something.

There’s a saying like that.

If you draw your sword, you can cut anything.

Once I calmed down, I was able to answer the director’s questions without hesitation.

“Ha-nul, can you run more?”

“Of course. I want to run more.”

“……good.”

“good?”

“Haha. Why, did you think I was going to tell you to stop running?”

“A little bit. You don’t like pushing yourself too hard.”

“That’s right. But sometimes, one game like this can teach you more. If you can play, then I hope you can.”

Steffen Baumgart’s complexion doesn’t look too good either.

He continues talking, squatting down at my bedside.

I’m sure there will be an opportunity in overtime.

“Don’t go too deep in the extension. You’ll be given a chance to counterattack.”

“… … Number 3 (Angelino) will dig in.”

“That’s why I’m telling you not to go down any further. Angelino came in as a replacement for Benjamin Henricks. He’s in good shape. It won’t be easy for you to catch up. You obviously have the advantage in speed, but you’re way ahead in stamina. Wouldn’t it be wiser to focus on offense rather than defense?”

“Okay. I’ll try that.”

“Pay special attention to the timing of the transition between offense and defense. The number of substitution cards is limited, so there aren’t many players who are still fresh. When Angelino goes deep into our camp… … If you go to the center, it will work well. Besides, you almost always moved around the flanks today, right? You’re just catching the opponent off guard.”

“But there won’t be a second time.”

“I guess.”

“… … .”

“I believe.”

“Yeah. I know.”

iced coffee.

He is a really good director.

Rather than telling me to do better, you give me clear instructions on what to do. You make it easy for me to focus by giving simple, concise instructions that get to the point.

And after a while.

As the break quickly came to an end, the players got up with their heavy bodies and went to fill the field again, and I also got up and moved to the right side of the center line.

It was my first experience in overtime since my debut.

* * *

As with all things, good things and bad things come together.

The unfortunate thing was that things started to go wrong from the start of extra time, but the fortunate thing was that it wasn’t just Cologne that was going wrong.

Phew!

“Referee! This was intentional!”

“You have to give me the card!”

What is a final overtime?

People watching on TV will expect to see fierce attacking football and players burning their last flames, but the reality is that they are so exhausted that they can’t even control their feet properly.

The situation was that, during a midfield battle, Ljubicic, who had come in as a substitute, cut off the opponent’s pass line a beat ahead, but a Leipzig midfielder belatedly extended his foot and scratched his heel.

Is that all?

As time goes by, the attack patterns of both teams become simpler, which soon leads to foul play becoming a daily occurrence.

thud!

“Ugh!”

A long pass from the enemy camp to our own camp in one go sends the opposing striker leaping up. Our central defender Luca Killian swings his elbow and successfully defends.

Beep, beep!!

If there was a problem, it was the loud protests and scuffles from the Leipzig players and one yellow card from the referee.

“… … This is a mess.”

Is it okay to just wait for an opportunity to come?

Since I was instructed to refrain from taking part in the defense, I stopped going down to the center line for the time being, but judging by the way I was going back-

Phew!

“What the #$@!”

… … I am gradually becoming impatient.

This time, the situation is completely opposite to before.

The crazy gorilla headbutted the opposing central defender in the side of the head during an aerial ball contest.

No, if you think about it, isn’t it the same situation?

In the end, it’s the team that gets the yellow card… … Hmm.

If you had just run around with a mouthful of sweet smelling food in it, I wouldn’t have had any thoughts.

It’s complicated because in attacking situations, all I do is run and hope Modeste drops the ball.

If your body gets cold, your muscles will stiffen up and become tense, which is a problem. To make matters worse, overtime is only 15 minutes in the first half and 15 minutes in the second half.

Beep!

As expected, the 15 minutes are quickly over with the referee’s whistle after the team’s free kick opportunity is caught by the goalkeeper and goes to waste.

Degururur, bang!

What’s ridiculous is that in the meantime, Leipzig’s goal kick went over the sideline due to the receiver’s mistake in touching the ball.

okay.

The majority of people on the field are fairly exhausted.

And in this environment, in the second half of the extension, Steffen Baumgart’s trick finally reveals itself.

Boom!

At the moment when the players from both teams, who were starting to get tired and shaky, were huddled together in groups of three or four near the penalty box, fighting for the ball or engaging in a physical fight, central defender Julian Chabot swung his foot with the sole intention of kicking it away.

The ball, which rises high into the air, curves obliquely and falls to the right of the center line.

Modeste had moved slightly to the left, so it was me who had to receive the ball.

As Steffen Baumgart says, the opposing wing-back Angelino drops deep into the attack, leaving the opposition’s central defenders to contend with.

Boom!

At this moment, I try to fly up and hit the platform with my bare hands, but I feel the hardness on my skin and feel defeat.

Because the height difference is too big.

This fight is unwinnable.

then-

grasp!

As soon as both feet land on the grass again, he starts to dig backwards.

The only option is to hope that the other person makes a mistake.

He forcibly pulls his stiff leg muscles to add momentum, digs into the grass with his soccer shoes, and kicks toward the goal.

[Wow-!]

Before I could see it with my own eyes, a cheer suddenly erupted from the stands, informing me of what was going to happen next.

okay.

The ball went backwards.

Knock, knock!

“Whew, Whew, Whew!”

Finally, it’s here.

I push my shoulders in the direction of progression first to gain the upper hand in the early competition, and soon I inhale as much air as possible to add to my confidence.

The defensive line was pulled up too high, leaving the opponent’s back area completely empty.

So, take three or four steps forward to enter the second line, and then take two more steps until you reach where you can see the box line.

Since the goalkeeper hasn’t jumped out yet, there’s no need to worry about missing a touch, so you have the advantage of speed.

I don’t know if it’s right before the shot is taken, but I decided that it would be difficult for the defender chasing from behind to block it for the time being.

That was when.

Kwaaaaak!

“ah-”

In front of the penalty box, just three steps to the semicircle.

As soon as I caught sight of the goalkeeper’s expression, an irresistible force suddenly grabbed my back and pulled me backwards, my entire upper body falling backwards in the same position I was running in.

Kkudangtang!

No matter how soft and fluffy the grass is, it’s hard to believe that it would hurt to have your back planted on the ground.

Rather than the painful groans, the anger that finally bursts out of my mind comes first.

“This crazy kid!!”

“… … .”

What happened to me and the situation was so clear and unmistakable that I staggered to my feet (really ugly) and grabbed the other person by the collar.

It means that he grabbed someone by the collar.

Beep, beep, beep!

My anger shows no sign of abating, not even with the whistle blowing, which seems to demand restraint from the referee, nor with another Leipzig defender running up and shoving my shoulder.

And that didn’t work either.

It was one-on-one.

There was a chance to end the game right in front of us.

That jerk, no.

The shameless Horo son traded a red card and a goal.

[Wow-]

Thanks to that, the inside of the room is a mess of chaos.

In the stands, they not only booed but also threw unknown objects, and inside the field, all the players gathered and engaged in physical fights.

If it weren’t for Jonas’ hasty stop, I would have done the same as Modeste.

Late in extra time, a crucial chance is wasted with only a Leipzig defender being sent off and a yellow card for me.

Regular time 90 minutes.

Extra time: 15 minutes each half, 15 minutes each half.

At the end of it-

There was a penalty shootout.