Chapter 29: Olympic Finals (2)

[“Ah, in the 10th minute of the first half, France’s Mathieu Goulain receives an accurate pass from Luca Dubois and pushes it into the empty goal, putting France ahead 1-0 in this match.”]

[“It was a play that really showed how much France has studied South Korea’s Wave Pressing. Their thorough analysis and preparation are evident in this scoring scene. Moreover, with that goal, our Jeong Tae-woo’s Olympic clean sheet record has been broken.”]

[“Actually, no matter how good a goalkeeper is, it’s impossible not to concede a goal, but because it was our Jeong Tae-woo, I had high expectations. It’s a big disappointment.”]

-But in that last situation, it would have been better to just stand and guard the goal.]

-Agreed. Why go out? No matter how much you narrow the angle, in a 2-on-1, he should have thought about a pass.

-This is where the difference in experience shows.

-Ah, Player Jeong Tae-woo must have had a reason. You armchair expert.

-But honestly, isn’t it true? Instead of leaving the goal empty there, isn’t it statistically better to stay and block the ball?

Yoo Jung-hwan was watching the viewers’ comments while commentating.

‘He probably thought the striker would be greedy.’

[“From my perspective, I can see why Jeong Tae-woo came out just now.”]

[“Oh, what’s the reason?”]

[“I was also a striker, so I understand a striker’s mentality to some extent. Currently, Luca Dubois is the top scorer with 7 goals.

However, our nation’s pride, Yoo Hee-sung, is also just one goal behind with 6 goals. With both teams using aggressive tactics now, it’s a goal difference that could change at any moment.”]

[“Ah, if that’s the case, then Jeong Tae-woo…”]

[“Yes, as everyone knows, in a 1-on-1 match between a striker and a goalkeeper, the striker has a significant advantage. And because of this top scorer competition right now, he probably judged that Luca Dubois could very well get greedy. I think Jeong Tae-woo came out aiming for that point.”]

[“So he thought he would try to beat him rather than pass.”]

[“That’s right. If I were in that situation, I probably would have tried to beat the goalkeeper rather than pass. Since it’s outside the penalty box anyway, he can’t use his hands. I don’t think Jeong Tae-woo’s judgment was wrong.”]

– Ah, this is it.

-Agreed. If it were me and the goalkeeper came out of the penalty box to block, I would have just faked him out and scored.

-Listening to a real former player after seeing armchair expert chats really makes a difference.

-Honestly, it would have been hard to block even if he hadn’t come out.

***

France was different from other teams.

They never underestimated South Korea, nor did they look down on them just because they were young players.

Rather, they were wary of the young players performing well in the Olympic matches and meticulously studied them.

‘Yoo Hee-sung, I definitely won’t miss you this time.’

Ryuka, who had missed Yoo Hee-sung earlier, had rewatched Yoo Hee-sung’s play dozens of times at the coach’s threat-like suggestion.

‘His movement now is exactly the same as before.’

Yoo Hee-sung’s current movement was again aimed at disrupting the defensive line to receive a pass.

“You’re absolutely not going anywhere, guek!!”

[“Ah, Player Lee Jun-ho! He relieves the pressure from Yoo Hee-sung with his incredible physique.”]

[“Why is Player Lee Jun-ho all the way out here? But that was truly incredible.”]

Lee Jun-ho.

If asked who, aside from the 17-year-old trio, had caused the most issues and shown tremendous play, his name would come up first.

A defender with a solid physique and tough style, he had been making a name for himself in the K-League even before the Olympics.

However, after receiving Coach Cheon Mu-seok’s guidance since the Olympics, he was showing an even more evolved form with explosive speed and offensive involvement reminiscent of Korean football legend Cha Du-ri’s play.

To cut a long story short,

Thwack!

Lee Jun-ho shoved Ryuka, who was trying to block Yoo Hee-sung, with his body, just enough not to draw a foul.

And Park Seo-joon was not one to miss a broken defensive line.

“Waaaaaaaaaah!!!”

Cheers erupted from the stands.

“Nice, Seo-joon hyung!”

Many people associate Yoo Hee-sung’s specialty with elegant individual skills reminiscent of Brazil.

However, another hidden specialty of his is his blistering speed.

Currently, the fastest player in the Premier League standard is Adam Tracey of Liverpool, who recorded a top speed of 37.31 km/h.

And Yoo Hee-sung boasts an astonishing speed of 36.8 km/h, comparable to that, which is an incredible speed that would place him in the top 5 of the Premier League.

Yoo Hee-sung ran quickly.

It wasn’t long before he saw the French goalkeeper right in front of him.

‘Certainly, the French goalkeeper is also a Ligue 1 starter, but…’

At that moment, Tae-woo’s image flashed in Yoo Hee-sung’s mind.

The overwhelming presence of Tae-woo he had faced on the training ground, his sharp eyes, brilliant reflexes, and indomitable will combined to form an image like a colossal mountain.

Yoo Hee-sung, who had trained by climbing that mountain day after day, had a distinctly different perspective than before the Olympics.

‘Compared to Tae-woo, this much is…’

In Yoo Hee-sung’s eyes, the French goalkeeper’s movements seemed like slow motion.

The goalkeeper’s subtle shift in center of gravity, the direction of his gaze, the trembling of his fingertips.

He made a decision instantaneously.

He prepared a shot in a direction the goalkeeper wouldn’t predict, a shot that Tae-woo had blocked countless times.

Yoo Hee-sung’s foot struck the ball.

POW!!

His shot was as accurate and fast as a laser beam.

The French goalkeeper instinctively dived, but it was already too late.

The ball flew towards the corner of the goal and shook the net violently.

[“Goal!!!”]

The commentators’ excited voices filled the stadium.

[“That’s right! And with this goal, Yoo Hee-sung has risen to joint first place with Luca Dubois in the top scorer competition. They are tied with 7 goals. The winner of the top scorer title will likely be decided by the remaining time in this match and the outcome of the final.”]

“Yeah, this is how a final should be!”

Tremendous cheers erupted from the Korean stands.

“Waaaaaaaaaah!!!”

“Uwaaaaaaaaah, Hee-sung!”

“My boy! Come here, Hyung will give you a kiss!”

The stands were a cauldron of excitement.

Fans waving Taegeukgi, people hugging each other in joy, and roars chanting Yoo Hee-sung’s name filled the stadium.

On the Korean team’s bench, players and coaching staff all stood up and cheered.

Amidst that cheering, Yoo Hee-sung, instead of doing his trademark Manchester United celebration, looked at Jeong Tae-woo, who was guarding the goal.

‘Thanks to you, I’ve grown too. You’re too good a goalkeeper to just go to Manchester City. I’ll have to try and persuade you again after the game.’

***

‘Ugh, why am I suddenly getting goosebumps?’

Come to think of it, the level is definitely different from when we met in high school tournaments.

During training, I sometimes watched Yoo Hee-sung’s individual skills and gave him some pointers.

“When you score with an instep kick with your left foot, try leaning your body forward more. It’ll go more accurately. And to trick the defenders, it’s good to look in a different direction with your eyes.”

“In a 1-on-1 situation with the goalkeeper, shoot while looking at the goalkeeper’s knees. Then you can predict the goalkeeper’s movements better.”

Of course, if all football players grew with just words like these, football would be a battle of monsters.

But only a few talented individuals can grow even with such words.

And Yoo Hee-sung’s talent was monstrous.

Every time he used what I taught him against me during training, I would get goosebumps.

“I need to show them too.”

How do I show them?

By stopping that Yoo Hee-sung’s scoring competitor who currently has the ball?

I lowered my body and raised my concentration to the maximum.

Fortunately, this time it was a 1-on-1 situation with Luca Dubois’s solo breakthrough.

As Luca Dubois took a shooting stance, I watched his every move.

I simultaneously assessed Luca’s eyes, body angle, and foot position, and began to predict.

‘His right foot’s center of gravity is slightly back. He’s aiming for the top left.’

After making a split-second decision, the moment Luca Dubois kicked the ball, I also threw my body.

Thwack!

A strong impact was delivered, but I caught the ball securely.

“Now, move quickly!”

I immediately shouted to my teammates.

Goalkeepers often cheer or perform flashy celebrations after a great save.

But I believe that acting calmly actually puts more pressure on the strikers.

‘From a striker’s perspective, it’s annoying when the goalkeeper acts like it was an obvious save, like being ignored.’

While coordinating the defensive line, I slyly observed Luca Dubois’s expression.

But contrary to my expectation, he was just smiling.

After my save, the game was like a fiery battle.

The attackers from both teams charged towards the opponent’s goal like beasts.

France’s attackers relentlessly pushed into our half like a fierce wave, and our team fought back against them.

I recorded five more crucial saves.

Especially when I blocked Mathieu’s overhead kick, the fleeting moment my fingertips met the ball felt like an eternity, and the crowd’s gasps rang in my ears.

France’s goalkeeper, Luca Hernandez, was no pushover either.

His four super saves were like watching a wall.

The moment he blocked Hee-sung’s curling shot, I unknowingly clicked my tongue.

The stadium was like a battlefield.

The cheers of the crowd, the rough breathing of the players, and the sound of the ball hitting the goalposts mixed together, heightening the tension.

Just before the end of the first half, Luca Dubois’s free kick came flying.
25 meters, it was his golden opportunity.

The ball flew towards the top left corner of the goal like a bullet.

I threw my body, risking everything.

The moment the ball touched my fingertips,

Wheeeeee

The whistle signaling the end of the first half blew.

‘Ah, this is unbelievably tiring.’