LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 233
Die Mannschaft.
In English, it means “The Team,” which perfectly captures the essence of German football that values teamwork.
‘…As expected from a nation of totalitarianism.’
This characteristic of German football is also clearly evident in Borussia Dortmund’s use of gegenpressing.
For effective gegenpressing, the back four line had to be positioned high.
This narrowed the gap between players and caused difficulties in progressing the game with short passes.
Of course, with the back line pushed high, they could be vulnerable to long passes from the back to the front.
But Jürgen Klopp overcame this with solid organization.
Hummels and Subotic, who had been in sync under Jürgen Klopp for a long time.
Neither of them was particularly fast, but when Mats Hummels moved forward to defend, Subotic mostly guarded the back spaces, even committing fouls to halt Manchester United’s attacks.
And in that process, Subotic received a warning, but it didn’t matter much to Dortmund, as they successfully turned the game around with two goals.
Anyway, having already conceded two goals to Dortmund in the first half, trailing 3-2 overall, halftime began.
I tried to change the stagnant locker room atmosphere.
“If we lose today and can’t achieve the treble, then Sir Ferguson will continue as Manchester United’s manager! Eternal Manchester United! This is totally Bolshevik! Revolutionary!”
In the future, if conversations from Manchester United’s locker room leak, would what I said be dubbed “Jinho-like thinking”?
“Oh. Do you think so?”
Well… that would be a discussion for after surviving first.
The players, who had been chuckling at my cheerful and positive demeanor, suddenly turned serious.
“By the way, Jinho. You’re going to score in today’s game and be joking around, right?”
A cold voice from behind made cold sweat begin to trickle.
“…Chris.”
“SiU?”
“Is the boss behind me?”
I asked Cristiano Ronaldo, who was directly in front of me, without turning my head.
“Son Jinho did not understand that you said Manchester United was always a team aiming for victory; that defeatist mindset does not suit us. We will unite under the great leadership of the boss and claim victory.”
And Ronaldo boldly replied by cutting ties with me.
***
[Now, we will continue with the broadcast of the second half.]
[Despite trailing, the players of Manchester United appear surprisingly relaxed. Is it the confidence of a powerhouse?]
[Well… To say that, Son Jinho’s expression seems oddly stiff.]
[It seems that during halftime, he strongly fortified his mental state. I wonder what kind of performance Son Jinho will showcase in the second half.]
[That’s right. By the way, there are more fans wearing Son Jinho’s Dortmund jersey than expected in the stadium.]
[Yes. Even though it’s been a while since he transferred, it’s remarkable that he still has the love of his old team.]
└ Earlier, that old man, when Son Jinho almost scored with a header, looked shocked.
└ Lololol
└ It looked like he wasn’t aiming for it and was just following his heart, lolol
└ Following his heart… that’s pure love.
***
Erwin Müller, a senior football fan who has been supporting Dortmund for over 50 years, visited Signal Iduna Park dressed in a Dortmund jersey with Son Jinho’s number.
“Grandpa! Where are you?”
“Come here. You can’t let go of your grandpa’s hand, you know?”
The only difference from usual was that he entered with his young grandson.
“Wow….”
His grandson, born the year Son Jinho debuted at Dortmund, had grown enough to speak clearly.
With affectionate eyes, Erwin Müller gazed at his grandson, who looked at the pitch with bright, eager eyes.
‘Once, I held my grandpa’s hand and visited this place.’
Unbeknownst to him, he reminisced about his childhood.
While the child looked forward to a bright future, for the old man, memories of the past existed.
In a space where the past, present, and future coexisted.
– Dortmund’s star, returning to Signal Iduna Park! Ji~~~No!!
The stadium announcer’s voice resonated through the ground, introducing Son Jinho.
Son Jinho, who adorned a proud page of history, bowed his head in gratitude for the fans’ cheers.
Erwin Müller felt a deep emotion swelling in his heart.
Although he inadvertently looked shocked at Son Jinho’s header,
He believed that this much would be understood by Son Jinho.
“By the way, Grandpa.”
“What is it, my dear?”
“Jinho is on the opposing team, so why are you wearing his jersey?”
“Because Jinho is always with me in my heart.”
As the first half ended, when his precious grandson began to question, Erwin Müller smiled and replied to his grandson’s curiosity.
“Hey… what’s that! That sounds weird!”
As his grandson continued grumbling, Erwin Müller maintained a benevolent expression and added,
“Kiddo, Jinho is always with us in our hearts.”
Of course….
“Scheiße!! (Shit!!)”
Erwin Müller’s benevolent expression didn’t last long, as it didn’t for the other Dortmund fans.
Because as soon as the second half began, Manchester United launched a serious counterattack.
***
Twelve minutes into the second half of the intense match between Dortmund and Manchester United.
[Wow, Son Jinho’s determination is truly remarkable. He’s running like he’ll die if he doesn’t score today!]
It wasn’t Ronaldo or Van Persie at the center of Manchester United’s counterattack, but Son Jinho.
[By the way, didn’t Son Jinho leave an impressive statement to the Dortmund fans before the match?]
[Yes. He mentioned that the best way to repay Dortmund fans is to show how much of a better player he has become at Signal Iduna Park, right?]
The hustle-playing Son Jinho, without holding back his body, began to capture the hearts of football fans combined with what he had said before the match.
Swish─!
Son Jinho chased after the ball that was about to go out, saving it brilliantly.
[He saved the ball from going out! Son Jinho!]
Confirming that the assistant referee had not raised the flag, he sprang to his feet and immediately slotted a penetrating pass into Sadio Mané’s path.
Usually, Sadio Mané would have been stopped by a foul before he could turn back, but the Dortmund players, believing the ball would go out, momentarily lost their defensive concentration.
This resulted in a catastrophic outcome.
Capitalizing on the lapse in concentration of the Dortmund players, Sadio Mané swiftly penetrated into the backspace.
The moment he entered the penalty box, he calmly took a shot.
Mané’s low shot slipped past Roman Weidenfeller’s hand and headed toward the goal without much resistance.
Bang─!
But Sadio Mané’s shot narrowly struck the post.
As the ball ricocheted toward the penalty box,
Just as Sadio Mané held his head in despair for missing an excellent chance,
A red jersey swiftly dashed through the yellow jerseys.
Just before Lukasz Piszczek could clear the ball,
Son Jinho leaped ahead and succeeded in putting the ball into the net.
[Huh…? Huh?!?]
[Goooooooal─!]
[Wait, when did this player run all the way here!!!]
***
As the eyes of Dortmund fans saw Son Jinho running madly with his head down,
‘Jinho used to score like that.’
He recalled the days when Son Jinho wore the Dortmund jersey.
While Dortmund fans were lost in nostalgic memories,
Time flowed rapidly.
With little time left until the end of the match,
Neither team seemed to consider extra time, squeezing their remaining stamina for one last push.
Reading the passing lane a step ahead, Son Jinho intercepted Nuri Şahin’s pass.
“Full attack!”
As Son Jinho’s command rang out on the pitch, Manchester United began their counterattack.
“SIUUUUUUU─!”
The first to run forward, even before Son Jinho issued the command, was Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo, making a bizarre noise as if he were a beast, charged toward the Dortmund camp.
Son Jinho played a forward pass to Ronaldo.
The ball weaved past the Dortmund defenders’ feet and reached Cristiano Ronaldo.
With a long first touch, Ronaldo took off toward the Dortmund camp, successfully entering the penalty box.
Normally, Ronaldo would have greedily sought to score, but this time, he opted for a pass instead.
‘With this, Son Jinho owes me one!’
He was touched by Son Jinho’s desperate flapping of wings to survive.
Without even turning his head, Ronaldo used his little toe to pass to the penalty spot.
Son Jinho, feeling his legs giving out, slipped on the grass but focused on the ball, swinging his leg with all his might.
[Shoot! Oh, no! Ronaldo’s pass! Ronaldo’s pass is to Son Jinho, and Son Jinho! Aah! Son Jinho slots it into the empty net for the comeback! The comeback! Manchester United has succeeded in turning the game around!!!]
The ball touched Son Jinho’s toe and shook the net.
[Just as he said, he is showcasing to the Dortmund fans how much of a better player he has become at Signal Iduna Park.]
***
With Son Jinho’s multi-goal, Manchester United turned the game around again.
[Ah! This means Dortmund needs two goals to advance to the semifinals due to away goals, right?]
Alex Ferguson showed the limits of Son Jinho’s stamina by substituting him out for Smalling and began the defensive phase.
[Kevin De Bruyne takes the shot!]
Dortmund refused to give up until the end and continued to pressure Manchester United.
[Ah! Chris Smalling’s tough defense! The Manchester United players are not holding back, even the young ones!]
Blocked by Manchester United’s relentless defense, they failed to add another goal.
Lewandowski’s shot was stopped by David De Gea’s save, and as Michael Carrick cleared the second ball that fell into the penalty box, the referee blew the whistle to end the match.
[The match is over! Manchester United has defeated Dortmund and advances to the semifinals of the Champions League!!]
***
After the match concluded, Son Jinho stepped onto the pitch to thank the fans.
Carefully delivering thanks to the Manchester United away fans and Dortmund home fans to avoid provoking any Dortmund supporters,
Clap clap….
A small applause resonated from the home fans’ seating area at Signal Iduna Park.
The small applause, which started in a corner, soon echoed throughout Signal Iduna Park.
“Jino! Since you’ve beaten us, go all the way to the finals!”
“You know this Champions League final is in Berlin, right?”
“If Manchester United reaches the final, we’ll go cheer for you too!”
“Berlin! Berlin! Wir fahren nach Berlin!”
Thunderous applause filled the stadium, along with the voices of Dortmund fans cheering for Son Jinho’s future.