LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 269
The second half began with South Korea having already conceded two goals to England in the first half.
The atmosphere of the match had completely shifted in favor of England, and the cheers from the South Korean crowd, sensing defeat, grew increasingly quiet.
“Ha… Is this how the World Cup ends?”
“Hey, it’s not over yet!”
“And even if we lose today, we just have to beat Germany!”
“Is Germany your pet’s name? Why do you talk about winning so casually?”
“Watching how Germany plays, they’re absolutely terrible, so I think we have a chance to win!”
As the majority of the crowd began to feel the impending doom of South Korea’s exit from the World Cup…
Coach De Zerbi of South Korea did not give up on the match.
To be precise, he couldn’t afford to.
“Lift your heads! Don’t give up on the game! It’s not over yet! Are you just going to return home like this? At least give them a taste of defeat!”
He had to keep pushing, as the players he directed had not given up yet.
A coach couldn’t be the first to throw in the towel when his players were still fighting, could he?
Creak—
As the voice of South Korea’s captain, Ki Sung-yueng, faded, Coach De Zerbi opened the locker room door and stepped inside.
With the door swinging open, all eyes turned to him. Smiling gently at the players still invested in the game, De Zerbi addressed them with a motivational speech and ordered tactical changes.
“The arrogant pirates will slowly start to let their guard down. As soon as the second half starts, we need to kick their butts hard!”
And thus, the second half commenced.
In the early moments, just as Coach De Zerbi had predicted, the momentum shifted toward South Korea.
“They’re breaking through! Get your act together!”
Being human, the players couldn’t maintain their focus for the entire 90 minutes, causing England’s players to lose their concentration as well.
‘This isn’t Germany, it’s Korea…’
‘Can those scrawny guys even score?’
‘Asian football has a long way to go.’
‘Jinho is kind of like a mutant.’
Moreover, the stereotypes and fixed perceptions of the English players about their unchanging view of South Korea played into this dynamic.
[Ah! At the moment I mentioned it, Ki Sung-yueng blocks the pass!]
[Ki Sung-yueng passes it to Son Heung-min on the side, and in a 2-on-1 with Kang Chan, he penetrates right through Kyle Walker!!! Son Heung-min! Son Heung-min shoots—!!]
Having taken a two-goal lead against a team from what they regarded as the outskirts of football, England’s players let their guard down, and just as the second half began, they were stunned by South Korea.
Sway—
[Goooooooooal—! Son Ho-oong-min! Son Heung-min nets a goal!! A fantastic curling shot ignites the flame of pursuit!! The game is not over yet!]
Son Heung-min’s curling shot from the left side sliced through the net defended by England’s goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
“Bloody Hell!”
Jordan Pickford began furiously berating the England defenders for failing to respond properly.
*
‘Ah… This complicates things.’
The moment Hong Min-hee’s shot found the net, I realized my plan had gone awry.
With Korea’s goal, they had regained momentum, and if I were to be sent off to clean the cards as originally planned, there could be a disastrous turnaround where the revived Korea might defeat us.
As Hong Min-hee grabbed the ball and sprinted toward the half-line, I exchanged quick glances with Coach Southgate.
Upon making eye contact, he subtly shook his head.
Ultimately, I had no choice but to withdraw the card-cleaning plan I had devised in the halftime locker room.
*
After South Korea’s goal, a fierce back-and-forth erupted.
Korea’s players clung desperately to the English players, who wore looks of disbelief as they shook their heads.
As the second half trudged past 40 minutes, the end of the match drew near.
[Son Heung-min crosses it! But Chris Smalling clears it first!]
Chris Smalling headed away the cross sent from the side.
[The ball is heading towards Son Jinho! This is dangerous! South Korea!]
The ball was directed toward Son Jinho outside the penalty area as England launched a counterattack.
Son Jinho, upon gaining possession, lifted his head to assess the situation and delivered a pass to Raheem Sterling, positioned on the side.
In a split second, Raheem Sterling seized the ball and bolted toward South Korea’s territory.
[South Korea’s foul means Kim Jae-hyun will receive a warning. A foul in a dangerous area. But if he hadn’t broken it up, it could have led to a goal.]
South Korea’s center-back, Kim Jae-hyun, rushed to disrupt Raheem Sterling’s dribble with a foul.
[Yes, if Kim Jae-hyun had been broken through, it would have been a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. It’s fortunate he broke it up with a foul.]
[Kim Jae-hyun, lying on the ground, gasping for breath. It seems his stamina has reached its limit.]
[South Korea is showing incredible fighting spirit! Applause erupts from the stands!]
[While the outcome of the match is important, football fans would have wanted to see this kind of performance from the players!!]
[Yes. That’s right. Son Jinho is preparing for the free kick.]
[Among players often called dead-ball specialists, Son Jinho has a notably high success rate. Is that why? Cho Hyun-woo, the goalkeeper, is adjusting the positions of the players constantly.]
[It’s a tense moment… The referee blows the whistle! Son Jinho strikes!!]
[Ah… Son Jinho’s free kick is sucked into the corner of the goal.]
[Son Jinho’s shot accurately finds the corner of the goal. There’s no way a goalkeeper can stop that kind of shot.]
*
Son Jinho’s free kick rattled South Korea’s net, and the moment the referee pointed to the center circle to confirm the goal, he turned to look at Coach Southgate.
There were only two minutes left until the end of the match, with the score at 3 to 1.
With the scales of victory now completely tipped in favor of England, Coach Southgate nodded to grant Son Jinho permission to execute his plan. Son Jinho then began his cross-country run diagonally across the pitch.
“Ho-woo-woo-woo-woo—!”
“Ho-woo-woo~! Ho-oow-woo! Ho-woo-woo-woo!”
The ecstatic South Korean football fans erupted in cheers as Son Jinho jumped while twirling his fingers in the air.
Son Jinho successfully accumulated yellow cards and was sent off, completing his mission brilliantly.
“…Couldn’t you have been sent off in a more ordinary way?”
“I refuse to be ordinary. That’s the secret to becoming the world’s best player.”
*
[England 3: 1 South Korea.]
[Despite Son Heung-min’s fantastic curling shot, South Korea loses 3: 1 to England.]
[Is there any fault of the South Korean fans in this football crisis?]
[Hat-trick Son Jinho proves himself to a country that abandoned him.]
[Controversy over intentional dismissal for Son Jinho?]
[M.O.M Son Jinho clarifies the intentional dismissal controversy… “The little boy inside me screamed, ‘It’s red’.”]
└ Son Persie, you bastard.
└ Son de Bayor, whoa.
└ Did he mistake it for a Man Utd jersey?
└ Looks like he’s trying to cover it up, those little brothers, haha.
[South Korea captain Ki Sung-yueng asks fans for support. “The World Cup is not over yet. We will do our best until the end. I hope you continue to support the players until the World Cup concludes.”]
└ ??? Is this really Sung-yueng’s interview?
└ Just the other day, it felt like you said if you’re frustrated, you should run!
└ It’s legit; after getting married, he changed completely.
*
[Panama, first 16-team advancement in history?]
[Panama’s Hernan Dario Gomez states, “We are now writing a legend.”]
[Germany’s national team, “We don’t mean to disrespect Korea, but we will definitely win against them.”]
*
Following the end of the match between South Korea and England, the overseas social group chat lit up.
– Heavy Bro: Jinho, did you really have to beat them up like that to feel relieved!!
– Blue dragon Bro: Wow. At this level, are you really seeking revenge on us?
– Hong Min Bro: Jinho, if you have something to discuss next time, let’s talk it out.
The mixed resentments from my brothers showed no sign of stopping, and amidst the continued accusations, I smoothly shifted the topic.
– Ho-woo: Let’s beat Germany and get you all into the round of 16.
– Hong Min Bro: Ha… Germany;;;
– Ho-woo: Don’t sweat it, we can beat Germany! Haha.
– Heavy Bro: Right, we’ll beat Germany, so you better take care of Panama.
– Ho-woo: Bro.
– Heavy Bro: Why are you calling me? You’re not planning to score an own goal to knock Korea out, are you?
– Ho-woo: No way I can score an own goal. I can’t play in the Panama match due to the accumulated yellow cards.
– Heavy Bro: Huh?
– Ho-woo: But don’t worry, there’s no way England will lose to Panama just because I’m not there!
*
With all group stage second matches wrapped up, the third match commenced.
To minimize any suspicion of match-fixing in the group stage third matches, two matches within the same group were played simultaneously.
[Uruguay secures the first place in the group to advance to the round of 16…]
[Hosting country Russia draws with Sweden, securing their place in the round of 16…]
After the A group match involving the host country Russia concluded, the following B group match played out.
[Denmark defeats Mexico, advancing to the round of 16 as group winners….]
[‘Hat-trick’ Ronaldo rescues Portugal from crisis, leading them to the round of 16.]
It seemed that the unleashing effect I’d triggered during the conversation with him previously had a notable effect.
Ronaldo managed a hat-trick in the final round, barely pushing Portugal through to the next stage.
– Rambut: Son Jinho. If you ask me for the secret to scoring, I might just share it with you.
After Portugal’s match ended, Ronaldo began boasting.
– Ho-woo: I scored more goals than you, though?
– Ho-woo: A striker scoring fewer goals than a midfielder is just a disgrace, right? Haha.
It seems my heavy facts might have struck home. Ronaldo checked his messages but didn’t respond.
And shortly after…
Ding—.
With the smartphone alarm ringing, a training photo of Ronaldo surfaced on his social media.
@CR7
#IAmNotSatisfiedWithAHatTrick.#MyGoalIsPortugal’sVictory#AreYouWatchingSonJinho?
‘Hmm. Is this a mental victory or what?’
In any case, after that, the following day, Japan’s C group match took place.
Japan showcased their legendary ball-passing skills as expected and received a lot of backlash worldwide.
As time swiftly passed, that evening approached when the matches between South Korea and Germany, as well as England and Panama, were scheduled.
Of course, our family chose to watch the match between Germany and South Korea instead of the already qualified England match.
– Gyeouri: Ugh… Do you think we can win?
– Ho-woo: Germany seems different from the last tournament, so if we play well, I think we can win.
– Father-in-law: I hope it goes the way Jinho said.
– Cheolmo: But Gyeouri, are you really going to Russia?
– Gyeouri: From the round of 16 onwards, I’m going to watch it live!
– Gyeouri: No one can stop me!
– Cheolmo: What kind of line is that?
– Ho-woo: Sounds like a game character’s line.
– Cheolmo: Sigh. Do you really want to play games at your age?
– Cheolmo: Gyeouri, grow up a little.
– Gyeouri: Mom, they say women die when they grow up!
– Cheolmo: Who said that?
– Gyeouri: I did!
– Cheolmo: (Sighs like a cat.)
*
With the whistle of the referee, the match between Germany and South Korea commenced.
Both teams stood at 1 draw and 1 loss.
With nowhere left to retreat, the two teams clashed fiercely right from the start of the match.
Contrary to the evenly matched beginning, the difference in individual player capabilities could not be ignored.
The flow of the game gradually leaned toward Germany.
South Korea kept their lines low, struggling to fend off Germany’s attacks.
The Germany National Football Team launched ferocious assaults like the German troops who conquered France within six weeks.
[South Korea!! They are truly fighting to resist Germany’s attacks!!]
Yet South Korea, with 70% of its land covered in mountains, was no France.
Ultimately, South Korea successfully withstood Germany’s onslaught.
[Cho Hyun-woo!! Once again, Cho Hyun-woo with a spectacular save! Cho Hyun-woo! You are truly shining today!!]
As another German shot was thwarted by Cho Hyun-woo’s brilliance, Germany finally reached the climax of their offensive efforts.
[The momentum has now swung towards South Korea! Son Heung-min seizes the ball near the penalty box!! He shoots!!]
[Oh! Manuel Neuer with an incredible save!! But the ball is still in play!]
With the flow now in South Korea’s favor, the players began to squeeze every last bit of their energy.
[Huh?!! Kang Chan! Charging forward! Kang Chan! Kang Chan!!]
In the ensuing chaotic moments, Kang Chan lunged for the ball that fell in front of the goal.
[Gooooooooooal─! Kang Chaaaaaaan!!! Gooooooal! South Korea scores against Germany!!]
[And just now, Danny Welbeck scored against Panama!!!]
[With this, they move up to second place! South Korea is on the brink of achieving consecutive advancement to the round of 16 for the third tournament in a row!!]
Kang Chan’s shot, which he attempted just before Hummels could clear the ball, tore into the German net, and tears began to flow from German spectators who dreaded their possible elimination from the World Cup.
It was a season of chaos.