Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

201 – Tragedy

201

Any team has a rival.

The reasons are diverse. Historical ties, geographical proximity, or even a deliberate decision to create a rivalry. Naturally, rivalries formed through historical events are more intense.

In that sense, the origin of the Korea-Japan rivalry is rooted in history.

It’s natural for neighboring teams to fight, and the origin of the term “derby” itself implies a match between rival teams. If geographical proximity is enough to form a rivalry, adding historical events to the mix would inevitably create a fierce rivalry.

It’s not for nothing that Korea calls Japan their “arch-nemesis”, saying they can’t afford to lose to them.

Japan? They’re the same, saying they can’t afford to lose to Korea.

At first, the Korea-Japan match score was one-sided in Korea’s favor, but from the 21st century onwards, Japan started to catch up, and from the mid-2020s to the early 2030s, Japan took the lead.

The reasons were diverse.

The qualitative development of Japanese football would also be a factor, as well as the decline of the traditional strong physical play that used to overpower opponents. Moreover, the retirement or absence of key players like Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae, and Lee Kang-in, who led the Korean football team, further contributed to the rapid decline of the adult national team’s winning rate.

However, the situation took a drastic turn with the emergence of Joo Ji-tae.

At the time, Joo Ji-tae’s bold statement, “There will be no more defeats against Japan after me,” became a reality.

As a result, when the match was confirmed, fans from both countries reacted differently.

—16th round, Japan is a piece of cake? 😂

—Yeah, of course! Only our Asian friends can be trusted! 😂

—Why are the Japanese so arrogant?

—What’s with them, taking it all the way to the World Cup? 🤣

—Just go! Good luck! 👍

—?? : Hey, Western Japan, are you ready?

—Yeah, of course! We’re with you, Eastern Japan! 👊

Korean football fans, who had won four consecutive matches against Japan in the past four years, were overjoyed.

—Kitaaa! 🎉 (ﾟ∀ﾟ) 🎉

—Our Korean brothers are here! ~~wwww

—This is going to be a piece of cake!

—Oh, it’s Korea again? Oh my, is this real?

—Joo Ji-tae is too scary! ( ╥ω╥ )

—Ugh, these guys again?!

Japanese football fans couldn’t help but groan.

And, as expected, this prediction came true.

* * *

Joo Ji-tae, who was rolling the ball around at his feet, suddenly looked up.

From the youth team to the adult team, Hotaru and Shimizu Ken, who had become familiar faces in Japan-Korea matches, were now stuck to him like glue.

It was surprising to see Hotaru, who was unknown in the first round, become Japan’s ace. This was also a change in history brought about by himself.

Well, it’s just that he’s “only” Japan’s ace.

As Joo Ji-tae stretched out his long arm to push Hotaru away and simultaneously turned his body to push Shimizu Ken away with his back, protecting the ball, he felt that enough time had passed.

By now, his teammates should have taken their positions in the Japanese camp. It was time to shake them off.

…But why are these guys sticking to him like glue? It’s really annoying. And why do they keep whispering in his ear?

He knew they were trying to steal the ball. He also knew that he was too focused and that’s why they were doing it.

But still—

“I don’t like this guy’s name from the start.”

Shimizu Ken, what a weird name.

He had heard that Shimizu Ken was a player with a remarkable female fan base during the team analysis, so he knew it wasn’t intentional, but it still felt strange and annoying.

Especially that pelvic swing of his.

Why did he keep swaying his hips back and forth like that?

“Hey, old man. Give it to me?”

And that fake Korean accent of his was also annoying.

“Ang kimotchi saekkiya.”

“Who’s that?”

* * *

[Oh, from the start, the Japanese players are putting immense pressure on us!]

[It seems like a strategy to block Korea’s attacks from the top, just like Japan’s coach Kurosawa, known as the greatest tactician, would do. The question is, will his tactics work against Korea?]

[In Japan, Coach Kurosawa is called the “Last Samurai.” He’s a stubborn and unyielding coach, but so far, his strong tactics have been successful… But I’m a bit worried about whether they’ll work against Korea.]

Round of 16.

Japan showcased an aggressive and strong pressuring football, reminiscent of Korea’s past, instead of their usual intricate passing play.

Especially impressive was how they used multiple speedsters to break through Korea’s defense and pulled the line up.

It was a fierce and intense pressuring from Japan, but…

[Ah, unfortunate pass mistake. Korea’s Hansolki cleared the ball, and it went to Joo Jitae. Joo Jitae received it, and Hotaru and Shimizu Ken pressed hard!]

But it didn’t work out.

[Ugh, the pressuring isn’t working at all!!]

[You’re too relaxed, Joo Jitae! You’re too comfortable between the two players!!]

[What’s going on? Korea’s Joo Jitae is keeping the ball even between two players! Shimizu Ken, what are you doing? You need to be more aggressive!!]

[Ah, it’s no use. The opponent’s level is too high! This is the world-class level! Today, Japan’s players are feeling the high wall of the world.]

Japan’s strength isn’t weak.

Before the World Cup, Japan’s goal was to reach the quarterfinals, and realistically, if they didn’t meet a strong opponent in the round of 16, they were likely to advance to the quarterfinals. Japan’s team strength isn’t weak, but…

However, strength and weakness are relative.

Japan’s team, which boasts powerful strength, is predicted to reach the quarterfinals, but that’s only if they don’t meet a strong opponent. If they had met a team like Manchester City, they would have struggled.

Manchester City or the Korean national team, anyone can see that Joo Jitae is the key to the team’s build-up. If Joo Jitae is pressured, the ball flow is cut off. It’s a basic stance for a team that has Joo Jitae.

There were numerous challenges against Joo Jitae.

If they succeeded in pressuring him, they could disrupt the opponent’s build-up, so there were various attempts at pressuring, but Joo Jitae perfectly neutralized all of them.

That’s why the team gives him the authority to build up, and that’s why Joo Jitae is considered the world’s best player, and that’s why he’s evaluated as more than just a defender.

[Joo Jitae is breaking through comfortably! Stop him! Don’t let him move his feet!]

[Joo Jitae’s long pass! Song Ga-ram! Song Ga-ram received it and passed it to the side! Han Seung-jun! He’s crossing it! Come on, let’s go— Park Hye-chan headed it! Kawashima’s amazing save!! Ah, the second ball is— Ah, it’s… Jo Jae-sin, the EPL top scorer, got it!]

In the end, Japan’s pressuring didn’t work again.

By the end of the first half, the score was already 4:0. But Japan didn’t give up and continued to pressure aggressively—

[Ah, the game is over.]

They ended up losing 8:0, a historic score.

After the game, Joo Jitae attended an interview with Coach and Jo Jae-sin, who was selected as the Man of the Match.

There were countless reporters, as expected for a World Cup round of 16 match featuring the world’s best superstar, but Joo Jitae could easily distinguish between Korean and Japanese reporters.

To Westerners, Koreans and Japanese look the same, but to Koreans, Brits, French, Germans, and Italians all look the same. However, Koreans can roughly distinguish Japanese people… But not this time.

It’s just that Koreans have a distinct atmosphere, and Japanese people have a distinct gloominess.

By the way, if someone has a loud voice, they’re probably Chinese.

The atmosphere was generally calm.

From the start, it was a one-sided game, and the result was what most experts and fans had predicted. The only surprise was the large score difference.

So, the star of this interview was Jo Jae-sin.

He scored four goals, surpassing a hat-trick, and became the top scorer.

“You won the Silver Boot at the World Cup at the age of 19, and now you’ve surpassed the previous World Cup’s score to become the solo first place! Do you feel confident about becoming the scoring king?”

Considering Korea’s recent performance and strength, it’s predicted that they will at least reach the semifinals, and the possibility of Cho Jae-shin’s score increasing is high.

Since he’s already created a significant gap with the second place, becoming the first Asian scoring king in the World Cup is a given.

“There hasn’t been a player who has scored two-digit goals in the World Cup since the 21st century. Cho Jae-shin has already scored 8 goals, tying the record with Ronaldo in 2002 and Kylian Mbappé in 2022. If you score just one more goal, you’ll become the player with the most goals in the 21st century World Cup. How do you feel?”

Since Gerd Müller scored 10 goals in the 1970 Mexico World Cup, no scoring king has surpassed the 10-goal mark. The most goals scored are 8 goals by Ronaldo and Mbappé.

Becoming the first Asian scoring king is remarkable, but Cho Jae-shin is on the verge of making an even more incredible record, and he remains calm.

With a serious expression, Cho Jae-shin gives a humble answer, and the spotlight is on him. Joo Ji-tae, who is internally anxious, points to a Japanese journalist who is not asking questions properly.

“Japan was amazing today. They showed their determination not to give up. That’s true sportsmanship. I heard that the Japanese team’s coach is called ‘romantic,’ and it’s indeed true. Especially, Hotaru’s growth is impressive—”

The Japanese journalists, who are energized by the ‘national pride’ filled interview, continue to ask intense questions, but—

“Cho Jae-shin! As the first Asian—”

“With the possibility of breaking the record in 60 years—”

This time, it’s impossible to take the spotlight away from Cho Jae-shin.

‘…There’s no help.’

Joo Ji-tae is hurt.