Chapter 32
***
The moment Yannick Poit’s shot split Oseong Red Wings’ net.
I sprinted toward the Korean football fans and launched into a knee slide.
After all, it was a friendly, an exhibition match.
Because I trusted that even if I provoked the opponent, the referee wouldn't send me off directly.
‘Uh…?’
But the important thing wasn't whether the card was one color or another.
The real problem was the condition of the grass in Korea.
From the outside, it looked like I had slid smoothly across the grass, but that wasn't the reality.
Crunch.
The moment my knee touched the grass, I realized something had gone wrong.
‘I-I can't put any strength in my leg.’
But at this point, I couldn't act hurt.
Swagger.
Because I couldn't lose that thing every man has.
Even if it looked stupid, most men would understand me.
‘Because that's what men are.’
I spread my arms with a calm expression, trying my best not to show any pain.
“Booooooo─!”
“Quit provoking people, you bastard!”
The Oseong Red Wings fans showered me with boos.
The referee sighed, walked over to me, and held out a yellow card.
“R-referee, sir. M-my leg won't listen to me.”
I said to the approaching referee with utter desperation.
“No. I’m not changing it. Go back… huh? What did you say?”
The referee, who had firmly said there would be no overturning of the call,
“I can't put any strength in my leg.”
The referee couldn't hide the confusion when my answer was not what had been expected.
“….”
“….”
As the referee and I stood there silently for a long while,
the Oseong Red Wings fans must have sensed something was off, because their boos gradually started to die down.
“S-stretcher!”
After taking in the situation, the referee hurriedly called for a stretcher.
I was loaded onto the stretcher and taken to a nearby hospital.
***
[Ah. Head coach Park Chanhyuk is finally being carried away on a stretcher. It looked like a very clean knee slide, but something must have gone wrong somewhere.]
[That's right. A knee-slide celebration is that dangerous. Viewers who are watching this video must never try it themselves.]
[Haha. I never dreamed we'd end up saying a line I'd only ever seen on WWE broadcasts.]
***
Even after Park Chanhyuk was carried to a nearby hospital on a stretcher, the match between Union Berlin and Oseong Red Wings continued.
[Wow, Union Berlin! They're really aggressive!]
[Yes, Union Berlin looked a bit timid early on, but that opening goal has really lifted their spirits!!]
It was only for a moment that Union Berlin took the lead with the opening goal and pressed Oseong Red Wings hard.
[Oseong Red Wings' coach comes over to the touchline and calms his players down!]
Although they were badly rattled when they conceded the opening goal, once the coach came to the touchline and settled them, the Oseong Red Wings players quickly got their heads back in the game.
‘As expected, a coach who used to be a legendary player carries a different weight in his words.’
Park Chanhyuk, watching the match from a nearby hospital, looked at the scene with deep admiration.
***
Oseong Red Wings center back Kang Minho was flustered by Union Berlin's lightning-fast counterattack.
‘Why is this counterattack so fast?’
He had rationalized the first goal by telling himself they had been careless, but after getting hit by Union Berlin once more, that thought vanished in an instant.
‘Are they really a third-division team?’
In truth, it wasn't just the counterattacks. Their counterattacks, passing, transition between offense and defense, and pressing intensity—the current tempo of Union Berlin's play was among the fastest of all the clubs Oseong Red Wings had faced so far.
This was thanks to Thomas Tuchel catching a glimpse of football's future through his conversations with Park Chanhyuk.
And the two men, united in purpose, poured their souls into successfully imprinting their tactical philosophy onto Union Berlin.
[To Daniel Teixeira! But Teixeira! He lets it run through!]
[Charging forward, Yannick Poit! He's fast! Really fast!]
Yannick Poit collects the ball Daniel Teixeira has let run through and sprints away. The Oseong Red Wings players also hurriedly tried to get back into their defensive shape.
[Ah! Three attackers against two defenders! This is dangerous! Oseong Red Wings!]
The attacking side had the numerical advantage.
[If you've got the ball, you have to shoot! Shot! Yannick Poit doesn't shoot, he cuts inside and shoots! One more touch and then another shot! Ah, just when is he going to shoot?! Shot!]
After calmly surveying his surroundings, Yannick Poit fooled the defender, took one more touch, and entered the penalty box.
The defender, beaten in an instant, tried to stop him with a foul, but Yannick Poit's foot was just a little quicker.
The moment he entered the penalty box, Yannick Poit saw the goalkeeper crouching low in his field of vision.
‘Is the far side open?’
With the goalkeeper's and defenders' eyes all on him,
“Yannick, here!”
Yannick Poit sent the pass toward Thomas Meyer on the opposite side.
[Yannick Poit! Shot! Ah, no! It's a pass!]
Yannick Poit's pass slipped between the defender's legs and headed toward Thomas Meyer.
[Thomas Meyer is open on the far side! A one-on-one chance for Thomas Meyer! Thomas Meyer shoots right away!]
Thomas Meyer calmly put his foot to the rolling ball.
Thunk.
But the uneven, pitted grass caused an irregular bounce.
[Ah, it's missed! Thomas Meyer's shot goes sky-high!!]
Thomas Meyer's shot, which struck the underside of the ball, soared high into the sky.
[Thomas Meyer is holding his head, and Yannick Poit is looking at him with a dazed expression!]
***
The first half ended, and the second half began.
Contrary to expectations that Oseong Red Wings would pull away one-sidedly, the first half ended with Union Berlin in the lead.
Suwon World Cup Stadium was filled with confusion.
Fans of other teams who had come to the stadium out of simple curiosity began mocking Oseong Red Wings.
“Ugh! You can clearly see it's a trap, so why do you keep walking right into it?!”
“Hey, you rice-eating maggots, can’t you play properly?!”
Oseong Red Wings fans erupted in anger at the frustrating flow of the match.
The Oseong Red Wings players shook off their complacency and began giving it their all.
In the 12th minute of the second half.
Union Berlin's right back stuck out a foot too eagerly, and Oseong Red Wings' forward seized the opening and burst through in an instant.
“Fucking hell, yeah! That's it, you bastards!”
“Let's go all the way to the comeback!”
The moment his shot split the net, the cheers inside Suwon World Cup Stadium grew louder.
The Oseong Red Wings forward, who was celebrating, wore a puzzled expression.
‘What is it? Why is he smiling?’
For some reason, the Union Berlin striker was bursting into laughter even though they'd just conceded the equalizer.
***
Yannick Poit enjoyed today's match against Oseong Red Wings.
Because he felt like he had grown a little through the match against Oseong Red Wings.
‘I was a little flustered at the start of the match.’
That was because the grass at a stadium used by a professional team was worse than he'd expected.
‘I think the grass here is worse than at our home stadium.’
But overall, it wasn't bad. He'd played on even poorer pitches last season.
Though the sweltering heat and insane humidity were a problem.
- You’re supposed to overcome heat like that with mental strength!
It was something he had already experienced at the training camp.
Anyway.
He was gaining a certain realization from the match against Oseong Red Wings.
‘My foot can work even against pros.’
Yannick Poit's confidence in his own abilities swelled.
His play became even bolder.
Mindset had a bigger impact on performance than you'd expect. No wonder the media talks about 'big game players.'
Yannick Poit actively threatened Oseong Red Wings' goal.
But.
Despite Yannick Poit's efforts, the match ended in an Oseong Red Wings victory.
They couldn't overcome the difference in class between Oseong Red Wings and Union Berlin.
[Oseong Red Wings' Guan Yu finally manages to score the comeback goal!]
[Union Berlin put on a good show! But Oseong Red Wings' wall was too high!]
Although they couldn't get the win, it was a match from which Union Berlin could gain a lot.
After the match ended, the Union Berlin players expressed their gratitude to the Korean fans for giving them a valuable experience.
“So our narrow win won't be embarrassing, go finish first in the third division and get promoted to the second division!”
The Oseong Red Wings fans applauded the Union Berlin players for the good match they had played.
***
[Thomas Tuchel, “Grateful to Oseong Red Wings players and fans. An unforgettable, valuable experience”]
[Park Chanhyuk begins image management? “Korea is where I was born and raised, and I hope Korean football develops even more than it has now.”]
[Park Chanhyuk conveys an apology to Oseong Red Wings for the provocation…. “I provoked them because I wanted them to take us seriously. I’m sorry.”]
[Chairman Dirk Zingler, “If you send them to Union Berlin, I’ll help them grow well. Isn’t it better to entrust them to the place with a Korean head coach rather than somewhere else?”]
[The Football Association, on Union Berlin's proposal… “We’ll think positively about it.”]
[Korean football, will an overseas-study boom break out?]