Chapter 81
***
[Gooooooal─! Frank Ribéry's opening goal! Bayern Munich are taking a one-goal lead!]
[Union Berlin have conceded right at the start of the match.]
[Ah! Manager Park Chan-hyuk looks crestfallen, but it's still okay. There's plenty of time left!]
└ Wow, he hit that so damn cleanly;;
└ For real, he picked out the corner perfectly.
└ They're too strong….ㅠㅠ
└ Should've parked the bus Mourinho-style, agreed?
└ Absolutely agreed;; Chan-hyuk's got manager syndrome, going on the attack against Munich.
***
Frank Ribéry's shot tore straight into Union Berlin's net.
It was a fantastic shot trajectory that even Manuel Schmidt, famous for his reflexes, couldn't stop.
The moment Union Berlin conceded so helplessly.
I wondered whether I should've dropped deeper and defended.
‘No.’
I immediately shook my head and pulled myself together, refusing to give in to weakness.
My goal was to win the Champions League.
To win the Champions League, we had to defeat monsters like that.
Only then could I lift the Big Ears.
‘Come to think of it, Mourinho winning the Champions League with Porto was freaking insane.’
Though people would mock him as a washed-up manager in the future, there was no denying that, at this point in time, he was the best football manager in the world.
‘Seriously, how the hell did he do it?’
I gazed at the field, lost in thought.
Even if we suffered a crushing defeat in this match, it didn't matter.
The experience of going toe-to-toe with a team like Bayern Munich was precious.
‘Still, winning would be better than merely gaining experience.’
To be honest, I never dreamed Bayern Munich would refuse to let their guard down at all, like they were now.
In a competition like the Pokal, wasn't it common sense to send out a reasonably rotated, second-string lineup against a lower-division side?
‘Is this because I teased them about being bald in the preseason match….’
Apparently, Thomas Tuchel had come out thirsting for revenge.
“It's okay! There's still plenty of time! Hold your positions!”
From the touchline, I applauded and encouraged the players.
Their morale had visibly dropped.
To be honest, seeing the opposing team's lineup, even I was about to lose heart.
‘Frank Ribéry, Luca Toni, Miroslav Klose, Philipp Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Altintop, Oliver Kahn….’
Stuttgart's squad had been impressive, but the moment I looked at Bayern Munich's squad, it simply took my breath away.
After Bayern Munich lost the league title to Stuttgart last season, they went on a massive spending spree in the summer transfer window.
They signed Frank Ribéry, Luca Toni, Miroslav Klose, and others.
As we'd seen in the preseason, despite being new arrivals, all three played as though they didn't need any time to adapt.
Come to think of it, a lot had changed since my regression, unlike in the original history.
In the original history, they had finished fourth in the league and qualified for the UEFA Cup, but last season Bayern Munich finished third and secured a place in the Champions League.
Well, when I thought about it, changes in the Bundesliga standings were only natural.
I'd had a greater impact on the football world than expected since my regression.
Honestly, unless Bayern Munich suddenly got relegated to the second division, I could understand most things.
‘After all, it wasn't just me causing a ruckus after regressing; my younger sibling was too.’
Anyway.
I encouraged the players once more.
What mattered now was.
“Focus on the match! What matters is an unbreakable spirit!”
We had to avoid being shaken by the opposition and play the football we'd prepared.
***
Thomas Tuchel watched Park Chan-hyeok encouraging his players from the touchline with an impressed look.
At Park Chan-hyeok's encouragement, the players' expressions, which had stiffened after conceding first, relaxed.
It was proof that the manager had earned that much trust from his players.
“As expected, you've become a good manager.”
When they'd lived together, Tuchel had thought Park was overly sentimental, but in retrospect, that could also be considered one of his strengths.
The Union Berlin players were truly playing as if their lives depended on it at Park Chan-hyeok's command.
There might have been another reason they were playing as if their lives depended on it.
But one thing was certain: whenever Park Chan-hyeok gave an order, they would charge in without a moment's hesitation or doubt.
That was the bond shared by Park Chan-hyeok and the Union Berlin players.
Though Bayern Munich had scored first early in the match, Thomas Tuchel did not let his guard down.
A team like Union Berlin could turn the match around at any time.
Tuchel continued demanding that the Munich players stay focused on the match.
And a little while later.
Around the twentieth minute of the first half, Union Berlin slowly began its counterattack.
[Yannick Voigt's intense press! He's won it back!]
Union Berlin's counterattack began with Yannick Voigt.
***
‘So this is Bayern Munich? They're seriously no joke….’
Yannick Voigt couldn't think straight amid Bayern Munich's relentless assault.
“It's okay! There's still plenty of time! Hold your positions!”
If Park Chan-hyeok's voice hadn't rung out just then, Union Berlin's players might have lost all their resolve.
Union Berlin immediately reorganized its defensive line, and once the defense began to settle,
the flow of the match gradually shifted toward Union Berlin.
Yannick Voigt dropped below the halfway line and won the ball back.
He passed the ball he'd won to Marcus Matjke, then immediately sprinted upfield.
As Yannick Voigt sprinted toward the edge of the penalty area,
the ball went through Lewandowski and to Son Heung-min.
“Stop him!”
Son Heung-min received the ball and attempted a shot from the spot that would later be called the Hong-min Zone.
Crack─.
“Aaaah….!”
Just as Union Berlin's home fans grabbed their heads in disappointment,
“─!!!”
The first to emerge was…
Tap.
Union Berlin's captain, Yannick Voigt.
Yannick Voigt calmly guided the loose ball into the net.
Ripple─.!
He scored the equalizer.
“Y, Yaaaaaaa─!”
And a moment later, the roar of the home crowd rang out.
At that moment, Union Berlin's fans realized:
They could beat Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga giant, today.
***
For a split second, I seriously considered it.
‘Should I provoke them and get sent off with them?’
It was the so-called ‘strategic sending-off’ tactic.
But if I disappeared from Union Berlin now, we'd be at a severe disadvantage.
I knew full well that Union Berlin's players depended on me completely.
If the manager disappeared in a situation like this, Union Berlin would be the first to waver—not Bayern Munich.
And above all.
I didn't like getting sent off in a match like this.
This match meant more to me than just another game.
And if not today, I had no idea when I'd get to face Tuchel.
‘Judging by the atmosphere, that bastard Tuchel looks like he might get fired soon.’
Anyway.
While I was contemplating how to celebrate,
“Get your heads in the game, you bastards!”
Bayern Munich's assault began with Oliver Kahn's fury after conceding.
***
The first half ended in a draw.
After scoring the equalizer, we had to endure Bayern Munich pounding us without a moment's respite.
“Everyone, listen while you rest.”
In the locker room, I saw the players breathing heavily and explained the tactics as simply as possible.
The tactics were not much different from the first half.
We decided to trust the players and see it through to the end.
“They're a tough opponent, but this is fun, right, you bastards?”
Even while exhausted, the players broke into laughter at my words.
They were showing their agreement.
And then came the second half.
We came out aggressively against Bayern Munich from the instant the second half began.
“Ah! That didn't go in!”
If not for Oliver Kahn's insane save, we might have seized control of the match for Union Berlin.
The players' stamina began to wane, and the match gradually tilted toward Bayern Munich.
Union Berlin had been unable to overcome Bayern Munich's superior strength.
And in the 67th minute.
We conceded another goal to Klose, after which we quickly collapsed.
“Great work!!!”
“You were the best, you bastards! Heads up!”
Before we knew it, the final whistle sounded, and applause from Union Berlin's fans echoed around the stadium.
It was the home fans' consolation and encouragement for the players who had given their all.
It was disappointing to be eliminated from the DFB-Pokal, but we could take pride in having given our best against Bayern Munich.
I comforted the players and led them into the locker room.
It was naturally my duty as their manager.
***
The locker-room atmosphere was heavy after the defeat to Bayern Munich.
Deep disappointment showed on the players' faces.
If only we'd played a little better, run a little harder….
They looked full of such regret.
“Good work, everyone.”
I applauded the players in the locker room.
The truth was, we couldn't win every time.
What mattered was what we'd learned from the defeat.
And what feelings the defeat had left us with.
‘We just can't accept defeat as inevitable.’
I thought we'd become a better team today.
“Let's say goodbye to those Bayern bastards who beat us today and advanced to the semifinals.”
I deliberately tried to keep the mood upbeat.
There was no need to get too depressed over losing a single match.
“You Munich bastards!”
I made a rude fist gesture toward the locker-room door.
“Go eat shit!”
At precisely that moment, Thomas Tuchel opened the door with a knock and walked in.
“…….”
“……When are you going to lower that hand?”
I exchanged an awkward look with Tuchel.
……Well, at least laughter broke out in Union Berlin's locker room.