11 – Emotional Log
011
AFC U-20 Asian Cup quarterfinal match between South Korea and Iran.
The community was ablaze with excitement about the match.
[Looking forward to winning this Asian Cup, lol]
First, let meㅋㅋ
“Ge-chu ge-chu ge-chu.”
“Kya~ This time, it’s really different.”
“Originally, Korea was an absolute powerhouse in Asia, Imariya.”
“Sensationalism should pass from the golden generation of the God-bond, kekeke.”
[How many goals do you think they’ll score against those Iranian bastards today?]
Is three goals too much?
“Again, again, the excitement.”
“Oh, excitement, seriously, if it fails in the middle, it’s all your fault.”
“Do you see Iran as ‘ㅈ’?”
“Yeah, it looks like ‘ㅈ’, ke.”
[AV man not coming out?]
Why not?
“AV man, kekeke, are you crazy?”
“The cheetah crossing the field… eventually got cut by the director… I miss JOAT.”
“Joo Ji-tae, this guy bragged too much and got cut in the end, kekeke.”
“He thought he was Messi!! Cut!! What the hell!! Whaaaat!!!”
The atmosphere before the game was good.
Rising to the top of Group C with three consecutive wins, Korea’s fiery and flawless performance had drawn people in front of their TVs.
On the contrary, Iran was the opposite.
Struggling through the group stage, barely making it to the round of 16 as the second in their group.
Due to their disappointing performance from the group stage, people expected Korea’s dominance.
And indeed, the game was unfolding in Korea’s favor.
“Korea, Korea’s attacking situation! Excellent, excellent! Shoot without hesitation! Ah, a shot that narrowly missed wide! It was a good attempt!”
“Good job, our players. They are doing very well calmly. We need to keep shaking it up by switching sides.”
While the overall flow was in Korea’s favor,
“It was a sharp mid-range shot from Iran. If you look again, it almost connected as a lucky goal with a slight deflection. Iran is undoubtedly a formidable opponent.”
“Ah~ Once again, we lost possession due to Iran’s rough physical play. What is the referee doing? These things need to be blown as fouls.”
The game continued with Korea in control, but Iran’s rough defensive play, coupled with the referee’s leniency toward fouls, occasionally created dangerous situations.
Despite Korea’s superiority, players, perhaps fearing injuries from Iran’s physical defense, were not actively engaging, and decisive moments were scarce.
Originally, experts pointed out Park Hye-chan, the forward with a strong presence in key plays, as Korea’s key player for this game.
Relying on Korea’s meticulousness to break through Iran’s rough defense, it was anticipated that the decisive moment would come from the second ball fight, utilizing the 195cm tall Park Hye-chan’s head.
Even among the physically imposing Iranian players, the sight of Park Hye-chan towering like a giant seemed plausible.
However, the turning point in the game occurred not with the prowess of Iran’s physicality but at the 20th minute mark, starting from the young rising Korean striker Jo Jae-shin.
“Hey, Jo Jae-shin, Jo Jae-shin! Jo Jae-shin has the ball! He’s running! Can he make it!?”
“Amidst Iran’s counter, it’s another counter situation! The Iranian defense is in disarray right now!”
“Jo Jae-shin!! He dodges!! Pushing past two in a row~!! Shoot!!! Goal!!! It’s a goal, Jo Jae-shin!!!”
As Iran’s counterattack was thwarted, Korea initiated another counter.
In the midst of the chaotic situation, with both Korea and Iran entangled, Jo Jae-shin seized the ball and successfully penetrated to score.
And that became the sole goal of the match.
A one-goal difference provides hope from the perspective of the pursuing team.
With just one goal needed to equalize, both the leading and pursuing teams couldn’t afford to relax.
As a result, the match between Korea and Iran became a fierce battle.
A true bloodbath, as the saying goes.
After Jo Jae-shin’s goal at the 20th minute, Iran became even more aggressive, and eventually, at the 30th minute mark, they succeeded in containing the scorer, Jo Jae-shin.
Fortunately, it wasn’t a severe injury, and although the player insisted he could continue, Coach Jang Ki-seok, for the protection of the young player, decided to make a substitution, leading to the core of Korea’s attack leaving the field.
The youngest’s determination and injury awakened the senior players.
Subsequently, the game continued with Korea robustly responding to Iran’s aggressive play. By the 15th minute of the second half, the situation reached the point where Korea’s Kong Ji-hoon and Iran’s Shojaei collided so violently that both were carried off the field due to injuries.
Only then did the referee realize the seriousness of the situation, starting to reach for the cards. By the end of the game, both Korea and Iran had one player each sent off, reducing each team to ten players on the field.
The final score was 1:0, Korea’s victory.
However, winning came at the cost of losing key players due to injuries and ejections, turning it into a Pyrrhic victory for Korea.
Although they successfully advanced to the semi-finals, losing three key players led to frustration for Korea. On the other hand, there were those who grinned broadly.
“Amazing~!! What an intense game!! Truly a bloody battle where the spirit of the South is felt!!”
Japan, who had already secured a spot in the semi-finals, was watching from a step ahead.
—
Originally, South Korea and Japan are oddly interested in each other.
Externally, they may grumble about disliking each other, but their bodies don’t lie; it’s truly the epitome of a tsundere relationship. Surprisingly, it’s not a one-sided affair. Whether it’s Korea or Japan, they are always extending feelers toward each other.
Perhaps that’s why they are more interested in each other’s affairs than what’s happening in their own countries. Especially if it’s bad news, the feelers towards the other side always work faster than anyone else, ‘tsun tsun’ing away.
Therefore, the result of Korea’s game, which could be considered a Pyrrhic victory, reached the Japanese national team faster than anyone else.
Because the coaching staff and players of the Japanese national team were watching the game in real-time.
“Ah, accumulating fatigue in Korea seems quite serious. Their combat power is rapidly decreasing.”
“Looking at the injury of that center-back, it seems they won’t be able to field him against us. Their defense will have a weakness.”
“Nevertheless, we can’t ignore Korea’s speed. Truly a fast-paced country.”
Amidst the chatter of the coaching staff, Nakajima Shinji, the coach of the Japanese national team, claps his hands dramatically.
“Alright, let’s go straight into the meeting. Hey, Muraki, bring what you’ve prepared.”
“Hai!”
A young coach rushes over and soon returns with something substantial.
“I’ve specially prepared this analysis for the upcoming match against Korea.”
“Analysis!”
Impressed by the coach’s preparedness, the players shout in unison, and Nakajima Shinji, now proud, gestures theatrically towards the prepared materials.
“Hey, unfold it.”
“Hai!”
With a cheerful sound, a giant piece of paper unfolds.
The paper hanging on a tall stand flutters in the wind.
“Ah, Nakajima’s ambitious work. The 31st Korean Total Annihilation Strategy.”
“31st…!”
“Korean Total Annihilation…!”
On the fluttering paper, the pictures of Korean players are densely attached.
“These guys in the photos are the players from Korea we’ll face next. I’ll now point out the ones we need to pay special attention to. Oh, but before that, let’s arrange the players according to the expected formation Korea will use against us in our upcoming match.”
With a rough gesture, the coach grabs the photos of Korean players.
Rip—!
“Ooh—!”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Haitte kuno roji!!”
Surprisingly, the pictures were not just ordinary prints.
They were pictures with adhesive backs.
Rip, rip, rip, swoosh—!!
The coach, who swiftly detached the players’ photos, pastes them onto the space depicting the ground right next to him.
In an instant, the 4-3-3 formation is complete.
“But this is not the end. Coaches!”
“Hai!”
Swish—!
The white background unfolded once again as the beam projectors poured down.
“This is the analysis video that I and the coaches worked tirelessly to create!”
“Wow—!!”
“Our coaching staff is really something!”
“Oh, come on, have some faith, coach!”
Hmm.
Nakajima solemnly nodded.
“Let’s start with the attack. The one we need to be most cautious of is this pillar, Park Hye-chan. A towering 195cm figure with a strength in aerial balls, he’ll undoubtedly be aiming for headers. Next is this guy, Jo Jaeshin. He didn’t attract much attention before the tournament, but his performance in the competition has been outstanding. Despite being young, he’s currently leading in tournament scoring, so we need to be careful. He’s a fast dribbler, so mark him well. However, the extent of his injury is uncertain, and it’s not clear if he’ll be able to play in the game. Let’s continue the explanation by watching individual player videos, Coach.”
The coach continued his explanation from the attack to the midfield and back down to defense.
“Excuse me, Coach.”
“What is it, Kim Sang?”
Kim Jaeha, the K League scout from J League Yokohama, specially dispatched to assist the national team, cautiously spoke up.
“Number 4, Gong Jihoon, is severely injured and won’t be able to play in the next game.”
“…Hmm.”
The coach’s intense eyebrows twitched.
Zzzt—
With a mournful sound, the Korean center-back left. Somehow, the vacant spot in the Korean backline seemed particularly conspicuous.
Soon, Nakajima’s hand reached out towards the empty space to fill it with photos of Korean players.
“Hmm. The remaining center-backs for Korea are numbers 15 and 18.”
“Hmm. I agree.”
Zzzt—
As the coach was about to resume his explanation, placing the photo of number 15 to fill the gap.
“Coach.”
“Hmm. What is it now?”
“Number 18 is more likely than number 15.”
“…Ah, I see. I’ve talked a lot, and my throat is getting dry. I’ll take a moment to clear my throat, so Kim Sang, please finish up.”
Maintaining the dignity of a superior is a beautiful virtue in Japan.
The players politely turned away from the coach.
Kim Jaeha, who emerged from the touchline conversation with the coach, manipulated the beam projectors and continued the explanation.
Strangely, he was more adept and detailed than the coach.
Of course. This data is something he created.
“Expected to replace the injured Korean center-back and participate in the upcoming match is the prominent player, wearing number 18, Ju Ji-tae.”
“Hehe~ How do you pronounce that person’s name?”
“It’s not ‘Juwi,’ it’s Ju Ji-tae.”
“Juwi. That’s a pretty cute name.”
“…”
Kim Jae-han decided to ignore the short pronunciation.
“As you can see, despite being a center-back, he is skilled in dribbling. A highly technical player. He has a decent physique, and while we haven’t had a chance to confirm his defensive abilities, judging by his fundamentals, he’s expected to be formidable.”
“Yareyare. He’s quite good-looking, isn’t he? Well, not for Hotaru, of course.”
“Hey, you guys. Stop comparing faces. It’s disrespectful to the opponent. Besides, I don’t want to be evaluated based on my appearance.”
“As expected of the captain! You really can’t help being like that. Are we just different from you? Truly fitting of Urawa’s prince.”
“Hmph. Cut it out, vice-captain. You’re also a prince of Fukuoka.”
“Good grief. Two princes, huh? That’s why we can’t interfere.”
“What are you guys talking about? We’re on the same team. While I may be a prince in the club, in the national team, I’m just a regular player. Above all, we are… the same ten blades!”
“Kutsuo…!! Truly the captain!! The most blade-like man I acknowledge!”
“…”
Kim Jae-han quietly organized the data.
‘This is getting ridiculous.’
