13 – Overwhelm
013
There was some hardship, but Korea smoothly reached the semi-finals.
And the opponent they met before the AFC U-20 Asian Cup final was their destined rival, Japan.
The situation was not favorable.
“You played too much in the Iran match. The players’ stamina hasn’t recovered.”
“We have holes in every position. What should we do?”
The starting center-back and defensive organizer, Gong Ji-hoon, was injured, and midfielder Han Seul-gi, responsible for the team’s backline buildup and defensive line protection, was sent off. On top of that, the emerging core of the attack, Jo Jae-shin, was also in doubt due to an injury.
Korea was in a shambles when facing Japan, their destined rivals and the most likely favorites for the championship.
But, competition is inherently harsh.
No one waits for anyone to be in their best condition.
Injuries or accumulated warnings, as a coach, you had the responsibility to deliver the best performance under any circumstances.
“…Jitae.”
“Yes? Coach, what did you just…”
“Call Jitae.”
“Joo Jitae?”
“Yes. I’m entrusting this game to that guy.”
The born gambler, Coach Jang Ki-seok, made the decision to roll the dice at this critical moment.
* * *
As he stepped onto the field, Joo Ji-tae recalled the coach’s instructions.
“Show people why I had no choice but to select you…”
The very day the match with Iran ended.
Coach Jang Ki-seok called Joo Ji-tae. He told him to play as he wished in this game.
The leader of the defense, Gong Ji-hoon, and Han Seul-gi, who was in charge of the back build-up, both left.
Certainly, there are players to replace their roles. It’s just a matter of lacking the capability.
Rather than downgrading the team with players of lower skill than the departed members, the coach decided to bring about a change.
Why else did Jang Ki-seok choose Ju Ji-tae in the first place?
Not just because he is a defender but also because, despite his position, he’s adept at build-up play, as evidenced by his training and practice matches that dispelled concerns about his defensive abilities.
Even though his excessively aggressive playing style and lack of experience were worrisome, with the current situation, there was no choice but to gamble on Ju Ji-tae’s unexpected potential.
No matter how much Jang Ki-seok and the coaches analyzed, it seemed impossible to beat Japan in their current state.
“Ji-tae!”
“Hmm?”
When he turned at the voice calling him, it was Oh Myung-jin, the senior center-back, who would be forming a duo with him in today’s game.
“Leave the covering to me, and feel free to push forward. I’ll take care of the back.”
“Senior…”
“Heh, punk. Touched, huh?”
“No. You can relax; there won’t be any ball passing behind me.”
“…Damn.”
From Noble mtl dot com
Beep—!
The referee’s whistle echoed.
At that moment, Japan’s ace, Hotaru Daijobu, who had been eyeing Ju Ji-tae until then, dashed towards them as the whistle blew.
“Why does this guy keep blabbering and acting all high and mighty? Annoying.”
He kept talking next to them, but he was a strange guy who rambled on about aces, princes, Espada, without understanding a thing.
His actions were nothing but pure middle school second-year syndrome, but nonetheless, Hotaru was the main character who led Japan to the semi-finals in the FIFA U-17 World Cup. An ace.
A formidable opponent that couldn’t be ignored.
‘But why does the name Hotaru Daijobu sound unfamiliar? If he’s such a promising player, he must have made quite an impact even in the first round.’
Perhaps he retired early due to an injury.
Or maybe he’s just an overhyped prospect.
We’ll find out soon enough if his talent is genuine.
Ju Ji-tae deliberately left the pass towards him unattended.
From the perspective of a veteran, it was an overly obvious passing route, and if he wanted, he could have easily intercepted it. However, that would have made things difficult on this end.
If the pass was repeatedly blocked, Hotaru might just send it to another side instead.
Hotaru, Japan’s ace and an aggressive dribbler, was more troublesome for Ju Ji-tae, who was trying to exploit it.
The pass neglected by Ju Ji-tae smoothly landed in Hotaru’s possession.
“Where. Shall we see the skills of the Japanese top dribbler?”
As expected.
Following the analysis that he enjoys aggressive dribbling, he immediately adopted a dribbling posture as soon as he received the ball.
“Judgment is low. He doesn’t even survey the surrounding situation before receiving the ball, and even after receiving it, his gaze remains fixed on the ball. From before receiving it, he’s only thinking about dribbling.”
Ju Ji-tae lowered his posture.
Judging from a superficial perspective, he seemed like a typical player who plays football without using his brain.
But even such a player needs to be cautious.
Surprisingly, there are many players in the top four leagues who play without using their brains.
And those players usually have flashes of talent.
Playing brainlessly but surviving in the top four leagues.
Tuk, tudung.
A light movement pushing the ball forward.
“As the data says, right-footed. Inside with a narrow stance, keeping in mind the direction change.”
A low gaze captures the movement of his lower body.
Not just the ball and foot, but beyond that, the movement of bones, muscles, and joints.
“Hook, hook, hook!”
With a strange sound from his mouth, Hotaru’s upper body, approaching while shaking here and there, accelerates suddenly.
“To the left.”
Tuk.
His lightly stretched leg precisely pulls the ball away.
“Nanit!?”
When Hotaru, who had taken a few steps without the ball, turned around in surprise a moment later,
“Oh, you little rascal.”
Ju Ji-tae’s leg was curved like a bow.
It was a long pass.
* * *
Jang Ki-seok, who was nervously wandering near the touchline, stopped even breathing and stared at the ground.
“Why aren’t you blocking it!”
Ju Ji-tae’s aggressiveness is well-known.
I know how quick and accurate Ju Ji-tae’s judgment is, and I’m aware of his exceptional physical abilities.
With a player like Ju Ji-tae, someone known to Jang Ki-seok, he should have anticipated and intercepted such an obvious pass in advance.
Especially someone like Ju Ji-tae!
“You should have intercepted that kind of pass!!”
Jang Ki-seok shouted, feeling a darkness enveloping his vision.
Is it because it’s a real game, and an important one at that? Or did he misjudge the player? Did he put too much trust in the young player?
‘I told them not to let the ball reach Hotaru Daijo-bu, not to let him comfortably handle the ball at all…! Damn it, now that it’s come to this, if we play defensively and go into overtime—’
However, Jang Ki-seok’s thoughts stopped there.
Hotaru Daijo-bu, evaluated as the top-level On The Ball player at Dongnai University, had easily thwarted Ju Ji-tae’s dribble, as if it were magic, no, as if he were pulling something out of his pocket.
“Huh?”
As if by magic, no, as if pulling something out of his pocket, Ju Ji-tae effortlessly took the ball away, leaving Jang Ki-seok stunned.
‘Right, that’s it. He was the one who repeatedly blocked Jae-shin, even though he’s a skilled player.’
He knew that Jo Jae-shin was talented, but he hadn’t expected him to easily block Hotaru’s dribble, a player who reached the semi-finals of the U-17 World Cup and received high praise internationally.
Even if their talents were similar, there was only a two-year age difference.
For teenagers, two years is a significant gap.
But… But for Jo Jae-shin to snatch the ball from him, or rather, to effortlessly block Hotaru’s dribble.
However, Jang Ki-seok’s surprise didn’t end there.
After casually stealing the ball, Ju Ji-tae glanced ahead for a moment and then smoothly pushed the ball forward.
“Huh!?”
He just flicked it away.
Towards Park Hye-chan, who was penetrating Japan’s defensive line. Towards the place where Park Hye-chan would leap…
No.
Towards where Park Hye-chan would penetrate the defensive line, leap between the Japanese center-backs… precisely towards the spot where he could head the ball.
* * *
As the nationally anticipated football match between Korea and Japan unfolded, the Asian Cup quarterfinals were being broadcast live.
“It seems like our recent record against Japan is quite… lackluster, isn’t it?”
“That’s right. The senior national team has had 4 games in the last 5 years with 0 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses… Well, the youth national team has a balanced record of 9 games in 5 years with 3 wins, 2 draws, and 4 losses. However, against Japan’s current golden generation, the under-20 national team has a record of 0 wins and 4 losses.”
Thanks to this, the real-time facial expressions of the commentators, who were revealing data prepared for viewers before the start of the game, were broadcast without filtering, drawing the attention of the audience.
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Impressive]
[The Sensational Education of Hwang Gu-Gat-Bon]
“Damn, these guys are no joke.”
“Look at their faces darkening in real time. LOL LOL LOL LOL”
“But seriously, this is brutal. I haven’t watched soccer recently, but how are they getting thrashed like this…”
The on-site broadcast team immediately relayed this community reaction.
“Ahem, ahem. Yes, however, it’s okay. There have been a lot of difficulties due to injuries and accumulated warnings!! Regardless of who comes out, the national team players are all excellent players.”
“Of course! It’s the quarter-finals for the under-20 Asian Cup between Korea and Japan. Oh, our players will face a lot of difficulties today, but I hope they can win strongly.”
At that moment, a ray of salvation came down to the commentators who were forcibly raising the tension.
“Yes, the game is starting.”
“In the Japan match, our players’ pressure is quite important, right? In the early stage of the game, they’re showing good pressure.”
“There’s intense midfield contention happening. Our players are doing well. We need to suppress their forward passes. Especially this player, Hotaru Daijobu, we need to prevent the ball from reaching him—oops! Hotaru, it’s Hotaru Daijobu!!”
“A pass connected to Hotaru Daijobu! Ju Ji-Tae player blocks the front!! Stumbling, stumbling, is Hotaru attempting a breakthrough!?”
“Oh, this is not good! Not good at all! Ju Ji-Tae, he’s just 17 years old!! He can’t stop it alone!! What are our players doing! They need to close in quickly!!!”
“What, what is this!! Ju Ji-Tae, Ju Ji-Tae!! What is this player!? Easily, really easily snatched it away!!!”
It was a broadcasting mishap.
