I Became a World-Class Striker Episode 4
No Time to Celebrate
Thud— rattle-rattle-
The bounced ball rolls in.
Right to me. This was clearly a glaring mistake by a Seoul defender. That one variable he failed to read properly had come to me as an opportunity.
‘The ball!’
No matter how much I’ve struggled on the bench, how could I not trap a ball like this? A ball rolling so perfectly, trying to stick cleanly to my foot.
Tup-
"Changryong-ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Our manager’s voice, like it would rip my eardrums out. At that sound, I exhaled sharply and powerfully knocked the ball forward, sprinting.
The defender who missed the ball and the other defenders nearby weren’t visible in my space. They must have been focused on the falling ball.
"Hey, hey!! Stop him!"
"Hah!"
Tap-tap-
‘Yeah. Too late!’
No one was even trying to stop me; it would have been strange if a pro couldn’t run with the ball. No matter how much the fans cursed me, was I Dong Fangzhuo? So naturally, I succeeded in breaking through the opposing line.
Waaaahhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Huff! Huff!"
Thud-thud-
Seoul’s gatekeeper appeared before my eyes.
The goalkeeper, that is.
Tat—!
"Tch! Damn iiiitt!"
‘Before he narrows the angle… No, why is he rushing out so fast? Urk.’
The goalkeeper spotted me sprinting in and tried to narrow the angle. Seeing him like that, I tried to kick the ball half a beat faster. Well, it wasn’t on purpose—I just felt I had to kick it instinctively.
‘Screw it! Just hit it!’
Boom!!!!!!!!!!!!
I smashed it with my right foot, my dominant foot.
"!"
"!"
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much. From the moment I touched the ball, I’d been thinking: throw away greed. I’d caught one chance, so just hit it accurately.
And that mindset.
Squeaaaak!!!
Boing!
"Urggh!!!!!"
‘Please!’
Tick-
"!"
Swish-------!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Ah!"
I somehow felt like I’d touched the heavens. Or rather, perhaps the God of Soccer had taken pity on me and lent me a hand.
"…It really went in?"
Beeeeep-----!
Wa, waaaahhh!!!!!!!!!!
Wo, wo, woooaaahhh!!!!!!!!!!!
=Gooooaaaal!!!!!!!!!!
=It's a goooooal!!!!!!!!!! Suwon FC's I Changryong! He takes the one chance that came his way and finishes it straight into the goal!
=When the ball that Yang Hyeok tried to clear went over the halfway line, you could see the mistake, right? He turns that straight into an opportunity.
=Just applying pressure itself shows the determination to seize any sort of chance, doesn't it?
=It was a movement that showcased outstanding concentration!
=Amazing. I Changryong! As if to prove that the dramatic equalizer he showed in the last promotion playoff was no simple fluke, today he scores the opening goal first against Seoul!
=In the 23rd minute of the first half, the score is 1:0! Suwon, which has just been promoted to the first division, is leading Seoul, last season's runner-up!
=It's incredible! Amazing!
The goal net shook. The ball I’d driven to the right was sucked right in. But the opposing goalkeeper had gotten his fingers to it, as if he’d read the trajectory, and because I’d seen that with my own eyes, my heart was still pounding.
Thump-thump-
‘I-I almost got blocked….’
Kicking it quickly had been the right call. If I’d hesitated even a little longer, it would surely have been stopped by his hands, wasting the chance.
"Hah…."
=FC Seoul's goalkeeper Seong Iyul lets out a frustrated sigh.
=How should I put this, he was quite lucky.
=It was a one-on-one situation, favorable for the attacker. It was an angle where he could score as is.
=That's right. The situation was so good that it would have been strange to miss it. Haha.
"......."
A striker who misses a one-on-one. Come to think of it, if I’d missed this, the fans would have torn into me, chewed me up, savored the taste, and spat me out for ages. Thanks to that thought, a chill ran down my spine and my back broke out in a cold sweat.
‘I almost blew it….’
"Changryong!!!!"
"Huh?"
Smack!
Grab!
"Urk!"
Teammates suddenly rushed over, including Bak Wonu, throwing themselves on me. My body swayed. What? What is it?
Thump-thump!
"Nice one! A goal, I said a goal!"
"This punk, he's been likable since the playoffs? Kuhahah!"
"Congrats, you punk! Hahah!"
"Ah, it hurts—it hurts!! Stop hitting me."
"Hahah, Changryong. You scored, so shouldn't you celebrate? Hahah! Were you too surprised?"
"C-celebration?"
Their actions and words—hugging me and praising me… I’d never experienced this before, so I was simply dumbfounded. Had I ever been treated like this? Recently?
‘I hadn't. Thanks to that, I’d forgotten about celebrating too…. Tsk, how embarrassing….’
Because I’d been in such poor form. Because I hadn’t even played. Good memories I’d forgotten. So I felt somewhat awkward.
"Ahem. There’s no time to celebrate. We have to score one more quickly."
Smack-
I said it as an excuse and ran toward the halfway line. For some reason, I felt a bit strange, thinking my teammates were looking at me with smiles. Ugh, so embarrassing.
* * *
It was a goal created by seizing a perfect chance.
Especially Yang Hyeok, who had cleared the ball toward the halfway line, swallowed dryly as he watched I Changryong running back to the center circle with a surprised expression.
‘It was an amazing goal. Even the way he boldly pushed it in….’
He had thought the goal Changryong showed in the last promotion playoff was a fluke. Just a coincidence. He hadn’t liked the perennial bench member proudly giving interviews about such luck.
How many times had he come out and messed up in matches? That’s why he’d felt that way even more.
But… today was somehow different. He wasn’t moving recklessly without thought… he was passing to teammates… and even the way he seized the opportunity and scored was impressive.
Moreover.
"Wow, Changryong actually has a greedy streak for goals."
"Right? I thought he had none, but he's definitely a striker. For sure."
"That's right. Since the playoffs he's been training harder too… It's like he's a changed person? Look! The way he's running back so confidently."
‘No time to celebrate?’ Huh. Kid's got a cool mindset."
"So freaking charismatic."
"......."
How should I put it, had his attitude changed? The I Changryong Yang Hyeok knew wasn’t that kind of person. He was a player who would jump around boisterously after scoring and end up getting hurt.
‘Definitely… something has changed.’
That retreating figure far away.
Yang Hyeok briefly entertained the thought of re-evaluating him, even now.
‘Ahem. No time to celebrate. I'll make a note of this….’
Storing away words that sounded a bit cool in his heart.
* * *
Seoul was definitely ahead in ball possession. But that first-half goal had grabbed the Seoul players by the ankles.
Suwon FC had come up with tenacity. The Seoul players had their spirits drained by the sticky defense they showed.
=Ahh. They’ve gone into the second half, but Seoul can't capitalize on their chances.
=Even Adrian doesn't seem to be working out well; they look frustrated.
=FC Seoul's manager I Useok seems to be losing his appetite over this frustrating match.
In the early stages, Manager I Useok, who had been sitting on the bench, was now up and pacing around, seemingly frustrated. Chances were definitely coming, but goals weren’t happening because of Suwon’s suffocating defense stubbornly blocking them.
‘They’re willing to come up without stubbornly clinging to their style?’
Manager I Useok glanced at Manager I Geonil sitting on the opposite bench.
In fact, Suwon FC had been a team that pressed opponents with aggressive tactics, fighting like gamecocks back in the second division. Despite having such burning passion, today they showed relatively defensive movements, and it was paying off.
Meanwhile, Manager I Geonil for his part was not at ease either.
‘It’s a close call.’
When I Changryong scored, the sight of him punching the air and doing a joy jump like an old veteran had vanished without a trace.
What the manager’s eyes saw was this:
"Huff- huff-"
"Haah… haah…."
The difference in skill between the players, and the limits of their stamina.
‘At this rate, the defense will collapse.’
He had been rotating substitutes continuously, but the opponent was last season's runner-up after all. Their squad depth was so excellent that he wanted to cry foul.
The fact that they were holding on with a 1:0 score was a miracle in itself.
‘Time… is really flowing slowly.’
30th minute of the second half.
The exhaustion revealed in the players' expressions. Manager I Geonil felt time passing slowly, and it vexed him.
That was when.
Breeeeeep!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The moment the referee’s whistle blew sharply. And at that moment.
The expressions of the managers on both benches began to change in an instant. A smile tinged with excitement spread across Seoul manager I Useok’s lips. Suwon manager I Geonil's face darkened beyond his usual dark complexion, turning even blacker.
=Handball!
=It's a handball foul by Suwon FC's Bak Chanseong near the box!