I Became a World-Class Striker - Episode 5
Fluke Pass
The situation was not good.
"Ah."
He had tried his best, but the result was a handball.
'Chan-seong....'
Park Chan-seong had done his best as a defender. He had thrown his body to stop Seoul's agile and fast Adrian, and in the process, the ball touched his hand.
The fortunate part was that it was a handball foul outside the box, but still.
Fshhh—
"......."
"......."
The Suwon FC players couldn't bring themselves to speak, watching the referee spraying vanishing spray and the blue-eyed Adrian walking over with the ball, forcing dejected expressions onto their faces. Why? Because that bastard Adrian was known as the best free kick taker in the K League.
Ooh— Ooh— Ooooh!
Adrian! Adrian! Adrian!
'They've gone wild.'
The away fans' chant for Adrian echoed out. It was a rather beautiful free kick spot, and expectations were placed on Adrian, who had scored many goals from that position.
He was afraid... but what could he do? It had happened. The players consoled Park Chan-seong and formed a wall. Still... they had to do their best to block it.
=Looking at Adrian's eyes, he's serious, isn't he.
=He has a look that says he'll succeed this time and equalize. That's the look in his eyes.
=With the match approaching the 33rd minute of the second half, let's see whether Adrian's free kick will ignite or not.
Beeeep—
"Huu...."
=Adrian.
Thwack—
Booooom----------!
Whiiiiish!
=He struck it clean!!!!!!!
The result.
Swish—!
=Gooooooal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
=Free kick goaaaaal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
'Fuck....'
It was a perfect goal. They had formed a wall and jumped following his movement, but really... he struck it annoyingly beautifully. The curling ball drew a beautiful trajectory and lodged near the top left corner of the goalpost, a position the goalkeeper could hardly dare to reach.
Really... a free kick that reminds you of Messi, perhaps?
"Hoo!"
'Though his favorite player seems to be Ronaldo.'
Glancing at Adrian, who was letting out a light roar, I approached Park Chan-seong, who was looking a bit down.
"It's okay. It's just an equalizer."
"...It's tough. For us."
'He thinks they conceded because of him. Well, he has always been the type to overthink.'
Seeing the guy hanging his head, I scratched my head and spoke.
"Would it be worse than me? I've been busy cleaning up all the messes I made until now. Haha."
"...Chang-ryong."
"S-so cheer up. I'll... somehow try to do something."
"......."
Well... it's not like I could really do anything. I knew my own skills. It was just... comfort. Park Chan-seong was Suwon's core defender, and if he got discouraged like this, it felt like we'd concede three goals immediately. That's why I said it.
It was cringeworthy, but.
Maybe he found it cringeworthy too, because he stared at me for a long while. Rather embarrassingly.
"Ah, anyway, I'm heading back. Fighting!"
"......."
For now, the score was 1-1 with the equalizer. Could we score more from here? Honestly, if I had to draw a conclusion in my heart, it was 'impossible.'
You could tell at a glance that the players looked exhausted. Meanwhile, the Seoul players seemed to have gained some energy they didn't have, perhaps having tasted the goal of hope. This was difficult.
Still.
'Let's try not to lose.'
I had luckily scored a goal too... in a way, even if we finished with a loss, I felt like I would be wrapped up nicely in the public eye. But the regret visible in the expressions of Chan-seong and the other players weighed on my mind for some reason.
I was an average player who wasn't particularly good at anything. Still, my legs weren't trembling yet. My waist wasn't broken. I was out of breath, but....
'I can still run.'
Let's run more. Let's take one more step. That was my only thought.
* * *
Park Chan-seong, a man of upright yet delicate character, felt inexplicably moved watching Lee Chang-ryong's retreating figure.
'Honestly, there were more times when I looked down on him....'
A figure who couldn't establish himself in the team and wandered the bench. A striker who couldn't produce results. That person had changed lately. You could tell just from him scoring consecutive goals.
And yet.
"I'll... somehow try to do something."
He had said that while comforting him. And those words reached player Park Chan-seong's heart. The Lee Chang-ryong before his eyes was not the striker he had always looked down on.
He was... someone who really seemed like he would show them a miracle.
'Let's cheer up.'
Once he thought that, the gloom that had settled began to disappear as if it had never been there. It was only a bit past the 40th minute of the second half. The match wasn't over yet, so Chan-seong resolved to brace himself.
It was a light comfort from Lee Chang-ryong, but.
It gave strength to one person... and became the foundation of a snowball that no one knew how it would turn out.
The grass on the pitch swayed. The players of both teams gathered at the center circle.
Peeep—
The match resumed with Suwon's kickoff.
* * *
"Pass!"
Thump—
Roll, roll—
=It's fast!
=Adrian has the ball again! Seoul continues to pour on the attack!
"Close in! What are you doing!!!"
Thud, thud, thud—!
Waaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Get your heads in the game! The match isn't over yet! Don't lose it! I'm telling you not to lose focus!!"
=Coach Lee Geon-il is very worked up.
=It's understandable since it's a home game and their first K League 1 match. But there doesn't seem to be anyone who can stop Adrian. He shoots—
"Hup!"
Boooooom-------!
Seoul's spearhead. Adrian's shot. It really flew straight and powerful like a cannonball. If only he hadn't been excited about turning the game around and anxious about time, that shot would definitely have shaken the net.
Smack!!!!
"Kugh—"
Thud!
=He caught it!
=Suwon's goalkeeper Lee Yu-chan caught it clean and fell forward!
=Adrian's shot was too straightforward. Still, the direct shot flying out in one go was incredible.
=Shaking off the players and shooting right away! Seoul has a powerful strike. It's threatening!
=On the other hand, the Suwon FC players are exhausted. They're barely holding on, but they're feeling today that K League 1 is no pushover.
=After all, they just got promoted. I think they'll go through many hardships.
The goalkeeper calmly made a good save. Coach Lee Geon-il let out a sigh of relief and gulped down the bottled water that had been on the ground.
The situation had been so dangerously close that he was parched.
[Suwon FC 1:1 FC Seoul]
[43rd minute of the second half]
Regular time would soon conclude, and then the winner and loser would be decided. If the match ended like this, it would be a draw, but if they lost, Suwon FC's morale would definitely drop in many ways.
'The first match after promotion. The momentum is important....'
It was a regrettable and pitiful situation. Thus, Coach Lee Geon-il squeezed his eyes shut and prayed. That the match would just end like this.
And as if matching the coach's sentiments, the players had set aside offensive risks and were focusing on defense.
=Suwon's ball flies far. Players from both teams run after it.
=Seoul recovers it. They continue their passing buildup.
=Fortunately, they cut it off. A chance for Suwon to attack.
=Yang Hyeok. He takes the ball in the midfield and runs, soon looking to the right, but there's no suitable player to receive it.
=Perhaps to check Lee Chang-ryong, who scored the first goal, Seoul's defense is a bit concentrated there. But that doesn't mean other areas are wide open. Yang Hyeok dribbles and plays a back pass.
=It seems Suwon has firmly decided to end it like this. It's not a bad choice, but it's a shame.
=When they scored early on, we thought we didn't know how the match would go, but in the end, Seoul took perfect possession and the situation became difficult. They circulate the ball. Suwon with another pass.
=Lee Chang-ryong. He takes the ball and passes safely.
=As expected, no big risks. The 45th minute of the second half, regular time is over.
=The referee has given 3 minutes of added time.
Waaaaaaah!
Suwon! Suwon!
Seoul! Seoul!
It was right when the balance was being maintained so tightly.
=Lee Chang-ryong has the ball.
* * *
Thump—
The ball rolled onto my foot. Knowing the coach's and players' intentions, I too had no intention of taking risks in this match. Just safely. As I was trying to... handle the ball, pass it, and complete it.
Thwack!
'Huh?'
"Hup! Hup!"
Could it be that they couldn't lose like this? A Seoul player quickly pressured me. Indeed, if it ended in a draw, it wouldn't be good for Seoul either. They wouldn't be able to avoid criticism for failing to beat a team close to being the weakest. And a draw's 1 point versus a victory's 3 points—how could they be the same? They're different, completely different. That's why they're fired up. But.
'Yeah, I won't give it.'
Tung—
So I thought, no way, and pushed a back pass to the player behind me. But.
Thwack!!!
"Hup! Hup!!"
'That crazy bastard?'
Wasn't the guy running just now bypassing me and sprinting toward the player who received the pass? It was different from what I had judged—that he would give up and return to his position. He seemed determined to somehow regain possession and advance.
Thwack-!
"Get it!"
"!"
With pressure coming from another side to steal the ball, the Suwon player who received my pass looked slightly flustered and surveyed his surroundings. Ah.
'The angle's not there. Besides, the other players are a bit far... a back pass is a bit dangerous too.'
At that moment, I thought we had been done in by the Seoul players. Those guys had narrowed the vision and cut off the passing lanes. Clever bastards. To create a blind spot. As expected of the experienced runner-up team from last season.
Then.
"Cha-Chang-ryong!"
"Uh, uht?! Me?"
Uh... there's no one but me. To receive a pass. In the end, the ball came back. But.
Tung—
'Uh? Heyyy! This is a fluke, damn iiiit!!!!!'
A mistake came out. Ah. It was an absurd mistake. You could say that receiving passes is trained every day so of course I should do it well, but since I'm human, mistakes happen sometimes. And now that situation had arrived.
'That bastard gave it too hard!'
The ball should have settled on my outstretched right foot, but I panicked and couldn't control it properly, and the ball bounced up off the top of my foot. To think it even drew a parabola—I was bewildered.
Thwack—
'How far is it going!! Damn!'
"!"
If there's a silver lining, it's that thanks to the hastily given pass, no player was sticking to me? So I moved my body to get to the ball first, but....
Waaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!
=Lee Chang-ryong is running down the right line!!!!!!!!!
'Huh? ...Huh?'
Somehow, cheers burst from the home fans. Why? A bit bewildered, I chased the ball to the end.... A fleeting thought crossed my mind.
'Come to think of it... aren't I running down the line right now with no opposing players around me? Huh?'
=Lee Chang-ryong lets the ball slip with a brilliant skill and runs straight ahead!!!!!
=He pretended to receive the pass and let it run! It was a wonderful first-touch skill.
Something he had never imagined. A situation created by his mistake. At that, he ran while feeling dazed, but ran anyway. Zoom zoom—
"Hup! Hup!"
Thud thud— thud thud—
The ball stuck to his feet nicely. And seeing him running, his teammates started sprinting from the left to the center. Their expressions were—
'They look like they're asking why I'm doing something this reckless. But... they know it's an opportunity!'
You know that feeling, right? A feeling that something is going to happen. The players seemed to have felt it.
"Chang-ryong, ruuuun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The veteran coach shouted at the top of his lungs, and I thought screw it and sprinted harder. And.
Swoosh—
"Chang-ryong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
'There!'
He sent a cross straight to a figure sprinting into the center. Honestly, he had no confidence. He had little experience playing as a winger, and his crosses were his worst skill, so much that he doubted his own accuracy.
But he couldn't keep the ball at his feet forever. The opposing players were running, the path was blocked, and if he ran further, he'd go out of bounds. Ah, whatever. Just kick it.
Teoooooong!
Whish—
Up it went. My cross.
Thwack—
"Hiiieuk!!!!!"
And.
Tung!!
"!"
"!"
I saw it. The sight of Park Chan-seong dashing in powerfully... shooting his body like a rocket to meet the ball with his forehead. Huh? So Chan-seong was the one who called for it? I didn't know that. I just kicked it because someone raised their hand and called for it.... No, no, more importantly!
"Huk!"
Swish—!!!!
The ball had fooled the goalkeeper and shaken the net!
Waaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Uwaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
=B-Ba, Park Chan-seong's header!!!!!!! It shook the net! A dramatic go-ahead goaaaaal!!!!!!!!!!!
=Player Park Chan-seong rises from his spot and throws his hands up! And he runs to Lee Chang-ryong, whose mouth is hanging open in surprise at the goal, and hugs him!
=Wow, it was a perfect cross!
=The fast cross and header fooled the goalkeeper completely. Amazing. Lee Chang-ryong gets involved in the goal with an assist!
=This goal has plenty of credit to Lee Chang-ryong as well. He shook off the players with a skill and ran straight ahead, right?
=You can see it in the replay too. The Seoul players definitely thought he was receiving a pass. And yet Lee Chang-ryong fooled those Seoul players and broke away!
=Wow, I think we should have high expectations for Lee Chang-ryong this season?
"Chang-ryong!!!! Waaaah!"
"Hey, hey! C-calm down! Calm down, Park Chan-seong!"
"Thank you! Uwaaaah...."
Park Chan-seong ran with all his might and hugged me. And he's crying? I was bewildered but patted his back for now, and from afar, the other players ran over and hugged us together.
"Great job! You did it!!"
"Chan-seong properly made up for his mistake! Keuheup."
'Ah. That's right.'
I felt awkward but told the guy, who was shedding tears of joy, that he did well. For some reason, he cried even more, and embarrassed, I scratched my own head. The coaches and the manager rushing onto the pitch to join in the embraces were a bonus.
What can I say.
[Suwon FC 2:1 FC Seoul]
It seemed... we had won this match.