NOVEL NEXT chapter 103
103 – Advancing to the Round of 16
103
[This is Korea’s first match in the World Cup. The opponent is the strong Netherlands. It’s not an easy opponent, but our national team—]
It was clear.
Korea’s first opponent in the World Cup was the Netherlands.
It would be a blessing to just avoid defeat, and a draw would be a reasonable goal against a strong team, but Korea, centered around Joo Ji-tae, showcased a brilliant passing play.
[We need to be careful of Vincent van Basten. He’s a player who has won the top scorer award in the Netherlands league for two consecutive years and has been gaining attention from big clubs. So far, our players have been doing well in blocking him. Van Basten is coming down to receive the ball. The moment he turns around, it’s Joo Ji-tae! Joo Ji-tae cleverly takes the ball away and passes it to Jung Chae-geun!]
[Jung Chae-geun passes to Go Tae-ho. Go Tae-ho passes back to Jung Chae-geun. Joo Ji-tae receives the pass and sends it to Roh Han-ho. Kim Soo-han passes it back to Joo Ji-tae. Our national team players are exchanging passes too easily! The Netherlands’ pressure is useless!]
The flow of the game was going in the opposite direction of what the crowd had predicted.
It was as if Korea was the strong team, and the Netherlands was the weak one.
[Amazing, Korea! They’ve taken away the Netherlands’ pass again with their clever pressure! This time, Cha Joon-sang joined in suddenly and blocked the pass.]
[Quick counterattack! Cho Jae-shin receives the pass— and it’s a heel pass! Kim Sung-ho, who made a sharp run, scores! Goal!! Korea scores the first goal!!]
It appeared in the 14th minute of the first half,
[Stephan de Fray’s dangerous tackle! The Netherlands is getting more and more aggressive. They’ve already received three yellow cards by the 20th minute.]
[They got a free kick opportunity from 40-45 meters away. Is it too far to score directly? Still, it’s a great chance. The players, aiming for a second ball… Joo Ji-tae, he shot! Oh, oh, oh! Goal!!]
[Unbelievable!! This is what happened! Joo Ji-tae scored from over 40 meters away, directly into the goal! His incredible long-range shot is unstoppable!!]
[The Netherlands’ goalkeeper, Frank van Basten, didn’t even move! They didn’t expect him to shoot directly at the goal at all!!]
In the 22nd minute, the second goal,
[Vincent van Basten was stolen by Kim Tae-jin and Joo Ji-tae’s pressure defense! The Netherlands’ two-time top scorer couldn’t even record a single shot on target today!!]
[Jo Jae-sin’s light chip shot shook the net again!!!]
The result was 3:0.
[‘Shocking performance! South Korea defeated the Netherlands 3:0!’]
[‘Historic performance! South Korea achieved the best result in the World Cup’s first game, and Marizioho’s performance is the best!’]
[‘The rebirth of ‘Roberto Carlos’! He scored an incredible goal from 43 meters away!’]
Just finishing the first game against the Netherlands with a perfect result would be enough to thrill football fans, but even more exciting news poured in.
[‘Scouts who appeared at the stadium, who came?’]
[‘A perfect showcase stage!’]
[‘Suddenly, the report of a promising player came out! Real Madrid is keeping an eye on him, Barcelona is courting him, and the EPL is eager!’]
The celebration of Korean fans continued.
[The game between South Korea and the United States is about to start.]
[This is an important game to determine the top spot in Group C. Both teams have a good atmosphere, but if we had to compare, South Korea’s 3:0 win is more impressive than the United States’ 1:0 win.]
[The United States had a tough game against Colombia, but won 1:0. Kim Hyung-tae, how do you think today’s game will go?]
[It’s likely to be a fierce battle.]
The second game against the United States.
Again, the experts’ predictions were wrong.
[South Korea’s continuous attack! Na Si-hyun breaks through! He’s fast, very fast! Na Si-hyun, who penetrated the side, crosses!]
[Jo Jae-sin jumps high, but misses! Good try… Ah, Joo Ji-tae, who was chasing behind, gets the ball! Shooting— no, he passes! Jo Jae-sin shoots! Goal! It goes in!! South Korea takes the lead!]
[But, offside is declared. The linesman’s flag went up. He was just a little ahead.]
Unlike most predictions, the game proceeded under South Korea’s control.
[The United States counterattacks! Alex Kennedy is fast! He brings the ball in— Joo Ji-tae! Joo Ji-tae wins the battle! Joo Ji-tae sends a long pass to the right. Cha Joon-sang receives it with his chest. Brown rushes in desperately, but… Cha Joon-sang was one step faster. He pushes it in.]
[Jo Jae-sin, stumbling… breaks through! He suddenly breaks through between two players! Goalkeeper! 1:1!! Jo Jae-sin— shoots, no, to the side! Kim Seong-ho shoots! Ah! The goalkeeper punches… but Roh Han-ho heads it in!!!]
[Goal!! South Korea takes the lead!!!]
With Joo Ji-tae at the center, the defense and midfield lines were solid, and the attack team, which started with Joo Ji-tae’s deadly pass, broke through the United States’ defense with quick speed and excellent ball control.
It was like a storm that swept away the United States, which couldn’t even launch a proper attack and eventually lost 2:0.
[The referee blows the whistle… The game is over!! South Korea wins 2:0!!]
[The game between the Netherlands and Colombia, which just ended, is a 2:2 draw, and South Korea rises to the top of Group C!! This means South Korea’s advancement to the round of 16 is confirmed!!]
[Congratulations! Our players are amazing! South Korea confirms its advancement to the round of 16 with two wins in two games!]
With two wins, South Korea becomes the first team to confirm its advancement to the round of 16 in Group C,
[Even if they draw in the last game against Colombia, they will still top the group, and unless they suffer a huge defeat, they will remain in first place.]
[In fact, they’ve secured first place! South Korea achieves the feat of advancing to the round of 16 as the group winner in the 2034 World Cup!]
This was the game that practically secured their top spot.
* * *
After the game, the coaching staff had a modest celebration.
“Perfect! The result was great, and the process was even better. You all worked hard.”
“The coach’s strategy was spot on. With Joo Ji-tae as the center, it was… His talent is undeniable, but it was uncertain if he could handle it at such a young age. Yet, he proved himself again.”
In football, defense is not just about talent, but experience is crucial.
In modern football, where tactics are extremely important, team movement is more important than one-on-one matchups between defenders and attackers.
Despite this, no one objected to making a 19-year-old player, who had just debuted two years ago, the leader of the defense.
In fact, when the coach first took charge, Joo Ji-tae was only 18 and in his first year.
Of course, the incredible exception of “Munich” made it possible for him to be accepted without any objections.
He had proven himself as the leader of the defense, winning the Bundesliga and performing well in the Champions League, so what objections could there be?
However, there were many concerns about making him the team leader.
Even veteran players would struggle with the responsibility of leading the team, let alone a young player.
But Coach Marizio firmly gave Joo Ji-tae the authority to lead the team on the ground, and Joo Ji-tae responded magnificently to Marizio’s expectations.
The result was 2 wins, 2 losses, and 1st place in Group C.
However, even with such a perfect result, there were still concerns within the team.
Exactly,
“In the last group stage match, players who haven’t played much will start.”
“In fact, since we’ve already secured 1st place, we need to consider the rotation for the round of 16… but what about Joo Ji-tae? We’ve been playing with him as the center, and if he’s not there…?”
“That’s something we need to take care of.”
The team’s performance without Joo Ji-tae.
Any team would struggle if their ace player, who is the core of their tactics, is absent.
This was evident in the third match against Colombia in the group stage.
[Ah, this is dangerous! We’re giving them too much space! Get closer, quickly!]
[Oh… it’s a goal. Colombia’s opening goal… no, the linesman raised the flag. What a relief.]
[Colombia’s attack continues. Our players are being pushed around. We need to focus on the players, not the ball.]
[Yoon Chang-min is making a run! Oh no, the block failed! The ball is flowing back to Colombia… Ah, we conceded a goal in the 31st minute of the first half.]
[Colombia’s corner kick. Jorge Montero is preparing. He’s kicking it high! Mateo, Mateo, grab him… Ah, Mateo’s header is shaking the net. Colombia’s second goal.]
The match against Colombia, where all the main players were absent.
South Korea was crushed, losing 3-1.
Luckily, the Netherlands defeated the United States, and South Korea advanced to the round of 16 as the group winner. However, the weaknesses exposed during the process were noticed by their next opponent.
Italy.