NOVEL NEXT chapter 105
105 – The Sleeping Lion
105
As the largest sporting event in the world, the World Cup attracts a lot of attention.
As it progresses from the group stage to the round of 16, even more attention is focused.
However, not all matches receive equal attention.
Popular teams and teams that create buzz naturally receive more attention.
In that sense, the match between Korea and Italy in the round of 16 was receiving extraordinary attention, unlike any other Asian-European team match.
This was because the commotion at the media day had become a huge topic.
“The commotion at the media day”
“30 years of rivalry! Korea and Italy clash!”
—What am I seeing right now?
—lol Paolo’s face is bright red!
—The voice is so low that I didn’t notice, but he’s whispering into the microphone.
—Joo Ji-tae, you intentional b*stard!
—Korea should reflect on its actions. The 2002 World Cup was the dirtiest.
—Is this a netizen or a troll? Stop talking about bribery!
—What happened in 2002 that you’re acting like this?
The live broadcast of the interview allowed the confrontation between Korea and Italy to be relayed in real-time, which naturally created a huge stir.
Usually, media days are conducted in a more subdued manner.
Even if the relationship is bad, it’s customary to show respect on the surface, but Korea and Italy didn’t hold back in dissing each other. This is a rare occurrence, but it does happen occasionally.
They even cursed at each other, which is beyond just saying “they don’t get along.”
However, this interview became a huge topic because it was held on the world stage of the World Cup round of 16, and Paolo Pellegrini’s intense reaction and Joo Ji-tae’s nonchalant attitude, saying whatever he wanted, created a kind of meme.
And this gave birth to another topic,
[So, what’s the problem between Korea and Italy?]
[What did they do 30 years ago that they’re acting like this?]
The curiosity about the bad blood between Korea and Italy.
The parties involved knew about their own affairs, even if it was 30 years ago, but it was natural for other countries not to know. Of course, some countries that were very interested in Korea were exceptions.
[So, didn’t Korea win against Italy in the 2002 World Cup round of 16?]
[That’s a lie. Italy was Italy, after all.]
[Korea is dirty and bought the game.]
[It’s a rumor spreading in Japan and Taiwan.]
In online keyboard battles, Koreans who wouldn’t back down and neighboring countries that were very interested in Korea clashed fiercely.
With the attention of people from around the world pouring in through media day, the match between Korea and Italy became the most talked-about match in the round of 16 in just one day, even surpassing the match between Brazil and Argentina.
It was a truly remarkable event.
And the next day…
Perhaps the most highly anticipated match in Korean football history was about to begin.
[Yes! We are live at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon, Portugal, where the round of 16 match between Korea and Italy is about to take place. There was a big commotion at yesterday’s media day.]
[That’s right. The psychological battle between Korea’s Joo Ji-tae and Italy’s Paolo Pellegrini became a huge issue. Personally, I thought Paolo’s attitude, still holding a grudge from 30 years ago, was a bit disappointing.]
[Joo Ji-tae precisely pointed that out, showing a strong determination not to accept the result.]
[So, there were many opinions that Joo Ji-tae was very impressive, and it even became an opportunity to re-examine the baseless rumors about the 30-year-old match.]
In a typical Korean broadcasting style, the casters and commentators exchanged prepared lines, subtly defending Joo Ji-tae and praising him for being “refreshing,” while the Italian broadcast showed a completely opposite attitude.
[This is really ridiculous! Anyone can see that we, Italy, were victims of unfair refereeing and bias, and yet they’re acting like it’s natural just because time has passed!]
[The way they think is truly astonishing! But it’s okay. Our Gli Azzurri will take revenge for 30 years ago! Viva Gli Azzurri!!]
* * *
＜ FIFA World Cup United 2032 Round of 16 ＞
Korea Republic : Italy
Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal
[Korea Republic 4-5-1]
FW : Cho Jae-shin
AM : Cha Jun-sang / Kim Seong-ho / Na Si-hyun
CM : Kim Su-han / Noh Han-ho
DF : Kim Tae-jin / Joo Ji-tae / Jung Chae-geun / Ko Tae-ho
GK : Choi Kyu-hwan
[Italy 3-5-2]
FW : Nicolò Tonali / Rafael Darmian
MF : Leonardo Felipe / Giorgio Lettieri / Paolo Pellegrini / Fabio Cristante / Salvatore S. Lorenzo
DF : Dominic Toloi / Giovanni De Leno / Andrea Scamacca
GK : Brian Politano
As the match began, Coach Marizio jumped up from his seat.
“What…? Did they put Paolo in?”
Paolo Pellegrini, a world-renowned player and Italy’s captain, was a world-class player who had risen to prominence as a defensive midfielder.
Considering his position and skills, it was natural to deploy him in the third line, but Paolo Pellegrini was now in the second line, and even in the front of it.
The absurd sight was shocking, even for a moment.
Marizio thought of a single scenario.
“What if…”
And soon, that scenario became a reality.
“Are you assigning Paolo as a dedicated marker for Joo Ji-tae? And that too, with Joo Ji-tae as the center back?”
It was understandable to move players around according to their roles, a common tactic in modern football.
But to move a defensive midfielder up to mark Joo Ji-tae as a center back… even Marizio couldn’t imagine such an extreme tactic.
“Coach! Let’s narrow the gap and help Joo Ji-tae—”
“Just wait. Calm down.”
Marizio’s gaze swept around Joo Ji-tae’s surroundings.
The Italian forwards, who were expected to mark Joo Ji-tae, were scattered to the left and right.
“This is going to be a 1-on-1 battle between Joo Ji-tae and Paolo.”
Joo Ji-tae had faced countless opponents and had even been marked multiple times, but he had always come out on top.
However, this opponent was Paolo Pellegrini, a world-class defensive midfielder.
Could Joo Ji-tae still perform as usual, breaking through Paolo’s marking?
As Marizio pondered, his eyes met Joo Ji-tae’s.
The relaxed expression on Joo Ji-tae’s face, seen from a distance, made Marizio smile and sit back down.
“Coach?”
“Let’s trust our ace.”
The referee’s whistle blew, and the Korean team’s offense began.
Jo Jae-shin, who had been watching, kicked the ball lightly to Kim Seong-ho beside him and ran towards the Italian goal, his eyes widening.
“What…? How far is he going to go?”
The Italian defender, who was supposed to be marking him, was instead letting him pass with a puzzled expression.
Jo Jae-shin’s gaze followed him, amazed by the ridiculous scene.
The ball, passed by Kim Seong-ho, was returned to the backline, and No Han-ho, who received the ball, looked around, also bewildered.
However, he calmly returned the ball to the backline, and—
“What the…?”
Finally, the ball reached the last line of defense, and Paolo Pellegrini, who had been marking Joo Ji-tae, was heading towards the same direction.
The Korean team’s last line of defense.
The commander of the ground, responsible for Korea’s build-up and strategy, was moving towards Joo Ji-tae.
Jo Jae-shin clicked his tongue, amazed by the absurd scene.
“He still doesn’t know him, does he?”
Joo Ji-tae was someone who had been the ace of a weak team, 1860 Munich.
The weight of being an ace on a strong team and a weak team was vastly different. On a strong team, there were many players to share the burden, but on a weak team, there was no one to share it with.
Of course, the opposing team’s attention would focus on the ace of a weak team, and Joo Ji-tae had done an incredible job of handling that pressure for two seasons.
A dedicated marker?
He had done that a few times already.
Even in the Barcelona match, he had performed crazily with a dedicated marker, and now, he was facing Paolo Pellegrini as a dedicated marker.
“Is that supposed to work…?!”
Far away, in the final defense line.
The scene of Paulo Pellegrini, running like a mad dog, colliding with his friend and falling over, was quite comical. It was a sight of them tumbling and falling, with their bodies entangled.
“It’s done for.”
Jae-shin Cho looked at the ridiculous scene, shook his head, and clicked his tongue.
“Oh, Paulo is being a bit too rough, huh? You’re done for. Your teammate is finished.”
“What’s wrong with that? You’re the one who’s going to be finished.”
“Are you saying that after seeing that? You’re still lacking. Don’t worry, monkey. You won’t be able to walk out of here with two legs today.”
Jae-shin Cho gave a pitiful gaze to the Italian player, who was provoking him.
‘That kid is going to get so angry he’ll go crazy.’