The Little Prince of the Field - Chapter 10

2-2.

The scores got leveled

I passed the ball through a narrow gap and it was blocked back by a savage in yellow uniform. 

The people on the bench were flustered as they prepared the next tactical instruction and called out for Aitami. 

The head coach ordered him to be on the defensive until the 70th minute, but it was 64 minutes into the second half. 

It was up to me, Castro and Srnich.

The score was tied without the participation of the midfielders in the attack. 

Furthermore, FuenlaBrada had sent one out, so it’s an 11 Vs 10 fight. 

Las Palmas players stopped blocking them and went back to the half-line. 

Castro approached me and praised me in a low voice. 

“You’re good every time I see you. At this rate, my seat will be taken away by you soon.” 

“There is still, Pecardt.”

“…That’s right. You still need to work harder. Haha.” 

Castro seemed to have come to his senses by what I said. 

Yes, Pecardt will be the biggest obstacle to snatching the starting position. 

“We have already scored two goals! Let’s hurry up and add more.” 

“Okay. I’ll push the ball. Head coach Rios is raising his voice and I think he’s going to pull up the line, and there’s going to be a lot of opportunities.”

“Yeah. It will be easy to defend. I’m feeling good today so pass me more balls.” 

“Easy to defend?” 

The 37-year-old man opened his eyes wide. 

Did it seem a little cheeky to say that it was easy? 

“I’m in good shape, so it’s easy to break their defense anyway.”

“Yeah… haha, that’s great.” 

“It’s a weak team.” 

“Hahahah, FuenlaBrada is in fourth place. It’s not a weak team.”

” 4th place? They’re worse than us.” 

“Yes, That’s right. They are worse than us.” 

After crouching close, Las Palmas pulled the line high against FuenlaBrada. 

The central defender also came up near the half-line, and the contents of the game started to flow unilaterally.

Strangely, the Las Palmas players were rather out of their minds when they began to attack. 

Viera’s pass was caught by the foot of the opponent’s full-back Antonio. 

It was already the third time. 

It was true that FuenlaBrada was blocking well, but ultimately, the pass didn’t connect smoothly. 

“Kim! Move to the center!” 

Head coach Rios ordered from the bench. 

After the game, he will have a sore throat, because he has been shouting several times to the point his voice was hoarse. 

More than 75 minutes later, De La Bella’s cross, which passed to the side, hit Castro’s head and flew towards the left end of the net, but was blocked by the goalkeeper’s wonderful defense. 

“Blocked? Haaaaaaa” 

The stadium was mixed with exclamations of regret. 

Castro, who applauded De La Bella, turned his head, made eye contact with me and gave me a signal. 

It meant that I should vacate the center position at the next attack opportunity. 

The opposing goalkeeper’s kick made the ball roll around and went straight to FuenlaBrada’s right fullback. 

FuenlaBrada, who had no reason to attack excessively, passed the ball between the defender and midfielder. 

“Press!” 

“Castro! Right!” 

Meantime, I tried to save my physical strength, while the strikers worked together with the midfielder to put on a strong forward pressure, the ball brushed Castro’s toes and went back to the opposing midfielder. 

It was a waste. 

The No.27 player, who regained possession of the ball, got relieved from the pressure and sent the ball to Praille Hugo, the only one who crossed the half-line. 

De la Bella and Kirian Rodriguez went for a cooperative defense in a narrowed space, Praille Hugo moved the ball on both feet and neutralized the defense with just two touches. 

De La Bella turned and followed behind Praille Hugo, but the distance between the opponents widened as he accelerated. 

Feeling anxious, I went down the half-line and tried to join the defense, but I ended up preparing to switch positions with Castro at the head coach’s scolding. 

“RODI! RODI! Mark Martinez, number 9! Watch 9!” 

Aitami made a mistake while coordinating the defense, and gave a shot angle to praille. 

Just outside the penalty box, Praillé’s shot skipped Aitami and moved towards the center, which was deflected by Lemos and rolled out of the line.  

With a Whistle sound, the referee pointed inside the penalty box. 

Damn, Praille Hugo’s shot hit Lemos in the arm. 

A ball touching the tip of one’s arm without touching their body, It’s a handball foul that can be seen at a glance even from a distance. 

Even Aitami who was protesting knows that the decision won’t be reversed. 

Will Goalkeeper Martinez be able to save Las Palmas again? 

No, he couldn’t

“Eyee-! Guardameta estar ocupado” 

(The goalkeeper is busy.) 

“It’s okay, we can still win.” 

Players could be seen comforting Lemos who had his head down. 

The score now was 2-3. 

FuenlaBrada took one more step forward.

The positive thing is that it hasn’t been 80 minutes yet. 

Castro’s pass headed for Aitami. 

Aitami swapped the ball with De La Bella and Lemos, lifting the line up and handing it to Kirian Rodriguez, who approached. 

He was later dribbling through the center of FuenlaBrada, and Castro shifted to the right flank but he was still inside the penalty line.

Alvaro, the right-wingback, received a long pass that changed the direction of Kirian Rodriguez’s attack. 

“Alvaro!” 

Seeing Castro and Srnich raising their hands, Alvaro connected a diagonal cross towards the penalty box at once. 

The ball appeared in the air with a bang. 

The trajectory of the ball was directed towards Castro. 

However, the ball was a little high. 

If it was left as it is, it was clear that the ball would pass Castro and go straight to the opposing goalkeeper. 

My body reacted before I even finished thinking. 

I mixed a faint and moved to the left to shake off the defender who clings to me, then turned to the side and slipped into the space between Castro and the goalkeeper. 

The ball went into the penalty box and passed through Castro and FuenlaBrada defenders without hitting anyone’s head. 

The ball that appeared in my field of view was placed on my thigh because the position of its fall was high. 

Later, the dense space in FuenlaBrada blocked the players’ view and slowed the defenders’ reaction. 

Thanks to it, the goalkeeper appeared one-on-one in a very narrow place. 

If I miss this opportunity, then I will be so mad that I can’t even sleep properly. 

I kicked the ball with my right foot and it passed between the legs of the opposing goalkeeper who was running towards me. 

After checking the referee’s call and the assistant referee’s flag, I can say with confidence that It’s an equalizer. 

It’s so unfair to lose to a team that had sent one player off, and to a team that’s a rank lower than us! 

“Good job!” 

“Hey, That was nuts!” 

“Don’t hit me! Go away!” 

It’s a big drawback to be exposed to violence every time you score a goal, but there’s nothing great like scoring a goal. 

It is good to see the faces of the crumpled opponents, and it is good to see the Estadio Gran Canaria full of music and cheers. 

“Está loco! You crazy canary! You are the best!” 

“Sing a song! Song!” 

“Hay unpréncipe en Canarias El préncipe vino de Corea!” 

Why did they come up with such lyrics? 

Fans of Las Palmas sang excitedly for a long time even after the game resumed. 

“Castro, I’m going to the right again.” 

“Yeah, take it easy, we still need another goal.“

I got a pass back in the 82nd minute. 

In front of the ball from the top right, there were four hyenas waiting for me to come in. 

It was a foolish choice to go into space just by insisting on chances. 

To be exact… 

I don’t have the confidence to get through them. 

While I was hesitating for a while, the wingback Alvaro pops out from the side and runs straight into the offensive camp, and signals for the ball. 

It was an unreasonable request. 

I shook my hand and turned the ball to Lemos, while pretending not to know Alvaro, who was angry. 

“What should I do?” 

I thought while switching positions with Srnich, but the game was too one-sided. 

In a situation where a wing-back replaces the role of a wing, it will be one thing to change the position near the penalty box. 

However, moving out of the box does not mean that the players of FuenlaBrada should only be in that position and not move. 

I want to think patiently, but I don’t have much time. 

Outside the penalty box, Viera’s shot hit the defensive wall once again and moved sideways. 

De La Bella received the pass and dribbled the ball around the penalty box. 

I was wondering if there was a place to poke. 

Castro is also fighting hard, but his touch was clunky and it is impossible to connect in a narrow place.

Srnich is busy panting like a car with a broken engine, and the same is true of Viera, an attacking midfielder.

“Move a little more!” 

“Kim!” 

The players’ cries for a pass were annoying. 

Head coach Rios told me that I could attack after the 70th minute. 

Castro and I have done all the attacks before, but there is no player to compete and make space when necessary. 

“Oh, damn f*ck.” 

It was a swear word I used after a long time. 

There was a long line of hyenas awaiting me. 

It was my innate destiny to have blood bruises all over my body even before my comeback.

I picked on one of the two opposing midfielders who mumbled curses and waited for me as if they had drawn a line in the middle. 

I thought No. 8 would be better than the player who came in after being replaced. 

I Speeded up towards the front. 

If you pass between the opposing players slowly, you will suffer twice. 

It was most important to move quickly in an ambiguous range where the No.8’s leg could not reach and to break through before cooperative defense. 

“Ahh!” 

As soon as I entered the ambiguous distance, the opponent’s hand grabbed the uniform on the shoulder. 

That’s what it looks like in the eyes of the audience. 

But, Half of the uniforms that the opponent No. 8 grabbed are my flesh and muscles! 

Apart from the degree of grip strength, the opponent also entered a fight of balance by pulling me with a moderate intensity so that the foul whistle would not be blown. 

I rather went inside of my opponent’s side to shake off his hand. 

As I started to lead little by little with force, the opponent’s hand holding my uniform got released due to the limitations of the joint. 

In the meantime, the speed of the ball also must be adjusted to prevent sliding tackles from entering. 

Strong, medium, medium. 

Sometimes what I learned in the Traditional Korean drum class is helpful. 

It also blends in tricks into turning with clashing thigh and shoulder muscles.

There we go. 

Number 8’s right thigh muscles are weak. 

It moves in response to the trick of tucking the shoulder to the left.

When a sudden brake is applied on the muscle to move to the right, No. 8 loses his balance on his own and falls. 

When the mark was removed, the opponents’ defense line reacted more nervously to the point of attempting to penetrate the penalty box. 

In a battle of concentration, a moment of hesitation will lead the ball to be taken away. 

Gestures and eyes are also used as tricks. 

You have to use everything you can. 

I pointed to Castro with my hand and saw the penalty line and saw the space in front of Srnich, who was standing dimly on the left. 

At that moment, the central defender with the captain’s armband reacted. 

“Flores! derecha” 

(To the right)

Yeah, it’s empty on the right, isn’t it? 

But I’m not going there. 

I have a good feeling.