The Little Prince of the Field - Chapter 14

I kept a moderate distance from the defender while exchanging a one-two pass with Viera who followed me closely.

While creating space and buying time, Srnich, who came out as a winger, slipped into the gap next to the penalty box from the right side. 

He lifted the ball by the bottom and kicked it up.

The ball spun while it flew over Zaragoza’s wingback head and fell into a space about three steps away. 

It was a little long, but fortunately, Srnich succeeded in maintaining possession of the ball. 

Viera crossed me as he cut into the space near the net, and I went back to the back of the penalty box while checking Viera’s movements. 

Before Zaragoza’s wingback’s tackle came in, Srnich kicked the ball for a quick pass. 

It was a pass sent to Kirian Rodriguez, who was conscious of the defender attached to Viera and me as he followed us through the penalty box. 

“Joder!” 

“It’s okay, good job.” 

Zaragoza’s no.14, who caught onto the jersey, successfully broke Kirian Rodriguez’s shooting posture in the last minute, which made the ball fly over the goal post.

When returning near the centerline for defense, Viera approached and talked to me. 

“Kim, let’s make it shorter. Pass it to the center. As many times. Do you understand?” 

“Well, that’s good. Alright,” 

A counterattack opportunity came up when Aitami managed to clear a pass from the Zaragoza winger. 

A ground ball pass from Bella landed in our camp and reached Kirian Rodriguez, who started running forward. 

Kirian Rodriguez approached the penalty area while dribbling the ball from the left side, immediately attempted a one-two pass and passed Zaragoza’s No. 22 who was blocking the front. 

Kirian Rodriguez, who reached the penalty box, paused when he saw Viera, who was out of his position among the central defenders. 

“Give me the ball!” 

I followed him to the front of the penalty box and asked for the ball, and Kirian Rodriguez sent a pass that passed before Zaragoza’s No. 22. 

The ball came in with a force that was too strong to receive at a close distance. 

Can I even touch that kind of ball? 

I instinctively let the ball slip between my feet. 

Considering the strength of the ball, I was convinced that it was not a pass sent to me. 

The player who received the pass was Las Palmas right-winger Srnich, who ran hard to get into the Zaragoza area. A shot opportunity connected without delay from the middle of the penalty box, 

“Ah…” 

“Good! Good job!” 

Manager Pepe’s encouragement could be vaguely heard from the bench. 

Zaragoza goalkeeper’s amazing save made Srnich’s attack fly off to the left line. 

The ball bounced out of the left line. 

38 minutes into the first half. 

The process was good, but the results of the harvest are insignificant. 

We added three more shots, and the score was still 2-0. 

“Mark, do it right!” 

Once again, the ball rolled into the chest of Martinez. 

If it wasn’t for the Zaragoza striker’s miss, it would have been a crisis that could have cost us a goal. 

After lying down for a while, as soon as he got up, Martinez shouted and cursed at the defenders. 

“Alex! Alex! How many times do I have to tell you that your mark is constantly getting pierced!” 

Martinez shoots fire out of his mouth, Fully filling the six seconds while keeping the ball which was allowed by the regulation for the goalkeeper. 

Martinez’s kick delivered the ball to the left wingback Bella, and our attack continued again. 

Since Zaragoza’s defense was in place, we had to pass the ball several times before creating space. 

Gonzalez passed to Inigo in the center, and Inigo passed to Srnich in the right. 

Looking back, I also participated in the linked play and exchanged several passes, and in the meantime, Bella, the left wingback, kept sneaking up. 

The ball went through central defender Aitami and Lemos to goalkeeper Martinez and then back to central Inigo. 

When Srnich dribbled into the right side, Zaragoza’s defensive line distorted momentarily. 

As soon as the defense line was distorted, he quickly turned to the left and made a long pass to Bella who then participated in the attack. 

It was a good pass. 

Zaragoza’s wingback stuck in front of Bella who received the ball, but the defensive line inside the penalty box had not been positioned yet, and it revealed the space between defenders. 

Bella puts a strong spin on the ball to avoid Zaragoza’s defender’s legs. 

The ball’s movement leaves a curve that resembles a banana in the air, which lands near the goalkeeper, and soon breaks out of the box. 

It’s a long cross. 

Even if it was close to the goal, it was a ball that even I couldn’t react to, because of which I soon started rushing towards the center. 

The ball, curved at a distance and easily went over to the right side and connected in Srnich’s head, which then went over the penalty box. 

Srnich’s direct header pass helped to bring the ball back to the other side. 

As the ball flew from a distance with strong elasticity, Viera and the opposing defender began to compete, but at a glance, both the physique and height of the opponent were inferior to Viera. 

I put a strong brake on my movement from going in forward towards the goal and rushed out and jumped back. 

The distance between me and defender No. 27 widened because the one who was marking me failed to respond in time. 

Srnich’s head pass, as expected, bounced back by the head of Zaragoza’s central defender. 

It would have been nice if I could connect it right away and turn it into a shot. 

Two steps later, the ball hit the floor and bounced more than expected. 

If I were to wait for the ball to fall moderately and kick it stably, it would most likely get caught by the foot of the central defender. 

‘Focus. Let’s focus, Yuhan.’ 

A good finish requires a high level of concentration. 

As if erasing with an eraser, I erased the disturbing shouts from the stands of Zaragoza. 

Erased players who were not involved in the shooting course, goalposts, and keeper. 

I only have a central defender running toward me competing for the ball. 

The rest of them need not be considered. 

I considered the ball’s rotation and moving speed in order to find what kind of shooting postures should be taken.

I’ll try an overhead kick. 

I thought it was the best decision because of my instinct. 

It is 100 times better to kick the ball according to the movement of the ball than to try to match the movement of the ball. 

No, it was 10,000 times more difficult and dangerous, but I thought it would be fine. 

I can leave it to my instinct just like I have done so far. 

As soon as the ball reaches the peak, the ball should be kicked concisely with the foot. 

If I try to give vague strength, I will miss the timing and the ball will leave floating in the air, or on the contrary, the ball will hit the floor and lose its speed. 

Based on the elasticity of my thighs, I pushed my lower body up into the air at once. 

As there was a certain distance from the goal,I first turned my body upside down at an angle, then twisted my upper body to add strength at the last minute of hitting the ball. 

The world turned upside down.

The central defender went toward the trajectory of the ball, and the goalkeeper is already taking steps in anticipation of where the ball will land. 

The ball narrowly escapes the head of the central defender who threw his body and flew straight towards the left goal post. 

My body in mid-air fell due to gravity, and the trajectory of the ball was secured. 

As I lost all my concentration, I started to feel the grass around my mouth. 

Pfft  

The savages nearby came running towards me and patted my back. 

“It’s a goal! A goal! You’re crazy!” 

“Did you take any drug! You crazy punk!’ 

“Shut up.” 

“…When did you learn that word? That’s a bad word, kim!” 

I grumbled, as I got up from the ground, pushed Rodriguez and Srnich away, and walked towards the net to pick up the ball. 

“…trabajo!” 

“Buencico!” 

The stadium was filled with shouts due to the celebration of fans. 

Some of the fans who were wearing blue stripes near the goal clapped along with shouts. 

Soon, the sound of clapping filled as if the entire Estadio de la Romareda got a clapping disease. 

“What are you doing?” 

“What?” 

“They’re clapping for you.” 

“…Why are they clapping for me?” 

“Because you scored a great goal. At least say thank you to the other team’s fans. Come on~” 

Aitami came up, took the ball from my hands, and pushed my back to the stands near the goal. 

No matter how great the goal may be, for it to be congratulated by the other team’s fans was unexpected. 

To be honest, I didn’t understand them. 

When I put both palms together and slightly bowed my head to express my gratitude, a large number of people sitting in the stands copied my movements to express themselves. 

On my way back to the half-line, Zaragoza’s striker, who made eye contact with me, raised his thumb with a blunt look on his face. 

There seem to be a lot of strange people in Spain. 

It would have been nice if I had scored an additional goal following the momentum, but the first half ended without an additional goal after my score. 

When the referee’s whistle rang, the players walked into the locker room one after another. 

The score was 2-1. 

Lemos, the central defender, was warned for making a rough tackle on Zaragoza’s striker, but except for the warning, Las Palmas regained its stability. 

In the locker room, everyone was breathing heavily while drinking water, Manager Pepe came inside and modified the board with the formation written on it. 

He said he would use three strategies. 

“Mesa will go in on behalf of Alex, and I will put him as the fullback. Mesa will be positioned on the right side, refrain from overlapping with him and focus on defense. Mesa, do you understand?” 

“Yes.” 

“The left is Bella’s. Bella, you have to go to the right side and refrain from overlapping. If Bella fails to join the defense in a counterattack situation, Mesa and the other three center backs join together instantaneously and prevent the opponent from attacking. Mantovani, are you listening to me?” 

Alex is the fullback who collapsed from the start of the game, Alex’s absence was good news, but can Mesa play the role on Alex’s behalf? 

I was a little skeptical. 

Our team has no side defense except for Bella. Even Michael Mesa’s original position as a substitute was as a midfielder. 

“Now, everybody, focus, it’s true that we’re playing a difficult game from the start, but we’re the second-best team in La Liga. Kim scored a great comeback goal, didn’t he? Did you all see Suarez overdoing it after being aware of Kim’s goal at the end of the first half?” 

The players laugh calmly at Manager Pepe’s rare joke. 

“Let’s make it a good match.” 

As the coach finished his speech, I stood up to leave with the players.

At that moment, coach Juan Naranjo came up and put his hand on my shoulder

“Kim, how are you doing?” 

” It’s okay. good.” 

“If you feel that your body is heavy, that means your stamina has already been exhausted, so be careful not to get injured. If there are a lot of misses in the field play situation, I will replace you immediately. It’s good to do your best, but don’t overdo it. Do you know what I mean?” 

” I know. Still, I can run till the end of 70 minutes of play. ” 

 Leaving behind coach Juan Naranjo’s worries, I walked into the field of the Estadio de la Romareda, which was filled with 30,000 home fans.

I wasn’t in a good condition, but it is not bad enough for my body to send a warning signal. 

Rather I was concerned about the area around my right rib which was hit while competing with the central defender.