Lazy Genius Striker [EN]: Chapter 170

< Let’s Enjoy It >

“What, what’s up with him?”

“Is this the first time we’ve seen him so happy?”

“He’s happy, right? Not angry?”

Rejoicing along with the 60,000 spectators, Ban Seok-ho and Rohan exchanged bewildered glances.

Was that a celebration just now? From Johan?

It seemed like the first time they had ever witnessed Johan celebrating like that.

Of course, it was an utterly ordinary celebration.

Somewhat bland even, just clenching his fist and roaring towards the crowd.

What’s so special about that celebration?

But the fact that Johan did it was what mattered.

Johan, who remained indifferent even after scoring incredible goals or the winning goal that led the team to victory.

For Johan, that was a truly extravagant celebration.

“Could it be?”

“Could it be what?”

“What if that celebration came out without him even realizing it?”

“Isn’t that obvious? That’s usually how it is.”

“No, I mean, it came from the heart, right? Could it be that he’s finally enjoying soccer? Only now?”

“Is that so?”

Come to think of it, that’s true.

What other reason could there be for Johan being so nonchalant even after scoring goals?

It must be because he didn’t feel anything, even after scoring.

But now, he’s happy.

Happy to have scored a goal?

Has Johan started enjoying soccer? Only now?

“Maybe?”

“Everyone can be happy, right?”

Johan’s celebration was exciting not only for Rohan and Ban Seok-ho but also for all the West Ham fans.

*

Having scored an early goal, the Bayern players were able to regain their confidence.

That’s more like it.

We were just unlucky in the first leg.

Everyone was strangely out of sorts that day, and the sending-off messed things up.

We should naturally win against West Ham.

It was just bad luck.

With the goal that came almost at the start of the game, the Bayern players were able to reassure themselves in that way.

But.

The equalizer, no, the goal that Johan scored to pull ahead, less than 3 minutes later, made them abandon that self-justification.

They had barely managed to ignite a spark, but it was like pouring a bucket of cold water on it.

As the 60,000 home fans loudly sang West Ham’s anthem, the momentum of the Bayern players was visibly broken.

Stautner passes it forward. But it doesn’t connect. A disappointing choice.

There was space on the left. It’s unlike him, Stautner. He’s usually good at spotting open teammates. He shouldn’t have missed that.

Is it because he’s in a hurry that his vision is narrowed?

The Bayern players are also playing at the London Stadium for the first time, so there may be an adjustment issue. It’s still early in the first half, isn’t it?

Miss, miss, miss.

Bayern’s repeated mistakes.

Both in the first leg and now, similarly.

Bayern is struggling, partly because West Ham is a more well-organized team than Bayern thought.

But it was also largely because Bayern was not performing up to their usual standards.

When you watch Bayern play against Bundesliga [Germany’s top professional football league] teams in the league, you can’t help but be amazed at how they can play soccer like machines.

Because they simply don’t make mistakes.

However, today, those mistakes that rarely occur are happening about once every three minutes.

The Bayern fans couldn’t recognize today’s Bayern as the Bayern they knew.

Why do they keep making mistakes?

They’re in a hurry. They’re still in a hurry. They could have taken their time to control the ball, but Pedersen tries to handle it with a one-touch pass, resulting in an inaccurate pass.

It must be because they’re in a hurry.

Bayern has never been in a hurry before.

Bayern had always been leading the game and had never been in a position where they had to turn the game around.

So, they are bound to be unskilled in dealing with situations like this.

No matter how great the players are.

Romaier shoots as is!? But it goes far wide. It’s a shot from a very long distance. It was a bit of a stretch.

When you’re in a hurry, you tend to overdo it.

Being bold and adventurous is completely different from overdoing it.

It seemed much more appropriate to say that Bayern was forcing things rather than being adventurous.

It’s a dilemma in many ways. Every attacking opportunity is precious for Bayern. They have to catch up by three goals. You might think it’s still early in the first half, so there’s no need to rush, but well. I don’t think there’s plenty of time.

Because there’s Johan, a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment. If that explodes again, the time to make up for it will be even shorter.

So, it’s a dilemma. They have to make the most of every opportunity, but they don’t have much time. What will you do, Bayern!

There’s no time.

Bayern knows it too.

That’s why they’re trying to attack hastily and forcibly.

On the other hand, West Ham has plenty of time.

Anyway, even if they just defend their position properly, Bayern will take long-range shots that don’t go in or make passing mistakes on their own.

The Bayern players are making mistakes first.

Moreover, since Johan is in good condition today, they can’t help but have even more leeway.

It feels like they can’t lose.

Soccer is one of the sports where the physical element is very important, but that doesn’t mean that mentality isn’t important.

The players’ mental state and mindset are reflected in their play, which can be seen from the stands, and it has a significant impact on the game.

That’s how important mentality is in soccer.

If the players can’t hold on to their wavering mentality, even a world-class team can show amateurish performances.

“Scheiße-!” [German for “shit!”]

Bayern was showing that very well today in a textbook manner.

*

[Real-time Text Commentary]

-22:32 Romaier breaks through the center.

-22:37 Guimarães intercepts.

-22:46 Capello, advances after escaping pressure.

-22:57 Passes to Johan.

-23:08 Johan scores!

-23:08 WHU 2 : 1 MUN

-Goal 23′ Johan Van.

-Johan Van scores his 2nd goal.

[Real-time Text Commentary]

-41:48 Clemens scores!

-41:48 WHU 2 : 2 MUN

[Real-time Text Commentary]

-58:19 Capello, corner kick from the left.

-58:21 Johan header.

-58:22 Johan scores!

-58:22 WHU 3 : 2 MUN

-Goal 58′ Johan Van.

-Johan Van scores his 3rd goal.

[Real-time Text Commentary]

-76:22 Karajan foul in the box.

-76:33 Luke Karajan receives a warning.

-76:33 Referee declares a PK [Penalty Kick].

-76:55 Kicker Johan Van.

-77:04 Johan scores!

-77:04 WHU 4 : 2 MUN

-Goal 77′ Johan Van.

-Johan Van scores his 4th goal!

[Real-time Text Commentary]

-81:12 Player substitution.

-81:12 Harry Kane IN Johan Van OUT

All the spectators in the stadium are applauding the players being substituted. In particular, the applause pouring out for Johan is like thunder.

Today’s game, 4 goals, and 3 goals in the last first leg. Johan has scored a whopping 7 goals in this quarter-final against Bayern.

Was it when Johan was approaching the most goals in a season? Someone said it. The record set by scoring 7 goals against a team like Malmö in the group stage is meaningless. But, is it really meaningless to score 7 goals against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals?

It’s a really amazing record. I can’t believe I saw this with my own eyes.

Minute 36 of the second half.

With the team leading 4-2, and a combined score of 7-2, Johan was substituted for Kane and left the field.

“I love you.”

“Yes.”

After a light hug with Kane, Johan walks out of the touchline.

Thunderous applause pours out for Johan.

In addition, the stadium is filled with a song of support for Johan.

“…”

At that sight, Johan, who was heading to the bench, stopped for a moment.

It’s really familiar to receive such applause from home fans, but somehow the feeling is a bit different today.

Johan stops for a moment and looks at the fans who are applauding him.

In Johan’s eyes, they didn’t just look like fans.

Clap clap clap-

Before entering the bench, Johan raised his hand and clapped lightly over his head.

A response to the fans.

Then the applause and cheers of the fans grew even louder.

“He’s really strange today?”

“I know. People shouldn’t change so suddenly, but…”

Watching Johan thank the fans with applause, Ban Seok-ho and Rohan thought that a lot of strange things were happening today.

It was already surprising that Johan scored the first goal, the second goal, and every goal, and stood in front of the crowd and roared in celebration.

Now he’s even giving thanks.

He’s not usually like that.

“Good to see!”

“Even fan service now, is he trying to be reborn as a true superstar?”

They wondered why he was doing that, but it was a good sight anyway.

These Hammers [nickname for West Ham fans], who are sincere about West Ham, loved Johan so much.

Maybe even more than their own families, or even more.

Because of that, all the fans were making impressed expressions just by Johan giving thanks.

It couldn’t help but be heartwarming.

They were so proud and proud.

The team they love the most.

These tens of thousands of people who are like comrades who support the team together.

That child who is making those people cry and laugh is my son and my brother.

“Beep, beep, beep-!”

“Waaaaaaa!”

“Semi-finals! It’s the semi-finals!”

“Cut the German sausage!”

The moment the whistle sounded to signal the end of the game.

The London Stadium was filled with the cheers of fans celebrating their first-ever Champions League semi-final appearance.

Ban Seok-ho and Rohan were also happy.

But somehow.

Rather than simply the fact that the team had advanced to the semi-finals, they felt an even greater joy today.

The future is uncertain.

But if today is happy, that’s all that matters.

What more could you ask for?

[West Ham 4 : 2 Bayern Munich]

10′ Johan Van 08′ Romaier

23′ Johan Van 41′ Clemens

58′ Johan Van

77′ Johan Van

ㆍㆍㆍ

[2028/29 Champions League Quarter-final Aggregate Score]

◆Villarreal CF 4 : 3 Sevilla FC

◆Real Madrid 4 : 2 Manchester City

◆West Ham 7 : 2 Bayern Munich

◆Liverpool 1 : 2 Atlético Madrid

[Champions League Semi-final Draw]

◆Villarreal CF VS Real Madrid

◆West Ham VS Atlético Madrid

After all the Champions League quarter-finals were over, the four teams that advanced to the semi-finals were decided.

Villarreal narrowly defeated Sevilla, and Real Madrid advanced to the semi-finals by winning both home and away games against Manchester City 2-1.

West Ham defeated Bayern Munich by a large margin of 7-2 on aggregate, and Liverpool knelt before Atlético Madrid’s thick wall, giving up a semi-final spot.

-[CL Semi-final Preview] La Liga Three, Premier League One··· La Liga’s Strength Clearly Stands Out

The Premier League Champion Eliminated in the Quarter-finals··· Manchester City Loses Again to the La Liga Champion

Liverpool Fails to Show Their Firepower in the League··· Atlético Madrid’s Defense Was More Than Imagined

-What Was the Problem with Manchester City and Liverpool, Who Were Eliminated in the Quarter-finals?

-Premier League Crisis Theory? La Liga Secures at Least One Spot in the Final, Premier League Secures a Final Ticket Only if West Ham Beats Atlético Madrid

-West Ham, the Only Hope of the Premier League, Can They Break Through Atlético Madrid’s Thick Defense Unlike Liverpool

As you can see at a glance from the semi-final draw, this season was a complete dominance of La Liga [Spain’s top professional football league].

La Liga teams occupied three of the four semi-final spots.

The situation was better than the Bundesliga, where Bayern Munich suffered a major disaster and was eliminated, but anyway, the Premier League could not help but face a crisis.

Manchester City, the league champion of the previous season, once again failed to overcome Real’s wall, and Liverpool played frustrating games throughout the first and second legs and failed to break through Atlético Madrid.

In terms of the draw, all three teams could have advanced to the semi-finals.

However, only West Ham survived by advancing to the semi-finals.

It could not help but be said that the overall level of the Premier League had declined.

The only fortunate thing was that West Ham defeated Munich by a large margin.

If West Ham had not beaten Munich, the entire Premier League would have been slammed.

Still, with West Ham being the only one to maintain the pride of the Premier League.

-Atlético Madrid Manager Marco Darin, “We Will Play Our Soccer in the Semi-finals as Well. We Will Suffocate West Ham.”

Now West Ham will face Atlético Madrid.

Atlético Madrid, who tied up Liverpool’s firepower with just one goal in the quarter-finals.

The match between these two teams seemed to be a complete battle between spear and shield.