Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 221

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Hehehe….”

Away team locker room.

They had been thoroughly beaten in the first half at Camp Nou, and they had completely lost control of the game, so the atmosphere should have been gloomy, but instead, the players’ eyes were shining even brighter.

No, some players were even grinding their teeth with quiet laughter, adding to the frustrations of the first half.

It was like the feeling of wolves who had to watch a flock of sheep frolicking in front of them for 45 minutes.

In particular, Nicholas Seiwald and Tomaso Pobega, who had to suppress their instincts, had sinister expressions.

“Okay, go out in the second half and beat them to your heart’s content.”

Emanuel Vignato and Jamal Lewis, who were being substituted in at the start of the second half, smiled at each other as they bumped fists.

“Remember, no later than 30 minutes, Xavi Hernandez will realize the problem and change his tactics again. We need to turn the game around before that. To do that, we need two goals.”

When the away goals rule existed, even if they scored two goals in Barcelona to make the aggregate score 3-3, Barcelona would still advance because they scored one goal in the away game at Burnley.

However, with the away goals rule abolished, scoring two goals would lead to extra time, and then a penalty shootout.

“Why don’t we just score three goals cleanly? Extra time or penalty shootouts are too much of a hassle.”

“Ooooooh!!”

The Burnley players applauded and cheered at Lorenzo Luca’s spirit in responding to the manager’s words.

“Yeah! Let’s just finish it cleanly in 90 minutes!”

“We need to conserve our stamina for the final!”

“Lorenzo! You’re only saying that because if you score three goals, you’ll be tied with Benjamin, right?!”

The locker room suddenly became noisy, and the spirited players bumped fists and high-fived each other.

“Alright, alright.”

Hyungmin tapped the tactical board to calm the players down.

“There’s plenty of time to celebrate after we win.”

“Yes, sir!!”

As the calmed players answered in unison, Hyungmin looked around at the players.

“Oh, and just in case, make sure you don’t get sent off today.”

Hyungmin gave the players a warning and smiled at the same time.

“If you get sent off today, you won’t be able to play in the final.”

“Hehehe!!”

***

“Waaaaah!!!”

The shouts of the away fans, who were gathered in one section of the stadium, were fierce.

The home fans were still sending enthusiastic cheers, but the Barcelona players on the field were all sweating profusely.

What is this?

Burnley, who had substituted both wingers at the start of the second half, were overwhelming Barcelona’s midfield and penetrating the space behind Barcelona’s fullbacks as they pushed forward.

Thwack!

“Kuagh!”

With a unique scream, Barcelona’s La Masia [Barcelona’s youth academy] academy midfielder Gavi went flying, but the referee’s whistle was not blown.

The referee’s tendency had already been fully confirmed during the first half.

If you touch the ball first, then any physical contact that occurs due to inertia is simply overlooked.

Not completely lenient, but at least understanding that some physical contact is inevitable in a Champions League semi-final match.

Burnley’s defensive midfielder, Christian Medina, who had been accumulating frustration from pretending to be on the defensive throughout the first half, swung his right foot fiercely as if to relieve that frustration, sending the ball he had just stolen to the front line.

“Vini!!”

“Got it!!”

Christian Medina’s shout was barely audible amidst the loud shouts of the crowd, but Emanuel Vignato, Burnley’s right winger, who could tell who the recipient was just by looking at the direction the ball was flying, responded.

The ball started from outside Burnley’s penalty box, pierced through the midfield at once, and flew into the space between Barcelona’s penalty box and the sideline.

It was an elegant pass that instantly excluded almost every player on the field from the game, but the Barcelona fans were more aware of the crisis than admiring it.

“Stop him!!! Stop him quickly!!!”

The crowd shouted before the goalkeeper could even give instructions.

However, Emanuel Vignato, who had already left Alejandro Balde, who was guarding Barcelona’s left side, far behind, ran at full speed and caught up with the ball just before reaching the corner flag.

There was no need for useless movements like catching or controlling the ball.

The Italian winger, stepping forward with his left foot, swung his favored right foot and sent a sharp cross towards the center of the penalty box.

“Gasp!!!”

The sound of the home fans filling Camp Nou [Barcelona’s home stadium] gasping for breath echoed like a scream.

The place where the fiercely flying ball was heading was Lorenzo Luca, Burnley’s center forward, who had run to the center of the penalty box and then powerfully soared into the sky.

The tall striker, who announced his spectacular debut on the international stage by slaughtering Spain with a hat-trick in his debut match for the Italian national team, made full use of his height of over 2 meters [approximately 6’7″], easily overpowering Barcelona’s center backs Jules Koundé and Ronald Araújo, who were desperately jumping with him, and accurately brought his forehead to the flying ball.

“Aaaaargh!!!”

As the away fans, sensing a goal, went wild, the accurately flying ball ignored the fingertips of Barcelona’s goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, who was desperately reaching out, and crashed straight into the net.

“Wooooooo!!!”

Amidst the home fans pouring out jeers, not knowing who they were directed at, Burnley’s left winger Jamal Lewis, who had penetrated into the penalty box in case the goal was not scored, headed straight into the goal.

“Huh?!!!”

As the astonished Barcelona fans shouted in disbelief, the Burnley attacker, picking up the ball as it was, sprinted to the center of the field.

Of course, following him were goal scorer Lorenzo Luca and assist provider Emanuel Vignato, as well as all the other Burnley players who had crossed the halfway line.

As Jamal Lewis placed the ball on the kickoff mark on the halfway line and the rest of the Burnley players scattered to find their positions, the giant Lorenzo Luca, with his arms crossed and one foot on the ball, raised his chin.

Hey, hurry up and come at me.

The 30 minutes the manager talked about are still ticking.

51 minutes into the second half.

If we want to score two more goals, every second counts, you know?

***

“Waaaaah!!!”

“Yeah! That’s it!!”

As the shouts of the away fans echoed, Hyungmin, who was standing in the away team’s technical area, punched the air and roared.

“The score is 0-2. 0-2. 62 minutes into the second half, goal scorer Lorenzo Luca of Burnley. Lorenzo Luca of Burnley.”

The dry voice of the stadium announcer echoed.

Amidst the Barcelona players’ stunned expressions at the semi-final being brought back to square one with the second goal, Xavi Hernandez, with a startled expression on his face in the adjacent technical area, ran towards his bench, shouting.

He probably thought the first goal was a fluke.

That the opposing team, who had been pushed back throughout the first half, had luckily stolen the ball and sent it to the front line, and that the ball had luckily connected with the winger, and that his cross had luckily connected with the center forward, resulting in a goal.

However, with the second goal, Barcelona’s Xavi Hernandez realized that he and his team had fallen for the trick that Burnley had created, consuming a whopping 1/4 of the semi-final.

The same pattern as the first goal.

Only the location was changed from right to left.

The Barcelona players, who found it difficult to abandon the inertia that had been created throughout the first half even after the first goal, flocked to control the midfield, and were thoroughly exploited by Burnley’s Nicholas Seiwald, Tomaso Pobega, and Christian Medina.

Perhaps after today’s game, no one will be able to say that Christian Medina’s defense and activity are weak.

Nicholas Seiwald and Tomaso Pobega comfortably took the 4-on-2 battle to their advantage, including the Barcelona fullbacks who had joined the midfield battle.

And Christian Medina, who was moving left and right in front of Burnley’s penalty box, easily stole the ball from the Barcelona midfielders who were trying to connect to the attack, and sent the ball to the front line every time he stole it.

Long-range passes that flew accurately towards both corner flags as if measured with a ruler.

While the remaining two Burnley midfielders were delaying or checking the Barcelona fullbacks who were trying to run to support the defense, the ball connected to Jamal Lewis, and the cross that followed once again led to a goal with Lorenzo Luca.

This time, instead of immediately urging the restart of the game, Lorenzo Luca, with his arms outstretched in the middle of the opposing team’s penalty box, roared at the home fans who were jeering at him, while the short Emanuel Vignato jumped on his back and waved his fist triumphantly at the home fans as well.

Next to them, all the players sitting on Barcelona’s bench were running out and warming up, along with Xavi Hernandez’s scolding.

It is not easy to change the keynote that has continued for as long as 60 minutes with mere instructions.

Looking at Xavi Hernandez, who was trying to correct his defense line that was leaning towards the midfield by substituting players, Hyungmin turned to Carolina, who had approached him.

“What are you going to do now?”

“What do you mean, what am I going to do?”

They had brought the game back to square one in a whopping 152 minutes.

“Now the real game begins.”

As if stimulated by the movement on the adjacent bench, most of Burnley’s bench, including Sebastian Szymanski, Patrick de Paula, and Luka Sučić, who had not played in today’s game, were also out on the sidelines, strolling around and warming up.

Only Dwight McNeil and Adam Hložek, who were substituted at the end of the first half, were sitting together on the bench, having a lively conversation with goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi.

“Ah, they’re finally making substitutions.”

Carolina said, watching the movement on the next bench.

“Hmm… Sergi Roberto and… Jordi Alba.”

Hyungmin muttered, craning his neck over her shoulder to look at the sidelines.

“Unexpected, isn’t it?”

Carolina shrugged at Hyungmin’s words.

“It means they haven’t given up on the game yet.”

There is no other choice for the right back position other than Héctor Bellerín, who has just been投入 [introduced], or Sergi Roberto.

However, the situation is slightly different for the left back position.

There are two veterans who can back up the young defender Alejandro Balde, who has now secured the starting position.

Jordi Alba, who had built a glorious era as the starting left back for Barcelona for many years with his excellent attacking power.

Marcos Alonso, who had entered his second prime with solid defense after moving from Chelsea.

If they were thinking of dragging it to a penalty shootout, Marcos Alonso would be 投入 [introduced], but if they were trying to decide the game within extra time, Jordi Alba would be 投入 [introduced], but Xavi Hernandez chose the latter.

“It’s a home game, isn’t it? If they played defensively at Camp Nou, there would be an impeachment motion in the daily newspapers tomorrow, right?”

Barcelona, like their arch-rivals Real Madrid, demands not only victory but also beautiful football.

Hyungmin smiled at Carolina’s words.

“Well, we’re grateful.”

“Then shall we go and say thank you?”

“Ah, let’s do that after the game.”

Hyungmin, turning his gaze to the stadium, muttered.

“No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like the kids have had enough fun yet.”