Lazy Genius Striker [EN]: Chapter 23

< 022 – Can I Trust You? >

Whoosh-!

The ball soared high.

More of a clearance than a pass.

However,

It began to head towards a peculiar spot.

“… !”

Liverpool’s line was quite high.

The left and right fullbacks were overlapping as if their original positions were wingers, and the midfielders were also quite advanced.

The defensive line, which had to maintain distance from that midfield, was also over the halfway line.

In that state, the ball was falling towards a position that crossed the halfway line.

And,

A cheetah began to run towards that ball.

Dada dada dada-!

No, it’s a bit more powerful than a cheetah.

Would it be more fitting to call it a lion?

Yohan began to sprint towards the landing point.

Like a ferocious beast running towards its prey.

“Back, back!”

At the sight of Yohan, the Liverpool defenders panicked and backpedaled.

They had no idea.

How much speed Yohan could generate when he was determined to run.

Of course, they had no way of knowing that speed since they had never seen him sprint or even run moderately fast since the start of the game.

Besides, Yohan didn’t seem that fast just by looking at his appearance.

Players whose main weapon is speed usually have slender builds. Yohan felt more solid.

That was also why the Liverpool defense had raised their line higher.

However,

That was definitely a mistake.

Thud-!

The ball that fell into the empty space bounced high again.

The player who would reach that ball first, anyone could see, was Yohan.

Yohan was the fastest.

‘Am I too late?’

It wasn’t just the defense that made a mistake.

Liverpool’s goalkeeper, Kelleher, who was running towards the ball, hesitated.

Originally, his position was high, and the defenders were far away, so he thought he should run out and handle the ball himself.

However, seeing Yohan running at a terrifying speed.

It seemed impossible to handle the ball first.

‘Damn it.’

Kelleher hurriedly turned around and ran back to the goal.

He couldn’t go backward since he had to return quickly.

However, he couldn’t take his eyes off the ball either.

It was the moment when Kelleher, who was rushing towards the goal, turned his head at the chilling feeling in his spine.

Thwack-!

Along with the crisp sound of a kick,

Ooooooh-

A question mark-mixed exclamation filled the stadium.

One bounce.

Yohan didn’t catch the ball, but hit the one-bounced ball as it was.

‘I ran enough.’

In fact, Yohan had already done enough just by sprinting all the way to the ball.

If it were a practice match, he wouldn’t have even thought of running.

But, it was a real game.

He had to raise his attack points, so he gritted his teeth and ran.

However, after running like that, he became annoyed again.

Running with the ball from here to that distant goal again.

Just in time, the goalkeeper had left the goal and was far away.

There was no reason not to shoot.

Whoosh-!

A mid-range, no, a long-range shot soaring towards the goal.

Normally, a shot taken from that distance would draw a large arc.

More like a long kick than a shot.

However,

Yohan’s shot was different.

It was literally a shot.

A shot taken from a distance of almost 40 meters soared towards the goal at a low trajectory,

Thud-!

The ball accurately hit inside the goal.

“Waaaaaaah-!”

The London Stadium was filled with a huge exclamation.

“What the xxxx! What did I just see?”

“You crazy kid!”

“Are you out of your mind!”

The West Ham players rushed towards Yohan faster than when they were defending.

Everyone had their mouths open and were clutching their heads.

They wondered what they had just seen.

Even though the goalkeeper was out, so it was worth aiming for at once.

Still, not just any strong-hearted person would think of shooting from there.

In today’s game, it was a chance that might come once in 90 minutes.

Even a veteran striker would have to be cautious.

But, he just shot directly from there. How confident must he be in his kick.

“Woo-hoo-hoo!”

“Pile on! Crush him!”

“Let’s adore him with our whole bodies!”

“Cough!”

Yohan’s figure disappeared in an instant because his teammates were covering him.

A violent celebration to the point where it made you wonder if it was okay to do that to a minor.

That’s how exciting the goal was.

It was such a wonderful goal, and it was such a timely counter.

They were really being beaten black and blue.

Even to Liverpool, which had a league-top firepower.

They were just hunkering down, thinking that it would be fortunate if they could delay conceding a goal even by 1 minute,

But, they scored the first goal instead.

“Thank you!”

“I feel energized, energized!”

“That’s why we trained so hard!”

“It’s rewarding. It’s rewarding. Even if we roll around like dogs, we’ll do it as long as you do this!”

It was a goal that couldn’t help but give them strength.

A goal that boosted the team’s morale.

It was hard because they had to defend without one player, but if he repaid them with a goal like this, they could run for him as much as they wanted.

As much as they wanted.

“Hey! The kid gave us a gift, so let’s all be more alert!”

“Okay! Especially Antonio! I’ll kill you if you give up another shot!”

“Okay, okay. Trust me!”

“Let’s go!”

It was the moment when West Ham’s team spirit soared dramatically with Yohan’s one goal.

“Okay, very satisfied. 1-1 in the first half, very satisfied.”

“It wouldn’t have been strange if it was 3-1, but we held on really well! Our team is even more motivated? Good fighting!”

The first half ended with a score of 1-1.

Ban Seok-ho and Rohan applauded and expressed their satisfaction.

1 to 1.

A solid result.

The possession rate was almost 2 to 8, and the number of shots was probably around 1 to 10.

They were being beaten so unilaterally, but the score was 1-1, so they couldn’t help but be very satisfied.

Of course,

“That goal from earlier was real…”

“Honestly, it’s a Puskas [FIFA’s award for the best goal of the year]. I’m not saying this because he’s my brother, but sincerely.”
The joy was doubled because Yohan’s goal had exploded.

It was a goal that almost made their eyes pop out.

As Rohan said, it wouldn’t be strange if it was nominated for this year’s Puskas Award.

To score such a goal against Liverpool.

Ban Seok-ho was so excited earlier that he jumped around and almost fell forward.

If Rohan hadn’t caught him, he would have really rolled all the way to the first floor.

“I’m so embarrassed…”

Kim Ra-hee glared.

The funny thing was that Ban Seok-ho’s appearance, who was so happy, was caught on the electronic display.

The people in the neighborhood all saw the father of two acting like that, so Kim Ra-hee, who was next to him, had to feel vicarious shame.

But,

Fortunately, the West Ham fans sitting around saved Ban Seok-ho’s face.

Ban Seok-ho wanted to focus entirely on the game, so he deliberately wore a hat and chose ordinary seats.

But, his face was plastered on the electronic display, so there was no way the surrounding spectators wouldn’t recognize Ban Seok-ho.

Because of that, Ban Seok-ho had to do unexpected fan service throughout the first half.

Kim Ra-hee was inwardly pleased to see her husband like that.

Of course, what was even more pleasing was that Yohan had scored a goal.

“If you score a second goal, then stay calm. Don’t get caught on camera again.”

“I can’t help it.”

“Even if you can’t, try to hold back.”

“You know. I don’t have patience. If I had a little more patience, I would have…”

“… Why are you stopping mid-sentence?”

“No. Hey, Rohan. If you do well, your mother might be right?”

Ban Seok-ho, who was talking thoughtlessly because he was in a good mood because of Yohan’s goal, quickly changed his words when he felt a threat to his life.

“A hat trick [scoring three goals in a game]?”

“Yeah. Don’t you think it’s possible?”

“Maybe, if Liverpool comes out more aggressively in the second half? Then it might really be possible.”

“You know less than me, who doesn’t know anything about soccer.”

“No one in our family can keep up with you when it comes to brains.”

“Tch. If you know, then listen to me more often.”

Ban Seok-ho breathed a sigh of relief inwardly when he saw Kim Ra-hee’s lips twitching with her arms crossed.

As expected, there’s nothing like praise to divert the conversation.

But,

The words he just said weren’t just to get through the crisis.

As Kim Ra-hee predicted, Yohan might score a hat trick.

That’s what the game was like.

Yohan will have a chance in the second half.

Of course, it will be very small.

Even that small chance, Yohan will be able to seize.

In front of these many spectators, against the giant enemy called Liverpool.

It’s an opportunity to completely engrave the name Ban Yohan.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Ban Seok-ho rubbed his hands and smacked his lips.

Liverpool, feeling a sense of crisis, raised the tempo even more in the second half.

They had suffered an unexpected blow in the early part of the first half,

But, anyway, they had been constantly attacking throughout the first half and had also scored the equalizer.

So, there was no reason to change their stance.

Liverpool continued to raise their line extremely and pounded West Ham,

And that kind of half-court-like game continued.

Then, it was the 12th minute of the second half.

Thud-!

“Xxxx, Antonio!”

“It’s you again, Antonio…”

“You said to trust you, you son of a bxxxx!”

They conceded a goal due to Antonio’s fatal defensive failure.

A come-from-behind goal.

It was fatal.

No matter how much they were being beaten, the courage that the score of 1-1 gave to the West Ham players could not be ignored.

But, if it becomes 1-2, the story is completely different.

They are losing not only in content but also in results.

This fact could only make the West Ham players, who were already much more tired than Liverpool, even more tired.

‘But we held on well.’

‘It can’t be helped, what.’

Sure enough.

As soon as they conceded the come-from-behind goal, the West Ham players with tired faces began to think that it couldn’t be helped.

Still, we held on well against Liverpool. It can’t be helped. It’s a game that doesn’t matter much even if we lose.

‘It doesn’t matter if we lose.’

And, that was the same for Yohan’s thoughts.

It doesn’t matter if we lose.

But,

It mattered that the ball wasn’t even coming to him.

‘It’s annoying.’

I’m getting pissed.

I have to score a goal or something, but the ball isn’t coming.

He was annoyed in a different way than the Burnley game.

‘It doesn’t matter if we lose, but I have to score a goal.’

Yohan got angry.

30 minutes left.

“…”

Yohan glanced at the bench.

It was Coach Schmidt who always took him out around this time.

Yohan didn’t particularly dislike that substitution sign, even though it was a bit disappointing.

Anyway, he was told to sit on the chair and rest, so there was no way he would dislike that.

But, it was different now.

I don’t want to go out.

Yohan had already experienced 4-day training weeks because of Burnley.

Every morning was hell.

But, he had to do that again next week?

That couldn’t happen.

He had to score more goals today no matter what.

‘Old man, watch carefully.’

Yohan began to move.

Yohan, who hadn’t moved even when his teammates were being beaten black and blue throughout the game, was moving.

The ball that doesn’t think of coming to him.

The little time left.

Even the pressure that he had to show that he didn’t have to be substituted yet.

Those things,

Made the great Yohan move.

“Hey!”

“Uh…?”

Gordon, who was spinning around near the West Ham box, looking for a place to pass under the opponent’s pressure, looked surprised when he saw Yohan.

He’s not supposed to be in a place like this?

“Oh, okay!”

But there’s no time to reason.

Gordon immediately passes to Yohan.

At the same time, pressure comes to Yohan as well.

The opponent’s players’ feet reaching in in an instant.

However,

Swoosh-

Yohan avoided the pressure with a smooth sole drag.

And bounced out.

Like a supercar with a zero-to-hundred time of less than a few seconds.

Tatatat-!

Tremendous instantaneous speed.

He escapes the narrow space in an instant with just speed.

Yohan showing a wonderful escape from pressure.

But,

Yohan frowned after looking forward after escaping that narrow space.

‘It’s too far.’

Was I too hasty?

He had come down further than he thought.

So, there were many mountains to overcome.

The opponent’s defenders were standing far away, and in front of them, the opponent’s midfielders were standing as if to block him in advance.

It seems like it would take too much effort to get past all of them…

“Hey!”

Then Gordon’s voice is heard again from the side.

When he looks that way, Gordon nods as if to help him.

Um. Good.

There’s no reason to refuse if he’s going to help.

Whack-!

Yohan passes back to Gordon.

And,

“Go!”

Thwack-!

Gordon, who caught Yohan’s movement, floated the ball forward.

It was a space pass that Yohan had never tried before.

A pass that he wouldn’t even think of trying to his usual self.

But, Gordon saw Yohan’s expression.

It wasn’t his usual expression.

Woo-hoo-hoo-

Exclamations erupt from the stands at the pass falling into the space and the sprint competition unfolding towards that ball.

Liverpool’s defenders were by no means slow.

Besides, they were somewhat prepared to run this time because they had the memory of being hit in the back of the head earlier.

But,

“Hoo, hoo! Hoo!?”

He passes by.

Yohan passes by from the side.

Then, in the blink of an eye, he starts to go ahead, showing his back.

Waaaaaaah-!

The shouts of the audience, which had been exclamations, changed to cheers full of anticipation.

This time too, Yohan was the first to approach the ball.

Whack-!

He kicks the ball once at a terrifying speed and runs again.

However, even in the midst of that, the control was accurate.

If you’re running at maximum speed, it’s easy for the ball to be controlled for a long time.

But, the ball that Yohan kicked went exactly to the point where the goalkeeper couldn’t come out, while also rolling as close to the goal as possible.

And,

Yohan rushed towards the ball with the same speed he was running.

Thwaaaaaack-!

Slightly to the right of the front of the goal rather than directly in front.

The shot, taken from that point with his right foot with all his weight and speed, crossed the box diagonally.

And,

Thud-!

The side net on the far post rippled as if it would tear.

The moment Yohan’s second goal explodes.

“W, Waaaaah!?”

“Yaaaaaa!”

The West Ham players screamed and raised their hands.