My Girlfriend Wants Victory

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“Booooo─!”

The moment we stepped into Camp Nou, hostile jeers were directed at us.

I let out a hollow chuckle, ignoring the crowd’s jeers.

Leading the charge were Messi, Suárez, and Neymar, supported by the three fools: Iniesta, Xavi, and Busquets.

In defense, there were Mascherano and Piqué, along with Dani Alves and Jordi Alba.

Honestly, just looking at them was enough to take my breath away.

If it were just the attackers, we wouldn’t be intimidated, but the gap between the midfield and defense was simply too vast.

If it were in their prime, I might not care, but isn’t Manchester United already past their prime?

– Gyeouri: Fighting, Son Jinho!

– Gyeouri: Don’t overdo it and get hurt, okay? :'(

Well, what can I do, right?

I guess I have to give it my all.

– Gyeouri: (Han Gyeouri persuading Haeun to wear matching outfits with Dad .avi)

– Gyeouri: (Son Haeun in a jersey with Dad’s number.jpg)

– Gyeouri: Phew… Finally got Haeun to wear a Manchester United jersey.

I relaxed a bit, recalling Gyeouri’s message I checked on the team bus.

Not long after, the match began with the referee’s whistle.

***

[The match has started with FC Barcelona’s kickoff. The home team Barcelona in their left red and blue kits, and the away team Manchester United in their right red kits.]

[Oh, really, looking at Barcelona’s squad makes me chuckle. It feels like we could apply the nickname “Earth Defense Force” used for rival Real Madrid to FC Barcelona, too.]

[That’s right. I wonder how well the two players from South Korea will perform against the best players….]

[Uh? That’s dangerous! They’ve broken through! Oh…. Neymar’s threatening curling shot just grazes the crossbar!]

[Hmph. Allowing a shot from that position? Manchester United must be painfully feeling the absence of Virgil van Dijk.]

[Indeed. It’s significant that Virgil van Dijk, a key part of the defense, isn’t playing.]

[Speaking of which, recently Son Jinho praised Virgil van Dijk, saying he could win the Ballon d’Or after Fabio Cannavaro…. Just as I was saying that, FC Barcelona is awarded a corner kick and… it’s been given! The referee calls for a penalty kick!]

└ ???? Why is that being called?

└ What’s the foul in that? 4-3-3-3 you idiot!

└ No, he touched it with his hand though;;

└ Damn Evans, why are you holding your hands like that while heading the ball?

***

Not long after the match began.

Johnny Evans, who had performed well in the last game, seemed to freeze under the jeers of the Camp Nou crowd and made a ridiculous blunder.

He awkwardly attempted to head the ball but ended up touching it with his hand.

Beep─!

There was no intention, but the awkwardness of the motion couldn’t be denied, so the referee immediately blew the whistle and called for a penalty kick.

“It wasn’t on purpose!”

“But it clearly touched your hand.”

The Manchester United players surrounded the referee, appealing that it wasn’t intentional, but the referee’s decision was not overturned.

As the penalty kick was announced, Johnny Evans’ face began to turn pale.

“Johnny, it’s okay! I’ll block it, so don’t worry!”

Even as David De Gea approached to comfort him, Evans’ complexion didn’t improve.

Lionel Messi carefully placed the ball on the penalty spot.

At that tense moment.

Swoosh─!

Messi calmly outsmarted David De Gea perfectly and slotted the ball into the opposite corner, scoring the penalty kick.

Barcelona had successfully equalized just minutes into the match, and Camp Nou started to heat up.

“Oh Leo Messi, dios del futbol…marca un gol! (Oh Leo Messi, the god of football has scored again)”

Riding on the momentum, Barcelona fiercely pressed against Manchester United.

“Jinho! Move back a little!”

Seeing the situation, Alex Ferguson tried to reposition Son Jinho to organize the defense.

But Barcelona wasn’t about to let the disorganized atmosphere of Manchester United slip by easily.

With strong front pressure, Barcelona started to hound Manchester United’s defenders, making sure they couldn’t think straight.

“Evans! Keep your head in the game, you jerk!”

The breakdown of mental fortitude in Johnny Evans triggered a chain reaction that began to rattle Phil Jones, who was showing decent form at right back.

Phil Jones, trying to avoid Barcelona’s high pressure, hurriedly attempted to pass it to David De Gea but made a mistake.

“Holy F*ck!”

Phil Jones’ back-pass towards the goal caused David De Gea to jump in alarm.

De Gea barely managed to clear the ball with his toes.

However, due to the urgency, he couldn’t get proper power behind it.

The ball didn’t go far and fell near the penalty box.

Lionel Messi quickly sprinted towards the second ball.

In a moment that could have sealed the deal.

“Motherf*cker!”

The one who cleared the ball ahead of Messi was none other than…

“Nice job, Jisong!!!”

The legendary Park Jisong of South Korean football.

***

Park Jisong recalled the tactical instructions that Alex Ferguson had given him before the match.

– Ji! I want you to take on the most crucial part for this game.

His orders for the match were to hinder Messi as much as possible in both the first half and early second half.

At that moment, Park Jisong nodded to Alex Ferguson’s words, despite not fully grasping the thick Scots accent, fearing punishment.

After a decade of playing professionally at Manchester United, Park Jisong had learned to understand his coach completely.

Showing a decade of dedication, Alex Ferguson looked at Park Jisong with trust.

And even went on to instruct him to assist in attacking when he had the opportunity…

‘Wow. Defending is already exhausting enough, there’s no way I can help in an attack.’

Park Jisong, overwhelmed by the relentless offensives from MSN, couldn’t think of helping with the attack at all.

“Whew. I might really die here.”

Despite groaning audibly, Park Jisong was fulfilling his role thoroughly.

With a vigorous activity level, he chased after Lionel Messi as if he was burning all his energy in the first half.

However, unfortunately, for Park Jisong, who had long passed his prime, stopping Messi was an impossible task.

Lionel Messi created threatening chances, sometimes by dribbling past him and sometimes with killer passes.

Yet, no matter how many times he fell to the ground, Park Jisong never gave up and kept charging at Messi.

[Park Jisong blocks Messi’s dribble breakthrough!]

[Good tackle from Park Jisong! Manchester United has a chance for a counterattack!]

Finally, he managed to successfully block Messi’s dribble for the first time.

Park Jisong quickly got up from the ground and checked on his teammates.

[Park Jisong to Son Jinho!]

Park Jisong spotted Son Jinho in his line of sight and passed the ball to him.

[Son Jinho! Saw Ronaldo making a run!]

As he received the ball, Son Jinho attempted a long pass toward Ronaldo, who had been charging down the left flank.

Despite the hasty pass, made under pressure from Xavi Hernandez, failing to consider the recipient…

Ronaldo effortlessly controlled the ball with a smooth first touch as if it didn’t matter at all.

[Ronaldo displays a neat first touch!]

[That’s a textbook-level first touch.]

Immediately, Ronaldo started pushing the ball forward.

[He’s gotten past! Ronaldo!!]

Ronaldo swiftly breezed past Dani Alves and entered the penalty box.

Gerard Piqué, who had formerly played for Manchester United, attempted a sliding tackle, but…

Ronaldo lifted the ball slightly with his toes, avoiding Piqué’s sliding tackle.

While Cristiano Ronaldo attracted the attention of Barcelona’s defenders…

Son Jinho, who had passed the ball to Ronaldo, quickly moved upfield.

[Piqué couldn’t get him! Ronaldo! Is he going to shoot!?]

[No! Ronaldo chooses to pass! Ronaldo to Son Jinho!]

Ronaldo’s cutback pass was directed at Son Jinho.

[Son Jinho!!]

Son Jinho, observing Mascherano extending his leg for a shooting angle, opted for a pass instead of a shot.

Using his heel, Son Jinho’s pass found Park Jisong, who had been rushing towards the penalty box.

Park Jisong successfully shot freely in the ample space created by his teammates.

[….!!!! It’s in! Park Jisong!! Park Jisong scores his 6th goal in the Champions League! The everlasting captain of South Korea, Park Jisong, partners with Son Jinho to put Manchester United back in the lead at Camp Nou!]

***

As Manchester United started to regain their lead, the pace of the match began to quicken.

In the 22nd minute of the first half.

Lionel Messi, brushing off Park Jisong’s pressure, passed to Neymar.

Receiving the ball, Neymar shook off Phil Jones and sent a low and fast cross towards Luis Suárez, who was charging into the back post.

Swoosh─!

The ball that touched Suárez’s toes rolled through David De Gea’s legs, shaking the Manchester United net.

Then, in the 25th minute:

[GOOOOAL─! Neymar with the turnaround goal! Barcelona takes the lead!]

FC Barcelona swiftly scored again, reversing the game.

The aggregate score was now 5 to 6.

As FC Barcelona scored the go-ahead goal, some young Manchester United players hung their heads in despair as if they had lost the match.

Due to the away goals rule, they needed two goals to advance to the semifinals.

The burden, combined with the jeers from nearly 100,000 Barcelona fans, swiftly eroded Manchester United’s mental strength, instilling a defeatist mindset.

Just as Cristiano Ronaldo was about to lash out at his teammates with fiery anger upon seeing their defeated expressions.

“Everyone, lift your heads!! The match isn’t over yet!”

His voice was echoing in my ears, and Ronaldo nodded with a satisfied expression.

‘Son Jinho, you haven’t given up on the game yet.’

Then, in the 43rd minute.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who received a pass from Son Jinho on the left side, sprinted into the penalty box.

Dani Alves came rushing in to block Ronaldo’s path.

On the opposite side, Robin van Persie was asking for a pass while entering the penalty box, but…

Today, Cristiano Ronaldo felt unusually light on his feet and used van Persie as bait to break through the packed defense.

What had seemed like a simple feint had all the Barcelona defenders tumbling out of the way.

Unconsciously rising in intensity, Ronaldo began to accelerate.

As he cut through all of Barcelona’s defenders, he faked a shot with his strong right foot, sidestepping the keeper, then calmly found the back of the empty net with his left foot.

“SIUUUUUUUUU─!”

***

[With the whistle, the fiercely contested first half has come to an end!]

The first half ended in a draw after both teams fiercely battled it out.

Alex Ferguson, chewing gum faster, started to replay the first half in his mind while rapidly brainstorming tactics.

“Phew. My head hurts. Am I getting old?”

While Alex Ferguson was racking his brain for tactics to win the match,

“Hmm. What shall I have for dinner tonight?”

FC Barcelona’s manager, Luis Enrique, was pondering dinner plans, although he wore a solemn expression without letting it show on the broadcast screen.