My Girlfriend Wants Victory

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Before the match even began,

the home fans of Dortmund were continuously singing their support songs.

Fans who couldn’t enter the stadium naturally positioned themselves outside to cheer for Dortmund.

“There were times when we were really doing badly.”

Despite experiencing the worst financial crisis in 2005, the fans never abandoned their team.

“We looked into the abyss and promised ourselves all the more.”

Whenever there was a match, they always visited the stadium and passionately sang for Dortmund’s revival.

This was also true for Erwin Müller, who proudly held a season ticket in the same spot for 50 years, always cheering for Dortmund from that same place.

“Together we endure the valley of tears, hand in hand.”

Erwin, who prided himself on loving Dortmund more than anyone else, had become an old man. He tried to ignore his creaking body and sang with all his might.

“At the end of the dark alley shines the yellow wall.”

As the players in the stadium came into view,

the southern stand, capable of holding over 30,000 fans, known as the “Yellow Wall” or Die Südtribüne, showcased a card section lifting up Dede, who was leaving Dortmund at the end of the season.

“Borussia Dortmund 09!”

“Borussia Dortmund 09!”

“Hunderttausend Freunde ein Verein!”

“Die Menschen im Schwarz und Gelben Ruhrgebiet.”

“Werden immer stolz an deiner Seite sein!”

Thanks to the hot passion of the fans,

Dortmund relentlessly pressured Nürnberg right after the match started.

In the 27th minute of the first half, a heated exchange occurred between Dortmund’s main striker Lucas Barrios and Nürnberg’s center-back Timi Simons.

“Calm down, want me to teach you some Lamaze breathing?”

The referee gave both a friendly warning with yellow cards. I approached the slightly agitated Lucas Barrios to calm him down.

“…Phew. It’s okay, kid. I’ve cooled off.”

As Lucas Barrios burst into laughter, I turned my attention to the other players.

“I get how everyone feels! But let’s calm down a bit!”

Overall, the Dortmund players were in a slightly heated mood.

Well, who wouldn’t be after seeing such a spectacle before the match?

Even now, the cheering and shouting of the fans filled my ears, making my heart swell.

After 13 long years, a player devoted to the team and his farewell from the fans felt like a fairytale came to life.

Now, the only thing needed to complete the fairytale was a victory in this match and lifting the Meisterschale.

“Roberto! Press on the left!”

At some point, I started giving instructions as I did with the substitutes, adjusting the players’ positions.

Surprisingly, the players followed my instructions obediently. With an already strong Dortmund pressing, the increased efficiency led to a flustered Nürnberg making passing mistakes.

I managed to quickly snatch a pass. Just as a counterattack was about to unfold for Dortmund,

Ilkay Gündoğan got pulled down from behind by his jersey and fell to the ground, with the referee issuing a yellow card and declaring a foul on Gündoğan.

“Aren’t you going too far?”

“This guy told me to calm down, and he’s the one getting more riled up.”

Mario Götze and Lucas Barrios approached to help me up while teasing me playfully.

I took their hands and got up, lightly nudging my shoulders before approaching the ball to handle the free kick.

Huff…

Taking a deep breath, I cleared my mind and pondered how to take the free kick.

Given the location near the corner of the penalty box, it seemed wise to aim inside, but for some reason, I had a strong feeling that curling it would work.

Am I still too flustered?

I slowly closed my eyes, then opened them again.

The sharpened senses still screamed at me to take the shot.

The referee blew the whistle.

“BVB! BVB! BVB!”

Clearing my mind, I moved slowly to the rhythm of the fans’ cheers.

As my foot struck the outside of the ball,

the ball, which seemed destined to fly wide, suddenly curved, piercing the upper corner of the right post.

“Hejaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

As the net rippled, I worried that Signal Iduna Park might collapse from the overwhelming roar.

*

[Wow! What a beautiful goal! Jinho! Scores! A phenomenal free kick from the 16-year-old boy!!]

[An impressively precise kicking ability! With the capability to target the goal from anywhere, Nürnberg will have to be cautious about committing fouls!]

[That’s a dilemma faced by teams up against dead-ball specialists.]

[Indeed! And after scoring, Jinho runs towards the corner flag to share the joy with the Dortmund fans!]

[Oh, an excited fan jumps onto the field trying to kiss Jinho, but he stops them with his palm.]

[Haha, Jinho is showcasing excellent defense as much as his scoring!]

*

After Son Jinho’s free kick goal, Dortmund, now full of momentum, kept pressing Nürnber, but failed to score again.

Even though Roberto Lewandowski and Lucas Barrios rattled the net, their goals were disallowed for offside.

Beeep!

Thus, the first half ended with a score of 1:0, and the second half began.

Nürnberg, which had been huddled in the first half, launched a counterattack. Ilkay Gündoğan, now playing as an attacking midfielder, was actively commanding Nürnberg’s offense to forget his mistakes from the first half.

A shot from a Nürnberg striker receiving a pass from Ilkay Gündoğan shook Dortmund’s side net.

The Dortmund fans, who thought a goal was imminent, let out a sigh of relief.

At that moment, as Son Jinho was about to take a defensive role to protect the back four,

“Jinho! Don’t drop back! Get more aggressive!”

Manager Jürgen Klopp instructed Son Jinho to march forward more aggressively.

Following the manager’s orders, Son Jinho returned to an attacking role.

What followed was a frenzied exchange of blows.

[Son Jinho takes the ball! Shoots! Wow! What a fantastic save by Rafael Schäfer!!]

[Dortmund’s follow-up corner kick! Jinho is ready!]

Preparing to take the corner kick, Son Jinho pointed to the designated pattern play and got closer to the penalty box.

[Hummels drops the ball!]

Hummels, who found it hard to set up for a header due to defensive interference, dropped the ball for Roberto Lewandowski, who was positioned as a second striker.

[Lewandowski!!!!]

Lewandowski’s shot narrowly grazed the goal post. It seemed the power was a bit more than intended.

[Aah… he kicked it too hard. The ball is soaring!]

After that, there were several switches between offense and defense, and the end of the match approached.

[Lucas Barrios is holding his head! That was such a good save.]

Once again, Nürnberg’s goalkeeper Rafael Schäfer showcased a great save, successfully deflecting the ball out of play.

[Oh! What’s this? Marcel Schmelzer is down on the ground!]

Before a corner kick, Dortmund made a substitution. Dede came onto the field to replace the cramping Marcel Schmelzer.

[Here comes Dede to replace Marcel Schmelzer.]

[Dede, who has played for Dortmund for 13 years, has decided to transfer to Eskişehirspor in the Turkish Super League at the end of this season.]

As Son Jinho locked eyes with Dede, the whistle from the referee sounded, and Son Jinho quickly took the corner kick.

[Cross by Jinho!]

Although it wasn’t a pre-arranged play, the veteran Dede instinctively made a move based on his experience.

[Dede!!]

The low, fast cross zipped past the defender and perfectly landed on Dede’s head, successfully shaking the Nürnberg goal.

[Goaallllll—! Dede! Dede scores! Dede dashes toward the stands! The crowd rushes to embrace him!!]

Dede, upon scoring, ran into the Dortmund stands and hugged the tearful fans.

[This is practically the clinching goal for Borussia Dortmund’s championship!!]

[Nine years since the last league title! Dortmund, once seen as Bayern’s rival, makes a triumphant comeback after five years of financial bankruptcy!]

*

“Together we endure the valley of tears, hand in hand.”

As the end of the match approached, Dortmund’s fans began to sing.

“At the end of the dark alley shines the yellow wall.”

Among them were elderly fans, shedding tears like children.

And soon after, when added time ended,

[2010/2011 season! The Bundesliga champions are Borussia Dortmund!]

The referee blew the final whistle.

And at the same time, the pitch was covered in a wave of black and yellow.