My Girlfriend Wants Victory

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September 13.

The first match of Group F in the UEFA Champions League between Arsenal and Dortmund.

Dortmund welcomed Arsenal to Signal Iduna Park.

“Deutscher Meister! BVB!”

Even before the match began, Dortmund fans were confident of victory.

Well, actually, it wasn’t just the Dortmund fans. German and British media also anticipated an easy win for Dortmund.

And why not? Arsenal had suffered a disastrous defeat, losing 8-2 to Manchester United at Old Trafford in the early days of the season, and the overall mood of the team was quite poor.

At that time, Arsenal fans were left in complete shock after the defeat to Manchester United.

It was such a shocking experience that…

– Gyeouri: Did uncle cry?

– Mother-in-law: Oh dear… The match was so brutal, I couldn’t bear to watch. If they’d scored six goals, they might have gotten a little sympathy, you know.

– Gyeouri: ;;;; Still, you gotta give it your all in a match, Mom.

– Mother-in-law: Just don’t tease your uncle for a while. He might have a breakdown.

– Gyeouri: …Okay.

Seeing the pitiful photo of Chairman Hwang Geum-soon, both my mother-in-law and Gyeouri declared that they wouldn’t tease him for a while.

– Gyeouri: Uncle! I found a song I really like these days!

– Gyeouri: Get Me A Call~ Baby Baby~

– Ho-woo: Gyeouri, didn’t you say you wouldn’t tease the chairman yesterday?

– Mother-in-law: What’s that about?

– Ho-woo: Um… The song’s title is 8282.

– Mother-in-law: I see you like the title especially well.

Well… It didn’t last long anyway. For a football fan, that was quite a while to hold on.

Anyway, after that disaster, Wenger and Arsenal managed to recruit five players – Park Juyong, Per Mertesacker, Andre Santos, Yoshi Benayoun, and Mikel Arteta – in just three days before the summer transfer window closed.

Recruiting multiple players at once isn’t always ideal, but Arsenal had no choice.

Most of the regular players were injured, after all.

Because of that, Arsenal was in quite a chaotic state, struggling in the league as well.

As a result, people naturally began to predict an easy victory for the unbeaten Dortmund in the league.

But I believed that this match against Arsenal would be very challenging for Dortmund.

‘Dortmund is like a baby crying out for help!’

The reason was that Dortmund had a severe lack of experience in European competitions after financial bankruptcy.

‘Is Europa League the end after being UEFA Cup 1? Since the Europa League and Champions League are distinctly different, you could say they have virtually no experience.’

While the presence of a coach could fill in this lack of experience…

Unfortunately, Dortmund’s coach, Jürgen Klopp, also had virtually no experience in European competitions.

‘In fact, this is his first Champions League, even including his player days.’

Eventually, in the original history, despite being Bundesliga champions, Dortmund failed to overcome the lack of experience and shockingly exited the group stage with a record of 1 win, 1 draw, and 4 losses.

“But that story is from when I wasn’t around.”

While I too lacked Champions League experience…

I thought I’d be fine thanks to my experience in the greater stage of the World Cup.

Well… whatever. Dortmund had to win this home game against Arsenal.

Only then would the players relax and be able to play well in the remaining Champions League matches.

That was the best way to repay the passionate fans cheering for Dortmund.

“Let’s go! BVB!”

As the Dortmund players waited in the entrance tunnel, they began to step onto the field with the shout of their captain, Sebastian Kehl.

At the same time, a card section was unveiled in the Sudtribune.

The Dortmund logo and the words engraved with a crown could be seen.

Perhaps it was a message for Dortmund not to be intimidated since they were the champions from the previous year.

Well, even if it wasn’t that, it didn’t matter.

The passion of the fans pouring out from the Sudtribune completely blew away the remnants of my anxiety and nerves.

“Die Menschen im Schwarz und Gelben Ruhrgebiet Werden immer stolz an deiner Seite sein.”

I quietly sang along to the cheer echoing in my ears.

*

[Let’s introduce the starting lineups of both teams. First, the home team, Dortmund. They are using a 4-2-3-1 formation….]

[Arsenal is also in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Unfortunately, Park Juyong is on the substitute list, meaning no Korean derby in the first half.]

Both Dortmund and Arsenal rolled out in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Arsenal’s away match against Dortmund was precarious in many ways.

[That’s right. And with Arsène Wenger serving a suspension, head coach Pat Rice will be stepping in as the acting manager.]

Arsène Wenger did not properly serve his suspension while communicating with the bench coaches via radio during the qualification match against Udinese.

As a result, Wenger received an additional ban from UEFA, and Pat Rice, known among Arsenal fans as “Ssal-ong,” took over as the acting manager.

[Dortmund is starting strong, aggressively pushing Arsenal from the early moments!]

Thus, the first half predictably turned into a one-sided affair dominated by Dortmund.

The absence of the coach didn’t help, but also, since the Arsenal players hadn’t collaborated for long, there were issues such as overlapping positioning.

Additionally, the departure of key midfielder Cesc Fàbregas to FC Barcelona led to a complete loss against the Dortmund midfield, spearheaded by Son Jinho.

‘I guess this is easier than I thought?’

Just when Son Jinho was thinking, ‘Maybe we’ll win smoothly like this…’

Suddenly—

Mats Hummels’ passing error allowed Robin van Persie to score the opener.

“Scheiße!”

*

After conceding a goal, Dortmund became even more aggressive in their offensive.

“Jinho! Move up a little more!”

However, as they failed to score even after the 20-minute mark of the second half, Jürgen Klopp had no choice but to substitute the unfit Shinji Kagawa for İlkay Gündoğan.

Although Gündoğan hadn’t yet adapted to the position, there was no choice but to push him in for a more offensive play.

Right after I took on Kagawa’s role,

“Jinho!”

With successful positioning, İlkay Gündoğan delivered a pass to me.

Upon receiving the ball, as soon as I locked eyes with Robert Lewandowski, I deftly chipped the ball into the defender’s blind spot.

It was just a brief moment of surprise on the Arsenal defender’s face at the sudden pass.

“Block it—!!”

I could see a striker rushing into the space where I had dropped the ball.

Splash—!

“Olé!!”

Lewandowski, who was just beginning to hatch, succeeded in shaking the Arsenal goal net.

*

[Son Jinho! A long pass forward! Ah… there’s no one up front….]

└ ? Why did you throw it there? Are you an idiot?

└ You can totally see Son Jinho’s level with that pass lol. Trying to be a world-class player while throwing such a shoddy pass, huh? lol

└ Even world-class players mess up like that sometimes.

└ Yes, I see your level there lol.

[Oh? GOOOOOOOOOL! Lewandowski, who was infiltrating from behind, successfully connects Son Jinho’s pass with a shot and scores the equalizer!!]

└ Wow;; Are you kidding me? Did he actually see that?

└ I couldn’t see it from the angle above, but Son Jinho caught it? Is he insane?

└ And all the while, those idiots who dissed our guy are looking like fools now haha.

└ Ho-woo’s fans really have mental problems haha. Jealous of a 16-year-old, are they for real?

[Wow, his vision is incredible. He drops the ball precisely in the penalty box after reading the movement of the infiltrating striker.]

[That’s right! And Lewandowski’s composed finish! Is it a Son-Lewis combo? The superb coordination between Son Jinho and Lewandowski!]

└ No;;; I can’t wrap my head around it even watching again lol. How did they see that?

└ With Son Jinho’s playing style, Arsenal fits him perfectly.

└ You guys can’t possibly sign him, can you? His estimated transfer fee is close to 70 billion won.

└ I know that! Ugh, damn it! Do I have to get punched in the gut just to feel better?!

└ What?? How is his transfer fee already 70 billion?

└ He’s only 16 and performing like that.

└ Isn’t that still a bit expensive?

└ It’s been ridiculous since the Man City days, and now the transfer market is just filled with bubbles haha.

└ As soon as you show any potential in Ligue 1, Premier League teams throw big money at you just to snatch them up haha. So honestly, 70 billion doesn’t sound that outrageous, right? Maybe it’s a low ball?

└ Are you saying Son Jinho’s transfer fee is 70 billion? What does that even mean? Isn’t he under a professional contract, so it should just end with a compensation payment?

└ Ah, that’s true. So Arsenal still has hope then?

└ Yeah, since Son Jinho is 16, you guys can’t just pirate him like that, you idiots! Haha

└ The Premier League allows professional contracts from the age of 16~ Such a football noob showing off.

└ Haha football noob is you~ He can’t transfer abroad because of FIFA regulations. What nonsense are you talking about? The reason he’s in Germany now is through a scholarship via the Football Association.

└ Please refrain from making baseless assumptions, football noob.

└ The guy above sounds a bit stupid, but he’s not wrong. Even originally, he wasn’t supposed to play on the first team, but Dortmund sent an official letter to FIFA claiming he’s not a player meant to be here at this level.

└ Really? I’m feeling pumped now haha. But seeing him do it in the first division makes sense now, yeah.

└ Yo, but wouldn’t he be able to sign with Arsenal if he doesn’t sign with Dortmund at 18?

└ He can transfer at 18, but would he really go to Arsenal then? Haha. With performances like this, he’d likely get offers from Real or Barca.

└ Wow… I just imagined a Korean playing for Real or Barca, and I just died a little inside.

└ Ugh, gross;;

└ Sigh, you idiot, he was just joking, right? There’s no way he really died.

└ He legitimately died?;;

└ If he truly did, you should visit a urologist.