Korean Derby -1
The showdown in the Korean Derby between Dortmund and Hamburg.
While the eyes of Germany and Dortmund fans were fixed on Dortmund tying the 35-match unbeaten record.
The main focus for South Korean soccer fans was whether Son Heung-min and Son Jinho would both play.
To be precise, it was mostly about Son Heung-min's starting spot.
Unlike Son Jinho, who had been smoothly ascending since arriving at Dortmund, Son Heung-min had endured numerous hardships and setbacks.
Just as he seemed to win the starting battle, injuries would strike, or he'd clash with his Serbian teammate defender Rajkovic.
As a matchup between two players hailed as the future of South Korean soccer, interest in Korea was red-hot.
The Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL), the Bundesliga's governing body handling operations, licensing, and marketing, had even scheduled the match time to accommodate Korean fans.
With the DFL managing Bundesliga licenses and broadcast rights, they couldn't ignore requests from Korean broadcasters who had bought those rights.
Adjusting the kickoff for Korean viewing times wasn't a loss for the DFL.
Higher popularity in Korea meant selling broadcast rights for even more money down the line.
If they kept assigning daytime slots, complaints might eventually spill from coaches like they did during Kang Jin's Mallorca days.
But for now, there were no major gripes.
Dortmund, scarred by losing Kagawa Shinji to Tottenham Hotspur, actually strongly supported the DFL's decision.
As kickoff approached, South Korean soccer fans' eyes turned to the broadcast channel.
Dortmund's tactics were consistent: push the line high and press aggressively.
The intense pressing naturally left space behind vulnerable.
As other Bundesliga teams adapted to gegenpressing, they began exploiting that weakness.
Hamburg struck Dortmund's net successfully with a sharp attack just two minutes in.
Dortmund had given Rafael van der Vaart too much space on the left flank, momentarily losing track of Son Heung-min charging into the box.
Thud—!
Big bro Heung-min redirected van der Vaart's cross with his forehead for the goal.
True to his admission of being a Ronaldo fan from childhood, Heung-min shared a similar playstyle with Ronaldo.
He'd grown passive in challenges due to injury trauma, but at this time, his heading was top-notch.
"Our son will smash Dortmund!"
Anyway, with Dortmund's net rippling, Hamburg's home fans leaped to their feet, roaring and unleashing red flares.
Now in his second Bundesliga season, it felt almost disappointing without the red smoke anymore.
"Hoooooo—!"
Heung-min sprinted to the corner flag right after scoring, mimicking Son Jinho's celebration.
His cry of "Hoo" carried a deep undercurrent of pent-up frustration.
Hm.
Have I been teasing him too much?
After scoring early in the first half, Hamburg dropped their line and targeted Dortmund's space behind aggressively.
Dortmund's defenders, spooked by the gaps, hesitated to push up, weakening their press intensity.
With Dortmund's press softening, Hamburg could unleash their prepared plays.
Leveraging his signature speed, Heung-min aggressively targeted Dortmund's net.
South Korean fans and commentators grew excited over Heung-min's performance against the defending champs Dortmund.
As the broadcast team chatted about trivia on the Sons to hype fans, Son Jinho, with the ball, quickly built the attack.
Son Jinho passed to Lukasz Piszczek overlapping on the flank.
Mindful of Hamburg's counter, he advanced into their half.
As Son Jinho pushed forward, Piszczek's flank cross was headed clear by Hamburg center-back Heiko Westermann. But the clearance nearly went out for a goal kick—Ivan Perisic kept it alive.
"Argh—!"
Once more, as Ivan Perisic prepared another flank cross, his eyes caught Son Jinho calling for it.
By now accustomed to Son Jinho's "Argh," Perisic faked a cross to fool Hamburg's defenders and rolled it to his feet.
Son Jinho tapped Perisic's pass left to create space from Hamburg players trying to block his shot, then unleashed his left foot with venom.
Thwack—!
The thunderbolt mid-range screamer sucked into the top corner.
A few Dortmund away fans waved flags in cheer, and Son Jinho dashed to their corner flag, the one housing the away support. He drew a deep breath, as if to deliver the true Hoo, and roared.
"True! Hoooooo—!"