Big Game Player -2

After I slotted in the opener, Dortmund seized control of the game.

We kept pounding Schalke, but we couldn't find a second goal.

In the 58th minute.

The pass connected to Lewandowski inside the penalty box, giving us another golden chance, but his shot was blocked by Schalke's bodies-on-the-line defending.

"Damn it!"

"Get back and defend—hurry!!"

I could see Lewandowski clutching his head in frustration. Pushing aside my own sigh, I clapped to encourage him.

As Dortmund failed to add to our lead, the momentum slowly shifted back to Schalke.

"Get Moritz ready."

Jurgen Klopp, watching from the touchline, called for a sub to regain the flow.

The replacement players were warming up just outside the touchline.

If we could just hold on a little longer, the fresh legs could've turned the tide—but Dortmund couldn't weather that short storm.

Unfamiliar with the formation and their positions, Sebastian Kehl and Ivan Perisic overlapped their runs, and Atsuto Uchida stole the ball.

Exploiting the gap in Dortmund's defensive shape, Uchida quickly overlapped.

"Uchida! Give me the ball!!"

He fed a pass to Kevin-Prince Boateng, who was sprinting toward the edge of the box demanding it.

Boateng eyed the rolling ball and unleashed a powerful right-footed strike.

Thwack—!

The perfectly struck long-range shot rippled the net. I swallowed a bitter smile as Schalke's players rushed off celebrating.

Well. I never thought it'd be easy.

For Dortmund with their thin squad depth, the absence of key starters—especially Schmelzer's injury—was bigger than expected.

Even if Ivan Perisic was holding his own at wing-back better than anticipated, he couldn't compare to a specialist left-back like Schmelzer.

And derbies are always tough by nature. Not just for the players, but the fans and staff all crave victory.

If the choice was "three ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wins after a derby loss" versus "three losses after a derby win," I'd bet the Korea Football Association that most fans pick the latter.

Anyway, as one of the world's top ten derbies—the Revier Derby—the rivalry was fierce, and Schalke's determination paid off.

"You gonna settle for a draw in front of our home fans?! Don't shrink back!"

Unwilling to accept a draw at home, Dortmund switched Sven Bender to left-back, shifted to a flat back four, pushed up the line, and started hammering Schalke.

As full time approached, Dortmund's home fans at Signal Iduna Park rose from their seats, anxiously eyeing the fourth official and the scoreboard.

"Boooooo—!"

When the fourth official raised the board showing added time, sighs and jeers erupted around the stadium.

"Fuck you bastards! Only two minutes?!"

The added time was a measly two minutes—far too short to break down Schalke's bus parked in double layers in their own half.

The home fans' eyes locked on Son Jinho, who was still fighting to pierce Schalke's defense right up to the end.

Wasn't it always him who pulled off something special when the team was in crisis?

"Shine bright, my star Borussia!"

The fans' hopeful chant echoed through Signal Iduna Park.

The ball came back to Son Jinho, with Lewandowski and Ivan Perisic drawing defenders to disrupt Schalke's back line.

And in that moment.

Son Jinho spotted Marco Reus sneaking behind Benedikt Höwedes.

The passing lane opened up, and Jinho chipped it effortlessly with his right foot.

The casual poke sailed over the defenders' heads and dropped perfectly into the half-space for the infiltrating Marco Reus.

Reus glanced at the desperate keeper, then calmly rifled a shot into the keeper's left side.

It whizzed past the keeper's ribs and into the net. The ref pointed to the center circle, signaling the goal.

"Hejaaaaaaa!!"

The stadium exploded in euphoria at the dramatic winner right before the final whistle.

"Hoo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo—!" "Hoo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo—!"

After the goal, Marco Reus celebrated the victory with Son Jinho, who had assisted the winner, as the crowd roared behind them.

Back home after the match.

"Kruuuh.... Yeah, Son Jinho really suits red."

Han Gyeowol was playing the newly released Football 13, raising "me."

The face scan was so atrocious it made me think, is that supposed to be me? But the stats were busted, making it a fan-favorite card.

What a gloriously broken hexagon.

According to Gyeowol, streamers and communities were raving about its cheat-level performance.

I checked out some streams first. TwoWitch had launched in Korea ahead of schedule, enabling simultaneous YouTube broadcasts, quickly snagging streamers and carving out a spot.

Even the guy who later became Paprika TV's biggest export jumped over to TwoWitch to start streaming.

I was taken aback watching those early, unpolished streams full of raw vibe.

Hmm.

Isn't this a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bit too underground?

Four days after the Revier Derby against Schalke, the Champions League clash with Manchester City loomed.

"Jinho-ya…."

Han Gyeowol saw me off like a wife sending her husband to war. "Come back without getting hurt…."

"Go prove that Manchester belongs to United!!"

What the hell is this dummy saying.