Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Chapter 27
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: vs Hanil Duo (2)
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After keeping everyone in suspense for a good while, Banyae finally spilled the beans right before the match kicked off again.
I thought it was gonna be some huge bombshell... It is an impressive record and all, but damn, it's kinda infuriating anyway.
The viewers started brewing some inexplicable thirst for revenge.
Ban Yeager's goal, scored right at the start of the match.
Officially recorded as the 1st minute, but it actually happened at exactly 48 seconds in.
Not only was a goal conceded just 48 seconds into the game—that was shocking enough—but the real shocker was that it was Ban Yeager's Manchester United who had kickoff? No, it was the opposition.
In other words, they stole the ball from the opponents 48 seconds in and scored.
The Ban Yeager, who's infamous for never joining the high press.
Manchester United were already heavy favorites, and with Ban Yeager's opener, they could just stick to the game plan and play it safe.
Birmingham City, on the other hand, were forced into a desperate chase from the get-go—an utterly disadvantageous spot.
Against a Ban Yeager who breaks countless teams without them even getting a chance to try stopping him.
The match restarted once more with Birmingham City's kickoff.
Everyone watching—and even the players on the pitch—felt a sense of déjà vu.
It felt like the game had been delayed by about three minutes.
Like it was only just starting now.
But the score was 1-0. That was reality.
What even is a markman in soccer?
A markman is the dedicated defender assigned to stick to a specific opponent, shadowing them at a set distance to neutralize them.
Usually deployed against creative types like strikers, wingers, or attacking mids. And against Manchester United? Every single team—100 out of 100—puts a markman on Ban Yeager.
Birmingham City did the same in this match.
The man in question: Iwata Tomoki, Birmingham's legendary back-to-back promotion hero and two-season Premier League survivor, boasting top-tier skills.
'Does this even make sense...?'
Iwata Tomoki, in his physical and career prime, was reeling from shock every single moment as the game wore on.
The source of the shocks? The Manchester United number 10 he had to mark today: Ban Yeager.
"Huff...!"
'Is the skill gap this wide?'
At first, he dismissed it—Ban Yeager looked so chill, like he was out for a jog toward goal, face relaxed as if on a casual stroll.
Iwata let his guard down for a split second and lost the ball. But even then, it shouldn't have led to a goal right away...
He breezed past the captain, Claraman, like it was nothing, then calmly nutmegged the keeper and slotted it home.
Fine, whatever—up to there, I can chalk it up to my mistake. I got careless.
From now on, I'll give it everything. Fulfill my role to the death.
He steeled himself—no more slip-ups, he'd throw his body on the line for the team—and shadowed him tight.
But Ban Yeager was still just... strolling peacefully.
Like that goal was the most natural outcome in the world. Not a hint of excitement or hype.
"Hoo..."
Sometimes walking like he was sipping coffee on a jaunt, other times standing stock-still, idly scanning the pitch. Still Ban Yeager.
'No way... Is this a tactic to make the opponent drop their guard?!'
If so, that changes everything.
My lapse wasn't due to weak pro mindset or disrespecting the player—it was exactly what he wanted.
If it wasn't luck, but a deliberate ploy... I won't fall for it twice.
"Hup!"
He seemed utterly uninterested in me, but now I knew it was all an act to fool me.
Eye on the ball once. Eye on him once.
Focused solely on whether the ball came his way or not.
Right now, the ball was tangled in a scramble just outside the opponent's penalty box.
While zeroing in on which team would win possession, he kept tabs on Ban Yeager's position, sticking close.
'Here it comes!!'
He stayed laser-focused to the end and confirmed the ball going to the opponents.
'What? Clearing it?'
Suddenly, a United player booted it long upfield.
Puzzled, he glanced back at Ban Yeager's position.
'Huh? Where'd he...'
"Ah..."
At the end of that baffling pass from the United player...
Ban Yeager was sprinting.
"Ah..."
"No!!..."
Birmingham City coach Chris Davis and assistant Ben Petty watched the match in horror.
Again... it was that kid, Ban Yeager.
"Ooh... please!!!"
How long had it been since the opener? And here he was, crafting another goal chance.
Blasting down the flank, wide open.
At least it was out wide, so a direct shot was tricky.
"How is a player like this in the Championship?! If the game's paused, I'll throw Baek Seung-hoon on him too!"
This was beyond Championship level.
No, even that didn't cut it.
Birmingham City had the squad to push for promotion themselves.
Especially Iwata Tomoki, their markman, who'd shone in the Premier League.
And even he couldn't lay a finger on him...
"At least he's going solo up the wing, so that's something."
"Hm..."
If he'd cut inside centrally, or even had one teammate joining, it'd be dire.
Right now, best to hold the ball and wait for support.
By then, their players would recover and shut it down.
Thwack!!—
"What?!"
They expected him to hold or pass back, but he lashed it forward.
'A teammate timing a run there?! Nope...'
Obvious no one could reach that cross—he relaxed for a split second.
Yiiiiiaaaaaaaa!!!—
"Ah... Coach..."
Ban Yeager's kick arced beautifully into the far corner of the net.
"Ah... Some things humans can't stop just by wanting to..."
No matter how elite the 11 men under coach Chris Davis—a mere mortal—there was no stopping a force of nature like an earthquake.
Ban Yeager's second goal came less than five minutes after the opener.
In under 10 minutes total, he'd already bagged a multi-goal game.
With 80 minutes still left.
And Ban Yeager always plays full 90.
A guy who's scored twice in under 10—think he's blanking the rest of the way?
The real issue—or rather, the sad part for Banyae—was that for the first time, he'd missed his pre-match Ban Yeager hat-trick call.
On a day like this, of all days, he was late.
The viewers' revenge came sooner than expected.
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