Copa del Rey Semi-Finals: First Leg

The Copa del Rey semi-final first leg was played at our home ground.

And the opponent for the semi-final was Valencia. Since Valencia was a team that couldn't be underestimated, Coach Diena started me along with Albaria, who had been rotated in the previous match to manage fatigue, and the starting midfielders Yelena, Lorenza, and Lucia.

However, the problem was that while I was fine, the other players might be burdened physically. Especially, the two center-backs who had become almost fixed starters since I was called up to the first team, Tiana and Tena, must have been accumulating fatigue, so I was a bit worried.

Tsk, if it had been Amira, I wouldn't have had to worry about rotation like this.

And the fact that I was the one who contributed to that was a bit unsettling.

Of course, I wasn't the kind of amateur who would bring such feelings onto the pitch. No matter the situation, focusing on the match was the professional's duty.

Whistle—Bang!

As soon as the game started with the whistle, I passed the ball to Albaria and ran forward to take my position.

Valencia's tactic coming out was a flat 4-4-2. Unlike most teams I've faced so far, it didn't seem to be specifically marking me but rather looking to counterattack and catch us off guard.

Valencia's tactic was a pretty good one, after all. Barcelona wasn't the kind of team that could be stopped by just one player like me, and unlike the teams I've faced so far, Valencia had a basic level of quality.

Well, Juventus also had a basic level, but since Juventus is a bit defensive by nature like Italian teams, they seemed to have marked me.

Anyway, since Valencia came out in 4-4-2, there was quite a bit of space given to me, and I developed the build-up by utilizing that space to the maximum. After helping with the build-up for a few minutes, when there was a gap, I turned behind the defense and ran in. Lorenza's pass came a beat late to me.

Hmph.

The moment I received the ball, the opponent's center-back was already marking me, so there was no space for a solo run, so I immediately passed it to Eloya.

Ah, if it had been Camila, she would have given the pass before I even turned back...

Since we hadn't been playing together for more than 3-4 months, it was a bit of a shame that our chemistry wasn't matching in such a tense situation, but I quickly sent that feeling away and made space for Eloya to drive in by marking the center-back behind her and cutting to the side.

Then, using the space left by the center-back, Eloya dug in and unleashed a wonderful shot, but the ball was blocked by the goalkeeper's punch, and a corner kick was declared.

"Nice shot, Eloya."

"Good pass, Ryu."

After exchanging thumbs with Eloya, we headed outside the penalty box. The corner kick taker was Lucia, who boasted a more accurate kick than me. But even Lucia couldn't give Barcelona, who were weak in set-piece attacks from the start, a 100% success rate.

"Got it! Got it!"

The opponent's center-back cleared the ball with a header, and Valencia's striker, Joana, who was waiting for the counterattack, grabbed the ball and ran.

Since I was one of the people close to Joana, I ran as fast as possible to block her counterattack, but the closer I got, the farther Joana got.

Damn...!

And Joana, to prepare for the counter, beat Emily who was near the center line and overtook her in a sprint. Since Narcis, the starting left-back, hadn't played today due to fatigue, I was worried before the game started, and it was clear that the starting player was missing.

But still, we had Maximilena. Maximilena, praised as one of the world's best goalkeepers, had already come out to meet the ball in front of the penalty box, and Joana, who had run a long distance, shot urgently, but it was blocked by Maximilena's save.

-Waaaaaaa!!!

With the home fans' passionate cheers, the ball bounced to Emily.

"Pass!"

And the one in front was me, who had chased after Joana. Emily, reacting to my voice, gave me the pass, and in the short time it took for the pass to come, I checked the situation in front of me.

Valencia's field was currently messy due to the corner kick counter, and in the midst of that, one player slowly returning was in a no-mark situation.

...Lucia!

Lucia's mobility wasn't great, as fans joked that it wasn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠because of injury, and Lucia, knowing that she wouldn't be much help in a counterattack situation, had taken the corner kick and was slowly walking back.

And the moment I spotted Lucia, Lucia, spotting me from that distance, started running urgently to adjust the offside line.

Thud.

As soon as I received Emily's pass, I flicked the ball to a good position for a pass, then in a free state where no one was pressuring me, I kicked the ball far away as if shooting. The target was Lucia, who was left alone.

A quick pass almost like a shot passed over the players' heads to Lucia. Lucia gently received my rough pass like handling soft tofu, checked the goalkeeper's position, and shot it out.

"Wa......"

And the shot from Lucia, which almost went over the goalkeeper's head, curved inside the goal like a curve, and I couldn't help but let out an exclamation.

-Waaaaaaa!!!

I hadn't sincerely admired football since being born in this world much, but Lucia's shot was beautiful enough to make me exclaim.

The movement before receiving the ball, perfect trapping, and the judgment to choose a shot from that distance, and the beautiful trajectory of the goal.

Zidane's volley, Joe Cole's eagle shot, Carlos's UFO shot, Sei's outfront kick, or the goals I had seen through videos after being born in this world were also sufficiently beautiful, but seeing such a scene directly in front of my eyes was for the first time in a long time, so it was emotional.

Is this enough to be a Fuscas level? Ah, is this just the goal of the year here? ...Definitely the Ballon d'Or 2-time winner's work.

Honestly, in a corner of my heart, I had been looking down on the football players of this world a bit. Basically, the football players in this world were women, and this world didn't even have Messis, let alone Ronaldo-like players.

It was difficult to feel inspiration from the plays of Messi and Ronaldo, who had reached peaks with different styles and commanded the world, that I had grown up directly seeing. But the game orchestration or passes that Lucia showed while playing together so far, including the shot just now, were enough to inspire me.

Moreover, Lucia's prime was about 6-7 years ago. Seeing Lucia, who had long passed her prime, show such plays, I started to look forward to what world-class players in their prime would do.

Of course, I had seen some of those players' plays on video a few times, but actually facing them on the pitch felt completely different, so I wanted to meet them on the pitch soon and see their plays with my own eyes.

When was the next El Clasico? I want to face them quickly.

"Ryu, that was a good pass."

"Ah, Lucia..."

"Haha, your eyes are looking good?"

"...What about my eyes?"

"Looking at me with eyes of respect. Like your friend Camila. Heh, now you seem like a kid. This is it."

"......"

Her personality is really like a fool, though.

Well, playing football well and personality had nothing to do with each other.

*-[Copa del Rey] Barcelona wins 2:1 in the semi-final first leg!*

......Meanwhile, Valencia scored a comeback goal by Joana in the 46th minute of the second half......