Chapter 173: 2018 Russia World Cup vs Mexico (2)
South Korea records a stunning set-piece goal! 1:0! South Korea is leading again in this match! South Korea has taken the lead in two consecutive games at the World Cup!
South Korea leading 1:0.
After taking the lead with the corner kick, South Korea continued to calmly face Mexico. But Mexico was doing the same. After conceding a goal, they brought up a center-back or dropped a forward to solve the midfield shortage. South Korea developed build-up around Ryu Ha-neul despite Mexico's rough pressure.
However, what South Korea hadn't expected was that Mexico's lone center-backs weren't losing much in the height battle with Yang Hyun-hee.
Usually, in a header contest between 2m and 180cm, the 2m player would clearly win by raising their hand. But Yang Hyun-hee is 37 years old. Although her height remains, her physical abilities are declining. The Mexican defenders are young and, despite being single, they are players with good jumping ability to be considered center-backs.
So the collision between the two mostly results in Yang Hyun-hee successfully heading the ball, but failing to turn in the desired direction, and the ball flies out of the goal.
The commentators raised their voices saying they weren't being pushed by Mexico, but looking at it, Lee Young-hee saw that the flow wasn't good.
'Too pulled into Mexico's tempo...'
The first half hadn't even ended yet, and the number of shots in this match was 12. Almost one shot per three minutes. And a match flowing at such a fast tempo was something Mexico liked.
"Slowly! Slowly!"
Lee Young-hee coach shouted from the touchline to go slowly, but it wasn't easy. It was because the Lopez sisters, responsible for the midfield, were continuously pressing strongly based on their stamina.
Thanks to the Lopez sisters leaving space in the midfield, there were many opportunities, but if those opportunities weren't converted to goals, they just gave possession.
'I wish Ha-neul would do something...'
In such a situation, Lee Young-hee coach looked at Ryu Ha-neul, who was playing the role of the team's savior. But Ryu Ha-neul's position was lower than usual now. From that position, all Ryu Ha-neul could do was pass after beating 1-2 players.
'But since we're leading anyway.'
Moreover, in this situation, if she made some change, she couldn't say much because it might affect the tightly contested match, so she had no choice but to tell them to take a slow tempo.
'Hmm.... Anyway, remind at halftime...'
The time is now about 40 minutes before the end of the first half. This time, South Korea, who blocked Mexico's attack, was developing the attack.
Lee Young-hee coach was focusing on preparing the talk to give in the locker room at halftime rather than concentrating on the situation that had already occurred in today's match. But at that moment, Ryu Ha-neul who had the ball near the half-space started moving.
'Cross?'
Lee Young-hee coach watching from afar thought that Ryu Ha-neul's movement suggested he was going to cross. Today, they had crossed from low positions multiple times aiming at Yang Hyun-hee's head. ...The results weren't great though.
And besides Lee Young-hee coach, everyone watching the match also expected a cross from that position.
But at that moment, Ryu Ha-neul's choice was not a cross but a dribble attempt. Ryu Ha-neul pretended to cross to draw the defenders' reaction, then controlled the ball and started digging into the center.
But the other Mexico players reacted to Ryu Ha-neul's breakthrough, and the midfield and penalty box were already congested.
Since Mexico players already knew Ryu Ha-neul had no long shots, they blocked the pass lanes for his specialty 2:1 pass. And Ryu Ha-neul didn't miss the brief gap created by that movement.
Alejandro watching Ryu Ha-neul's breakthrough thought.
'If he gets inside the penalty box, it's over!'
It was the end the moment Ryu Ha-neul entered the penalty box.
Ryu Ha-neul's greatest strengths were his endless personal skills and dribbling ability. And such abilities naturally shine more in narrow spaces. Moreover, thinking of Ryu Ha-neul's passing ability, it was even more dangerous to let him into the penalty box.
Even Sweden had let that guy into the penalty box and couldn't stop him, conceding a penalty kick!
Alejandro simultaneously judged with his head and ran towards Ryu Ha-neul.
Ryu Ha-neul, slightly shorter than himself at 183cm, but quite tall for a man, was running forward. At that moment, Ryu Ha-neul's eyes were seen turning to the left. And humans unconsciously look where they are supposed to go.
...Until now.
Alejandro, thinking he had predicted the guy's next action, shifted his weight to the left, and even until the moment Ryu Ha-neul's left foot tried to hit the ball, he thought he had been hit.
'...Blocked!'
But that was his misconception.
After Ryu Ha-neul's left foot near the ball lightly grazed it and passed, the ball near the left foot had already gone to the right foot.
'D, got it!'
...The moment of realization was already too late.
Trying to touch the ball slipping between the spread legs, but since the weight had already shifted, Alejandro's effort to claim the ball was rewarded by losing balance, and Ryu Ha-neul running through the collapsing view was seen.
'Ah, if only I had blocked with my body.'
And the thought that came at that moment was that since it was still outside the penalty box, what if I blocked the guy with my body?
Of course, the situation had already passed.
Now the remaining Mexico players in front of Ryu Ha-neul were two.
Only the left back who felt the danger upon seeing the keeper and his mark man and ran, and Ryu Ha-neul's body moving beautifully in front of the left back.
And in the space less than one step in front of the left back Ryu Ha-neul had been blocking, Ryu Ha-neul's body rotated around the ball, and the foot extended to take the ball swept the air.
Ryu Ha-neul's Marseille turn flowing like water over the defender's body. The personal skill that burst out in narrow space instead of wide space, the commentators lost words and just watched the game. Now only one person remained.
The urgent 1v1 situation with the striker, and the enormous personal skills shown in front of it. Mexico's goalkeeper Kimble finally broke the taboo against advancing forward against Ryu Ha-neul.
The taboo of never advancing forward against Ryu Ha-neul.
Kimble, who had world-class reflexes, but the chronic disease of not being able to aim higher in an EPL mid-table team, poor judgment burst out at this moment.
Tuk.
Light footwork like when beating the defenders.
The ball in Kimble's sight disappeared. And the moment Kimble realized that, he jumped as high as possible and reached his hand for the ball going over his head. But unfortunately, the ball just missed by a few cm from Kimble's fingertips.
'This... at this distance, a lob shot is...!'
In that fleeting moment, Kimble thought.
A lob shot shot from such a short distance would not enter the goal. There couldn't be a player who could control shots like that.
Tung!
- Waaaaaaaah!!!
So the first half ends with a 2:0 score difference with Ryu Ha-neul's one-man show.
"Now, I understand everyone's excited about the good attack. But, you need to lower the tempo a bit. Since it's 2:0, let's go slowly from the second half."
And at halftime, Lee Young-hee coach required the players to calm down, and the players perfectly followed Lee Young-hee's instructions.
Of course, Ryu Ha-neul was at the center. Lee Young-hee coach rotated players appropriately around Ryu Ha-neul, defensively managed the second half, and ended the match while maintaining the lead.
And a few hours later,
...Germany wins 1:0 against Sweden, so the group 1st spot in Group F is decided in the last match between South Korea and Germany.