Diemoney (3)
Ah... Ryu Ha-neul's figure appears on the screen, smiling brightly. There was one issue related to Ryu Ha-neul recently, wasn't there?
That's right. He sent a petition to the Korea Football Association protesting the ban on male players from the United Arab Emirates, and it caused quite a stir.
Indeed... This kind of thing shouldn't happen, right?
Exactly. Actually, Ryu Ha-neul didn't commit any crime or anything; banning him from playing is absurd. Even setting aside that he's a key player for the national team, it shouldn't be allowed just because of gender. In front of the ball, we should all be equal.
So FIFA also sent a protest to the UAE side?
The results haven't come out yet, but both FIFA and Barcelona, Ryu Ha-neul's club, have issued strong statements of opposition, so it seems like it will be resolved without any major problems.
Wow, there it is, Diemoney's heartfelt plea. Did you see it, committee member?
Of course, I saw it too. Wow, it's not easy to say something like a foreign coach risking her life for Korean players... Diemoney's interview conveyed how much she cherishes Ryu Ha-neul and how sincere she is about this country called Korea.
Well then, the match is about to start. Korea vs Australia, Australia vs Korea. We hope to show good form in preparation for the Asian Cup.
Ah, Rachel saves it!
Um, it's currently the 40th minute of the first half, and Korea leads 78:22 in possession and 8:2 in shots. But a 0:0 score like this makes me think there's a slight lack of attacking play, doesn't it?
Really?
Yes. Ryu Ha-neul's position as attacking midfielder and Kim Seul-gi's position as striker are too far apart, so they can't connect closely. And we can't break through Australia's superior physicality through cross plays either. Overall, Kim Seul-gi is isolated, leading to long-range shots, and the Australian players are blocking them.
Then what should we do, Commissioner Kang Yeon-hee?
Probably from the second half, we should lift the defensive line and midfielder line, reduce meaningless passes, and make the connection between Kim Seul-gi and Ryu Ha-neul even closer. First, Ryu Ha-neul is too central. This would improve the pass wave, but it means Ryu Ha-neul has to take responsibility for a larger area.
I see. Ryu Ha-neul does have good dribbling ability, right?
That's true, but Ryu Ha-neul isn't the type who dribbles from long distances.
……Again, Rachel saves the shot! That's the 7th save of the day. Now it's Korea's corner kick. ... It came out! Ryu Ha-neul! Ryu Ha-neul! Ryu Ha-neul! SHUUUUT! GOOOOOAL!!!! Ryu Ha-neul scores a goal for Korea by beating three players in a narrow area! Ryu Ha-neul! What a wonderful play!
Wow! Ryu Ha-neul! Truly amazing!
78th minute of the second half! Korea takes the lead with the first goal!
The match ends! Korea wins 1:0! Ryu Ha-neul's wonderful goal becomes the winning goal.
Good. Australia was probably the biggest threat in the Asian Cup, and showing this form against them is quite encouraging.
Meanwhile, Korea takes the 1:0 victory thanks to Ryu Ha-neul's goal...
……Again, SHUUUUT! It misses! Kim Seul-gi shows her disappointment. Ah, here Diemoney is preparing a substitution. She replaces Yoon Seo-hee with Kang Yu-ri?
Kang Yu-ri is a player who has been performing well on loan at Deportivo, with 2 goals and 2 assists in 7 games. She has strong speed and two-footed shooting in La Liga's top tier.
Also, fans know she has excellent chemistry with Ryu Ha-neul. What will she show... Kang Yu-ri comes on in the 67th minute of the second half. This is her debut for the national team.
'Huu...'
When I saw Yu-ri come on, I finally felt a bit of relief. Actually, Senior Seo-hee was quite good at build-up, but she lacked mobility for delivering a decisive blow.
But Yu-ri was a natural killer in those areas. Her shooting and speed...
However, after the Australia evaluation match, the variable was that fans on her mother's stargram, Kang Yeon-hee, commented thoughtlessly and got trolled.
"Yu-ri, it's okay, right?"
"Huh? What?"
"No, you..."
"Ha-neul."
"Eh?"
"We're professionals."
But Yu-ri answered my question with a bright face, unlike my worries.
Ku, hearing those words from Yu-ri... It seemed the pro consciousness I had been instilling had worked.
"Yeah, let's try."
"Let's go, Ha-neul."
When I first met Yu-ri on a variety show, I never imagined we could play together on the national team like this. It makes my heart swell.
'Then, I'll send as much ball as possible to Yu-ri's side...'
Currently, Uzbekistan is pressing forward maximally and pushing us back.
Kim Seul-gi should have tried harder, but since she's been playing every game in the EPL, her form in this A-match wasn't great. Jo Seo-won, coming out as right winger, was more of a playmaker focused on passing rather than a counter-attacking striker, so I quickly set the attack direction toward Yu-ri.
"Ha-neul!"
And as usual, Han Ye-jin passes to me near the center line. Currently behind me are two players.
I receive Han Ye-jin's ball and control it with my sole, piercing through the gap between the two and hitting the open ground.
Now in front of me are the backline and three strikers.
Since the distance to the goal wasn't too far, here...
Thud!
I didn't have time to think, and my body instinctively sent the ball to the position Yu-ri likes best. We hadn't exchanged any signals, but Yu-ri jumped into the position I was sending the ball without hesitation, breaking the offside line perfectly.
"Yu-ri! Run!"
With her body perfected, Yu-ri, who can be said to have the highest La Liga speed, sprinted toward the ball like an athlete.
Now in front of Yu-ri is one goalkeeper.
But what sets Yu-ri apart from an athlete,
whoosh—!
is her incredible kick power.
The Uzbekistan goal net shakes.
"Waaaaaaaah!!!!"
"Kang Yu-ri! Kang Yu-ri! Kang Yu-ri!"
And in response, the stadium fills with Yu-ri's name calls.
'Yeah, against Asian kids, I have to do this much. That's how Yu-ri is.'
"Ha-neul!"
Yu-ri, who scored her debut goal in her debut match, came running to me using her speed, and I hugged her tightly.
"You got better after the loan?"
"I have to get better to play together at the club, right?"
"Good, I'll push the ball once today. Let's get the scouts' attention."
"Okay."
Even if it wasn't for that, I had planned to push it to Yu-ri. Our back was pressed, so the opponent's gaps were wide, and when facing such wide gaps, an attacker with Yu-ri's speed was essential.
'...Did Diemoney think this far? Since Diemoney knows Yu-ri, she could definitely do that...?'
If Diemoney calculated this far and drew up the tactics, maybe it was time to acknowledge her?
'We'll think about that later and focus on the match.'
That's how the match progressed, and I kept creating opportunities for Yu-ri to run into wide spaces. As a result, when the match ended, the score was 3:0. Yu-ri came on around the 70th minute and scored 2 goals and 1 assist in about 20 minutes, putting on a perfect debut.
"Wow, no wonder Yu-ri plays in La Liga."
"She really is good, you know? She's been taken care of at Barcelona too."
"Charie, don't you have no pride if you get pushed by a junior?"
"Hey, if you play well like Yu-ri, you should get pushed. Yu-ri, when you go to a big club later, thank this unnie in an interview, okay?"
"Of course."
'Well, this much and Yu-ri won't fall from the national team.'
After finishing Yu-ri's debut, on the way back to Spain. Since I had to check my friend's debut reactions, I turned on the internet,
...The Korean public opinion was filled with praise for Diemoney rather than stories about Yu-ri.
And,
With my Asian Cup participation confirmed, Diemoney's public opinion was soaring through the skies.
Enough to earn the nickname Diemoney.
'Wow, I really don't know anymore. Yeah, damn, it's just that the player management isn't working, this much means the person has ability. Ah, I don't know.'
I tucked my confused thoughts into a corner of my mind, turned off my phone, and put on my blindfold.