19-20 Opening Match. (2)
Never mark Ryu Ha-neul 1:1.
This phrase emerged in just over a year after Ryu Ha-neul made his debut on the first team. In fact, this fact that all those involved in the football world know isn't absolute truth.
After all, Real Madrid, Barcelona's biggest rival, had matched Clemence against Ryu Ha-neul in a 1:1 matchup a few times and enjoyed success with it. Moreover, there were teams that managed to mark Ryu Ha-neul 1:1 on days when he seemed to be in poor condition (mostly due to physical issues from brutal schedules like national team games or three-day breaks), though not always.
But no team could possess a player like Clemence, who is praised as the world's most physically superior and the pinnacle of hexagonal midfielders, a Ballon d'Or winner. And Ryu Ha-neul didn't always suffer from physical burdens.
So, when La Liga clubs faced Ryu Ha-neul, they typically used one player to block his advance and then double-teamed him.
Ryu Ha-neul was a player with football intelligence enough to step onto the men's first team. He knew well that passing was more successful than trying to dribble past two opponents. So, in most cases, if one player blocked his path and another came to mark, Ryu Ha-neul would pass to the open space.
...In most cases.
Miate, Bilbao's defensive midfielder, blocked Ryu Ha-neul's path, thinking of that most cases scenario. He prayed for a teammate to press Ryu Ha-neul together.
But at that moment, Ryu Ha-neul's leg moved.
'Don't get fooled!'
What made Ryu Ha-neul the player closest to the world's best was that very trick. His passing, spatial awareness, and shot power weren't particularly strong, but his shooting ability allowed him to create accurate shots from any position. All his abilities were threatening, but especially in situations like this, that trick that could easily bypass one opponent was the most threatening.
That trick, which targeted the opponent's psychological blind spot while boasting perfection, made even the world's best defenders kneel before Ryu Ha-neul.
But even Ryu Ha-neul wasn't perfect. He could easily bypass one, but if he wasn't fast, a few seconds of running could catch up to him.
And if another player was running, it could slow Ryu Ha-neul's breakthrough even more, and no matter how good Ryu Ha-neul was, facing three players including the centerback waiting in front was difficult.
So, he aimed to be bypassed as late as possible.
The coach didn't expect him to mark Ryu Ha-neul, but Miate didn't feel his pride hurt. After all, it was Ryu Ha-neul.
Anyway, to be bypassed as late as possible against Ryu Ha-neul, the important thing was not to be fooled by that feint. If he reached out in desire, he would be bypassed by Ryu Ha-neul.
Perhaps, if he waited just a little longer, Ryu Ha-neul would send the ball to the empty space like before.
'Just time, as much time as possible...'
So, Miate pulled himself together.
But,
'...Isn't this ignoring me too much?'
The ball under Ryu Ha-neul's feet looked too tempting. Ryu Ha-neul, realizing he couldn't roll the ball with his sole, was turning his gaze around while stopping the ball to pass elsewhere.
As if he didn't exist.
'Shall I try?'
Miate was already near Ryu Ha-neul's teammate approaching. The greed began to rise.
The greed to snatch the ball from that Ryu Ha-neul.
At the moment the greed filled his mind, Miate's professional pride and his pride as a woman visited his mind simultaneously.
'If it's like this...!'
Miate eventually extended his leg under Ryu Ha-neul's feet. Like the first humans who took the forbidden fruit knowing it was dangerous, Miate lost to his greed.
But it was a snake-like trap laid by Ryu Ha-neul.
Even with his gaze turned, Ryu Ha-neul's foot moved.
Tap, tap.
Back and forth with the ball.
It was a light movement, but the result was never light. The ball passed between Miate's extended leg.
"No...!"
Even as his posture collapsed, Miate reached out with his arm to block Ryu Ha-neul somehow, but no matter how female, the arm extended in collapsed posture didn't have that much power. Ryu Ha-neul lightly brushed it away and ran forward.
And in such a situation, Miate overlooked one important fact.
That Bilbao was using a modified 3-back, different from usual, by deploying only one centerback.
If the centerback ran to catch Ryu Ha-neul, the striker Arnal would be missing. So, Bilbao's coach had begged for time, but everything fell apart due to one moment of greed.
Oiha, who was deployed as a defensive midfielder with Miate, ran to catch Ryu Ha-neul, but Arancha, Bilbao's central centerback, was already in a position where she had to choose between blocking Arnal and Ryu Ha-neul.
[Ryu Ha-neul! He breaks through by bypassing Miate! In front is centerback Arancha!]
In that situation, Arancha's choice was Ryu Ha-neul. If Arnal was lucky, she could trap him with the offside trap practiced throughout preseason, but Ryu Ha-neul would be in a 1:1 with the goalkeeper if left alone.
[Ah! Ryu Ha-neul player keeps running forward!]
Arancha realizes her choice was correct upon seeing Ryu Ha-neul running towards her. The reason Ryu Ha-neul didn't send the ball to the empty Arnal was simple.
Because he was caught in the offside trap.
And his body spins in front of her.
'So arrogant!'
Doing the Marseille Turn in front of her, can you ignore me like this? Arancha's body blocks Ryu Ha-neul's path. Now, the only thing left was to snatch his ball.
"...Eh?"
But Arancha, who blocked Ryu Ha-neul's path, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. The ball had already disappeared from under Ryu Ha-neul's feet.
Turning his head back, Arnal's 1:1 situation with the goalkeeper appears.
All was her illusion. In the moment she looked away, the ball vanished.
"W-w-when...?"
Arancha muttered that out, but Ryu Ha-neul ran forward without answering. Still, he grabbed the back of Ryu Ha-neul's jersey as he entered the penalty box, but it didn't change anything.
After all, the ball had already left Ryu Ha-neul's foot.
*
Anyway, the Bilbao guys didn't know an important fact at all.
The important fact that the biggest reason we can use the modified 3-back is overwhelming possession rate.
After all, the modified 3-back we use is a tactic that has to have a question mark on defense. Especially, it's a tactic that puts more effort into attack by using Lucia (though retired) or Camila in the defensive midfielder position.
And the reason we could do that was because of the overwhelming possession rate. After all, since we wouldn't be attacked, did we not need to worry much about defense?
Of course, we weren't not defending, but in possession situations, almost all players except me had to defend. Usually, we left a player for counterattack, but since we had confidence that we could score enough with possession without needing to counter, it was a possible tactic.
And we could recover stamina enough in possession.
Anyway, in defense situations, players moved as one body and we rarely created defense situations, so our modified 3-back was rolling along, but Bilbao didn't know that fact at all.
'Well, we were good.'
Piercing a hole in the opponent's tactic meant a big chance for victory.
Instantly, Yelena and Lorenza, Camila formed the first line, Anila and Tiana Narcis formed the back line, blocking Bilbao's possession from kickoff. And on the sides, Albaria and Eloya marked the wingers.
Since they didn't have as precise passing ability as us, Bilbao, pushed back in the midfield battle, had no choice but to choose cross, and Maximilena caught the cross and our attack continued.
After that, we circulated the ball as usual, recovering some stamina, and when we felt stamina recovered enough, we were passing in the opponent's attacking field.
Our winning formula that took the European title last year?
And the player who decorated the end of this formula this time was me.
After receiving the one-two from Eloya, I wrapped the ball towards the left goalpost, the Bilbao goalkeeper who was blocking the near post dived, but I couldn't stop my shot flying precisely towards the upper left of the goalpost half a beat faster.
This made it 2:0. It happened in just 20 minutes of the first half.
After that, as usual, we slowly devoured the opponent as stably as possible, and when we added one more goal in the second half, after about 40 minutes, the score became 3:0.
Beep!
And taking the gap when the match was briefly stopped, Albaria was substituted for Lucia. Although the position didn't match, the reason for substituting Albaria was simple. The captain armband.
“Lucia. Thank you for your hard work.”
“Yeah, you work harder.”
After the two players received words of encouragement, the captain armband for the end of his playing career was placed on Lucia's forearm.
Clap clap clap!
Lucia! Lucia! Lucia!
-Lucia! Lucia! Lucia!
As soon as Lucia entered the field, nearly 10,000 fans gathered in Camp Nou stood up in unison to cheer for the great captain who led Barcelona's golden age, chanting Lucia's name.
Beep-ik! Beep-ik! Beep-ik!
-Lucia! Lucia! Lucia!
And that name call continued without diminishing even once until the end of the game.
“Thank you for your hard work!”
“Lucia! You worked hard! Is there only the retirement ceremony left? Haha?”
After receiving encouragement from the players, and Lucia hugged each of those players one by one, commemorating her last match as a player, my turn came.
“Lucia, thank you for your hard work.”
“Thanks to you, I can retire with peace of mind. Actually, I was thinking of adding 3-4 more years.”
“Hey, last season's end, it didn't seem like that level of skill. Barcelona isn't a team aiming for Europa.”
“Haha, if Sir Ryu says so, then it is.”
“Hey, don't take the joke that seriously?”
“Well, since it's my last one, maybe it was emotional. Anyway, please take care of Barcelona from now on. Ha-neul.”
“Don't worry. I'll lead the team well.”
After the match, even though my jersey was soaked in sweat, Lucia hugged my body tightly without caring.
And the cheer that had been ringing since Lucia appeared on the field grew even louder.
Embarrassingly, that cheer was so loud that it was a level I, who had been a player in my previous life, had never heard even once.
-Lucia! Lucia! Lucia!
The fans' voices towards the legend who devoted 17 years to a single team and showed top-level performance were a voice so loud that it was something a player like me who moved between teams couldn't receive.
It was not a cheer due to temporary performance, but a cheer towards the team's legend who grew up with them since childhood.
After finishing the hugs with the players and coaching staff, Lucia looked around the stands before starting the retirement ceremony.
And I prayed, looking at Lucia's expression with slightly teary eyes.
'Someday, I'll receive such cheers...'
Instead of my unknown last day ending like a fool with a sex party and helicopter crash, like this Lucia receiving everyone's blessing.