Chapter 169
Chapter 169
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 169
Chapter Title: vs Barcelona -3
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***
Meanwhile, at that very moment.
Korean soccer fans watching the Champions League semifinal first leg were sent into absolute frenzy as Union Berlin started pushing Barcelona back.
- Holy shit holy shit holy shit
- Hong-min!
- Man, I was scared shitless when that first touch went wrong.
- Pfft, he narrowed the angle on purpose to make it a tough finish, that's all.
- But he scored anyway, right?
- As long as it went in... phew.
- Honestly, I think Kagawa's pass was off.
- Whoa... I tuned in to yell "good game" if we lost, but Union Berlin scores first?
- Manuel Schmidt <<< That guy's saves are keeping them alive. True?
- Yeah true
A lot of fans had watched Barcelona's recent games and figured Union Berlin didn't stand a chance.
"Wow, what a fantastic pass followed by an even better finish!"
"That's right. That's Son Heung-min for you!"
"Son Heung-min, whose strengths were highlighted by Manager Park Chan-hyuk in that recent documentary, is putting them all on full display even in this match against Barcelona!"
The chat exploded with activity, and the broadcast team's energy skyrocketed right along with it.
"Barcelona had to take a bus for that long trip because of the volcanic eruption grounding flights, right? Seems like the distance is taking its toll—their players don't look at full fitness."
The commentators, who came off a bit too pro-Union Berlin, threw in a gentle cover for Barcelona.
"The game's getting fiercer by the minute."
Anyway, after Son Heung-min's goal, Barcelona and Union Berlin traded blows intensely.
Barcelona had traveled far, but they still had gas left in the tank.
Sure, their first touches and basic passes were sloppy, but it wasn't like Union Berlin was dominating one-sidedly.
"Barcelona's starting to work the ball out from the back."
"Yes. It's what they call 'build-up play.'"
Barcelona still held the reins on game control.
"And right as we speak, Xavi Hernández links up with Iniesta."
Xavi Hernández shook off pressure and sent a pass to Iniesta.
Iniesta drove forward with the ball before attempting a cross toward Zlatan in the penalty area.
"Iniesta with the cross!!"
Iniesta's cross sailed perfectly to Zlatan, who dropped it right in front of Xavi Hernández charging into the box.
"Great defending from Virgil van Dijk! He clears it away!"
But before Xavi could get a shot off,
Virgil van Dijk stepped in first and headed it clear.
"Oh! Van Dijk's clearance falls to Thomas Meyer, who feeds it to Gareth Bale!"
Cue Union Berlin's counter.
"Gareth Bale is flying! He's so fast!"
Gareth Bale reached Barcelona's penalty area in a flash.
He unleashed a low, driven shot on goal.
"Saved! Víctor Valdés with the save!"
But this time, Barcelona's keeper Víctor Valdés denied Gareth Bale.
"Vamos!"
Víctor Valdés roared after parrying Bale's shot.
Union Berlin and Barcelona swapped attacks once more after that.
Then, in the 33rd minute of the first half,
Lionel Messi picked up the ball again.
Messi dribbled centrally and unleashed a sudden shot.
It was all too familiar to Park Chan-hyuk, who was barking orders from the touchline—a classic Messi goal scene.
"Oh, no!!"
Park Chan-hyuk dropped to his knees without realizing it.
He could already picture Messi slamming the corner flag in celebration.
'I was saving that celebration for myself!'
But Messi's shot, perhaps swayed by Park Chan-hyuk's desperate plea, sailed just over the crossbar.
"Messi! Woooh! Messi's shot clips the bar and goes over!"
"Whoa! That was an incredibly dangerous strike!"
Park Chan-hyuk hopped right back up, of course.
"Oh, and speaking of which, there's Manager Park Chan-hyuk on camera? He dropped to his knees on Messi's shot, then popped right back up."
"What a superstar. They say half-jokingly these days that there's a dedicated camera just for filming him?"
"Yes. He's the kind of manager who provides pure entertainment just by existing."
***
I dropped to one knee then stood back up.
Kneeling like that was purely to build momentum—not because Messi's shot scared the hell out of me.
'No way, is this guy insane? Breaking through like that and still getting a shot off.'
Okay... fine, I was pretty shocked.
Prime Messi was on another level.
Not quite the soccer monk vibe from the Qatar World Cup,
but his youthful explosiveness and dribbling were a nightmare for Union Berlin.
'Seriously, should I switch it up once?'
As I mulled it over, Pedro Rodríguez fired another shot at goal. It grazed wide and cleared the bar just barely.
'I get Messi, but this guy's form is unreal after that bus ride?'
I couldn't wrap my head around Pedro looking so sharp.
'No way he flew solo?'
***
[(Live) Union Berlin 1 : 0 Barcelona.]
- Barcelona really take the bus? Game's intense as hell;;
- Fr, they bused 1500km? How are they even playing like this?
- 1500? Busing from Seoul to Busan wrecked my fitness lol insane
- Barcelona's full of madmen, confirmed.
- Damn, if Barca was at full strength, would the game even be playable?
- Park the bus and hang on.
- Just like life—the ones who endure to the end win.
- Life lesson dropped ㄷㄷ
- Wtf, Zlatan just shoved Thiago Silva, no foul?
- Honestly, that's normal play... call that and the game's unplayable.
***
"Sign autographs later. Get lost."
Zlatan Ibrahimović irritably shoved Thiago Silva away with both hands. Thiago had been hounding him relentlessly since the first half.
'Game's not going his way, so he's on edge.'
But Thiago Silva brushed off the shove and resumed marking.
"Want me to tell you why I'm playing for a powerhouse like Barcelona at my age while you're still stuck at Union Berlin?"
Zlatan trash-talked the club, and it stung Thiago Silva for a second, but he regained his cool.
'He's provoking on purpose. Don't bite. Union Berlin's no team to dismiss. Falling for it just validates him.'
Thiago Silva believed his team more than held its own against Barcelona.
Union Berlin had a slightly crazy but approachable manager, teammates who competed fiercely for spots but genuinely celebrated each other's success instead of forming cliques, and above all, fans who always brought the passion from the stands.
Sure, as a rising club, they had their flaws.
'The biggest one is probably...'
History?
But they could write their own.
Barcelona wasn't born a giant.
History made it the dream club for players.
'Makes it way cooler to build the history myself.'
And Thiago Silva loved getting tactical instructions from Park Chan-hyuk.
The manager's ahead-of-its-time tactics offered plenty to learn.
Plus, they were close in age—Thiago was just three years older—which made asking questions easy.
Some players got weird about a young manager, but not Thiago.
Anyway, post-training, he'd seek out Park Chan-hyuk to pick his brain.
They weren't just manager and player—more like teacher and student.
"Dante! Shut down number 8!"
Thiago Silva promptly relayed instructions to Dante, drawing from what he'd learned from Park Chan-hyuk.
Union Berlin repelled Barcelona's attack once more.
The Champions League semifinal first leg between Union Berlin and Barcelona ended the first half with Union Berlin leading 1-0.
"Eisen Union!!"
Union Berlin fans applauded the players heading to the locker room, cheering names and nicknames.
"Eisen Monster! Fußballgott!!"
They roared at Thiago Silva, whose kit was caked in dirt and grass.
Thiago cracked a small smile. He liked his nickname.