Chapter 176
Chapter 176
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 176
Chapter Title: Munich in the South, Berlin in the North - 3
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***
“Wow! These two teams have been trading blows right from the early kickoff!”
“Yes, judging by the flow of the game so far, it looks like we’re heading for a real slugfest!”
The match between Union Berlin and Bayern Munich continued to unfold with fierce intensity.
The ball shuttled relentlessly between the two teams’ territories.
Bayern Munich and Union Berlin showed no signs of letting up, pressing forward aggressively without pause.
The three prodigies Germany had produced.
Following the exploits of Park Chan-hyuk, Thomas Tuchel, and Jürgen Klopp, Gegenpressing had now become the signature tactic of the Bundesliga.
In any case, Bayern Munich was another club that Thomas Tuchel had passed through. Louis van Gaal, the manager, had embraced the legacy of Gegenpressing that Tuchel had employed.
Though midway through, someone else had unleashed a “Cultural Revolution” that smashed it to pieces.
The knowledge implanted in the players still remained, however.
Van Gaal had reconstructed the tactic using the players’ ingrained knowledge and match analysis footage.
He added his own touches, creating the current Bayern Munich style.
It took the players a bit of time to adapt at first.
But once they did, starting from the second half of the season, Bayern Munich began racking up overwhelming win rates.
“Mario Gomez! Shoot just like that!”
Bayern Munich’s attack developed once more.
Gomez’s deflected shot flew straight at the keeper, but Manuel Schmidt stably gathered it in.
Manuel Schmidt’s shot-stopping had now reached the highest level.
He still lacked a bit in experience here and there, but the clumsiness was gone. After all, Manuel Schmidt was entering his third year as a pro.
“Union Berlin’s forwards are pushing up quickly.”
With Manuel Schmidt’s save, Union Berlin’s counterattack swiftly unfolded.
“Manuel Schmidt to Thiago Silva!”
Having invested everything in shot-stopping, his footwork skills were lacking, so Manuel Schmidt passed it to the nearby Thiago Silva.
“Send it to Bale!”
Thiago Silva connected the ball to Virgil van Dijk amid the pressure on him. He pointed toward the runner up front and issued instructions.
“Virgil van Dijk’s long pass! Connected to Gareth Bale!”
Virgil van Dijk’s long pass flew at high speed and connected precisely to Bale.
“Gareth Bale breaks through! And crosses!”
Rather than entering the penalty box after breaking down Bayern Munich’s flank, Bale whipped in a cross immediately. Munich’s defense was rushing back.
As Robert Lewandowski drew the Munich defenders’ eyes.
Yannick Foit quietly infiltrated the penalty box.
Bale’s cross floated behind Lewandowski.
“Yannick Foit—!!”
Yannick Foit launched himself at the cross.
He barely managed to get his foot to the ball.
The crowd unconsciously clenched their fists and rose to their feet.
They sensed Union Berlin’s goal.
Swish—!
“Aaah…!”
But Foit’s shot agonizingly struck the side netting of Bayern Munich’s goal.
“Ah—! So close! Side netting!”
The broadcast team let out a regretful sigh.
Union Berlin fans felt much the same.
The cameras caught Union Berlin fans clutching their heads in disappointment.
Union Berlin’s chants rang out grandly across the stadium once more.
“Eisen!!! Union!!!”
And so, Iron and Blood Stadium began to heat up.
“Ah! The red flares are blooming at Union Berlin’s stadium!!”
Literally, in the physical sense.
***
[(LIVE) Union Berlin 1 : 1 Bayern Munich.]
└ Ugh, how does that not go in?
└ Wow. Legitimately so close.
└ Huh? What are they blocking for!
- Franck Ribéry shot, Manuel Schmidt save.
└ Phew;;; Why the hell does Dante suddenly defend without a brain?
└ He has those moments sometimes;; But when he’s on, he’s insanely good.
└ Damn, how many shots on target just in the first half.
└ Argh, that crazy bastard blocks everything.
└ What? There are Munich fans here too?
└ Of course there are;; Munich’s a big club.
└ Flares! Flares! Flares!
└ ??? Why’d the screen suddenly go all hazy?
└ They set off the flares, right?
- Match suspended due to flares.
└ Lmao they really did.
└ Discipline League ON lolololol
└ Wait, wasn’t Union Berlin the Bundesliga team that sets off flares the least in Germany?
└ Fact: Union Berlin’s a Bundesliga team too. No Bundesliga team avoids flares.
└ Honestly, for a derby, no flares would’ve been disappointing, right?
└ Yeah lol
└ Hilarious, even Bayern Munich fans nodding in satisfaction at the flares.
└ A derby without flares? That’s just mocking the opponents lol
└ Fr lol It means we’re not even derby-level with you guys. A proper derby needs at least one flare suspension.
└ But Union Berlin barely did flares until last year?
└ They couldn’t afford it back then ㅠㅠ Now the club’s got money, so they just let ‘em rip.
└ ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Union Berlin’s growth is visible and it makes me happy.
***
Meanwhile, at that time.
Leon Han, whom Park Chan-hyuk had praised as Union Berlin’s future, was watching the match live at Iron and Blood.
Once the flare smoke cleared somewhat from the stadium, play resumed. Thanks to Park Chan-hyuk’s insistence on Bundesliga standards, Union Berlin’s home ground was designed with excellent ventilation, allowing the flare smoke to dissipate quickly.
“Go on! Union!!”
In any case.
Buoyed by the flare “buff,” Union Berlin’s players surged with momentum, hammering Bayern Munich relentlessly.
The crowd’s roars echoed.
Thump!
Leon Han’s heart began pounding rapidly in sync with the fans’ cheers.
And shortly after.
The referee’s whistle signaled the end of the first half.
Union Berlin, who had dominated possession, battered Munich mercilessly. Regrettably, they couldn’t shake Bayern Munich’s net again.
‘Someday, I want to be down there receiving the crowd’s cheers.’
Leon Han’s hands, unbeknownst to him, were slick with sweat as he watched.
He felt a strong urge to rush onto the pitch right now and play.
‘But… will I even get to debut?’
Leon Han was one of the top prospects in Union Berlin’s youth setup.
In fact, he was highly touted not just at Union Berlin but across German soccer, even recently called up to the Germany youth national team. After Park Chan-hyuk gained fame for developing players, prospects from around the world flocked to Germany.
Yet amid such acclaim, Leon Han harbored impatience and anxiety.
Because only a handful among the talented prospects actually debuted in the pros.
And among those few debutants, only one or two settled into the first team.
‘Never thought a lower-league club would grow this fast….’
And as much as Leon Han had grown, Union Berlin had changed even more.
Their rate of transformation outpaced his own.
Not content with annual promotions, they now stood on the cusp of Champions League glory.
It was only natural for Leon Han to worry that he might lose his place at Union Berlin.
For reference, Leon Han wasn’t fretting over his future livelihood.
He could debut elsewhere if needed.
But playing for Union Berlin had become his dream.
Leon Han blankly stared at Park Chan-hyuk issuing instructions from the touchline.
‘Come to think of it, if I hadn’t met the manager back then, I would’ve quit soccer, right?’
As Leon Han drifted into past memories.
“What’s with that serious face?”
Jo Ji-won, back from the bathroom during halftime, spoke up. Her German was a bit awkward but now fairly fluent.
The two began chatting, and before long, halftime ended and the second half kicked off.
The second half remained under Union Berlin’s control.
Then, at the 22nd minute.
From a corner kick, Virgil van Dijk headed into Bayern Munich’s net.
“Jaaaaaaaaa!”
Cheers erupted across the stadium.
Meanwhile, Virgil van Dijk sprinted full-tilt toward the corner flag right after scoring.
“Whoooaaa—!”
But just as he was about to celebrate.
Park Chan-hyuk’s voice rang out from the opposite side.
Park Chan-hyuk had gotten his revenge on van Gaal.
“I wanna do a double celebration with the manager next time I score.”
Leon Han, watching it all, said enviously.
“…That’s not a double celebration, it’s just him flailing to keep it from being stolen, isn’t it?”
Jo Ji-won stated the fact with a dumbfounded look.
But it fell on deaf ears for Leon Han, already fully smitten.