Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: vs VfL Osnabrück
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[2006/2007 season Regionalliga Nord match between Union Berlin and VfL Osnabrück.]
With the referee's whistle, the match between Union Berlin and VfL Osnabrück kicked off.
VfL Osnabrück, currently sitting in 4th place in the league, desperately needed a win. To promote to 2. Bundesliga next season, they had no choice but to beat Union Berlin and leapfrog into 2nd place.
Lower league teams always crave promotion, no matter the club.
Fans hope to see their team playing in the top flight.
Of course, once they reach the top division, an influx of new fans makes ticket reservations fiercely competitive and prices inevitably rise.
But it was only natural for fans to want their beloved team to become more famous in the world.
To fans, the club they support was the past filled with memories of their father, and the future they'd cheer alongside their own son someday.
“Auf geht's!! (Let's go!)”
Anyway, at this time in Germany, there were no playoffs, so the only way to promote was to rack up points.
That was why Bundesliga teams fought so desperately in league matches.
[Osnabrück comes out with intense high pressing right from kickoff.]
VfL Osnabrück, eager for promotion to the second division, went aggressive from the start. After seeing teams drop deep against Union Berlin and get pummeled, they decided to match fire with fire.
[Meanwhile, Union Berlin unexpectedly deploys a counterattacking strategy.]
But Union Berlin defied VfL Osnabrück's expectations and rolled out a defend-deep-then-counter tactic.
“These guys are playing like absolute shit. Fucking bastards.”
The VfL Osnabrück manager, unable to contain his rage, let loose—and the broadcast camera caught every word.
[Oh, the local broadcast camera has caught the Osnabrück manager's reaction.]
└ LMAOOOO he's cursing ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ ? You speak German?
└ Come on, anyone can tell that's swearing ㅋㅋ
***
I watched the VfL Osnabrück players unleash intense high pressing from kickoff, lost in thought.
It looked like they were copying us, but their tactic hadn't been fully dissected yet—its execution felt a bit sloppy.
Union Berlin's starting midfielder Marcus Matischek breezed past the Osnabrück players' clumsy pressure.
The moment Marcus Matischek shook off the press, Osnabrück's backline opened up wide, and Yannik Feith sliced sharply into the gap behind the crumbling defense.
Yannik Feith's shot didn't find the net, but it was enough to send shivers down the VfL Osnabrück players' spines.
‘Is it because our schedule's light? They definitely look sharp.’
I nodded as I observed the players' light movements.
Unlike VfL Osnabrück, who had juggled a DFB-Pokal schedule, Union Berlin could focus solely on the league. Playing just once a week felt leisurely, helping with conditioning and stamina management.
And this relaxed schedule was showing in Union Berlin's performance.
Well, that didn't mean the players were free of fatigue issues.
Union Berlin's squad skewed young overall, but they weren't without veterans like Daniel Teixeira.
At 38 years old, Daniel Teixeira was hitting his physical limits, forcing Union Berlin to dust off a 4-4-2 formation for the first time in ages and revert to defend-deep-then-counter tactics.
The VfL Osnabrück manager clearly hadn't anticipated it—panic was written all over his face.
‘Well, it's only natural for their manager to be rattled.’
We hadn't expected Daniel Teixeira to hit the wall right before this match either.
‘Looks like we'll need to sign a striker in the winter window.’
But the problem was the club's empty coffers.
Unfortunately, winter transfer windows turned player prices to gold. Teams desperate to avoid relegation or secure promotion often overpaid to patch immediate holes.
Naturally, that wasn't great for club finances.
And if overpaying still didn't stave off relegation, the club's future could darken overnight.
It was a gamble that could sell the future for the present, yet plenty of teams shelled out big for instant results.
After all, survive in the top flight, and you could recoup the overpay in no time.
As the old German saying goes, ‘Borrow big, pay it back later.’
‘Well, it's not just Germany—other leagues are similar.’
Especially the Premier League, flush with astronomical broadcast money, took it to extremes.
Anyway, Union Berlin had to tread carefully. They were topping the third division and drawing eyes with standout players.
Yannik Feith, in particular, was on the radar of bottom-table top-flight teams, demanding extra caution.
Yannik Feith was the alpha and omega of Union Berlin's attack—no exaggeration.
Who could've dreamed that an unknown two years ago would blow up like this? And my own stock as his discoverer, Park Chan-hyuk, had soared right alongside.
‘I'd love for him to stick around Union Berlin.’
But I didn't think Yannik Feith would play out his career here.
Sure, last season he'd turned down second-division offers to show loyalty, but you couldn't bank on a player's goodwill forever.
Loyalty demands rewards, and in modern football, that meant a fat salary.
Union Berlin couldn't offer one.
So we'd decided in our hearts to let Yannik Feith go whenever he wanted a move.
It was payback for his two years of dedication.
Of course, we'd demand a hefty transfer fee from his suitors.
Separate from gratitude, it was the club's right.
Anyway.
“Argh, how does that not go in!”
After Yannik Feith's dangerous shot, VfL Osnabrück started getting physical—the most effective, easiest response.
Weaker players might shrink from rough play.
But Yannik Feith, hardened in a car factory, had grit to spare.
The more hits he took from defenders, the fiercer he charged.
***
The Union Berlin vs. VfL Osnabrück match was Yannik Feith's one-man show.
VfL Osnabrück's defenders couldn't contain him, a step up from last season in his stats.
He got underrated due to middling on-ball ability.
But thanks to post-match feedback sessions with Assistant Coach Park Chan-hyuk, his off-ball movement had reached elite levels.
‘Lurk out of the defender's sightline, nice and slow... now!’
Stalking his prey like a goal-hungry predator, Yannik Feith waited for the defender to relax, then spun to the blind side.
No longer instinct alone—every step was calculated.
- Yannik! Don't just run blindly—read the space!
Before meeting Park Chan-hyuk, Yannik Feith never knew football could be this intricate.
‘Damn Korean who's only lived in Korea and Germany—why's he using Spanish terms? I don't get it.’
A guy who'd dodged books in school couldn't help grumbling.
But he pushed to keep up.
When it came to football, Park Chan-hyuk didn't take ‘Professor, you're going too fast’ for an answer.
Yannik Feith's thick skull throbbed from daily study, but it felt good.
Each day brimmed with purpose and growth.
“Block him!”
The Osnabrück defender spotted his late run and screamed.
‘Too late, idiot.’
He smirked and burst into the box.
[Yannik Feith exploiting the space behind! Great movement! One-on-one with the keeper!]
Yannik Feith locked eyes with the keeper's grim face.
‘No ground shot—smash it.’
One-on-ones with keepers were his favorite.
Spotting the keeper's position, Yannik Feith calmly swung his right foot toward the near post.
Splash—!
The ball nailed the bottom right corner.
“Jaaaaaaaaa!”
The crowd's roar filled the stadium.
[Goooooaaaallll—! Yannik Feith turns wolf and sinks his teeth into Osnabrück! A killer blow from Yannik Feith! Oh no, this puts Osnabrück in real trouble!]
Fresh off the goal, Yannik Feith thought of Leon Han from the pre-match greetings and sprinted to the boy.
He reached the stands where the kid sat and thrust out his fist.
No deep meaning.
Just a message: Don't give up your dreams for dumb reasons like I almost did.
‘Chan-hyuk vouched for the kid's talent, so maybe we'll play together at Union Berlin someday.’
If Park Chan-hyuk had unearthed a nobody like him, Yannik trusted his eye for players completely.
Yannik Feith grinned and bumped fists lightly with the hesitant Leon.
“Kid, let's lift a trophy together at Union Berlin someday.”
It was the moment a car factory worker became someone's idol.