A Harsh Lesson from Salah
Grinding his teeth, Ha Sunmoon stayed on his knees as he watched the ball hit the back of the net.
“Ah… I’m sorry, Sunmoon!”
“Huu…”
The goal had come from his mistake. He had rarely felt this helpless since his hungry childhood days, so Clive Harrison rushed straight to his side. The Liverpool players were busy celebrating, but Harrison couldn’t bear to look at them. After all, he knew he bore part of the blame for distracting Sunmoon at that critical moment.
“Huu…”
“It’s all right.”
“You’ll get the next one.”
Ake and Ederson offered words of comfort. Fernandinho, who had jogged over, helped Sunmoon back to his feet.
“Huu…”
“Hey. It’s okay. Get your head up. Things like this can happen to anyone.”
When Sunmoon still seemed dazed, Fernandinho gave him a couple of encouraging pats on the back.
“This score is still completely reversible. The start went wrong, but now you’ve felt the opponent’s level for yourself. You won’t make the same mistake again, right? So shake it off and prepare for what’s next. We’ve still got ninety minutes left. Understand?”
Fernandinho’s quick reminder seemed to reset him. Sunmoon nodded.
Damn it…
Pep Guardiola was furious when he saw Sunmoon lose Salah, but he couldn’t show it. Sunmoon was still a young player who already looked mentally shaken. Pressuring him further now might cause him to collapse completely.
Better to leave it to Fernandinho for now. I can chew him out later.
The manager chose to focus on preventing any further disasters. The only fullback available for substitution was a youth-team player. Esbrand was far less capable than Sunmoon and would likely be torn apart by Salah even more.
Was my judgment wrong…? No… this was the best option. There’s nothing else we can do…
“Sunmoon. You okay?”
Ha Sunmoon walked slowly back to his position. This was the Manchester City home ground, yet the City fans were staring at him with icy eyes. The fact that Manchester City supporters were quieter than other passionate English fan groups was perhaps the only silver lining for him right now.
“Huu…”
Sunmoon let out a small sigh and replayed that moment in his mind. He had faced world-class players before, but never one truly in their prime. They had all been either past their peak or not yet reached it. Even the player called a god, Messi, had been past his prime and had been double-marked alongside a defensive midfielder. But right now, he had to stop Mohamed Salah completely on his own.
Sunmoon needed a more precise analysis.
What went wrong?
Whoosh.
Their top sprint speeds were similar, but Salah’s explosive first step had the edge. Sunmoon had been a fraction slower in acceleration.
So I lost the pure speed battle… Next time, I need to position myself more favorably from the start.
Peeeep!
The referee’s whistle blew again and the game resumed. Jesus played the ball backward immediately. Center-back Laporte received it and began the build-up from deep.
Laporte slowly carries the ball forward. Jota presses, so he passes to Cancelo. Cancelo advances like an inverted fullback and quickly finds Fernandinho, who has dropped into space.
Fernandinho immediately links with left-winger Foden. As a defensive midfielder who loves progressive passes, he skipped the midfield line the moment an opportunity appeared.
Sterling, playing on the left, tries a cut-back! But it doesn’t reach Foden, who has come inside as a false nine. Van Dijk cuts it out comfortably, and Liverpool launch another counter-attack.
Van Dijk plays it straight to Henderson! Henderson immediately pushes it into Salah’s path!
“Stay focused! Ball’s with Salah!”
Salah received the ball. This time Sunmoon was determined not to be beaten. Whoosh!
Now!
The moment Salah accelerated, Sunmoon matched him stride for stride.
Ha and Salah are battling for it!
Salah is a left-footed winger. I need to watch for him cutting inside.
The two men raced side by side. Sunmoon made sure not to yield the inside lane. Once Salah saw that the inside was blocked, he quickly took the ball outside instead.
Damn.
Salah immediately hugged the touchline, creating separation from Sunmoon, and managed to whip in a cross.
Thump!
Salah’s cross—!
But it came from his weaker right foot. The cross lacked its usual whip and floated awkwardly. It reached Thiago Alcântara, but because the ball was difficult to control, it ballooned into the air.
“Huk… huk…”
To Sunmoon, that single moment felt like an eternity. Only after confirming the ball had sailed harmlessly high did he finally exhale.
Hmm…
He began analyzing the situation again.
He’s fast. Even keeping up is hard. He reads me, makes instant decisions, and reacts. The moment I decide, he moves immediately. His game sense and decision-making are overwhelmingly better than mine.
Sunmoon glanced briefly at Harrison.
So was Harrison-hyung’s call the reason I lost the duel?
After the mistake, Harrison looked slightly surprised that Sunmoon wasn’t listening to him as closely.
No. That’s just an excuse. Can I really let a distraction like that shake me? In the end, I was the one who got shaken. I was the one who got beaten. I need to eliminate every variable. Because I’m the one who has to perform.
Sunmoon closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again.
Even without Harrison-hyung’s call, I probably would have lost. More than anything, my own shortcomings were the biggest factor.
He slowly returned to his position for the next build-up.
That settles it.
Once the thought crystallized, Sunmoon felt strangely calm again.
It’s clear. I’m not yet a match for Salah.
What cannot be done cannot be done. Sunmoon forced himself to accept the reality. With his current defensive skill set, stopping Salah was impossible.
Tactical change. Heavy pressing to force back passes. Let’s go with strong pressure so I can actually compete. Since I don’t lose the physical battles, I’ll do exactly what the manager suggested.
***
The time for a counter had come.
Salah! This time he doesn’t get past him. Ha presses aggressively before Salah can even receive the ball, making it difficult for Mohamed Salah to move forward freely.
“Yes! That’s it! Keep doing exactly that!”
When Sunmoon began following the instructions Pep Guardiola had given from the start, the manager shouted approval from the touchline.
Right. This is how it should be.
Sunmoon briefly wondered if he should have done this from the very beginning. The result probably would have been better. Still, feeling the gap so clearly this time might have been valuable in its own way.
Kicking the ball long to Salah was no longer easy. Although Salah managed to retain possession, the moment Sunmoon closed him down tightly, the only option left was a pass backward. Unless another attacker was near Salah during the counter, it was pointless—Jota was already marked by the center-backs, and playing the ball back killed the momentum of the transition.
Once Sunmoon abandoned his own attacking duties and focused entirely on controlling Salah, the threat on Liverpool’s left died. Their usual sharpness vanished as well. Manchester City possessed a powerful midfield. Gradually, the team began to regain control of the game.
Manchester City are completely pinning Liverpool back. They’ve pushed the entire line high, and Liverpool are being forced deeper and deeper into a deep block.
But… that also means they have more bodies in the center. Can we break through?
Manchester City created several chances during the first half. Yet the attackers either wasted them or, when they did test the goal, Alisson made every save. The wasted opportunities kept piling up.
Then, in the middle of the pressure, the chance finally arrived.
Manchester City are overloading Liverpool’s right side. Ha, Sterling, and Foden are exchanging quick passes to create an opening. Drawing the opponent’s attention to one side before striking the other—this was Manchester City’s signature tactic from the previous season.
And Sterling found the space.
Sterling delivers a cut-back. Kevin De Bruyne is completely free in front of goal!
Thump~!
The moment he saw the opening, Kevin De Bruyne struck a fierce long-range shot.
Deflects!
Goooaaal! The deflection was too much for Alisson. Manchester City equalize!
42nd minute of the first half. Kevin De Bruyne’s shot took a wicked deflection off Liverpool center-back Matip and flew into the net. Rather than preparing a celebration for a go-ahead goal, De Bruyne simply threw both arms wide in front of the home fans, releasing all the pent-up frustration in one clean, cathartic gesture.
Sunmoon sprinted toward the celebrating De Bruyne.
Huu. Thank god.
With Kevin De Bruyne’s equalizer, a measure of salvation had finally come for Ha Sunmoon.