My Girlfriend Wants Victory

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The day before the match between England and Japan.

The players, granted leave by Coach Southgate, moved to a hotel near Nizhny Novgorod Stadium to spend time with their families.

I was no exception.

If it had been my last holiday, I would have just had a quick phone chat with my family and rested at the hotel, but this time was different.

Gyeouri really flew to Russia, just as she declared.

“Daddy—!”

As soon as I entered the hotel lobby where my family was staying, the kids ran towards me.

“Daddy!!”

“Move aside, sister! I want to hug Daddy too!”

My daughter Haeun, who just started kindergarten, was the first to jump into my arms, while my second child Haseong, who arrived a bit late, began to tear up when he couldn’t find his spot.

Seeing Haseong’s reaction, I smiled and shifted Haeun a bit to make space for Haseong. Haeun pouted her lips, but being the big sister, she quietly widened Haseong’s space.

“Son Jinho! The missus is here!”

“Oh my, Jinho, you look like a ghost.”

“Jinho, you must have worked hard.”

Following the kids, Gyeouri, my mother-in-law, and father-in-law approached to greet me, and the familiar scene unfolded.

“By the way, did you see any players worth taking for the World Cup? Chelsea could use some fresh talent.”

“Yeah, but the transfer window win goes to Manchester United~”

Seeing Gyeouri’s spirit lift with the current peak of Manchester United, I couldn’t help but tease her.

“Will we score zero this season?”

“…Son Jinho, you must respect me, a lifelong Manchester United fan!”

Seeing Gyeouri’s flustered reaction, I burst out laughing.

*

The next day, with the support of my family, I felt at peace.

The match between the host country Russia and Denmark was taking place.

Since the result of the Russia-Denmark match would decide England’s quarterfinal opponent, it was an important game for England, but the players didn’t seem too concerned.

That was because we had to prepare for the Round of 16 match against Japan in just four hours.

“Jinho, who do you hope makes it through?”

“Anyone’s fine. We’ve already proved we’re the best European team by winning the Euros.”

“That’s true.”

It was also a sign of confidence that no matter who won, England could claim victory.

Anyway, the players prepared for the Round of 16 match against Japan in their unique ways and routines.

Maybe sweating against Panama had paid off; despite facing Japan, regarded as a minor footballing nation, the England players stayed serious and went through their routines.

Some wore their underwear inside out, others did handstands and jogged around the locker room; it was a mix of all sorts of bizarre rituals.

‘Seriously, can’t they keep their routines a bit more ordinary?’

Watching all the unusual routines unfold, I let out a light sigh and casually opened YouTube to play my watchlist.

Suddenly, a heart-thumping sound resonated from my smartphone.

– “December 7, a day that will be remembered for its shame, we faced a direct and sudden attack from Japan.”

Roosevelt’s speech was perfect as a routine to counter the Axis powers that had shaken global peace.

“Hey, what are you watching?”

“Looks like some sort of speech.”

“Isn’t that Roosevelt’s Pearl Harbor speech?”

“I think it’s even scarier that you know what speech it is.”

In an instant, my teammates’ attention zeroed in on the motivational video tailored for the upcoming match against Japan.

Successfully motivating them, I quietly listened as everyone tuned in to the loudspeaker.

– “At this moment, following Japan’s vicious and unjust attack, I request that Congress formally declare that we are in a state of war with Japan.”

As Roosevelt’s final words rang out, a thunderous standing ovation erupted from both the Senate and House, and I too jumped up from my seat, clapping.

“Everyone, stand up!”

The Manchester United players, meeting my eyes, began to rise and applaud.

“…Why do we have to stand?”

“When the one who pays your wages tells you to stand, you stand.”

Confused expressions appeared on Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford’s faces, but as the United players stood up, the England national team members had no choice but to follow suit.

“Why are we…?”

“We never know when we’ll be called up to Manchester United.”

“I’m from Liverpool!”

“Henderson, you never know when you’ll be ‘OOOEN’ either.”

“You bastard…”

As we were uniting to punish Japan.

“Oh? What’s this? Russia made it through.”

The match between host country Russia and Denmark had concluded, with Russia overcoming Denmark with a score of 2-1, securing their place in the quarterfinals.

Then, time flowed quickly again.

As the time drew closer to the game against Japan, a message from Gyeouri came in.

– Gyeouri: (A picture of the stadium where England and Japan’s match is taking place.jpg)

– Gyeouri: (Japanese fans holding the Rising Sun flag .jpg)

– Gyeouri: Son Jinho! Tear Japan apart!!

The moment I saw Gyeouri’s message, the anger of the Anglo-Saxons, who had suffered at Pearl Harbor, started to awaken within me.

Today, I will become a living arsenal of democracy and tear apart the Japanese Empire.

*

[Russia World Cup Round of 16 Match 4 England vs Japan Lineup Announced. Son Jinho Starting.]

└ Oh, it’s a confirmed loss for Japan, lol.

└ And it’s Son Jinho who’s rested for three rounds, lol. Japan is practically dead meat.

└ Japan beating England? I’d immediately do a grand bow in Gwanghwamun.

└ Breaking News: A few spectators brought Rising Sun flags?

└ Are they out of their minds?

*

Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Russia.

This venue, with a seating capacity of about 45,000, was set to host the match between England and Japan.

From early in the morning, the stadium was filled with British and Japanese spectators, along with a small number of Korean fans.

‘There’s a lot of Russian being spoken; I wonder if there are any Koreans here?’

As the kickoff approached, I started to warm up lightly on the ground.

“Waaaaah!”

“Wooooo!”

As my face appeared on the screen, cheers erupted from the England and neutral stands, while jeers echoed from the Japanese section.

I knew that such jeering was the fate of the ace, the one who poses the greatest threat to the opposing team.

‘Hmm.’

Still a bit irritating.

*

With the referee’s whistle, the match kicked off with Japan’s kickoff, and England immediately showcased their physical prowess, exerting strong pressure and taking control of the game.

[England bringing out the 3-5-2 formation with Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy’s big-and-small tactic. So far, Southgate’s strategy is working well.]

[At that moment, Chris Smalling punishes the Japanese attacker charging in. A rough tussle! But the referee doesn’t blow for a foul!]

[Yes, that’s a fair shoulder challenge.]

In actual history, Japan had boldly pushed against Belgium in the Round of 16, but facing England’s physically imposing football, they could only be helplessly manipulated.

[Once again, a long pass from the back…! Harry Kane drops the ball! Jamie Vardy is picking it up! He tries to run toward Japan’s territory, but Japan smartly interrupts with a foul.]

It made sense; England’s average height was 182.5cm.

There was a 4.4cm height difference compared to Japan’s average of 178.1, which naturally put Japan at a disadvantage from the get-go.

It’s often said that football isn’t played with height but with brains, but typically, being taller often means one uses their head more effectively.

[Harry Kane drops the ball again! Wow! This player really knows how to use his head!]

Meanwhile, Son Jinho, who had come in as a box-to-box midfielder in the 3-5-2 formation, began to fully utilize the energy he had restored by resting during the group stage match against Panama.

“Coach, isn’t Jinho overdoing it right now?”

Even the coach on the bench expressed concern that he might be overextending.

“Coach? What’s going on…?”

“Praying. We just have to believe Jinho will do it for us.”

However, Coach Southgate dismissed the assistant’s worries.

And shortly after, Son Jinho read the passing lane and blocked a Japanese pass.

As Raheem Sterling, waiting for a moment, prepared to penetrate behind the Japanese defenders, he vocally requested a pass from Jinho.

– “Raheem, just run quietly. I’ll slip it through. If you yell for the ball, the defenders will notice you’re coming.”

Just before requesting the pass, he successfully recalled the conversation he’d had with Jinho in the locker room. He quietly slipped into the space behind the defenders.

Then, the pass from Son Jinho flew precisely into his area.

A smile naturally formed on Raheem Sterling’s lips as he received Jinho’s pass.

Had this pass been in front of the goal calling for a shot, it might have been a challenging one to receive, but now, since he needed to dribble, it was not a problem at all.

“Cover! Cover!”

“Delay it and don’t rush in!”

Starting his dribble, Raheem Sterling easily navigated past the Japanese defense with his unique dribbling tempo, quickly reaching near the penalty box.

Raheem Sterling then delivered a cutback to Son Jinho, who had penetrated into space seeking a score amidst the wavering defense.

The Japanese defenders had their attention fixed on Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, and Raheem Sterling, who were stationed inside the box.

Though Raheem Sterling’s cutback deflected off the legs of some Japanese defenders, it found its way to Son Jinho nonetheless.

Due to the deflection, the timing was thrown off, disrupting Son Jinho’s shooting balance, but he managed to recover and get his foot to the ball.

Though it wasn’t a powerful shot, the ball slipped through the goalkeeper’s legs, shaking the net, prompting Coach Southgate to raise his hands in jubilant praise as they took the lead early in the game.

Meanwhile, noticing the net ripple, Son Jinho strolled nonchalantly across the field, staring down at the jeering Japanese fans.