My Girlfriend Wants Victory

---

*

“Fuh.”

Blaise Matuidi, who appeared as a left winger, exhaled a rough breath and steadied his breathing as Kylian Mbappé’s shot tore through England’s goal net.

Although he was designated as a left winger in the formation, he wasn’t playing as a traditional winger; instead, he had more of a half-wing role, moving defensively like a central midfielder.

Before the match, the top priority given to Blaise Matuidi by Didier Deschamps was to combine forces with N’Golo Kanté to disrupt Son Jinho’s play.

Recognizing that this was his last World Cup, Blaise Matuidi ran tirelessly, hesitating not at all to engage in rough play to contain Son Jinho.

Whenever the attack broke down or a passing mistake occurred, he clung to Son Jinho as quickly as possible, and thanks to Matuidi’s pressure, France was able to score the opening goal.

The match resumed with Harry Kane’s kickoff, and as the ball headed towards Son Jinho…

‘Today’s M.O.M is me.’

With tension in his body, Blaise Matuidi launched a rough tackle towards Son Jinho.

As Son Jinho screamed and fell to the ground, boos erupted from the England stands.

Looking at Son Jinho sprawled on the ground, Matuidi couldn’t help but mutter to himself.

“Did I take him out?”

*

[Ah…. Son Jinho is down on the ground.]

[That tackle from Blaise Matuidi was quite rough.]

[Referee Andres Cunha, you should pull out a card for such tackles, you know?]

[Yes. As we’ve been discussing, Cunha approaches Matuidi. It seems a card is on the way.]

[In fact, it wouldn’t have been odd for a red card to be shown for that tackle. Now, let’s see what card Cunha pulls out…. Oh, he’s pulling out a yellow card. That seems a bit lenient, don’t you think?]

[That’s right. And just at that moment, Son Jinho is getting up from the ground safely! Thank goodness! What a relief!]

[Son Jinho is at an age where he is just starting his prime as a football player. Not getting injured is the most important thing.]

[Exactly. The game will resume with a free kick for England.]

*

After scoring the opening goal, France took control of the match overall, but England was doing their best to regain the flow of the game.

England composed their shaky defensive line and slowly began to counterattack around Son Jinho.

In the 21st minute of the first half, Son Jinho, shaking off the pressure from Matuidi and Kanté, attempted a one-touch switch pass.

Trippier, who successfully received the ball from the side, immediately tried an early cross.

The cross from Trippier perfectly reached the penalty box, and a white jersey attempted a volley shot.

“─!!”

The England crowd sensed an equalizer.

Boom─.

The shot soared into the sky.

Of all people, it was Raheem Sterling who received Trippier’s cross instead of Harry Kane.

“Kieran! That cross was way too strong!”

Son Jinho, seeing Sterling’s shot go wild, grabbed the back of his neck in despair as it was broadcasted around the world.

*

[Oh! Raheem Sterling’s shot goes high into the sky!!]

[The quiet image of Son Jinho grabbing his neck came up on the broadcast screen.]

└ Hahahahahahaha
└ If I were Son Jinho, my blood pressure would be rising too.
└ But why can’t we see Kane?
└ This isn’t good, he’s stealth mode since the last match, damn it!

[Several players have been underperforming since the last match. If England is going to win the World Cup, other players need to step up, too!]

*

Although Raheem Sterling’s shot did not penetrate France’s goal, it successfully shifted the flow of the game toward England.

England pressed hard to equalize the score.

During this, miscommunications occurred between Trippier and Dele Alli, who are on the same team at Tottenham, leading to a passing mistake.

N’Golo Kanté quickly responded and managed to intercept the missed pass.

And then came France’s counterattack.

Having seized the ball, N’Golo Kanté passed it to Griezmann right in front of him, and Griezmann, twisting his body, played the ball to Paul Pogba, who was free from England’s pressure.

Receiving the pass, Paul Pogba used body feints to shake off Jordan Henderson and quickly slipped a through pass into Kylian Mbappé’s run behind.

Kyle Walker, who was trying to mark Kylian Mbappé, quickly caught up.

Having lost a good position to Kyle Walker, Kylian Mbappé didn’t take the finish himself but instead passed the ball back-heel to Olivier Giroud.

Olivier Giroud, who had started every match as France’s main striker this tournament.

‘I will score for sure.’

However, having not scored a single goal in this tournament yet, Giroud took the shot with desperate determination.

But, perhaps because of that very desperation?

Giroud’s shot, too tense, slammed into the crossbar.

[Ah! Giroud! Hits the crossbar!!]

[Still hasn’t managed to score, Giroud!!]

[Cleared by Kyle Walker! Just as Walker clears the ball out of play, the first half comes to an end.]

*

The halftime break quickly wrapped up, and the second half between England and France began.

The first half seemed like a warm-up for the second, and the moment it started, both teams engaged in aggressive assaults.

Raheem Sterling, who was penetrating the penalty box, collided with Raphaël Varane and fell to the ground.

“Ouch! I’m dying! Referee~!”

Raheem Sterling protested the foul with an innocent expression, but the referee shook his head firmly.

Hugo Lloris’ goal kick headed towards the halfway line, and Paul Pogba emerged victorious over Henderson in the duel.

Luca Hernandez attempted to overlap but was blocked by John Stones.

Successfully executing a clean standing tackle to retrieve the ball, John Stones passed to Dele Alli, who escaped Antoine Griezmann’s pressure and sent a long pass forward.

Dele Alli’s long pass stretched out and finally stopped at Son Jinho’s feet.

Son Jinho promptly threaded a pass forward to Raheem Sterling, who slipped between the fullback and center-back.

Raheem Sterling’s cutback from deep inside the penalty box connected with Harry Kane.

Firing at the bottom left corner of the goal, Harry Kane sensed a golden opportunity as he saw Lloris caught moving the wrong way.

Puck─

But Kane’s shot was blocked by Umtiti’s tackle.

England and France continuously sought to score, yet additional goals kept seeming likely but never materialized.

Time flew by.

Then, in the 33rd minute of the second half, Blaise Matuidi collapsed on the ground, complaining of muscle cramps.

Didier Deschamps resorted to bringing on an additional defender to replace Matuidi and entered a defensive phase.

Instead of risking conceding a goal by overextending, he chose to hold on to the precious 1-0 lead.

However, Deschamps’ decision turned out to be the worst choice.

With Matuidi’s substitution, a now-unoccupied Son Jinho began to wreak havoc.

Until now, N’Golo Kanté and Matuidi had partnered up to suppress Son Jinho, but with Matuidi out, the balance naturally unraveled.

Son Jinho, now liberated, pressed against the retracted lines of France, who unleashed physical defensive efforts.

As regulation time wound down and the fourth official raised the board for additional time…

An incident occurred.

Kylian Mbappé, stalling at the corner flag, showed off dribbling skills instead of handing the ball over to England after a throw-in.

Fuming with rage at Mbappé’s provocations, John Stones harshly pushed him, and a light clash occurred between the two teams.

“Stop! If there’s any more physical confrontation, it won’t end with just a warning.”

What could have escalated into a significant altercation was quickly resolved thanks to the referee’s swift action.

Kylian Mbappé received a warning for time-wasting, while John Stones was verbally cautioned for shoving him.

“Let’s take that punk down!!”
“Break his legs!”

But unlike the quickly diffused clash on the ground, England’s fans, witnessing Mbappé’s unsportsmanlike behavior, were enraged. The British crowd hurled words that shouldn’t have been said.

“Referee, those people are making racist comments at me.”

Kylian Mbappé reported to the referee that he had heard racist comments directed at him.

‘Wow…. Is this guy insane or what.’

Watching this unfold, Son Jinho recognized Kylian Mbappé as Little Ronaldo.

*

The match resumed with England’s throw-in, and realizing there wasn’t much time left, we drew up our defensive line and went on the total attack.

I gripped the ball with a soft first touch while raising my head to check my surroundings.

In an instant, I spotted N’Golo Kanté getting close to me.

As Kanté extended his leg for the ball, I stretched my right foot to pull it toward me, turning my body to slip past his pressure.

“Return me!”

Simultaneously, I passed to Dele Alli while asking for a return pass.

Alli’s pass accurately went where I indicated, and I received the ball back through a give-and-go before sprinting toward the penalty box.

The French defense, cautiously backing up, lowered their stance as the penalty box line came into view.

‘Huff….’

I heard the desperate cheers from the England fans as I inhaled deeply.

Then, the surrounding noise began to diminish.

Only the sound of my heartbeat echoed in my ears.

I lightly tapped the ball, searching for an opening.

In that instant, a gap appeared between Raphaël Varane and Samuel Umtiti.

Seeing the opening, I took immediate action.

Feigning to shoot, I first broke Varane’s balance before pretending to break through in his direction, then shifted my focus, shooting swiftly through the narrow space between Varane and Umtiti.

Samuel Umtiti, caught completely off guard, stretched out desperately, but the ball slipped between Varane and Umtiti.

Swoosh─.

Hugo Lloris stood frozen, unable to react to the sudden shot that burst forth between Varane and Umtiti.

“Football’s Coming Home!!!!”

The shot cleanly pierced the French goal net, and I yelled at Harry Kane, who was standing dazed behind me, cheering for me.

“Don’t freeze! There isn’t much time left! Get the ball!”

*

[Goaaaaaaal! Son Jinho’s equalizer! A shot taken quickly at a timing the French defenders never saw coming! Lloris couldn’t react! Only three minutes left in the game! England’s equalizer has finally arrived! The match is just getting started!!]

[Victory was literally within France’s grasp. But ultimately, they couldn’t stop Son Jinho and conceded a goal!!]

[Yes. Didier Deschamps’ expression has darkened.]

*

The moment Son Jinho’s shot pierced the French goal net, Didier Deschamps let out a low groan, unbeknownst to himself.

In the situation where only a little time remained before the match ended, failing to contain Son Jinho, whom he had been wary of since the pre-game, resulted in a tie.

‘Should I have not dropped the line?’

He realized that his decision had been wrong, but now it was too late to regret.

“The game isn’t over yet! Focus!”

Deschamps stepped out onto the touchline to encourage his players. There were no specific tactical orders given; that couldn’t be done now.

A hasty tactical change could allow England to score a comeback goal.

Deschamps decided to hold on during the remaining time and save tactical adjustments for extra time.

On the other hand, England, gaining momentum from the equalizer, raised their line to score a comeback goal in the additional time.

As I watched Son Jinho shake off the pressure from the French players, familiar yet magnificent shadows surfaced in Didier Deschamps’ eyes.

‘Zidane.’

Having played the role of supporting Zidane during his active days, Son Jinho’s recent plays reminded him of nostalgic memories from the past.

While he sank into his past memories…

Son Jinho, freeing himself from Pogba’s pressure, attempted a long-range shot.

Son Jinho’s thunderous long-range shot once again pierced through the French goal net.

Sighing painfully, Deschamps shut his eyes momentarily before reopening them. In his gaze, the shadow of Zidane was no longer present.

‘Jinho’s nickname in Germany was Kaiser, huh? Quite the fitting nickname.’

From the barren lands of football in Asia, a next-generation football emperor was shaking Europe.

Meanwhile, the next-generation football emperor recognized by Didier Deschamps was freely crossing the ground like German soldiers invading neutral Belgium.

“Not Jinhooooooo─!”

*

In just a short time of four minutes, England successfully scored two goals and entered a defensive strategy.

Only three minutes left until the end of the match.

“Give me the ball!”

Son Jinho approached Pickford, who was cradling the ball and wasting as much time as possible, received the ball, and slowly moved towards the corner flag.

Then, with a rotten expression, he looked at the approaching Kylian Mbappé’s face, smiled smugly, and said,

“Man-gun-chu!”

The French players couldn’t take the ball away from Son Jinho, who had executed the man-gun-chu.

The heated matchup between England and France concluded with England’s victory, the premier authority in this domain.