The Little Prince of the Field - Chapter 25

The stadium was so small that the shouts of the people could be heard so clearly.

“Sanchez! Vicente! Rey!”

The home crowd chanted the names of the Mirandes squad one by one.

By comparison, Las Palmas’ away fans are only around 20.

There were only 20 fans who followed and cheered for us, coming all the way to the north of Spain.

Saying they were a small number was an insult to their sincerity and effort.

“Kim! Príncipe! ¡Es mi canario!”

If it wasn’t for the yellow canary doll clothes, I would have waved my hand towards them at once.

The appearance of four fans that were dressed in doll clothes gathered in one place and cheered while leaping and jumping which was beyond the standard of fan service.

To be honest, it looked so ugly.

The referee sends a hand signal to the assistant referee and checks whether the VAR is working properly.

The players have already come out to the ground and stood in their position and waited for the whistle.

The referee made eye contact with Mirandez’s center striker, number 22, and made sure he was ready, then he placed his whistle in the mouth.

The 16th game of the La Liga league began with a beep.

Today, both teams deployed a 4-2-3-1 strategy.

Las Palmas was formed by Curbello, Lemos, David and Martin.

It’s a pity that Bella was removed from the team due to his poor condition, but Martin can also be considered a talented player.

If he could only do as much as he showed when he played for Las Palmas B, he’ll definitely get a passing grade from the manager.

Dani Castellano and Inigo, who wore the captain’s armbands, played as central midfielders, while the players in the second line were Juan Narvaez, Kirian Rodriguez, and Pedri.

I was the forward striker, and Vales, who replaced the injured Martinez, stood in the goalkeeper position.

On the bench, Manager Pepe was busy encouraging and urging young players to do their best.

In the first half, Manager Pepe wanted to apply strong pressure from the front when we had some stamina.

After 3 minutes.

The ball bounced back to Narvaez who extended his foot.

Narvaez and the opponent’s right fullback are tangled in a narrow space.

A fierce battle started to take place in a situation where the shoulders collided while they were trying to retrieve the possession of the ball.

“Penome.”

When the referee calls for a foul, Narvaez spits on the floor and returns to our half.

He looks like a good-natured neighborhood uncle, but once he entered the arena, he ran like a wild beast.

“He’s a friend who doesn’t know how to play it safe.”

“…Focus on the game.”

“Juan is like that.”

When I wandered around the central defenders, I unintentionally interrupted their conversation.

This is why you shouldn’t make it a habit of talking to yourself.

It would have been quite confusing.

Before the Mirandes players could say anything, I ran down to the half-line.

“Kim! Watch the line! Why are you coming down!”

The timing is really bad too.

Head coach Rios wavered his right forearm, signaling me to press from the front.

I looked at the opposing defenders and came back into the attacking camp and hung around nearby.

At the beginning of the game, the fortunes didn’t seem very good.

The match was restarted with a free kick taken by Mirandes No. 15.

Lemos kicked the ball off which flew near the penalty box in a single stroke.

Kirian Rodriguez, who plays as an attacking midfielder, possessed the ball below the center line and hesitated.

It was a wrong decision.

He should have connected the pass quickly.

The opposing midfielder No. 15 who was nearby didn’t miss the chance, speeds up and tucks his shoulder in.

Rodriguez was soon pushed out and stumbled.

Rodriguez stretches out his hands and tries to appeal to the referee with an exaggerated expression, but the whistle didn’t blow.

The midfielder of Mirandes swung his foot without delay.

“ah!”

“ Buen trabajo!”

“La próxima vez!”

“Do more! more! great!”

The shot went far above the goalpost, and Mirandes’ fans cheered and rejoiced.

Cheers and applause pour out behind the opponent midfielder’s back, who is returning with an awkward expression.

Kirian Rodriguez raised his hand to show his condolences to his teammates.

Vales, the goalkeeper, kicks long to the right, and the ball that touches Narvaez’s head falls at the feet of Inigo, the central midfielder who was advancing.

As I hung around the final defensive line, Mirandes’ No. 5,  the right center defender, who was right next to me suddenly reacted.

The central defender on the left was not really paying attention to his line.

When I turned my head slightly, the ball fell right next to Pedri who was on the left side.

With full-back Martin coming up to help him, it seemed like there was plenty of time to make something.

“Kirian!”

I called Rodriguez to change positions.

The central defender of Mirandes who was marking me falls off.

I have to move quickly before the opposing midfielder cares about the defense.

Pedri was able to withstand the opposing pressure with Martin, a left full-back, who crossed the half-line and joined in the attack.

I approached Pedri, as I narrowed the space between us.

I didn’t have a lot of faith in the players of Las Palmas, but if I had to pick one person I could trust, then it would be Pedri.

Technically the inexperienced central midfielder Inigo will be the one to have the lead, but it’s Pedri who always gets his feet right.

In particular, we are used to running in a narrow space.

“Give it right away!”

Instead of answering, the ball came under my feet.

Pedri, who has escaped the grip of the Mirandes midfielder, passes by, but if I give the ball now, it is likely to get caught by the foot of the player No. 23, the person who followed me from behind.

Number 23 is in a state where the balance of his body had collapsed because he kept paying attention to the left side of Pedri passing.

All I had to do was to pass the ball to the right without any special fighting.

An aerial pass that falls into Pedri’s front space once again before the opponent’s fullback’s foot comes in for cooperative defense.

As Pedri opened up the space, Mirandes’ central defender gave up on maintaining the line and jumped out.

All I have to do is figure out where to shoot and how to follow. After that, Pedri will take care of it.

As expected, the ball rolls out of Pedri’s heel and reaches me in front of the penalty box, 25 meters away.

As long as I am in good physical condition, I can connect with confidence.

The target is the upper left corner of the goal.

The shooting sound wasn’t as loud as I thought.

The ball pushed all the way to the end of my leg flies into the air, soon loses its speed, shakes, and sinks.

It would be strange if it went near the goalkeeper of Mirandes, but it is even more strange if it ends up not scoring a goal.

The electronic display indicates that 14 minutes have passed since the start of the match.

Pedri was the first to run next to me and stuck my back, and then the rest of the Las Palmas players arrived one after another and started attacking my back.

For some reason, It doesn’t feel too bad today.

“Well done. Thanks to your goal, it will make the game easier.”

“Kim, let’s keep this up.”

“Si.”

“Martin, please continue overlapping.”

“Okay.”

Maybe it’s because the fans of Mirandes went silent, which made the entire stadium become quiet.

It’s good to have a conversation with the players.

As I was about to return to the half-line after the short celebration, I heard the voice of Mirandes’ central defenders arguing.

They seemed to have been offended by each other while trying to determine the end responsibility.

“I have the right to go out. Do I have to explain everything? Should I bring a video?”

“Why are you beckoning me to block the shooting angle?”

The argument was quickly over due to the reluctance of the surrounding players, but there was still a chilly air between the defenders.

20 minutes into the first half, Pedri, who broke through the opponent’s fullback with the success of his personal tactics, crossed from the side of the penalty box.

The height of the central defender was so huge that he failed in the competition and lost possession of the ball.

The ball bounces off the defender’s head and falls on the right of Juan Narvaez.

Without delay, Narvaez attempted a volley shot using the outside of his right foot.

A shot from near the corner on the right side of the penalty box curves to the left side towards the goal.

It winds up so well that it is hard to believe that it is rotating even though it was kicked using the outside of the right foot.

It was a trajectory resembling a curve on the side of the pottery.

Not only the players of Mirandes but also the players of Las Palmas seemed as if they were possessed, and then raised their hands with excitement.

Juan Narvaez scored his first goal after moving to the team on loan.

“I did it today! I scored!”

“Look at the crowd booing! Great goal!”

“Gracias.”

He smiled modestly.

It was a smile that echoed the time he had struggled with not being able to score.

Instead of congratulating myself, I held his hands for a moment.

The score was 0-2.

In the resumed game, Mirandes had a noticeable gap between the midfielders and the defenders.

It may be due to the pressure of an additional goal, or the psychological impact due to the crowd’s booing which was also great.

Most of the swearing words in the stadium were directed toward the Mirandes players.

They praised them so much earlier, but now……

I don’t know how can a person’s heart can change quickly like this.

” Can I get you guys an adult diaper? You bastards (Desgraciado)! Stop being sloppy and do it right!”

Although it was unfortunate for the opponents, it was a great opportunity for Las Palmas.

Pedri and Narváez switched positions six times in five minutes, and the two jumped excitedly between Mirandes’ wide lines.

The one-sided offensive by Las Palmas showed no sign of ending.

“Atrápenlo!”

Kirian Rodriguez’s mid-range shot bounces off the opponent’s goalkeeper’s palm and goes off the line.

It’s a corner kick.

The opposing defenders gave off a ferocious atmosphere, I don’t know whether they were frustrated by the previous fight they had between their teammates or their poor defensive tactics.

Behind the goalpost, Mirandes’ fans swarm and swear at them, like a fire dragon

“Desgraciado te vas pa la verga!”

“Chinga tu madre!!”

Words that were never taught in language school come out one after another like sausages.

Let’s pretend I didn’t hear it.

Taking a position in the penalty box ahead of a corner kick, I made eye contact with the opposing central defender.

Even if they couldn’t live up to the expectations of their fans, I felt pitiful because I thought it would be insulting to get cursed to such an extent.

“Are you okay? Don’t listen to cursing.”

“Who is cursing?”

“…Uh, didn’t you hear it?”

“Are you talking about O’day? Is he cursing me?”

I was referring to the crowd’s abusive language, but the Mirandes defender glares at his partner, number 5, and fires sprouts from his eyes.

It seems that they didn’t get along well even before the argument.

I had a hunch that something serious had happened.

I should have cleared up the misunderstanding right away, but the time passed as I was feeling confused.

The players began to move in unison with Pedri’s corner kick.

Right now, I decided to focus on the game.

Before the spinning ball enters the penalty box, Narvaez clears the middle and falls back.

The ball hit Narvaez’s head and bounced off the grass, but it was close to the front.

The goalkeeper reacts reflexively by raising his hand.

The ball hit the floor and lost power, but the distance between the keeper and Narvaez was too close.

The ball that he couldn’t catch is bouncing on the lawn and rolling in from the front, where I am.

There are some defenders who block the shooting angle, but I’m in a good shape today, so I don’t have to worry about missing.

I aimed at the space above the face of the goalkeeper of Mirandes.

The ball passed, as the goalkeeper’s hand raised late.

It was a good play.

“Hahaha, you are really great.”

“How many goals have you scored until today?”

“13 goals? 14 goals?”

With the swear words of the home fans in the background, I humbly accepted the congratulatory remarks from the Las Palmas players.

Rather than scoring a goal, I was more satisfied with the fact that we were the leading scorers in the first half.

If the flow of the attack is controlled well, mass scoring will be possible.

As we were about to return to the half-line, there was a loud noise in the stadium.

The home fans booed a lot.

Some threw their food into the arena.

Mirandes’ players gathered at the place where the problem occurred, and it was immediately clear why the disturbance occurred.

The opposing team’s central defender is holding his teammate by the collar with one hand.

It was Mirandes’ No. 21, with whom I was talking right before the corner kick.

(To be Continued )