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On the day of the match between Dortmund and Augsburg.

“Waaahh—! Son Jinho fighting!!”

Hearing the news that the Korean derby was taking place, many Korean fans came to Signal Iduna Park.

I noticed the elderly folks leaning on their canes; they must be the “Germany’s guest workers.”

After warming up, I returned briefly after expressing my gratitude in the spare time. Jürgen Klopp approached me with a troubled expression.

“Jinho, since we have to play the Champions League second leg, don’t overdo it.”

Klopp was quite dissatisfied with starting me in the match against Augsburg, given we were heading into the Champions League quarterfinal second leg. However, he had no choice after considering multiple factors like the player’s will, Korean sponsors, and the club executives wanting to expand into the Asian market, as well as DFL.

If we hadn’t achieved a significant win in the first leg against Juventus, I could’ve refused on the pretext of advancing to the Champions League semifinals. But unfortunately, with such a score difference, I couldn’t just outright decline.

The manager seems to have a lot on his plate, needing to manage strategies and results.

‘No wonder the hair gets eaten away again.’

Just as I was about to look at Jürgen Klopp pitifully, he tossed me a quest to persuade Son Heung-min.

“Oh. And I’m thinking of making an offer to Son from Hamburg, so help me persuade him.”

Klopp had a strange fetish. Oddly enough, he wanted to recruit players who had previously made his team suffer.

In fact, Cha Dong-won was transferred to Dortmund due to his excellent performance against them.

Although Cha Dong-won hadn’t played much under Klopp…

Anyway, Klopp had fallen for Son Heung-min, who had scored multiple goals in the past match between Dortmund and Hamburg, leading to a defeat for Dortmund.

Well… it wasn’t just Klopp.

After achieving double-digit attacking points last season, Son Heung-min, still only 20 years old, had caught the interest of more clubs than expected, scoring double-digit goals in the league this season.

In the EPL, he received love calls from Tottenham and Liverpool, while in Bundesliga, Dortmund and Leverkusen were eager for his recruitment.

– Ho-woo: (Son Jinho lifting the trophy. Jpg)

– Ho-woo: (Arrogant bear Con.)

– Ho-woo: The commoner who has never seen the trophy.

– Ho-woo: If you can’t win, then join us.

I entered the locker room after receiving Klopp’s request and immediately sent a message to Hyung-min.

‘What’s this? Has he blocked me?’

Until the game started, Hyung-min hadn’t read my message.

***

FC Augsburg took to the field against the Dortmund team, which was composed of their second string.

Setting up two lines of defense, Augsburg aimed for a counter-attack with long balls.

“Let’s fight like true German men, you cowardly brats!”

“True Germans don’t back down!”

Despite the jeers from the crowd at Signal Iduna Park, Markus Weinzierl, the manager who recently joined Augsburg, didn’t seem bothered.

Just earning a draw at Signal Iduna Park was a good deal for Augsburg, caught in the relegation battle.

And Markus Weinzierl was not entirely averse to retaliating either. Before the starting lineup was revealed, he had actually planned a strategy to counter Dortmund, expecting them to rest their key players for the Champions League second leg.

However, unexpectedly, Son Jinho and Lewandowski appeared in the starting lineup, and he promptly scrapped his planned strategy.

The altered plans led to a crucial opportunity for Augsburg.

[Cha Dong-won! He intercepted it!! Augsburg’s counterattack!!]

As Marcel Schmelzer attempted to overlap to create some cracks in Augsburg’s tight defense.

A mistake happened with Marcel Schmelzer, and Cha Dong-won swiftly succeeded in snatching the ball.

[Cha Dong-won passes to Tobias Werner, who is playing left-sided midfielder! Werner successfully dodges Neven Subotic with a fantastic first touch!]

Simultaneously catching the ball, Cha Dong-won sent an incisive pass to Tobias Werner coming in from the left side.

Avoiding Neven Subotic with a first touch, Tobias Werner even got past the Australian Rangnick, who had come in as a substitute for goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller.

[Tobias Werner!!! He’s bypassed the Rangnick goalkeeper!!]

As Tobias Werner faced the empty goal, he desperately saw the defenders scrambling back into the penalty box.

He took the shot quickly, paying close attention to his standing foot.

[Tobias Werner shoots towards the empty goal!]

But was it because he was too rushed?

The ball narrowly missed the goalpost.

As the ball crossed the goal line, Tobias Werner clutched his head in disbelief.

[Ah!!! Werner!! But he can’t convert this!]

[It was an empty goal… one wonders what could have happened if he had just been a bit calmer.]

The commentary team repeatedly called out T. Werner’s name in disappointment for not finishing such a golden opportunity.

***

After Tobias Werner missed the crucial chance, the match shifted to a one-sided flow for Dortmund.

“Get it together, you idiots!”

Jürgen Klopp appeared on the touchline, erupting with anger, snapping the first team players out of their lethargy.

Under intense pressure, Augsburg’s defense began to falter.

[Son Jinho’s tackle! He cleanly takes the ball away!]

As Son Jinho cut off Augsburg’s counter, he made a move towards the center, drawing the Augsburg defenders along.

[In fact, just having Son Jinho on the ball is quite threatening, isn’t it? There’s no way they can ignore him.]

Son Jinho’s threatening long-range shooting was well-known in the Bundesliga, and Augsburg’s defenders had no choice but to close in to prevent shooting angles.

[Son Jinho’s lob pass!!]

Taking advantage of the defenders’ focus on him, Ivan Perišić infiltrated behind.

Son Jinho attempted a beautifully lobbed pass over the defender’s head.

Connecting perfectly with the infiltrating Ivan Perišić in the penalty area.

[Connected!! Ivan Perišić!!]

Rather than going for a direct shot, Ivan Perišić passed it to Lewandowski.

Having drawn the defenders away, thanks to Son Jinho’s movement and Ivan Perišić’s run, the defensive line shifted to one side.

Wobble—

Lewandowski didn’t miss the chance that came to him and successfully shook the net.

[Lewandowski!! It went in!! Lewandowski scores!]

The Dortmund players, having bagged the opening goal, rushed to the corner flag with joy.

On their way back after the celebration.

“Stand straight! Geez.”

Son Jinho called out to Ivan Perišić, who was flashing a bright smile.

“Uh?”

“Why did you waste my assist?”

Startled, Ivan Perišić finally realized it was just a joke from Son Jinho, who had a big grin on his face, and playfully put him in a headlock.

***

[It seems that Ivan Perišić and Son Jinho get along really well, doesn’t it? Son Jinho claims he’s the closest to Lewandowski as well.]

└ What the heck, is it obvious they’re just messing around and being bullied?

└ How desperate are they that the commentator explains Son Jinho and Ivan Perišić are close friends?

[Yes. Could it be that their good atmosphere is leading to the players’ synergy, helping them develop into a good team? If you watch the scoring scene again, Ivan Perišić received the pass from Son Jinho. Despite being in a position to take a shot, he unhesitatingly passed to Lewandowski, who was in a better spot.]

[They scored multiple goals in the first leg against Juventus in the away game, and it feels like Dortmund might pull off something big this season.]

└ Suddenly putting a curse on them, what the hell, lol.

└ Just like that, they’re casting a curse, lol.

└ If Dortmund doesn’t win the Champions League this season, should we blame the commentators?

└ Yeah, we’re definitely going to terrorize their social media.

[Huh? What’s happening? Dortmund players are running towards the corner flag?]

└ ?? Why are they running over there?

└ OMFG, lol, did they score again while watching the replays?

[Goaal! Just one minute into the game resuming, Dortmund manages to put in another goal! Looks like we ought to watch the scoring scene again!!]

└ ???: I have no idea how Dortmund scored, but I’m cheering regardless.

└ For real, lol, capitalistic cheer, lol.

[Son Jinho, who sensed the passing lane, intercepted the ball and passes it through. Lewandowski calmly finishes. The Son-Leo combination is working to perfection again today!]

[After the initiating pass, Son Jinho this time assists Lewandowski! Augsburg can’t defend against Son Jinho properly!]

└ So, does that mean my brother won’t have a place in the national team?

└ Nah, that’s Klopp’s tactics at play~ He won’t be able to do anything if he joins the Korean national team~

***

I was immediately substituted out after the first half.

In the subsequent second half, Lewandowski scored another goal from a pass by Nuri Şahin, achieving his hat-trick before being substituted off the pitch.

Augsburg players struggled to prevent the team’s defeat.

In the final moments of the match, Cha Dong-won and Gu Jachil managed to score one goal back.

However, they ultimately lost with a score of 3 to 1.

Despite being a relegation-bound team, I clearly realized while facing Augsburg that, aside from Bayern Munich, no one was left in the Bundesliga to rival Dortmund.

“Oho. To perform such plays against my team, I’d love to see those friends brought under me.”

And I also discovered that Jürgen Klopp is quite a pervert.

 

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