LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 276
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The match between England and France is taking place at the Luzhniki Stadium.
Located in Moscow, the capital of Russia, this place can hold up to 81,000 spectators and it was already packed with England and France fans from early on.
“It’s coming home, It’s coming home, It’s coming, Football’s coming home!”
“Viva la france!!”
With both countries having a historical rivalry, the stadium quickly heated up with the enthusiastic cheers of the fans.
“Boooooooooo─! You guys got crushed by Germany for 6 weeks!”
“Little eel jelly eaters!”
Jeers towards the opposing team and cheers for their own players coexisted in the Luzhniki Stadium, as British and French fans threw provocations at each other without hesitation.
BEEP BEEP─!
A physical clash broke out among the fans, and the Russian police responded, not with words but with batons.
As the troublemaking fans with blood streaming from their heads were chased out of the stadium…
The time for the match to start was approaching rapidly, and the players began to enter the field. The national anthems of England and France rang out, and the starting lineups for both teams were introduced via the broadcast.
[Today’s semifinal match between England and France at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. Let’s first check out the lineup for France. Hugo Lloris is in goal. Following that, the four back line includes Luka Hernandez, Samuel Umtiti, Raphaël Varane, and Benjamin Pavard. Starting from left midfielder Blaise Matuidi, we have N’Golo Kanté, Paul Pogba, and Antoine Griezmann. On the right wing, Kylian Mbappé, and at the front, Olivier Giroud takes the lead.]
└ Wow, the French lineup is insane;
└ For real, their power is insane.
[Next is the starting lineup for England. As always, Jordan Pickford is in goal. And we see a change in England’s formation. Unlike the last match, they are starting with a 3-5-2 formation. Center backs Kyle Walker, Chris Smalling, and John Stones will defend, while wingbacks Ashley Young and Kieran Trippier are on the field. Midfielders include Jordan Henderson, Son Jinho, and Dele Alli.]
└ LOL, God Jinho is here!
└ England’s squad looks good too.
└ The semifinal match in the World Cup is a clash between the country with the most independence days and the second most. How hilarious is that?
└ OMG;; this rivalry is historical and grand.
[Yes. Kyle Walker is starting as the left center back. It seems to be to counter the speedy Mbappé.]
[That’s right. And up front, Harry Kane is joined by Raheem Sterling, who is taking Jamie Vardy’s place after he got a minor bruise in the last match against Russia. What do you expect the match results to be, commentator?]
[Well, physically, England seems to have the upper hand. Didn’t France expend a lot of energy in their match against Croatia that went into extra time? How well the French players recover will be the key.]
[Indeed. I can’t wait to see how the two teams perform! Just as I was saying that, the match has begun with the referee’s whistle!]
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The match between England and France kicked off with England kicking first.
England has never made it to the finals, apart from the World Cup held in their own country in 1966.
“Jinho!!”
“Take us to the finals!!”
“Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the football!”
The England fans chanted Son Jinho’s name from the get-go, hoping for a advancement to the finals.
However, contrary to their hopes, the match unfolded in a challenging manner for England.
[France’s strong pressing! N’Golo Kanté successfully intercepts a pass from Alli!]
From the start, France showcased intense pressure, forcing England into a corner.
As N’Golo Kanté blocked the pass, France launched a counterattack.
[Kanté falls but maintains focus, linking the ball to Griezmann!]
[The referee signals advantage! England is in trouble!]
Jordan Henderson tried to break the counterattack with a foul, but the ball safely reached Paul Pogba.
[Olivier Giroud! Giroud come down to help from the second line!]
Olivier Giroud fought with Chris Smalling and created space, which Kylian Mbappé exploited.
[Mbappé is off! Antoine Griezmann! He’s found the space!]
Antoine Griezmann slipped a through ball into the space where Mbappé was racing ahead.
[Griezmann’s pass to Mbappé!!]
The pass from Griezmann connected right in front of Mbappé.
[Mbappé is fast! Really fast! He’s entering the penalty box in no time! And shoots─!]
Using his speed, Mbappé barreled into the penalty box and took a shot.
Mbappé’s shot managed to avoid Jordan Pickford, who came out to clear the goal, but did not shake the net.
KAAANG─!
Mbappé’s shot hit the goal post, and John Stones, racing in a panic, cleared the ball out of bounds.
“Putain!”
Kylian Mbappé, who had missed a golden opportunity, pulled at his jersey in frustration.
[Oh! Hits the post!! Mbappé’s shot struck the post!]
[England breathes a sigh of relief. That was a dangerous shot from Mbappé.]
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Even after Mbappé’s threatening shot, England continued to give Kylian Mbappé space behind their defense.
As Olivier Giroud has an exceptional ability to create space, he opened up room for Griezmann and Mbappé to exploit and shake up England’s defense.
– Is it alright for me to go down as the defense is getting shaky?
Once again, as Antoine Griezmann prepared to shoot, Son Jinho exchanged quick glances with Southgate, who was on the sidelines.
– You handle it.
Coach Southgate nodded without hesitation when Son Jinho looked at him.
He had given Son Jinho autonomy even before the match started.
“Stay calm! Don’t rush in!”
After receiving permission from the coach, Son Jinho dropped a little deeper to bolster the defense.
Only then did England’s defense start to regain some stability.
As the defense became more stable, the flow of the match began to slowly shift towards England.
England started to build up from deep in their defensive line.
Son Jinho, clearing France’s pressure with a one-two pass to Smalling, attempted a long pass forward.
PERRANG─.
Harry Kane headed the ball back, connecting it to Dele Alli.
Dele Alli, taking a steady first touch, attempted a forward dribble.
However, Paul Pogba cut off England’s counterattack with a rough tackle.
“Referee, that was a high foot!”
Dele Alli, incensed by Pogba’s rough tackle, protested strongly to the referee, but Alli’s claims were dismissed.
The match grew rougher under the referee’s leniency.
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[Son Jinho will prepare for a free kick from a good position.]
As the game resumed with England’s free kick, Son Jinho stepped up as the kicker.
[Yes. A good position to go for a direct shot.]
[The referee blew the whistle! Son Jinho shoots!!!]
Son Jinho’s curling shot with his right foot headed towards the corner of the goal.
‘It’s in.’
Just as Son Jinho thought it was a score…
[SUPER SAVE! It’s a super save from Lloris!]
[Wow, that was a really well-placed shot and a great block!]
Lloris dove with his whole body, successfully denying Son Jinho’s shot.
As Lloris saved Son Jinho’s attempt, he let out a roar.
Watching that, Son Jinho couldn’t hide his displeased expression.
‘…Is this racism?’
As the game resumed with an England corner kick, after Lloris fended off the corner kick, France began to counterattack.
The ball Lloris punched out connected with Pogba, who saw Kylian Mbappé racing ahead and attempted a long pass.
Pogba’s long pass went towards Mbappé, and Kyle Walker blocked his path.
Just as Kyle Walker thought he had successfully delayed Mbappé’s advance…
Attacking midfielder Antoine Griezmann slipped into the space behind Kyle Walker, causing Walker to lose focus on Mbappé.
Realizing Walker’s focus was fading, Kylian Mbappé attempted to dribble in and cut toward the center.
[Kyle Walker fouled to stop him!]
Instantly losing track of Kylian Mbappé, Kyle Walker had no choice but to foul him in the danger zone.
Now, France has a free kick.
Antoine Griezmann took the free kick. His left-footed curling cross aimed for the penalty box.
[Umtiti heads─!!]
Griezmann’s cross found Umtiti’s head.
[But Pickford’s save!]
Jordan Pickford remained focused till the end and successfully made the save.
[Oh?! The ball that Pickford deflected is heading towards Kylian Mbappé!!]
But the ball Pickford deflected flew forward to Mbappé.
[Mbappé!!!]
Mbappé struck the spilled ball fiercely into the net, scoring.
“Viva la France!!!”
With the goal, the French crowd cheered, and Kylian Mbappé looked at Son Jinho with the expression of a victor.
[GOOOOOOOOOOOAL─! Kylian Mbappé scores the opening goal!!!]
*
I let out a sigh, watching Kylian Mbappé celebrating.
‘Such a familiar expression.’
Mbappé’s expression was reminiscent of Cristiano Ronaldo, who used to request a contract renewal, insisting he deserved fair compensation for his performances from the last season.
– Ben Budu: Son Jinho deserves fair compensation based on his performances in the Champions League.
– Ho-woo: How dare someone with fewer Ballon d’Ors think they deserve a higher salary than me?
By the way, Ronaldo’s renewal request successfully crushed expectations based on sheer fact.
‘Ha. Mbappé, that guy has no foundation either.’
As a promising talent drawing the attention of world media, he seems to be losing his foundation quickly.
It was truly a moment when Son Jinho, the top instructor for the development of football, needed to deliver a lecture on foundational principles.
I decided to reform Mbappé’s mentality during this match.
Of course, before that…
‘Let’s score an equalizer first.’
I looked back at Coach Southgate, who nodded in approval.
‘Why does he nod his head every time we make eye contact since earlier?’
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