On the Aug. 20 episode of SBS’ "Kick a Goal", World Class and the Gavengers faced off in the G League relegation playoff.
For World Class, relegation wasn’t even on the radar; for the Gavengers, it’s a lingering trauma. The two met with their seasons on the line.
Both sides came in with steely resolve. Gavengers forward Oh Nami, feeling the weight of the moment, teared up even before kickoff.
World Class struck first. After Karign opened the scoring, Gavengers head coach Choi Sung-yong consoled keeper Kim Min-kyung: “Min-kyung, it’s okay. Nobody’s saving that.”
The match stayed tense, but in the 9th minute Saori doubled the lead, and momentum swung hard to World Class.
Playing through injury, Saori scored with her off foot, the left. She hadn’t netted once in the G League proper, but she kept finding the back of the net in this playoff, earning cheers from the bench.
The Gavengers earned a free kick after a handball by Kathy, but their set-piece plan got telegraphed; Kathy read it all the way and shut it down.
The first half ended a lopsided 2?0. Three minutes into the second half, the Gavengers finally pulled one back.
Oh Nami broke through a crowd of World Class defenders and scored, sending the Gavengers into celebrations like they’d already won.
Then, in the 56th minute, Oh Nami did it again. Her miracle equalizer made it 2-2 and reset the match.
Both teams emptied the tank from there, but regulation couldn’t separate them, sending the relegation playoff to penalties.
Before the shootout, Coach Choi said, “I can’t be 100% sure, but I’d call it 51-49 in our favor.”
World Class coach Kim Byung-ji added, “If we go down with this group, I should leave football.”
Against the odds, the first four shooters on each side converted, leaving one taker apiece. With a heavy heart, the Gavengers’ final kicker, Kim Hye-sun―who’d missed the entire league due to injury and desperately wanted to repay her teammates―stepped up. Her effort went straight down the middle and Kathy saved it.
World Class’ last kicker was Elody. She’d drawn Coach Kim’s ire earlier with a string of mistakes, and he told her, “This is the shot that can erase everything today.”
Despite a career penalty success rate of just 15%, Elody buried her kick and sealed World Class’ survival.
World Class huddled in a tearful embrace to celebrate. The Gavengers could only weep in frustration―none more than Kim Hye-sun, who was inconsolable after her miss.
Elsewhere in the episode, more members of Phoenix United were revealed: original technical defender Eva, “Original Yashin” Ayumi, and overhead-kick specialist Jumyeong. With two spots still under wraps, curiosity is mounting over who will round out the squad.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Hyo-jung)