124. From the first game to the last game (1)
Coach Martin’s confidence was by no means unfounded.
Cameroon was a highly regarded team, receiving odds of 12/1 to win on betting sites and ranking 5th overall.
In addition to Samuel Eto’o, they had several overseas players playing in European leagues such as England, Germany, and Italy.
On the other hand, Korea had a weak power, ranking 8th out of 16 teams with winning odds of 26/1.
Even this went up slightly when Woo Ho-young joined at the last minute, but originally, the odds were supposed to be higher than that.
In a way, it was natural for Coach Martin to struggle with confidence.
‘If it were the key, it would be Woo Ho-young… but we have Song.’
Alex Song is evaluated as a promising prospect who will carry the future of Arsenal.
I thought that if I just utilized his defensive skills well, I would win easily.
And above all.
‘Because kids are kids.’
Woo Ho-young is 15 years old.
On the other hand, the average age of the Cameroon national team is 22 years old.
It was the biggest weapon Cameroon could offer.
As each team passed through the tunnel and appeared on the field, about 2,000 Korean cheerleaders located on the west side of the stands let out enthusiastic cheers.
“Great Korea!”
The cheering was so intense that about 5,000 Chinese police officers were watching closely around the stadium.
In addition, about 20,000 seats were occupied by Chinese supporters supporting Cameroon.
This is because the Chinese people’s hatred towards Koreans is reaching its peak due to various incidents.
Meanwhile, the singing of the national anthem began.
After the national anthem of Cameroon ended, players from both teams shook hands and engaged in a silent war of nerves.
The highlight was the moment when Ho-Young Woo and Samuel Eto’o held hands.
[Samuel Eto’o]
Talents
-Black Panther (T)
-Black Panther’s elastic muscles (U) -Phenomenal goal
-making power (S+3)
-Agile off-the-ball movement (S+3)
-(See more)
(When the conditions are met ) You can covet one talent.)
(You can acquire some of the senses when you covet a T rank (Title). However, you can only covet it if you are over 18 years old.)
(For S class or higher, you can covet it only if you achieve the hidden conditions. .)
(Condition 1: Play as a starter)
(Condition 2: Win the game) (
Condition 3: Record attack points)
(Condition 4: Play 90 minutes full time)
(Condition 5: Do not concede more than 2 goals)
( Hidden condition: Open when one or more talents are desired) An
African legend who forms the two great mountain ranges with Didier Drogba.
Phenomenal line breaking based on agile ball movement.
In addition, it was ‘Samuel Eto’o,’ a world-class striker who dominated La Liga with his chewy and elastic muscles.
‘Because it has elastic muscles… I covet it.’
He was even more coveted because he was an innate talent.
Innate talents such as ‘black muscles’ or ‘innate language talent’ tend to grow at a fairly slow rate.
Therefore, it was best to bring in mature talent.
Especially physical.
‘Black panther….’
It is the most elastic muscle in the world.
It was clear that it would be of great help in improving not only individual skills and dribbling, but also agility and power.
‘It’s a disaster from the beginning to the end.’
It’s a mountain you have to climb anyway.
The mountain path is difficult, but if you overcome it, you will gain a lot.
Beep!
The game started then.
[The game has started. On the left is the proud Korean national team, and on the right is the Cameroon national team. Cameroon takes the lead.]
[Yes. As kickoff began, a huge record was broken. Woo Ho-young broke the record for the youngest player to participate in Olympic soccer. At the age of 15 years and 22 days!]
The MBS broadcaster, who was dispatched to the field and was in charge of commentary, began explaining the strengths of both teams, starting with Woo Ho-young’s record.
But soon after, they suddenly raised their voices.
This was due to Cameroon’s surprise attack that occurred in the 2nd minute of the first half.
Samuel Eto’o, who caught the ball, neutralized Korea’s offside trap with surprising quickness.
As soon as I got the chance, I hit a thunderous mid-range shot.
[Samuel Eto’o mid-range shout!]
[Jeong Seong-yong’s save! Fortunately, the! It was almost dangerous! Our players need to come to their senses. The crisis is not over yet!]
Samuel Eto’o’s surprise mid-range shot was blocked by Jeong Seong-yong’s punching.
It was a moment when, if we had reacted just a little later, we would have conceded a goal.
But Cameroon’s attack did not end there.
Defensive midfielder Alex Song hit the second ball as it flowed out.
Crash!
Jeong Seong-yong, who had already thrown his body to block Eto’o’s shot, had to watch as the ball went into the goal.
[Ah… Alex Song scores in 2 minutes and 37 seconds of the first half.]
[Yes… But our players! it’s okay. The match is just beginning. In times like these, you need to be more alert.]
Cameroon’s first goal.
Hot cheers from the Chinese people poured out from the stands.
In addition, Cameroon’s players did a back tumble in celebration of their goal and there was no chaos.
On the other hand, there was an indescribably miserable atmosphere flowing in the Korean camp.
“What are you doing you bastards!”
Ki Dong-jin, the captain of the Korean national team and the focal point of the defensive four-back line, squealed.
Selected as a wild card to the national team, he was a 26-year-old overseas player who played left fullback for Zenit, a Russian first division team.
He was so talented that he helped win the league last year and was selected as the best left fullback (LB) in the league.
“Wake!
The reason he was so angry was because he gave his opponent a dangerous chance, but in fact, it was not a problem that could be solved by yelling.
‘I’m going crazy.’
The mistake just now came from allowing Eto’o to invade space.
It wasn’t anyone’s mistake, but Eto’o’s movement was very good.
‘damn. I knew I was good at it, but…’
Even if I was good at it, I couldn’t do it this well.
In Ki Dong-jin’s opinion, Eto’o was just a monster.
It is said that the black leopard is going through a slump these days, but no matter how weak the black leopard is, is it true that a wild animal cannot catch a single herbivore?
He was still a threat.
Even if his form is dead, he is like a nuclear bomb-level striker for Korea.
‘What on earth happened?’
I opened my eyes and understood what it felt like to be attacked.
‘I have to deal with him for another 90 minutes…’
But what was even bigger than that was the reality that I couldn’t think of a solution.
Although he had quite a bit of experience, this kind of experience was rare.
“Wake! Be careful of infiltration into the back space! Dongjin, you have to be the last one to coordinate at the end of the line!”
Director Park Seong-ho shouted that, but that could not be the solution.
‘Eto’o, that bastard…’
He went beyond being good at anything and was just a beast.
Literally a black panther.
It’s not a joke, but I thought that’s what would happen if you took a black panther and taught him how to play soccer.
It was a similar feeling to what I felt with France’s Henry during the 2006 World Cup.
But what about other players?
3 minutes in the first half.
The Korean players had already lost their momentum.
At that sight, the Chinese spectators could not hold back their laughter and began mocking the players.
Still, Ki Dong-jin, who could not show a listless appearance as the captain, struggled to keep his spirits up.
And shouted.
“The bastard who is pierced will be left behind today!”
His voice flowed through the heat and spread to Woo Ho-young, who was in the second line.
Hot.
Just three minutes after the game started, Hoyoung felt a change in his body.
It felt like my heart was burning.
It wasn’t because it was hot.
The outdoor temperature was close to 35 degrees, but the stadium was maintained at 26-27 degrees with various air conditioning facilities.
In reality, there was something else that ignited fire in Hoyoung’s heart.
‘Samuel Eto’o….’
A strong opponent.
It was my first time facing such a strong player in an official match.
Without exaggerating, it felt like there was a monster standing in front of me, desperate to eat me.
Intimidating.
A wave of turbulence was washing over my heart.
Moreover, my first time on the Olympic stage definitely felt different.
A tiger mark embedded on the chest.
It was a burden, but the voices of tens of thousands of spectators booing him were making him dizzy.
The level was different from the second division league.
‘Then the first division is much worse than this.’
That’s why I had to overcome it.
Huh –
Hoyoung shook his head left and right.
Arm your mind with a winning mentality.
‘can do.’
I never thought I would feel this way after only playing one game.
It was a moment when I completely sympathized with Cha Bum-gon’s words, “Soccer is war.”
But behind the scenes, excitement and anticipation coexisted.
The desire to quickly climb to a higher place.
Eto’o’s amazing skills allowed Hoyoung to aim even higher.
The tension that had been boiling over from earlier overflowed, and my hands began to tremble.
And then.
Percussion.
Before he knew it, the ball was at his feet.
It was Ki Sung-ryong’s pass from midfield.
Hu Seup.
I raised my head, letting out a hot breath.
The face of Alex Song, the future of Arsenal, a powerhouse in the English Premier League (EPL) and Cameroon’s defensive midfielder, caught my eye.
For a
moment, Woo Ho-young’s face took on a serious look.
My excitement subsided like a dead blade of grass, and my mental strength became as strong as a deeply rooted tree.
Stop.
There was silence.
Psychological warfare took place.
A battle of wits began without giving an inch.
Wait a minute.
Alex Song’s eyes, slightly overwhelmed by the momentum, wavered.
Hoyoung did not miss the opportunity.
“…!”
He made a feint move with deceptive and quick dexterity, as if he was pulling a trick.
Once or twice.
Nothing happened up to that point.
Because Alex Song was one of the best prospects in the world.
but.
By the third or fourth time, a big change had occurred.
“ah!”
As Hoyoung constantly changed his course with his brilliant footwork, Alex Song lost his balance and fell.
That is the skill of a dribbling genius.
[Woo Hoyoung broke through! Passing through Alex Song and advancing to the front!!]
That was right then.
Woooooooooo!
There was a lot of booing from the Chinese audience.
But Woo Ho-young’s ears were tightly closed.
Instead, both eyes were wide open.
Central defender Andre Bikey could be seen running in front of him.
It was a very short gap, but it was an opportunity that could not be missed.
Foresight – Judgment – Decision.
Hoyoung, who possessed all three qualities, took a shooting stance without a moment of hesitation.
Return what you received as is.
A 20-meter mid-distance shot was released, fully embodying that meaning.
Baaaang!
It roared and headed towards the goal.
Although the angle was not that good, it had been a long time since Hoyoung had fully achieved the goal-scoring ability of the soccer emperor.
And above all, I was confident.
Because it hit the top of my foot properly.
Crash!
As expected, it was as expected.
The goal net shook as if it were torn apart.
However, I did not expect something like this to happen.
[Cannonball-like mid-distance shot (A+)↑]
The Chinese who were cheering for Cameroon suddenly became quiet, and Hoyoung ran to the west stands and threw an uppercut.
“downpour!”
And then I made a promise.
He said he would return twice as much as he received.
The game has now begun.