All Football Talents Are Mine Chapter 126

126. From the beginning to the end (3)

The Olympics is a stage where athletes can enjoy the greatest honor.

Soccer, on the other hand, is a bit different.

Olympic soccer emphasizes amateurism, so it basically disallows players over the age of 23.

Up to three players over the age of 23 can be selected as wild cards, but the status of the competition is still lowered.

Fortunately, it is an event that the whole world is interested in because it has the representativeness of the ‘Olympic Games’.

In other words, although it is not treated as a major stage, it can be a good opportunity for young players.

In particular, countries in Asia, South America, and Africa pay a lot of attention to Olympic soccer.

Same goes for Cameroon.

For them, soccer at the Olympics was a very important competition because there was no other sport in which they could win medals other than soccer.

That was why the atmosphere in the Cameroon team locker room was not good right after the end of the first half against Korea.

The sharp voice of Eto’o, who served as team captain, rang out.

“You’re not coming to your senses!”

Eto.

Although he was timid, he was a man full of self-esteem and competitive spirit.

Although he did not have the charisma of a captain, he enjoyed such great authority that he is now called the King of Cameroon.

It hurts to say it because it had such a ripple effect that it even influenced the president of Cameroon.

Not surprisingly, he made his debut for the adult national team at the age of only 14, and led Cameroon to an Olympic gold medal at the age of 19.

Moreover, since he has devoted himself to the country to the extent of playing close to 100 international matches so far, it was natural for him to receive full support from the people and the president.

The term ‘next president’ did not exist for nothing.

However, in Barcelona, he was losing his position in the team as a discord arose with Ronaldinho, rival Henry joined the team, and Messi’s skills improved day by day.

But today.

What had been building up due to the thought that we might be defeated by Korea exploded.

Even if the opponent was Italy, it was hard to understand how I felt when we lost the first half to Korea.

‘This is not why I participated in the Olympics.’

Eto’o tried to skip the Olympics due to his continuing slump, but for various reasons, he ended up participating in the competition.

This is because it was impossible to miss out on a tournament that included Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Messi.

I was also influenced by the news of Woo Ho-young’s participation.

Eto’o, who taught Boyan last year at the request of President Laporta, wanted to see for himself just how great Hoyoung Woo, who had brought despair to his student, really was.

Those reasons came together and led me to participate in the competition.

however.

‘damn.’

The African powerhouse’s reputation was not worth mentioning.

Of course, we did not lose in terms of the content of the game.

Possession was ahead, and most playing records, including dribbling, tackling, and pass success rate, were ahead.

But what matters is the score.

Even if you have a 99% occupancy rate, if you lose in points, you’re in trouble.

‘It can’t go on like this.’

Change was needed.

That’s why it moved.

I opened the locker room door, went to the coach’s office, and asked Martin.

“It lets me play soccer, which is what I’m most confident in.”

Organic breathing and infinite switching based on 4-3-3.

A tactic that focuses on creating space through constant movement and short passes.

That was the type of soccer Eto’o was most confident in.

Also known as Tiki-Taka.

The tactic, as it would later be called, had been studied for a long time and had been refined by current Barcelona coach Rijkaard for several years.

It was also the tactic that helped Eto’o play the most.

However, it was a difficult tactic for the Cameroon U-23 national team to use.

This is not something that only one or two players can do well, but it is a tactic that must be done well by all players to truly shine.

If even one person is lazy, a crack will appear somewhere and it will become a tactic that is better than not doing it at all.

Nevertheless, Eto’o had his own reasons for using that tactic.

‘If you’re not going to get the benefit anyway, it’s going to be a slugfest.’

Counter-fire operation.

It was a choice that could be made because Eto’o could single-handedly overwhelm the Korean defense.

“I just attack without looking at anything else. Please drive the ball to the right side until the 25th minute of the second half. “I will burn my heart out in this game.”

It is safe to say that if they do not win this game anyway, there is little chance of advancing to the quarterfinals.

There was a high probability of losing to Italy in the third game, so we had to go to Korea at all costs.

In other words, if it’s a game-winner, the second half will start shortly.

A heated brawl was about to begin.

At the same time, the Korean national team was also busy.

Although they were ahead in score, their defense was so unstable that it would not be surprising if they allowed a goal at any time.

Coach Park Seong-ho and Hong Young-bo prepared thoroughly for this and instilled it in their players.

The second half began soon after.

The leading axis was South Korea.

[The second half has begun. There is no change in formation that is immediately visible.]

[Yes, it seems that Korea’s intention is to dominate the midfield, stick to defense, and take advantage of the opportunity to launch a counterattack. On the other hand, Cameroon… Well, the formation is the same, but they made a big change. The large size is being taken unbalanced. It can be said to be asymmetrical.]

Cameroon made a drastic change as soon as the words were lost.

The 4-3-3 formation was the same as the first half, but the biggest change was that the right wing forwards crowded into the center and formed a two-top line with the central attackers.

At the same time, the ball was distributed intensively to the left wing forward.

It was Samuel Eto’o’s seat.

From then on, Cameroon, led by Eto’o, constantly changed positions to disrupt Korea’s defense.

It was truly an extreme attack power that set the soul on fire.

As expected, the results were good.

Eto’o’s effective shot came just five minutes after the start of the second half.

[Eto’o’s ground ball falls into Jeong Seong-yong’s arms. It was a dangerous moment!]

[Cameroon came out with a plan. Now that this has happened, Korea must also come up with a preparedness plan. Whether it’s a move or a counterattack.]

[Then, for now, Ki Dong-jin, who is in charge of marking Eto’o, has no choice but to be nice to him.]

Ki Dong-jin was in a state of death.

It was evident on his face just how difficult it was.

Director Park Seong-ho ordered him to press and bite like a mad dog, but how could a mad dog pounce on a black leopard?

Pressuring didn’t help.

Samuel Eto’o’s decompression ability was the best of any striker he had ever experienced.

‘In the end, is that what’s best?’

Ki Dong-jin recalled what Woo Ho-young said in the Half Lime locker room.

-Eto’o’s nickname comes from the fact that he seems to be able to suffocate his enemy in an instant with his agile movements. This means that his line breaking and goal decision making skills are that excellent. Not only that, he’s a great defensive player, but if he focuses only on attack, there will be situations where he can’t stop even if he knows it. Then, you have no choice but to use hand-to-hand defense. If I had to point out Eto’o’s weakness, it would be physical fighting. Since soccer has been played only in Spain for decades, physical competition is not strong. His body type is not specialized for physical fighting like Alex Song, but his body is thin.

This may be true in Russia, but in Korea it is not common for the youngest to give advice.

But Hoyoung gave it without hesitation, and Ki Dongjin thought it was definitely advice worth heeding.

‘It’s a physical fight.’

Many people don’t know, but Eto’o is actually not a player who is good at physical fighting.

As Hoyoung said, he was a player with a very slim body.

Therefore, he often plays by moving to the side where it is easier to create space rather than the center where the mark is concentrated.

That was the reason why Real Madrid’s Pepe, who was famous for his rough defense last season, couldn’t get the hang of it.

Therefore, Hoyoung’s advice was worth trying.

‘good.’

From then on, instead of putting too much pressure, the team gave the ball to Eto’o first, and whenever Eto’o tried to break through, they clung to him like leeches and induced a physical fight.

Pow!

Whenever Eto’o caught the ball, violent physical fights constantly broke out.

As expected, the generous referee did not blow the whistle, and Ki Dong-jin continued to engage in an intentionally rough fight.

Truly hand-to-hand defense.

Since he was a mobile team with experience as a central defender, his man-to-man defense ability was, to say the least, a nag.

However, it was not easy to block Eto’o’s flexible breakthrough.

Even though it was a slump, it was world class.

However, Ki Dong-jin was able to make up for that problem thanks to the help of central defender Kim Min-soo and Ki Sung-ryong’s line cover.

1-on-1 was difficult, but 3-on-1 mark was easy.

However, there was no problem as the defensive space left was naturally filled as the attackers joined the defense.

Tough defense.

It definitely worked.

‘do.’

It was really happening.

This was possible thanks to the offensive team’s overall participation in the defense.

From then on, as the defense became more and more stable, the trend gradually shifted to Korea’s side.

As Hoyoung came down and teamed up with Ki Sung-ryong, ball possession gradually began to take the lead.

After that, the gap between players was narrowed and the team gradually escaped Cameroon’s pressure.

Woo Ho-young’s ability to utilize his colleagues was shining.

Then Cameroon’s attack lost its sense of direction.

The once heated game grew colder as time passed.

Eto’o forced the offensive path open and created a chance himself, but it did not lead to a goal.

As a decisive blow, coach Park Seong-ho used a replacement card in the 80th minute of the second half.

We strengthened our defense and solidified our victory.

And in the 85th minute of the second half.

[Woo Ho-young blocks Alex Song’s pass with an aggressive tackle! That’s great prediction!]

[Good. Our players. You just have to hold on a little longer. If we win today, the door to the quarterfinals will be wide open.]

Korea’s next opponent in the second game was Italy, so they had to win this game to ease the pressure in the remaining games.

The high point was just around the corner.

Time continued to pass, and Cameroon’s players, who had already put in a lot of effort in the first half, gradually became weaker.

90 minutes in the second half.

Five minutes of extra time were given, but Cameroon failed to take advantage of the opportunity.

‘It doesn’t make sense…’

Eto’o was unable to recover from the shock of being on the verge of losing a game he should have won.

It wasn’t just because of today’s game.

‘A guy like that will be in the first division this season?’

Woo Ho-young.

With him, Real Madrid might become even stronger than last year.

No, I was sure.

I had a feeling that the best El Clásico since joining Barcelona would unfold.

like that.

Beep –

The referee’s whistle sounded, signaling the end of the game.

The score is 2 to 1.

South Korea maintained the lead until the end and achieved a valuable victory.

As soon as the game ended, Hoyoung received an equally valuable reward.

[I covet the black panther’s elastic muscles (U).]

I didn’t covet Alex Song’s talent, but this alone was a treat.

Hoyoung, who received compensation, then conducted a short and in-depth interview with the reporter who covered the story in Korea.

“We met Woo Ho-young, who is nicknamed ‘the youngest title breaker.’ “Today, you also broke the record for being the youngest player and scorer in Olympic soccer. How do you feel?”

“I am very moved as it is my first performance. However, we will not settle for the present and will not stop taking on new challenges.”

Now he looked really professional.

The reporter, slightly impressed by those words, asked next.

“And there was a rumor that you might participate in the Olympic athlete induction ceremony tomorrow. Is that true?”

“Haha. I hope you check it out on TV tomorrow.”

And that time.

The next opponent, Italy’s coach Pierluigi Casiraghi, urgently summoned several players to their hotel room.

Villarreal’s Giuseppe Rossi, in charge of attack.

Giovinco is still considered the world’s best prospect.

Silvestri and Montolivo, promising prospects who have already been proven in the Italian first division.

Lastly, Claudio Marchisio, the face of the Azzurri Legion, was summoned.

Coach Casiraghi, who checked Korea’s game today, planned to give them an important mission.