269. The final El Clásico (4)
Eventually, halftime ended and the tension reached its peak as we entered the tunnel.
Under soft lighting.
The secrets emitted by the 21 players made the interior dreary.
The players who were normally so close didn’t even make eye contact with each other.
Even if it was El Clasico, it wasn’t usually this bleak.
It was a sight that could only be seen in important matches like the Champions League final.
but.
‘10 consecutive wins in El Clásico.’
A great feat that has never been done before or will never be done again.
Hoyoung’s thoughts were focused solely on that.
And it was around this time that Barcelona’s loud cheering song rang out outside the stadium.
“Let’s all do our best.”
Hoyoung’s voice.
That one word changed the atmosphere in the tunnel.
“¡Vamos.”
“Blancos.”
The players came out of the tunnel one after another, screaming loudly.
“¡Vamos!”
“Blancos!”
A slogan you never know if you will hear it again if not now.
Hoyoung also ran onto the field, shouting at the top of his voice.
“¡Vamos!”
[The second half begins with Real Madrid kicking off. Can Real Madrid achieve 10 consecutive wins?]
[The problem is the players. Regardless of physical strength, there are too many players who have already received a warning. Many players received cards in the first half, right?]
Ronaldo, Alonso, Marcelo, Mertesacker and Ramos, who received yellow cards in the first half, became noticeably passive in their movements.
It was the same for Barcelona, but because the decision was in favor of the home team, Real Madrid had no choice but to be more careful.
Casillas’ voice rang out.
“Wake! “Don’t give up and run until the end!”
Starting with Casillas, the players’ voices rang out one by one.
“Let’s all run a little harder!”
“The opponent is a team we beat nine times!”
“Don’t be scared!”
Pepe, the focal point of the defense, was left out due to a sending-off, but the players filled in each other’s absence by playing a little more.
In addition, Hoyoung played more than two or three roles with his excellent field coverage, allowing the offense and defense to run smoothly.
A fierce attack and defense continued in the second half.
However, as time passed, it was Real Madrid that was at a disadvantage.
No matter how good Hoyoung was, his stamina was bound to run out at some point.
Didn’t he already run 7.7km in the first half alone?
And unfortunately.
Crash!
[Gooooooooo!]
[Messi hits the net once again! Lionel Messi follows Woo Young in scoring a hat trick!]
[The play of Bojan and Daniel Alves disrupting the defenders was very good. Thanks to this, no one could catch Messi’s breakthrough.]
‘Damn.’
While Hoyoung blocked Pedro’s breakthrough, Iniesta’s pass went to an unexpected place.
In addition, Messi’s dribble, which he knew he could not stop, continued and the defense collapsed.
This tied the score at 3-3.
Real Madrid became more disadvantaged as time passed.
There were only 20 minutes remaining, but Barcelona’s offense was very powerful.
The market share was already over 70%.
To make matters worse, Hoyoung is facing physical problems.
Hoyoung had already run over 11km.
Considering that Iniesta’s current activity level is 9km, it was an incredible record.
And it wasn’t my colleagues who didn’t know that.
“zero! Just take care of that space and take care of your stamina!”
It was the voice of Ramos, who was in charge of the defensive line after Pepe’s sending off.
Hoyoung took a breath after settling down in an important position.
“Whoa whoa.”
It was Hoyoung’s first time experiencing such an intense game, and it felt like experiencing a new world.
As my skills increased, there were more things I could do than before, and the more I felt my lack of ability.
‘You shouldn’t get excited. ‘You can’t get excited.’
It was a strange feeling, as if extreme excitement was taking over my entire body.
Hoyoung tried not to fall into that.
I focused on the game and focused on leading the flow.
However, Real Madrid lost their flow and initiative and had no choice but to drag their feet and ended up giving up a decisive chance at the end of the second half.
It was a scoring chance that came from a breakthrough by substitute Di Maria in the 80th minute of the second half.
Crash!
[Gooooool! Lionell Messi! After all, it is Messi!]
[As expected, it lives up to its name. Lionel Messi is flying around as much as Woo Ho-young today. This is the 4th goal.]
4 to 3.
There seemed little hope for Real Madrid to make a comeback.
And the game went by quickly until the 90th minute.
A breathtaking battle of defense took place for 10 minutes, but neither team could get to the goal.
I thought the game would end in a 4-3 victory for Barcelona.
But suddenly the game took an unpredictable turn.
[Tevar’s interception!]
[Real Madrid gains the right to attack for the first time in a while! It connects to Higuain in one go!]
[Counterattack chance follows! Higuain passes it to Ronaldo and moves forward.]
[Ronaldo quickly hits the side. You have to be careful of Gerard Pique.]
Pow!
When Gerard Pique threw his body, a collision followed.
Although the two already had yellow cards, they battled for the ball without giving up an inch.
Abidal and Higuain also joined in, and a brawl broke out.
After that.
“Those dirty Catalan bastards!”
“Cowardly Madrid bastards!”
A real fight broke out.
It started when Pique struck the back of Ronaldo’s neck with the blade of his hand.
Real’s players were angry at this and rushed forward, and Barcelona also did not lose and rushed forward to join the fight.
And eventually.
Beep!
The situation ended when the referee took out two red cards.
[Ronaldo and Pique are sent off at the same time.]
[It’s a 9-10 game. well. Wouldn’t this put Real Madrid at a further disadvantage? Now that Ronaldo, who showed great activity, has been sent off, Real Madrid will feel a great deal of pressure.]
As the commentary said, it was Real Madrid that was at a further disadvantage.
It was the 91st minute of the second half, so it was difficult to hope for a miracle.
I lost, but I fought well.
Some players were trying hard to comfort themselves.
Just one thing though.
There was hope.
[The game restarts with a free kick from Real Madrid.]
[This is your last chance. The 10-game winning streak was thwarted, but we can set a record of undefeated in 10 consecutive El Clásico games.]
Draw.
If I could score just one goal, that was enough.
However, the problem is that it is not easy.
[The location is okay in terms of angle, from near the center to the right. But the distance is 41 meters. It was only about 10 meters away from the halfway line.]
[It is impossible to shoot directly. You have to space it out or engage in linked play. There are only 4 minutes of extra time left, so we need to be careful about counterattacks.]
’41 meters.’
It’s not an impossible distance.
Even in areas over 41 meters, free kick goals are occasionally scored.
However, it was only worth trying when luck factors such as the strength of the wind or the direction of the air flow were present.
Moreover, the opponent was Barcelona’s goalkeeper Victor Valdez.
But Hoyoung stood.
He took six steps back with an unidentifiable smile on his face.
[It means that a no-rotation free kick will be hit if the stride length is that long.]
[It’s Woo Ho-young’s proprietary patent. This season alone, he has already scored two free kicks without a spin. Valdez will have to keep that in mind.]
[As expected, Abidal and Busquets are building a defensive wall. It’s a good choice.]
Setting up tall players as a defensive wall was definitely a great response.
But that was then.
[Woo Ho-young takes six more steps back. The jumping distance is quite long.]
[Looking at it… it doesn’t look like they’ll hit it directly. There seems to be a high probability that another player will fake it.]
Hoyoung’s eccentricities did not end there.
He looked at the goalpost and the ball alternately with his keen eyes, then moved nine more steps to the left.
It was a movement I had no idea whether he was trying to kick a ball or do a long jump.
Of course, Hoyoung had an obvious reason.
‘It’s here.’
assurance.
With a confident expression, he rubbed the studs of his soccer shoes on the grass.
And it was around the time I took my right foot off.
Whoop!
“…!”
Right side.
Something flew from the stands and landed at my feet.
Strangely enough, it was a yellow banana without even the peel.
When Hoyoung turned his head in that direction, he saw a spectator who was very drunk and was raising both hands and raising his middle finger.
It was a small commotion caused by fans who wanted Barcelona to win.
[Oh my. One ignorant fan is ruining the game. This is clearly racist behavior. We must find him and severely punish him so that he never comes to the stadium again.]
[Woo Ho-young must not be swayed. Don’t worry and just keep going the way you’re going.]
Contrary to people’s concerns, Hoyoung burst into laughter.
Isn’t this really fun?
It was a strange feeling to see the fans risking their lives for a game where the ball was rolling.
As soon as I realized that I was standing in the middle of it as the main character, something began to boil from deep within my heart.
Desire to win.
[Unquenchable fighting spirit (S+3)↑]
All the senses in my body were inspired by the burning desire.
It was at that time that Hoyoung made a sudden move.
[Uh oh…?!]
[Ha hahahaha! Hoyoung Woo responds sensibly.]
Hoyoung picked up the banana that had fallen on the floor and took a bite.
He then kicked it and sent it flying off the touchline.
It was right then.
[Boldness that won’t be fooled (S-)↑]
“Whoa.”
I felt like my heart was going to explode.
At the same time, the atmosphere in the stadium heated up.
Hoyoung’s completely unexpected actions threatened to cause a riot at any moment.
Hoyoung continued the momentum.
Sigh.
I took my steps off while keeping my body at a slightly inclined angle.
It moved along a line similar to the letter C.
Preparations for shooting have already begun.
Deformation of the body was suppressed as much as possible, but rotational force was maintained.
And right before kicking the ball.
Holding the torso and waist as the central axis, the knees, hips, shoulders, and lower body were instantly rotated as much as possible to gather energy.
I focused it on my ankles.
The tension was maintained until the end so that the impact was not dispersed.
It was a very difficult task.
However, with this level of condition and concentration, it was worth a try.
Because we’ve practiced countless times at the training ground over the past few months.
And it was that moment.
Whoop!
Sweet spot.
The optimal point where you can make the ball fly far in the desired direction without using a lot of force.
Hoyoung poured all his energy into targeting exactly that place.
I could barely feel my toes, but the sound was amazing.
Pfft!
41 meters.
It wasn’t just a number.
The ball, which had a good spin, was greatly curved like a bowstring and flew toward the goal.
Giant slalom.
Valdez could not move a single step.
All I could do was stare blankly at the art-like shooting.
Grumble!
It was a dramatic equalizer.
[Gooooooooooo! Gooooooo!]
[Super hat trick! Achieving a super hat trick! 4 to 4! It’s a tie!!]
Henry and Robben’s curling kick.
And it was a work created by the combination of Rafael Nadal’s rotational power.
and.
[Overwhelming free kick (S)↑]
An alarm came to mind, but nothing was visible in Hoyoung’s eyes.
just.
“Ooooooooooooo!”
He roared violently, only exploding his inner feelings that seemed ready to explode.
A dramatic equalizer.
There was nothing more valuable than that at this moment.
And Hoyoung, who seemed to have remembered it only then, ran to the corner and held a ceremony for Monica, drawing a half heart on his chest.
It was a game that even I could be satisfied with.
[It’s a huge free kick. I drew an absurd trajectory. Let’s look at it again.]
[Wow… If you look at the moment of shooting, you can see that his movements are much larger and more dynamic than those of other players. However, the angle balance between the stepping foot and the shooting foot was hardly disturbed. I think I can safely say that I used scientifically almost perfect shooting.]
[Yes. I saw a great game today. I don’t think I will ever forget it for the rest of my life. 4 to 4! This El Clásico will definitely go down in history. Even though we did not achieve 10 consecutive wins, this is also a great record.]
92 minutes in the second half.
Barcelona’s impatient players quickly took the ball and scolded the referee.
Then the referee immediately let the game proceed.
There are about 3 minutes remaining.
In fact, a draw was a very satisfactory result for them, but they couldn’t let this heaven-sent opportunity go to waste.
There are only 9 opponents.
Moreover, I lost all my stamina.
It was only 3 minutes, but it was enough time to score a goal.
Barcelona raised the tempo and attacked at breakneck speed.
To prevent an inevitable situation, we thoroughly prepared for counterattacks.
As if their earnestness had paid off, a decisive opportunity came in less than two minutes.
It was Iniesta’s ground ball cross that flew in front of the goal.
Tuk.
[Ahhh! Casillas catches it!]
[Bojan Krkic hits the ground in frustration! I was one step too late!]
And.
“¡Vamos!!”
threw it
He threw the ball with all his might towards Woo Ho-young, who was sprinting towards the halfway line.
[Woo Ho-young is running! Can you catch it with your chest?]
[Busquets quickly covers at the same time! You have to be careful!]
Just before the ball fell to the floor, Busquets made a decision and jumped up.
It was a reckless knee kick intended to clear an air ball.
It was a sign that it didn’t matter whether Woo Ho-young’s head, chest, or ball hit.
But at that moment.
Tap!
Instead of his head, Hoyoung stretched out his long legs and used the tips of his toes to drastically change the ball’s path.
“Keck!”
Because of this, Busquets made a fuss and fell out.
After that, Hoyoung kicked the ball up with the side of his foot and then went forward.
It’s not over until it’s over.
Doing your best until the whistle blows is a true professional.
Hoyoung turned on the light in his eyes and ran out.
It was that moment.
[Outstanding professionalism (S-)↑]
Taaagh!
The final sprint has begun.
Puyol, Xavi, and Alves, who were preparing for a counterattack, immediately flocked to the center.
However, it is lacking in speed.
Xavi was behind in speed and couldn’t even come close.
Alves, who ran at a frightening speed, tried to catch up, but Hoyoung was not alone.
as soon as.
“zero!!”
Higuain was playing on the same line.
widely!
“Go in!”
Percussion!
Hoyoung took advantage of the opportunity by exchanging one-two passes with him.
Immediately afterwards, Carles Puyol took a step back and tried to buy time until the end, but he collapsed helplessly due to a momentary mistake.
Overwhelmed.
Hoyoung squeezed the last of his strength and broke through the 40 meters.
“Whoa!”
When I looked up and took a deep breath, I saw Victor Valdes jumping out of the penalty box and throwing his body around.
‘They’re all here.’
In response, Hoyoung took advantage of the ball speed and kicked the ball up with his heel into the air.
It was a rainbow flick that passed Valdez straight.
OK.
“!”
In front of it was a single, wide-open goalpost.
Hoyoung coolly hit the ball that rose in the air.
The goal net shook as if it would collapse.
Crash!
Woo Ho-young’s fifth goal.
The goal that overturned the outcome of the game was eventually scored.
[Gooooooooooo! It’s crazy! It’s crazy! No words come out!!]
The stadium was in an uproar due to the dramatic reversal.
But there was no time for a ceremony.
The referee’s warning prompted the game to proceed immediately, and the remaining minute of extra time exceeded 3 minutes.
Nevertheless, the score did not change from 5 to 4.
at last.
Beep beep –
5 to 4.
The game is over.
[Real Madrid achieves its 10th consecutive El Clásico win!]
[Can you believe it, everyone? I don’t know if this is a dream or real life. It was by far the best game I’ve ever seen. No, I am confident. [This was the best match of all the matches on Earth so far.]
Hoyoung let out the breath he had been holding and lay down on the ground.
At a time when I felt like I was dying from hardship, a welcome phrase clearly appeared before my eyes.
That was Messi’s potential.
[Potential (SS+2)]
It was a moment of joy.
But for some reason, the tip of my nose became irritated and my eyes became red.
Has the burden and pressure exploded now?
But then something surprising happened.
Clap clap clap.
“Good job!”
“It was the best!”
About 700 madridistas offered encouragement.
furthermore.
Whick!
When a whistle was heard from one side, Barcelona’s fans also stood up one by one and began to applaud.
Up until now, they had been criticizing Hoyoung as if he would kill them, but this was a compliment to Hoyoung as a soccer fan regardless of his team.
[There was a time when Ronaldinho received a standing ovation at the Santiago Bernabeu during his Barcelona days, but this is the first time in the 21st century that the opposite has happened.] [This
scene shows how great the performance that Woo Ho-young showed today was. Also, how fierce was the game?]
[Yes, it is truly spectacular. Many Real Madrid fans are shedding tears of joy.]
The faces of fans shedding tears were captured one by one on the electronic display board.
Meanwhile.
‘Monica?’
Monica’s face, shedding a storm of tears, was captured in one shot.
Only then did Hoyoung smile.
It was a moment I will remember for the rest of my life.