358. Euro 2012 (2)
[Spain-Czech Republic] Starting lineup announcement]
The lineups of both teams were announced one hour before the start of the game.
As expected, the Czech Republic placed Tomaš Rosický in the attacking midfield and indicated their intention to take the game forward through forward playmaking.
The formation is 4-2-3-1.
Players to watch out for included Thomas Rosicky and goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Other than that, there really wasn’t much need to pay attention to.
In contrast, each and every player in Spain was a gem.
[The Spanish goalkeeper in the 4-3-3 formation is Iker Casillas, and the defense team is Jordi Alba-Ramos-Pique-Arbeloa. [We came out with the most elite unit.]
[The intention is probably to secure one win in the first game and then have a more relaxed game in the remaining two games. And the midfield is not easy either.]
Spain’s midfield used the Xabi Alonso-Busquets-Xavi line.
[It seems like the intention is to play a pass-oriented game.]
[That’s right. Because two passing masters met.]
Eventually, the game began.
The Czech Republic, who took the lead, turned the ball to the side and spread the formation wide.
Rosicky, the captain of the Czech Republic and the team’s core, gave instructions to the players.
“You have to aim for the midfield! Shake it from the left and right first!”
“Yes, we have to drop Xabi Alonso and Xavi. And we attack Busquets!”
It was an order from Czech coach Cesare Prandelli.
I think the Spanish midfield defense will be unstable because the pressure on Xabi Alonso is weak and Xabi is now a veteran.
Even before the game started, many experts were concerned.
If the Czech Republic spread wide left and right and Rosicky attacked the center, it was questionable whether Busquets would be able to block that wide space by himself.
But there were no problems in Spain.
[Ball cutting! Gerard Pique cuts off Rosicky’s forward pass!]
If Busquets found it difficult to block on his own, Gerard Pique quickly moved up to the third line and launched a surprise defense.
Thanks to this, Busquets, who had some free time, was able to find space in the back and blocked Thomas Rosicky’s playmaking.
[It’s like looking at a single organism. The players’ movements are connected like water.]
[That’s right. [They are showing a level of organizational power that is incomparable to that of the last international match.] The
Spanish players moved freely but did not allow any gaps in space.
At the same time, Spain regained control of the midfield.
Xabi Alonso and Xavi exchanged passes from the back, creating a quick build-up from the back.
It was absolutely enough to throw the Czech Republic’s double volanche into confusion.
Next, Spain’s top three began to move in earnest.
[Andres Iniesta, who was used as a left wing forward, cuts from the side to the center!]
[Xavi Hernández’s pass goes that way!]
Percussion!
It’s famous and empty.
Although their clubs have changed, Iniesta and Xavi Hernández still boast fantastic chemistry and played flawlessly.
The linked play between the two did not stop there.
Following the Barcelona line, this time the Manchester City line.
After receiving Xavi’s pass, Iniesta attempted to penetrate into the box by giving a short pass to central striker Woo Ho-young.
[Iniesta attempts a one-two pass!]
Tak.
Near the penalty area.
To anyone who saw it, it looked like a play to break through the line with a one-two pass.
However, Hoyoung did not give Iniesta a return pass.
On the contrary, he gave David Silva, who was waiting on the right side, a deep stab, opening up an unexpected attack avenue.
Aren’t Hoyoung and Silva able to understand each other’s intentions just by looking at their eyes?
The return pass came right back.
Taaagh!
[David Silva’s ground ball cross straight to Woo Ho-young!] A
sharp ground ball cross passed under Ho-young’s feet.
Immediately, the Czech defense flocked to Hoyoung like a swarm of bees.
But that was then.
Tap!
As soon as Hoyoung received the ball, he immediately kicked it slightly.
Exactly 6 centimeters.
The ball, which rose 6 centimeters from the toe, caused defender Tomáš Sivok to miss the ball.
Hoyoung took a shooting stance there.
I laid my body down at an angle and prepared to kick the ball in the air.
But the opponent was not easy.
Central defender Roman Hubník momentarily lifted his foot and blocked the shooting angle.
That alone would have been enough to block the shot.
The only variable is Hoyoung’s uncanny physical ability.
Whick!
“…!!”
Hoyoung rotated his body half a turn in the air to the point where it felt like all the organs in his body were going to be twisted.
L-level physical talent coveted from George Weah and Ruud Gullit.
This movement was possible because there was a transcendent body (TS+2) integrated with it.
The incredible play didn’t stop there.
Tok took!
Hoyoung turned his body in the air and swung the ball to the left at the same time.
The ‘classic ball trapping (L)’ that is coveted by Marco van Basten, a striker’s textbook and trapping master.
And it was a fantastic play due to the ‘transcendent ball sense (TS+3)’ that combined the talents of other legendary players.
As a result, the ball went out of Roman Hubnik’s sight, and soon a perfect shooting opportunity came.
And the shooting was perfect.
Cough!
Gerd Müller’s ‘lightning shooting (L)’ and transcendent shooting (TS+3) talent combined.
Hoyoung hit the net with a fantastic overhead kick.
Crash!
[Gooooooooo!]
[Woo Hoyoung hits it! It was a fantastic shot!!]
“Heavy rain!”
Hoyoung ran to the corner and held a ceremony.
The ceremony of wearing the Spanish national team uniform was a different feeling.
Iniesta and David Silva then followed and congratulated the scorer.
[The linked play from the Barcelona line to the Manchester City line was very impressive.]
[That’s true, but there was actually a very delicate play in the shooting process, right? Let’s watch it again.]
As the replay was played in slow motion on the electronic display, cheers erupted from everywhere.
I couldn’t see it clearly before because the situation unfolded so quickly, but now that I was watching Hoyoung’s play in detail, I had no choice but to do so.
“What on earth is that?”
“Is something like that possible in the air?”
Everyone had the same reaction to what happened in just a few seconds.
[I understand why Sivok and Hubnik are like scarecrows and can’t do anything. In fact, it was Woo Ho-young who made it that way in that short period of time.]
Ho-young’s unstoppable play continued.
Around the 20th minute of the first half.
Once the goal was opened, the Manchester City line displayed explosive skills, giving Hoyoung wings.
Iniesta and David Silva worked together fantastically and soon scored an additional goal.
Crash!
[Gooooooo! Woo Ho-young scores multiple goals!]
“Woo!”
Even if the Czech Republic tried hard to stop it, it was meaningless.
As long as Spain was determined to score a goal, that was the end of it.
Del Bosque’s Spain showed as much organization and perfection as Manchester City, and devastated the Czech Republic in the first half.
Fortunately, the Czech Republic established two lines of defense at the end of the first half and was forced to prevent additional goals.
2 to 0.
Spain ended the first half on a good note and carried that atmosphere all the way to the locker room.
“Haha. “It’s nothing!”
“I think you can score two more goals? “They have already lost their will.”
Party atmosphere.
It wasn’t limited to this game.
Through this game, they gained confidence in how good they could achieve in this competition.
Coach Del Bosque eventually entered the locker room and spoke briefly.
“Good job. Let’s do well in the future.”
That was all he had to say.
I have done well so far and I have no doubt that I will continue to do well.
Hoyoung’s crazy performance continued in the second half.
He consistently created perfect chances by reading the build-up at the back and the playmaking at the front and flanks without exception.
He was clearly seeing the effects of the ‘sophisticated build-up reading (L)’ that he had been coveting from Mateus.
[Woo Ho-young doesn’t seem to be tired. Spain’s attacking chances created here and there are turning into decisive opportunities.]
[It’s not that they are not, in fact, Spain’s activity level is not that much. [It is about creating a good flow while using the minimum amount of stamina.] When
the Czech Republic greatly increased its defensive numbers and completely blocked the goal, Spain did not play with it and completely blocked any counterattack opportunities.
For them, who had to save their stamina to win, winning was more important than scoring.
Then, around the 80th minute of the second half, the Czech Republic could no longer hold back and was about to sneak out.
[Busquets’ tackle! Ramos catches it safely!]
[The pass goes straight to Fabregas!]
At that moment, Fabregas’ eyes turned sharply.
It was immediately after that that his forward pass was directed to Hoyoung.
Percussion!
[Kill pass to the back space! Woo Ho-young is running! A debut hat trick is just around the corner!]
The Czech defense was the first to run, but it was Hoyoung who caught the ball.
The shot came out immediately on the spot.
Cough!
A lightning-fast shot.
It bent like a bowstring and was sucked out of Cech’s palm and into the goal.
It was a hat trick.
[Gooooooooo! It’s a hat trick before debuting at an international competition! As expected, today is the same!]
3-0.
The game ended there.
It was a very good start for Spain, who played a one-sided game and did not waste much stamina.
Immediately after being selected as MOM, Hoyoung was flooded with interview requests.
“I think we’re playing a lot better than we were at the end of last season. What do you think?”
“I agree. It’s thanks to experiencing a lot during this world tour and learning the know-how of many legends.”
Like this, the questions were mostly about the game, but one female reporter was interested in something else.
“Many female fans are interested in Woo Ho-young’s face. They even say that sweat drops seem to glow. Of course, I sympathize. Hmm….”
The female reporter’s eyes sparkled brightly.
That’s because Hoyoung’s serious and sharp image was highlighted even more as he coveted Beckham’s ‘artistic sculptural beauty (SS-)’.
He was turning from a boy into a man.
Hoyoung opened his mouth with a slight smile on his lips.
“I still have a long way to go.”
Spain’s winning streak did not seem to stop after that.
They achieved three wins by defeating Portugal and Italy in succession.
As a result, they took first place in Group C, known as the Group of Death, and advanced to the quarterfinals.
The opponent in the quarterfinals is Ukraine, which beat France in Group D.
Spain, who had accumulated enough stamina in the group stage, achieved an easy victory and advanced to the semifinals.
[Spain’s Pajuk achieves 4 consecutive wins, Woo Ho-young’s record of 6 goals in 3 games… There is unprecedented interest in whether Michel Platini’s 9 goals from 28 years ago can be surpassed] The
opponent in the semifinals is Italy, with whom Woo Ho-young has a close relationship.
Winning the Euros was now just around the corner.