A football columnist described the semifinal with this remark:
Even though Korea had a super crack like Ho-young, realistically, there was no chance of beating Mexico.
His reasoning was as follows:
[Spanish Football Magazine Don Balon]
[By: La Saeta Oscuro]
The Dark Horse Korea's Fairy Tale Ends at the Goal Line.
...Ho-young's only real weakness is his age.
Some critics point out that he lacks boldness, has inaccurate crosses, low jumping ability, or poor balance, but all of that is meaningless.
In modern football, no player can be perfectly complete.
If that's the standard, then even Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o, who is currently leading La Liga's scoring charts, has many flaws.
Simply put, Ho-young doesn't really have a weakness.
His physical limitations also stem from his age. That alone can't be used to question his quality.
In fact, he already has stamina beyond his years.
Still, the reason I give the edge to Mexico is that they have not one, but two phenomenal prospects.
Korea's defensive line won't be able to handle them...*
The Spanish columnist 'La Saeta Oscuro', a well-known contributor to Don Balon, had been tracking Ho-young's career since the beginning of the year.
His deep knowledge of Ho-young came from this ongoing research, and it wasn't his first time doing so.
He had always been fascinated by young talents and had a hobby of gathering information on them.
In his objective assessment, Ho-young was bound to struggle against Mexico.
Click.
In a scenic villa in Marbella, Spain.
The man typing away on his laptop on the outdoor terrace was eager for the U-17 World Cup semifinal three days later.
Under the pen name 'La Saeta Oscuro', he was a prominent columnist for the influential Spanish football magazine, Don Balon.
Though he had written that Ho-young would lose, deep down, he was cheering for him.
'That kid is mature. But human nature is only revealed when faced with adversity.'
He was eager to see if Ho-young could perform in a big match and what kind of character he'd show when the team was under threat.
And more than anything else...
'It's about time.'
He wanted to see that boy living in Spain as soon as possible.
The Korea vs. Mexico match kicked off at 14:00 on September 29, under the blazing spotlight of the media.
It was being dubbed "A clash of prodigies."
Korea's prodigy, Ho-young, shook hands with the opposing players while scanning Mexico's star players.
First, Mexico's No. 2 prospect currently playing for Barcelona's youth team:
[Giovani dos Santos]
[Possessed Talents: Football Genius (A+), Genius Dribbling (A+2), Legs Faster than a Lamborghini (A+2)]
(You can obtain one talent by meeting the required conditions.)
(Condition 1: Win the match)
(Condition 2: Block a shot)
(Condition 3: Intercept a pass)
(Condition 4: Successful tackle)
Dark skin, gentle-looking face.
But his football ability was fierce, with his talent blooming early.
Nicknamed "Gio Dosan," he was a top-tier Mexican prospect.
His position was attacking midfielder, where he stirred things up in the second line and smoothly distributed the ball to the front line.
In that front line stood a player even more dangerous than him.
[Carlos Vela]
[Possessed Talents: Football Genius (A+2), Phenomenal Dribbling (S-), Fearless Sprinting (A+2), Legs Faster than a Lamborghini (A+2), Composed Finishing (B+2)]
(Phenomenal Dribbling (S-) requires hidden conditions to be unlocked.)
(You can obtain one talent by meeting the required conditions.)
(Condition 1: Win the Golden Boot at the U-17 FIFA World Cup)
(Condition 2: Score more goals than Carlos Vela)
(Hidden Condition: Unlocks after obtaining at least one of his talents.)
Mexico's No. 1 prospect.
A second striker with blistering pace, agility, dribbling, and solid finishing.
'No need to explain. His growth rate is even faster than Thomas Müller's. Though his ceiling isn't as high.'
He had beaten out numerous English and Spanish prospects to be ranked 9th in the Golden Boy list—a boy with a bright future.
In short, the players to watch were Carlos Vela and Giovani dos Santos.
Together, they had combined for more than 10 goals in just 4 matches—a terrifying duo.
Ho-young knew this well.
He had already studied their match footage with Coach Park Kyung-woon.
Even if Ho-young committed himself to helping in defense, unless he was a defensive monster, there was no way he could stop them both.
Moreover, Vela and Dos Santos were either as tall or taller than Ho-young.
It was up to Kim Shin-woo and the Korean backline to handle that.
Tweet!
Tap.
As the referee blew the whistle, the kickoff took place in the center circle.
Mexico had the first possession.
Vela passed the ball backward, then looked forward.
His wolf-like eyes narrowed, gaze locking onto Ho-young.
Awareness.
Vela was overly conscious of Ho-young.
'Ho-young. We're tied in goals.'
Vela, who was currently level with Ho-young in the Golden Boot race, couldn't take his mind off him.
The media had heavily hyped their battle, and the pressure weighed on him.
Winning today's match was a given. But he also felt he had to outscore Ho-young.
'The Golden Boot is mine.'
Vela had strong ambitions to use this tournament as his breakthrough.
On the other hand, Ho-young's mind was relatively clear.
He had learned something 1 year and 9 months ago when he faced Thomas Müller in Germany.
'Focusing too much on rivals only hurts me. Just concentrate on the match.'
He was afraid of facing them, yes.
But he buried that fear, forcing himself to stay calm.
At the same time, there was also excitement.
There wouldn't be many chances to play against Mexico's top prospects.
The opening goal went to Korea.
In the 8th minute, a surprise long-range shot from Ho-young's foot hit the back of the net.
'Nice.'
It looked like the game was going well, but reality was different.
Korea's defenders were being torn apart.
"Ha."
"Damn."
"This is brutal."
"..."
These short, blunt groans came from the backline, led by Kim Shin-woo.
"What the hell are they on?"
Top-tier prospects Vela and Dos Santos were just that good.
They were a step above even Toni Kroos, whom Korea had faced in France.
Mexico's free-flowing, fluid football completely overwhelmed Kim Shin-woo.
'Damn. I can't focus at all.'
He tried desperately to stop them but couldn't.
Eventually, Mexico seized control of the attack, and less than 5 minutes later, they equalized.
A clean finish by Vela.
Tweet!
Even as the whistle blew, nothing changed.
Mexico continued dominating after the equalizer.
As expected of title contenders, they showed no signs of complacency.
"Hey! Focus! What are you doing out there?!"
Coach Park Kyung-woon was screaming in frustration.
But Mexico didn't budge.
Especially the attacks that started from Dos Santos's feet and connected with Vela were lethal.
With Korea's midfield completely severed, their own attacks couldn't get going.
Normally, Ho-young would drop back to help organize the play, but his stamina was nearly depleted, so even that wasn't possible.
"Haah…"
Kim Shin-woo, having been beaten by Vela multiple times, looked about ready to collapse.
Eventually, he did.
By the time he came back to his senses, the scoreboard read 4-1.
Tweet!
The whistle signaling the end of the first half rescued him.
But the second half began in much the same fashion.
Mexico continued to pour on the pressure, and Korea scrambled just to defend.
There were no major tactical changes after that.
Instead...
The Korean attacking trio, who had been knocking on Mexico's door since the first half, started to search for new breakthroughs.
Lee Chung-yong, Suk Hyun-jun, and Ho-young.
It began with Ho-young.
"Hyung, I'll cut in from the wing to the center. Open up the space for me."
"Got it. Let's give it a shot."
Ho-young stepped up as the solution, having spotted Mexico's defensive line beginning to spread apart.
The score was 4-1.
It was a desperate situation, but he didn't give up.
A true crack must show their worth when the team is in danger.
Ho-young didn't back down.
"Hoo…"
It was exhausting, but he endured.
He didn't think of this as the end, and he refused to look back.
Once again, he would fight through with spirit.
His winning mentality sparked a major shift.
Ho-young shouted.
"Long!"
He signaled the midfield.
Requesting a through ball deep into the space behind the line.
From that moment on, Ho-young hovered along the offside line, searching for gaps.
He didn't know how many more chances he'd get, but he planned to pour out every last bit of stamina.
Mexico had a terrifying squad, enough to be called the tournament's top contender.
But they weren't without weaknesses.
Their defenders.
They had a reputation for collapsing once they were mentally shaken.
Especially their full-backs.
'If there's a weakness, it's there.'
Recalling what Coach Park Kyung-woon had drilled into him over and over, Ho-young charged down the right flank.
At the same time, Koo Ja-myung played a direct pass forward.
Mexico's right full-back, the 18-year-old hot-blooded Bravo, instinctively sprinted after it.
"Grr!"
As he struggled to keep up, Bravo desperately grabbed Ho-young's jersey.
Ho-young's upper body tilted backward.
At the same time, the whistle blew.
[Ah... foul! Ho-young has been pulled down by Bravo's reckless challenge! If not for that, he could've broken into the box!]
[Bravo is shown a yellow card. It's the right call. And Korea gets a free kick in a good position.]
[But wouldn't it be tough to shoot directly from here? The angle's pretty tight.]
[It is tough. Still, if he strikes it precisely... Oh! Right on cue, Lee Chung-yong steps up for the run-up!]
Lee Chung-yong was the set-piece taker.
Boom!
He curled the ball toward the far post.
In the box, a fierce battle unfolded. The ball deflected off Suk Hyun-jun's head and changed direction.
It flew toward Ho-young, who was positioned at the far post.
The defender contesting the ball was David, a 175cm-tall center-back.
But—
"Hup!"
Before David could engage properly, Ho-young spun his body.
He poured every ounce of energy into the ball with a single intent: to score.
A volley.
It wasn't his cleanest or most accurate shot, but just because he had lost a talent didn't mean his ingrained feel for the ball was gone.
That sense remained.
Clang!
Success.
[GOOOOOOOAL! It's a goal! Finally, the drought ends and the rain begins!]
[Yes, Ho-young with a fantastic volley finish!]
[This changes everything! The match isn't over until it's over!]
Ho-young's goal reignited the dying flame.
The time was the 77th minute.
Still too early to give up.
He still had stamina left.
No, strength was surging through him.
After scoring, the energy he had thought was gone suddenly returned.
[Burning Fighting Spirit (A) ↑]
So this was it.
This was the source of that strength.
"Let's go!"
A belated counterattack.
Ho-young grew more dangerous with every passing minute.
Like a runaway train, he stormed across the field, and Mexico's flustered defenders began crumbling just as the experts had warned.
A comeback that seemed impossible began to take shape.
And less than 10 minutes later...
Clang!
A hat-trick.
The team was still losing, but the undisputed star of the match was Ho-young.
And with that, he rose to the top of the Golden Boot race.
(To be continued.)