[Ho-young equalizes with a golden goal, silencing the Indomitable Lions! The youngest member of the Korean squad opens the scoring for the team in their Olympic debut. At 15 years and 22 days, he rewrites the record as the youngest goalscorer!]
[What more needs to be said? The game has barely passed the 3-minute mark, but already the waves of emotion are sweeping through the stadium. This is incredible.]
The Indomitable Lions.
The nickname for the Cameroon national football team, a name that instantly conveys their tenacity and ferocity.
But the Red Devils had their own special trainer.
Young in age, but with outstanding ability.
'Ho-young…'
Grit.
Defensive midfielder Alex Song clenched his jaw.
A bitter taste lingered in his mouth.
Conceding that goal to Ho-young was a bitter pill to swallow.
Truthfully, he had underestimated him just a little.
A once-in-a-generation prodigy breaking records everywhere he went, even set to be promoted to Real Madrid's first team this season?
None of that mattered to Alex Song.
He was already regarded as the future of Arsenal.
So promising, in fact, that he was considered the successor to Gilberto Silva, one of the pillars of Arsenal's Invincibles.
But to be torn apart so helplessly? It was enough to mess with his head.
'What the hell is with that footwork…'
It was like watching someone straight out of a circus act.
Of course, he knew that Ho-young had excellent dribbling skills.
Coach Martin had hammered that into his ears, and even on the flight to Beijing, he had rewatched Ho-young's highlights over and over again.
But seeing it on video and facing it in person were worlds apart.
'Damn it. Those dirty La Liga players. You can't tell if they're playing football or putting on a show.'
Spain's La Liga emphasized technical ability and possession.
In contrast, the English Premier League was centered on physical play and intense body contact.
That difference was what made things difficult for Alex Song.
And it also ignited his competitive fire.
'Focus, Alex. He's just a rookie who hasn't even played in a top-tier league yet. If he wants to play like that, I'll just use my own method to shut him down.'
Tweet!
As Ho-young's celebration ended and the game resumed, Alex Song called over centre-back Andre Bikey.
He leaned in and whispered.
"I'll shut down Ho-young. If any gaps open up behind me, cover them."
And so, the first half became even more intense.
[Cameroon, who started with a 4-3-3 formation, appears to be making a slight tactical adjustment. Centre-back Andre Bikey is pushing up to the third line, forming a 3-4-3.]
[In simple terms, this is pressing. Applying strong central pressure to open up space on the flanks, allowing Eto'o to maximize his attacking presence out wide.]
[To put it another way, they're reinforcing the defense while empowering Samuel Eto'o in attack. The question now is how our players will respond.]
[If they focus too much on Eto'o's attacking threat, the flanks in the backline will inevitably become vulnerable. Our players need to target that open space. Lee Chung-yong and Lee Keun-ho need to be active.]
That was the basic countermeasure.
And since it was something taught in standard tactical training, Ho-young was well aware of it.
But it couldn't stop there.
Even with the same tactic, team color and player tendencies could make it play out completely differently.
That's why in-match awareness was so important.
You had to read the flow, understand the opponent's tactics, and find the weak spots.
Ho-young had been doing exactly that the entire time.
'The players are moving organically. Especially in the 1.5 line, possession is heavily concentrated. They're trying to secure a passing route to feed the ball to Eto'o at any moment.'
At the same time, Alex Song and Andre Bikey had pushed their line up to apply high pressing in midfield.
It was a tactic that demanded immense stamina from the defenders.
In other words, it was like burning their second-half energy in the first half.
They were trying to settle the game early, then shift to a defensive, pragmatic playstyle by bolstering numbers at the back.
That was Ho-young's assumption.
'The pressing's getting stronger.'
Especially the pressure on Ho-young was intensifying.
It was hard to keep possession for more than two seconds.
Thud!
"Urgh."
Grin.
Alex Song rushed in the moment Ho-young received a pass, grinning as he delivered a hard challenge.
It was overwhelming.
This was the first time Ho-young had experienced this level of pressure.
Until now, the defensive midfielders he had faced were mostly youth players or second-division players.
But Alex Song was already part of Arsenal's first team.
He might not have been a core player yet due to lack of experience, but he was more than capable of shutting down lower-tier forwards.
And true to the Premier League reputation, his pressing and physicality were intense.
Then, a phrase Ho-young had once heard floated to the front of his mind.
—In La Liga, when you receive the ball, you have time to think. In the Premier League, you've already been tackled three times before you even start thinking.
It meant that EPL football was aggressive and relentless.
In Spain, a tackle might warrant a red card, but in England, it would just earn a yellow. That's how different the styles were.
It wasn't about the level. It was about the football philosophy.
Thud!
The physical clashes kept coming.
And today's referee, Glenn from England, was quite lenient. Most physical challenges were allowed to play on.
He needed to be smart.
'In this kind of situation...'
Ballack. Kaká. Zidane.
How would these three midfield maestros have handled this?
Flow, give-and-go runs, ball control.
Each had their weapons, and each would've found their own way to overcome it.
And Ho-young possessed all three.
He had plenty of options.
While Alex Song might have the edge in experience, match sense, and physicality, Ho-young had the upper hand in fundamental skill and raw talent.
'If they're coming in like this with reckless aggression…'
If the opponent keeps throwing out rocks, the answer is to play paper.
Ho-young was biding his time for that exact moment.
Time was on his side anyway.
It was only the 20th minute of the first half.
He calmly widened his view and looked for opportunities.
Alex Song was loitering barely three meters away, and just beyond him, Andre Bikey was marking Park Ju-young.
'Their backline is exposed. A lobbed pass would be the cleanest way to break through.'
And Park Ju-young had been signaling constantly.
His ability to time runs from the 1.5 line and burst into space was among the best in Korea.
He wasn't bad in aerial duels either. If the pass was accurate, a great opportunity would arise.
The issue was how to hold possession long enough to deliver it.
'Should I drop deeper into midfield to receive the ball myself?'
He considered it for a moment, then looked for another option.
'There's another way.'
From that moment, Ho-young maintained his position in the second line, lulling Alex Song into a false sense of security.
Then, just before the first half ended.
He gave a prearranged signal to the midfield.
A sharp and firm ground pass. That was the request he sent to Ki Sung-yueng.
The pass came almost immediately after.
Thud!
A fast, low-driven ground pass came skimming across the pitch.
And at that moment, a charging bull appeared out of nowhere.
Alex Song.
He had been waiting for Ho-young to receive the ball and now came charging in.
Unaware that he was walking into a trap.
Slide.
"…!!"
Ho-young didn't take the ball.
He used his broad back to shield Alex Song's vision, letting the pass glide past him without touching it.
A no-touch receive.
A psychological technique that deceives defenders by letting the ball flow naturally.
Anyone could attempt it, but to pull it off successfully, you needed animalistic physicality and dazzling foot skills.
Ho-young had exactly that.
Just a few days ago, after 25 days of waiting, he had successfully acquired a new talent.
[Fantastical Foot Skills (SU)]
Formed by combining the Dribbling Virtuoso's Foot Skills (U) with Fantastical Dribbling (S-), it had elevated Ho-young's footwork to a magical level.
Pop—
The real play began now.
Letting the ball go past him, Ho-young swiftly spun 180 degrees to escape Alex Song's pressing.
"Urgh!"
Alex Song.
He had fallen into the trap.
By the time he turned to recover from the wrong direction, it was already too late.
Ki Sung-yueng's ground pass surged into the open space, and Ho-young sprinted through faster than the ball.
It was then that Andre Bikey, who had been marking Park Ju-young, turned toward Ho-young.
"…!"
At the same time, Ho-young's gaze locked onto him.
He spotted Park Ju-young making a diagonal run into the opposite space.
'Now.'
Without hesitation, Ho-young nudged the ball with the tip of his foot, ever so delicately.
A lobbed through pass toward the space behind Park Ju-young's marker.
To put it simply, it was a work of art.
Pure art football.
'Perfect.'
Ho-young's job was done.
Now it was up to Park Ju-young.
It was the kind of chance that, if missed, would be career-defining.
It was like feeding him the goal on a silver spoon.
At the same time, Ho-young positioned himself to pick up the second ball, just in case.
He trusted his teammate, but it was always good to prepare for the unexpected.
And then, it happened.
[Park Ju-young is calmly approaching the goal! Cameroon's goalkeeper, Amour Patrick, rushes out in a panic. Park Ju-young, Park Ju-young, Park Ju-young shoots!]
The ball had already left his foot.
The crowd, who had just been jeering, all went silent at once.
The net rippled moments later.
Swoosh!
[Goal! It's a goal! Park Ju-young slots it into the bottom-right corner! A precious goal just before the end of the first half puts Korea ahead 2-1!]
[Brilliant. This is what football is all about. The future stars of Korean football have created a masterpiece!]
[That's right. Park Ju-young reportedly told coach Park Sung-ho during team selection, "If you pick Ho-young, it'll be a big boost for the team." And that belief has been proven right with this goal.]
The pitch was flooded in a sea of red.
Park Ju-young clasped his hands in a prayer gesture, while Ho-young clenched his fists in celebration.
It was only the end of the first half, but from the momentum alone, it felt like Korea had already won.
And then.
After injury time had passed and the players were heading down the tunnel.
"Ho-young."
Park Ju-young, wiping sweat from his soaked hair, approached.
He gave a thumbs up.
"You were the best."
On the other side, Ho-young's eyes met those of Eto'o, who wore a faint smile of regret.
Despite trailing 2-1, Eto'o looked relaxed.
He placed a hand on Ho-young's shoulder and said.
"Football starts in the second half."
To which Ho-young responded, resting a hand on Eto'o's shoulder.
"That's the kind of thing losers always say."
Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Beyond national teams, the rivalry between them was one that allowed no room for defeat.
And the tension between the two flared once again.
(To be continued.)