063. French Legend(7)

There was a briefing about the Japanese national team the night before.

As a simple squad, Japan scored 7 out of 10, but they were particularly strong in the Montague competition.

Not only did they become champions last year, but they had also advanced to the semifinals several times before.

That's how confident Japan was in this tournament.

They came up with a tactic to win, and it was the extreme defensive tactic used by Greece in the 2004 Euros (European Championships).

This is soccer that only cares about profit.

Even if the crowd cursed, even if the pass success rate was less than 60% and the possession rate fell below 300%, Japan concentrated on defense.

If the first goal was scored through a counterattack, all players lowered their lines and played extreme defense.

On the other hand, if they couldn't score a goal, they persevered until the end and achieved a draw, securing a point.

But that was only possible in group matches.

From the semifinals onwards, if a winner is not reached in the 90th minute of the second half, overtime must go into overtime.

So Director Park Kyung-woon decided to aim for that point.

If the opponent decides to lock up, we will also leisurely spread ground attacks and plan the second half of the play with the stamina we have accumulated.

But Hoyoung asked this about it.

"Can't we just pour it in from the beginning?"

And the director shook his head.

"This is not an easy opponent. There is no such thing as agbari. You can see this in the fact that they only conceded one goal against England. Plus, their counterattack is top-notch."

It was a very important game.

As the public's interest was focused, the burden was great and good results had to be achieved.

What if you recklessly attack and instead of scoring a goal, you concede a goal?

It's only a matter of time before you get criticized.

It was clear that he would be criticized despite doing well throughout the competition.

This was the part the director wanted to avoid the most.

That was why South Korea came out with a 4-5-1 formation today.

It was a tactic that allowed the midfielders to dominate the midfield due to their numerical superiority, with the detail that the left and right wingers would participate in the midfield rather than the second line.

The intention was to take the initiative but reserve physical strength.

Seok Hyeong-Jun was placed at the top, Lee Cheong-Ryong took charge of the right wing, and Ho-Young took charge of the left wing.

The goal was to avoid giving Japan a counterattack by attacking both the midfield and the flanks.

As the game began, the regretful voices of the French commentators came out from the special studio.

[I guess viewers are already fed up? I was expecting a hot game from Korea, but they turned out passively.]

[I can't believe it. I expected Japan to show extreme defense, but I didn't know this. I didn't expect Korea to show such calm play!]

[Actually, I was also looking forward to it, but in the end it turned out like this. Since Korea and Japan are rivals, I expected a bloody fight. haha. Rather, it's the exact opposite, isn't it?]

[I understand. This is a game that neither team should ever lose. A game like this is also fun to watch. Who scores first?]

The game went as the commentators predicted.

As soon as the game started, Japan was down to five back, and Korea started from midfield and gradually expanded its radius of action to the sides.

A battle between spear and shield.

No, it was a baton rather than a spear.

To put it simply, it is not sharp but blunt. For control.

All they could do was use their advantage in range to touch Japan's shield.

It seems like if you ever come here, come visit.

Swinging the baton, he controlled the pitch and struck at every opportunity to prevent Japan from counterattacking.

As a result, Korea had an astonishing 72% market share in just 5 minutes of the first half.

Since they were only looking for clear opportunities, they threw the ball back when they thought they would lose possession of the ball.

The spectators who came to the stadium with great anticipation booed.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuu!"

The first person to react to that sound was none other than Hoyoung.

'You're not calling me, are you?'

He thought people were booing him and was bothered by the sound.

No, it was like that too.

They may have come to see a hot play, but in reality, the player is just making a fuss.

'They also curse at my country.'

Actually, even as Hoyoung, I was frustrated.

The current situation is that not a single goal has been scored in 10 minutes of the first half.

It wasn't a game of spinning a ball, and the game couldn't have been this peaceful.

The soccer that Hoyoung wanted was a war in which victory was achieved by clashing with one's body.

If you fight fiercely with your head, you fight by hitting and pounding with your body.

That's what I wanted to do.

I wanted cheers, not boos.

But I couldn't always do what I wanted to do.

'If this is the way to win, then this is what we have to do.'

But today was a different story.

We had to win by more than 3 points.

'As long as you don't overdo it.'

Hoyoung's eyes turned deep into the front.

Just by looking closely, the Japanese players could be seen maintaining a frustrating defensive gap.

I wanted to shatter their peace.

'hmm. I can see a gap….'

They neutralized Germany's impenetrable defense, but will they not be able to break through even one of Japan's defensive walls?

Take a peek.

Hoyoung shifted his gaze and looked at director Park Kyung-woon.

'It's definitely a good tactic. 'You can achieve a stable victory while taking advantage of the benefits.'

But it seemed like a better way would come out if we flexibly modified it.

So I acted.

I decided to stop this boring psychological warfare at this point.

'Let's give it a try.'

"brother! "Give me the ball!"

Toouk.

Without waiting any longer, a ground ball pass came from Kim Shin-woo.

And ran.

It was a decision I could make because I knew my own abilities.

"!"

It happened all at once.

As soon as Hoyoung received the ball, he ran and crossed the halfway line, deflecting the opposing attacker.

"what!"

The tempo quickly accelerated in the first 10 minutes, which caught the Japanese players off guard.

The problem is that even our allies were fooled.

"Why all of a sudden!"

Koo Ja-myeong, who was coordinating the midfield offense and defense, shouted.

But it was okay.

A slight variation on coach Park Kyung-woon's tactics.

That was at the player's individual discretion, and it was also a task that Hoyoung, who took on the role of playmaker, had to carry out.

"Please support me from below just once. "I'll try to break through."

"okay. Let's go quickly. "They're scared now."

"yes."

Hoyoung let out a short breath.

The eyes were bent and the corners of the mouth were curled up.

You have no idea how happy this moment is.

It was nice to feel like my frustration was relieved, but more than that, I was very happy that I had confidence in the game.

In soccer, you can only be happy when you have the ball.

It was right then.

My confidence exploded.

And then a voice filled with excitement came out from the special studio.

[AA AA AA! Wake up! Woo Ho-young finally woke up! Running! This is a huge breakthrough! Keep running!]

[I knew it would be like this. Korean director Park Kyung-woon was hiding his teeth for this moment.]

He started praising the Korean director.

However, Park Gyeong-woon was actually sounding worried.

"Be careful not to lose it!"

Before the game started, Woo Ho-young was given a free role for 'variation', but I thought that was a somewhat risky move.

What if I lose the ball like that?

Rather than hoping that things would go well, I was more worried about what would happen if the attack failed and a counterattack was allowed.

'If Germany's defense team has excellent individual ability, Japan's defense organization is good. Most attacks will be blocked.'

It was that moment when he brushed his beard and gave Hoyoung a look of concern.

"ah!!"

Regret flowed out.

Hoyoung's surprise mid-range shot was blocked by the goalkeeper's punch.

However, it was a good enough attack to shake up Japan's defense.

And 14 minutes into the first half.

That fighting spirit heated up the Korean players, and as a result, cooler and more exciting attacks began to unfold.

Japan, which had shown off its organized and strong defense throughout the tournament, had no choice but to fall into trouble.

"I think we need to pressure from the half-line."

"Coach said to close the gap further! "Don't leave any space!"

"okay. I'll cooperate, so don't just give me a mid-range shooting angle. "It's putting pressure on space."

After careful consideration, Japan decided to block Hoyoung's offensive with active anti-personnel defense.

And five minutes later, Hoyoung personally proved that their countermeasures were nonsense.

As Japan blocked the space and defended, Hoyoung quickly deflected a defender and gave a key pass to the space behind him.

And Seok Hyeong-jun did not miss the opportunity.

Crash!

It was Korea's first goal.

"yes!"

Park Kyung-woon sang with joy.

An exhilarating shiver ran down my scalp, as if all my hair would be pulled out.

Watching Hoyoung felt like watching Park Joo-hyung during his days as a youth representative.

I remembered the scene where he beat four opposing defenders in one go and scored a goal with his personal skills.

Park Joo-hyung.

He studied soccer abroad in Brazil and is a promising player who will lead Korean soccer by being the top scorer in various youth competitions.

'No, honestly, it's much better.'

No matter how much you say you have no eye for players, if you don't know that, you don't have the quality to be a coach.

However, it is because Park Kyung-woon does not show it outwardly.

In his opinion, Woo Ho-young was a player who did not have any shortcomings, but had very distinct strengths.

I thought that was why a 13-year-old could play an active role on a stage that 16-year-olds could enjoy.

'A big wind will blow in the national team.'

Either way, it was clear that he was a player with a very promising future.

While the Korean players were celebrating, the Japanese defenders were all angry.

"Why are you missing Seok Hyeong-jun!"

"No… you said you would cooperate earlier?"

"shit. Don't fight. Because it's not over yet. The defenders need to concentrate more in the center. "Fullbacks help!"

They came together again.

Even though they gave up the side a little, they focused on the center and countered Hoyoung's playmaking.

However, their defensive changes were soon overlooked by Korea.

As Hoyoung was observing the movements of the defenders, the field came to mind.

'Let's take advantage of the opportunity.'

It was not long after that.

Hoyoung made the side a mess by switching with Lee Cheong-ryong.

And the one who scored Korea's second goal with a lightning strike and run.

Clap!

[Gooooool! Hyungjun Seok scores Korea's second goal!]

[That's right. Lee Cheong-ryong's calm assist was also good. I especially liked Woo Ho-young's quick hitting and running before that. The skills he showed in the last game against Germany are even more noticeable here. [They seem to be especially strong against weak teams.]

Following the broadcast, the cheers of the audience filled the field.

"Ooooooooooo!"

There were Korean tourists among them.

On the other hand, the Japanese camp was so miserable that it was embarrassing to look at with open eyes.

Japan's garrison formation, which was broken to pieces, could no longer be restored.

It's safe to say that this is the setting for the movie 'The Sinking of Japan', which is scheduled to be released next year.

Japanese players were in despair.

I'm just shocked by this situation, but I'm not even angry anymore.

In particular, Shinji Kagawa was biting his lower lip.

It was a face that looked like it would burst into tears like chicken shit at any moment if you hit it.

Kagawa remembered Hoyoung's laughter before the game started.

A chill ran down my spine.

'What a devil.'

Just like that, the defending champion was falling into the abyss.

Beep!

When the first half ended 2-0 thanks to Seok Hyeong-jun's multiple goals, about 10,000 spectators burst into applause.

Even after the Korean players returned to the locker room, the lingering feelings did not go away for a long time.

The audience all dropped their forearms and burst out in admiration.

"Asian kids are also really good, right? "I think it's more fun than the France-Germany match, right?"

"There is a saying that Asian kids are good only until they are 16."

"Anyway, it was a fun game. "I find such intense competition fun."

The stands heated up by Korea's play resembled a festival scene.

On the other hand, the exact opposite atmosphere was flowing in the Korean team's locker room.

This was the atmosphere coming from coach Park Kyung-woon, who had previously entered the locker room.

It was then that the players came indoors.

"Thank you for your effort."

"Yes, there were a lot of hardships."

Coach Park Kyung-woon encouraged the players one by one as they finished the game and then approached Hoyoung.

Then he said with a serious face.

"Good job. Let's do well in the second half as well."

"Ha… thank you."

Hoyoung bowed his head.

His face turned red and he was out of breath.

He looks very tired from running around all the time.

It was a physical limitation.

"Is it difficult?"

"…It's okay. I'll run a little more."

It felt like death, but I endured it.

I just need to score one more goal.

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[READ 'Conquest Of Taboo And Debauchery' & 'Ruthless Rebirth Of The Emperor' by a friend of mine on WN, YOU WON'T REEGRET IT.]

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