072. First World Cup(5)

A soccer columnist said this about the semifinals.

It is said that Korea has a super crack called Woo Ho-young, but it is virtually impossible to win against Mexico.

The reason was as follows.

[Spanish soccer magazine Don Balonn]

[Written by La Saeta Oscuro]

[Dark horse disperses in front of the gate in a storm brought about by Korea.

...Woo Ho-young's only weakness is 'age'.

There are people who sometimes point out shortcomings such as lack of boldness, inaccurate crossing, low jumping ability, poor sense of balance, etc., but these are all pointless stories.

This is because, given the nature of modern soccer, it is impossible to produce players who can pursue perfection.

In that way, Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o, who is currently the leading scorer in the Spanish league, also has numerous shortcomings.

To put it simply, Woo Ho-young does not have any shortcomings.

Physical limitations are also a matter of age, and cannot be used to discuss a player's skills.

Unless he grew up in Kenya, the kingdom of Marathon, that's normal.

No, he already has physical strength beyond his age.

Nevertheless, the reason I am siding with Mexico is because Mexico has two great prospects.

Korea's defense will not be able to handle them…]

La Saeta Oscuro, a prominent Spanish soccer columnist who posted this article online, has been collecting information about Woo Ho-young since early this year.

It was for that reason that I knew Hoyoung well, but it wasn't the first time he had behaved like this.

From the beginning, I was very interested in promising players and had a hobby of collecting information related to them.

When he thought about it calmly, it was clear that Woo Ho-young would struggle against Mexico.

Click.

A charming villa in Marbella, Spain.

The man who was typing on his laptop keyboard while sitting on the outdoor terrace couldn't wait to watch the semifinals of the U17 World Cup in three days.

A renowned columnist for 'Don Balonn', a soccer magazine that exerts great influence on Spanish soccer.

It was a man using the pen name 'La Saeta Oscuro'.

He posted that Woo Ho-young would lose, but in fact, he was rooting for Ho-young in his heart.

'That friend is mature. But human nature only shows itself when trials come.'

I was very excited to see if Woo Ho-young had a strong temperament even in big matches, and what he would do when the team was in danger.

And above all.

'It's about time.'

I couldn't wait to watch the boy's life in Spain.

The Korea-Mexico match began three days later, on September 29th, at 14:00 with great media attention.

If anything, there was a saying like this.

'A battle of geniuses.'

Korean genius Woo Ho-young shook hands with his opponents and glanced at the Mexican geniuses.

First of all, the No. 2 Mexican prospect currently playing for the Barcelona youth team.

[Giovanni dos Santos]

-Soccer genius (A+)

-Genius dribbling (A+2) -Fast

legs as fast as a Lamborghini (A+2)

-(More)

(You can covet one talent if you meet the conditions.)

(Condition 1: Win the game)

(Condition 2: Block a shot)

(Condition 3: Block a pass)

(Condition 4: Successfully tackle)

A good-looking face with particularly dark skin.

However, he is a player who showed his talent early on in terms of his soccer skills.

He was a first-class prospect from Mexico, so-called 'Jidosan'.

His position is an attacking midfielder, and he can be said to be the backbone of the attack, using his excellent foot skills to control the second line and provide stable ball distribution to the first line.

And there were better players than him in the first line.

[Carlos Vela]

-Soccer genius (A+2)

-Phenomenal dribbling (S-)

-Unstoppable hitting and running (A+2)

-Fast legs as fast as a Lamborghini (A+2)

-Stable goal-making ability (B+2)

– (See more)

(You can only covet the Amazing Dribble (S-) when you meet the hidden condition.)

(You can covet one talent when you meet the conditions.)

(Condition 1: Become the top scorer in the U-17 FIFA World Cup tournament. Below)

(Condition 2: Score more points than Carlos Vela)

(Hidden condition: Open when one or more talents are desired)

No. 1 prospect from Mexico.

He was a second striker with overwhelming power, agility, dribbling, and decent goal-making ability.

'Needless to say, my mouth hurts. The growth rate is much faster than that of Thomas Müller. Of course, the limit is not that high.'

He was such a promising boy that he was ranked 9th in the Golden Boy rankings, beating out many promising players from England and Spain.

In other words, the opponents to watch out for are Carlos Vela and Dos Santos.

The chemistry between the two was fantastic, scoring more than 10 goals in 4 games.

Hoyoung also knew.

Because I watched their play video with coach Kyung-woon Park.

However, even if Hoyoung decided to help the defense, he could not stop both of them unless he was a defensive monster.

Moreover, Bella and Dos Santos are similar in height to Hoyoung or taller.

That was a problem for which the Republic of Korea's defense team, led by Kim Shin-woo, had to take responsibility.

Beep!

widely.

When the referee announced the start of the game, the kick-off occurred in the center circle.

The axis is Mexico.

Bella returned the ball to the back and turned her head to the front.

The wolf-like eyes narrowed and sharp eyes turned to Woo Ho-young.

boundary.

Bella was overly conscious of Woo Ho-young.

'Woo Ho-young. He currently has the same number of points as me.'

Bella, who was tied for the top scorer with Hoyoung, was extremely concerned about him.

The media also focused on the fight between the two, which came as a huge burden.

It was natural that he would win today's game, and he even had an obsession with scoring more goals than Woo Ho-young.

'I will definitely take the top scoring title.'

Bella had a great desire to succeed through this competition.

On the other hand, Hoyoung's mind was relatively clear.

This is because I felt something while meeting Thomas Müller in Germany a year and nine months ago.

'Even if you have to be conscious of your competitors, the one who loses is ultimately you. Let's focus on the game.'

I was afraid of having to deal with them, but I held it down and tried to calm down.

And at the same time, I was excited.

Because it is rare to have the opportunity to play with promising Mexican players that are difficult to meet now.

The first goal was taken by South Korea.

It was a surprise mid-range shot from Hoyoung's toes in the 8th minute of the first half.

'Good.'

I thought the game would go well like that, but the reality was different.

Korea's defenders were literally dying.

"under."

"this."

"What the heck."

"…"

It was a short and loud lament uttered by the defensive four led by Kim Shin-woo.

"What are you doing so well?"

Vela and Dos Santos, world-class prospects, were strong.

He's a step above Tony Kroos, who we met in France a while back.

Mexico's free-spirited and flexible soccer completely captured Kim Shin-woo's spirit.

'crazy. 'I just can't concentrate.'

I tried to stop it, but I couldn't stop it.

In the end, the initiative of the attack was given to Mexico, and less than 5 minutes later, Mexico scored the equalizing goal.

It was a clean shot by Bella.

Beep!

The whistle blew, but the situation did not change.

Mexico remained strong even after taking the lead.

As a clear candidate for the championship, he never let his guard down.

"hey! Concentrate! What are you doing!"

Director Park Kyung-woon's stomach was burning.

But either way, Mexico did not flinch.

In particular, the attack starting from Dos Santos' toes was very threatening, and the link play leading to Bella was fantastic.

Because his back was broken, he could hardly survive South Korea's attack.

Normally, Hoyoung would have moved down to the midfield to solve the game, but now that his stamina was reaching its limit, even that was impossible.

"Haaaa."

Kim Shin-woo, who allowed Bella to break through several times, looked like he was going to lose his mind at any moment.

After a while, I finally let it go.

And by the time I came to my senses, the score was 4 to 1.

'It's done.'

Beep!

What saved Kim Shin-woo was the sound of the whistle announcing the end of the first half.

However, the second half went not much different from the first half.

Mexico launched an attack, and South Korea was busy blocking it.

There has been no significant tactical change since then.

instead.

South Korea's attacking trio, which had been consistently pounding Mexico's goal since the first half, began to look for changes.

Lee Cheong-ryong, Seok Hyeong-jun, and Woo Ho-young.

It all started with Hoyoung.

"brother. "They'll dig in from the side to the center, so please leave some space."

"okay. "Let's give it a try."

Hoyoung, who witnessed the Mexican defense's space slowly opening up, stepped up to solve the problem.

The score is 4 to 1.

It was a hopeless situation, but I did not give up.

If you are a true crack, you must know how to show your true value only when your team is in danger.

Hoyoung did not back down easily.

"Whoa…"

It's hard, but I endure it.

I think it's the end and I don't look back.

Today too, we overcome with fighting spirit.

Winning mentality has made a big difference.

Hoyoung shouted.

"long!"

A signal was sent to midfield.

Ask for a pass to penetrate deep into the back space.

From that moment, Hoyoung wandered around the offside line, looking for gaps in space.

I wasn't sure how many more opportunities I would have in the future, but I was planning to use up all my remaining stamina.

Mexico had an incredible team of players to the point where they were called the number one contender for the championship.

However, it was not entirely without weaknesses.

Defender.

The mentality was like iron, so once it was heated, it was said that it would never come back.

Among them, the side defenders were the best.

'If there's a loophole, it's there.'

Hoyoung, recalling what he had heard ad nauseam from coach Kyung-woon Park, sprinted toward the right flank.

At the same time, Gu Ja-myeong's pass was deployed directly.

Bravo, an 18-year-old hot-blooded right-back from Mexico, also instinctively ran towards there.

"Tsk!"

As blocking became increasingly difficult, Bravo persistently pulled on Hoyoung's uniform.

Hoyoung's upper body fell backwards.

At the same time, the whistle blew.

[Ah… it's a foul! Woo Ho-young! I fell because of Bravo's unreasonable control! If it weren't for that, I would have been able to break through inside the box!]

[Player Bravo receives a warning. It's an appropriate decision. I also got a free kick in the right place.]

[Wouldn't it be difficult to kick it directly… given the angle?]

[It's difficult anyway. Of course, it may be possible if you hit it accurately, but… Ah, at the moment I mentioned that, Lee Cheong-ryong is attempting a close-run!]

The kicker is Lee Cheong-ryong.

Cough!

He raised a cross toward the post opposite the goal.

At the same time, a violent struggle occurred inside the box, and the ball bounced once, missing Seok Hyeong-jun's head in the middle.

And the ball flew to the waist of Hoyoung, who was standing on the other side of the goal.

The person competing was center back David, who is 175 centimeters tall.

but.

"Sigh!"

Before there was a proper competition, Hoyoung turned his body.

Determined to score a goal, he poured all his energy into the ball.

Volley kick.

Although the accuracy and completeness were lower than before, the loss of talent did not mean that the ingrained sense of the body disappeared.

That feeling still remained.

Grumble!

It was successful.

[Gooooooooooo! It's a goal! Finally, rain falls after the drought!!]

[That's right, Woo Ho-young. He showed off an incredible volley!]

[You never know! The game isn't over until it's over!]

Hoyoung's chasing goal revived the dying embers.

The time is 32 minutes in the second half.

It's still too early to give up on the game.

I still had some stamina left.

No, the energy was rising powerfully.

After scoring a goal, the strength that wasn't there came from somewhere

[Burning Fighting Spirit (A)↑]

.

Was this the source of strength?

'let's go!'

A late counterattack.

Hoyoung looked more threatening as time passed.

Mexico's panicked defense, which ran across the field like a runaway locomotive, was indeed self-destructing according to the experts' assessment.

A headwind began to blow in a game that was thought to be over.

An additional goal was scored less than 10 minutes later.

Crash!

Hat trick.

The team is still losing, but the star of today's game was Hoyoung.

With this, it was Hoyoung who stood tall as the sole leading scorer.

He was the true protagonist of today.

.

.

20 Advanced Chapters are currently available in Patreon, make sure to visit and support our team.

PATREON:

patreon.com/Immortal_author

KO-FI:

https://ko-fi.com/immortalauthor

DISCORD:

https://discord.gg/KscfBegBPT