As the bright sun rose and the cold subsided, the day of the decisive battle dawned.
March 25th at 2pm.
Twenty-two players who entered Montague Stadium shook hands.
Both teams looked quite solemn as their advancement depended on this one game.
Even Korea, which had secured two wins, could not feel at ease.
If you are not careful, you will have to consider the number of cases to decide whether to advance or not.
Hoyoung strengthened his winning mentality and confirmed the talents of the German players one by one.
Then, I saw a familiar face.
"It's been a while."
Thomas Müller, whom I met after a year.
As his height grew to over 15cm, his talent also grew rapidly.
[Thomas Müller]
Possessed talents
– Soccer genius (A)
– Surprising space penetration (A+2)
– Solid fundamentals (A)
– Genius soccer intelligence (A-)
– (More)
(One talent when the conditions are met ) You can covet it.)
(Condition 1: Record more attack points than Thomas Müller)
(Condition 2: Succeed in a space infiltration that catches you off guard)
It was a grateful reunion gift.
Of course, if the conditions are met.
'But that guy didn't come out?'
I looked around and saw a familiar face on the German bench.
It was Holger Badstuber, who had made Hoyoung feel helpless three years ago.
It was nice to see you.
As a result, both hands became hot.
anticipation.
I wanted to quickly compete against high-quality German players.
I was excited to see what kind of soccer they would play, but at the same time, I wanted to show them.
The rapid improvement in skills is incomparable compared to three years ago.
After shaking hands, Hoyoung ran onto the pitch at full speed.
Extraordinary spirit.
Beep!
It appeared as soon as the game started.
1 minute in the first half.
Hoyoung had been waiting for this moment so long that he infiltrated the opposing team as soon as the first half started.
Pre-arranged build-up.
Lee Cheong-ryong, who has a wide field of vision and is an expert at passing, quickly laid a low ground ball pass to Ho-young.
However, it was overlooked by Germany's central midfielder Daniel.
"I'll cut it!"
As Daniel rushed to intercept the pass, Hoyoung also came down to receive the ball.
That's how the ball competition began.
Hoyoung, who confirmed that his opponent was 180cm tall, avoided a physical fight.
instead.
He deceived Daniel by turning his back to the defense and pretending to receive a pass by no-touch receiving.
"Tsk."
Since I didn't think physical fighting would work, I thought I wouldn't engage in physical contact in the first place.
But Germany's defense was no fool.
We were busy preparing countermeasures to Hoyoung's surprise breakthrough.
Since it was a game where advancement to the semi-finals depended on it, everyone was moving as one.
To counter Woo Ho-young's breakthrough, a defensive formation as tight as a spider's web was established.
At the center of it all stood another large figure measuring 180cm.
A player who will be nicknamed the successor to 'Beckenbauer', the best defender of all time, and a textbook example of a commander-type center back.
[Matsu Hummels]
Possessed talents
-Soccer genius (A-)
-Sharp prediction ability (A-)
-Ball cutting in an instant (B+)
-Exuberant activity level (B-)
-(See more)
(One talent if the conditions are met ) You can covet it.)
(Condition 1: Advance to the semifinals)
(Condition 2: Successfully break through)
'Germany came out with great determination.'
It was no exaggeration to say that this was the future German national team.
It is also inevitable that we will be pressured by their momentum.
Regardless of the name value, the physique was basically enormous, as befits a kingdom of giants.
That seemed daunting.
Hummels, whose physique was larger than that of Daniel, who had just pulled out, was a player showing high skill in the German U17 league.
He was so amazing that even though he was only 16 years old, he was already pursuing a professional contract with Bayern Munich.
But why?
This situation brought excitement to Hoyoung.
This is exactly what Hoyoung wanted.
opportunity.
An opportunity to experience great players.
As it is a difficult game, we will be able to achieve more.
Today was that day.
And now!
"Ugh."
Hummels put his shoulder in and fought.
Although he had a good physique, it was difficult to handle the strength that came with the age difference.
It felt like I had a rock on my back.
If I held on, I would be pushed back, but there was no sign of pushing me away.
'If things continue like this, it will be taken away.'
For a moment, Hoyoung kept his head on the ball as best as he could.
'If the other party acts with rigidity…'
This side uses it in reverse.
flexibility.
The game was decided.
The greatest weakness of players with high strength and large physique.
Slow change of direction like a turtle.
Hoyoung took advantage of that shortcoming and momentarily turned his body to protect the ball.
At the same time, he made another half-turn and completely peeled off Hummels.
"urg!"
Hummels followed Hoyoung's movements with a frown on his face, but he could never catch up with his speed.
It was a clean Marseille turn.
[Clean Marseille turn (C+2)↑]
'Good.'
'Marseille Turn', a personal skill that we have been coveting from Marcelo at the end of this season.
He made a wonderful breakthrough by utilizing the superior flexibility and synergy he gained from Neymar.
With this, there are only two defenders left.
The black player confronting me in front caught my eye.
As he was expected to be tall, he maintained an appropriate distance from Hoyoung and firmly guarded the defense zone.
He was indeed a veteran.
He didn't do anything foolish, such as hastily attacking Hoyoung and showing his weaknesses.
'The defensive formation is too tight.'
It's literally in the middle of a mountain.
There was no space to try to break through.
Given the situation, it was right to take a step back.
The solution is to then use tactical points to maintain the initiative in attack.
Lamborghini can run quickly on the Autobahn, but it cannot show its full power in a crowded city.
but.
'It's worth a try.'
If it's a storm, it's a different story.
Whether the road is narrow or wide, just cut through it and you're done.
That's why it's a storm.
Percussion!
Woo Ho-young's breakthrough that makes viewers' hearts sink.
The first to react was black defender Jerome Boateng.
Like Hummels, he was an iron wall protecting Germany's backline and the core of the defense. He was a player whose strengths were physicality, build-up, and versatility.
In addition, his soccer intelligence was decent.
'Müller said that. This guy is pretty good at it.'
Last night, Thomas Müller gave advice regarding Ho-Young Woo.
He is an Asian and very good at it, so be careful.
German coach Jonas also used that phrase.
This means that Woo Ho-young is the core of Korea and an opponent that needs to be intensively marked.
And at that moment, Hoyoung's breakthrough began in earnest.
'It's fast!'
Boateng was truly impressed by Hoyoung's skills.
but.
'I'm the expert on these guys.'
Boateng, who is 180 centimeters tall, believed in his physical strength.
That's why I followed Hoyoung's breakthrough with great momentum.
At the same time, a physical fight was induced.
Normally, when you are tall, it is normal to be stiff and clumsy, but Boateng was different.
The muscles inside were elastic and the legs were very agile.
Due to the biological characteristics of black people, their hamstring muscles are much longer and stronger than those of other races, making this possible.
The running speed emanating from his long legs was enough to make you wonder if he was really a center back.
'Just a little more…!'
Boateng used his superior physical ability to step on Hoyoung's heels.
All I had to do was catch up with a few more steps.
And here.
'Just stick your legs in…!'
He would be able to knock Hoyoung down with just one collision.
If only we could take one more step forward.
but.
Percussion!
"?!!"
But at that moment, I missed Hoyoung by a narrow margin.
It was an unbelievable level of hitting and running.
Just like a rocket being launched while spitting fire, a single dribble drastically widened the gap between the two.
"Whoosh whoosh."
It was impossible to keep up with Hoyoung's breakthrough, which ran like a steam locomotive, breathing heavily.
Seeing this right in front of his nose made Boateng snort.
"You crazy person!"
I have never faced such a quick striker before.
No, it had to be there.
I had the experience of competing with track and field athletes who could run 100 meters in under 10 seconds.
However, not only did they have high power, but they also did not have excellent hitting and dribbling skills.
Hitting and running is not just about being fast; it is a foot skill that truly shines only when you can control the ball.
That was Woo Ho-young's exclusive patent.
So, Boateng deliberately left some space between him and Hoyoung and played defense.
Nevertheless, the problem is that it was breached.
'Ah… maybe I should have opened it a little wider.'
A little complacency led to mistakes.
The bus, or rather the crazy man, had already left.
'done.'
This is the third person.
The match against Jerome Boateng just now was quite dangerous.
If the breakthrough timing had been set a little later, it would have been a failure.
This was thanks to Hoyoung's more flexible body, which improved the perfection of his hitting and running.
After many twists and turns, I crossed the 9th ridge.
'There's only one left.'
Last defender.
He, who had no particular strengths other than his height, was blocking the street with a frightened look on his face.
But Hoyoung didn't play with him.
I looked at the side where there was a lot of space due to the defensive formation being concentrated in the center.
"female!"
Percussion!
He threw a sharp pass to Lee Cheong-ryong, who was in charge of the right wing.
Then he ran like crazy inside the box.
It was immediately after that that Lee Cheong-ryong's ground ball cross came as a return pass.
Percussion!
No-mark chance.
As Hoyoung stretched out his foot at the right time, the ball quickly rushed into the box and landed on his toe.
It was an extremely good feeling.
At that moment, I had a hunch.
'I went in.'
And as expected.
Slosh!
A simple yet neat linkage play created the score.
It was a smooth, flowing valley.
"downpour!"
"Hoo!"
Following Seok Hyeong-jun, this time Lee Cheong-ryong was imitating Ho-young's ceremony.
At that time, the German camp became a suffocating atmosphere.
"Hmm."
Two defenders who had just lost their minds in Hoyoung's one-man show gathered together.
Hummels Boateng.
They were highly regarded in the German U17 league and had little respect for themselves.
With scouts watching, he had nothing to show.
I couldn't raise my head because of the humiliation.
'I feel like I've experienced this before…'
In this situation, Jerome Boateng felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.
'okay. 'Similar to that guy from Dortmund.'
A German star born in 1992.
Mario Gotze, a top prospect whose stock price is currently rising in Germany, came to mind.
'There are players like that in Asia too. 'It's amazing.'
Only now did Müller's words really hit home.
They say he is the best among the Asians I have met.
'It's true. 'I need to come to my senses.'
Boateng, the core of Germany's defense, brought the defenders together.
The barn can be repaired even after the cows have been lost.
Since they have monster striker Thomas Müller up front, they will have a good chance of winning if they just make up their minds and lock down the goal.
Said Boateng, calling the defenders together.
"Cheer up. It's only the second minute of the first half, so we can turn the tables at any time. "We are the national team of Germany."
The pride of the German players, who won the World Cup three times, was extraordinary.
The German players' will seemed to have worked, and they did not allow any goals after that.
There were several dangerous moments throughout the first half, but the goalkeeper's amazing saves and the midfielder's active participation in defense allowed them to take the lead.
They were smart and calm.
They took the initiative by using their tall players to focus on air superiority, and based on that, they launched a frenzied attack.
Even though we couldn't score, it seemed like we could have a good performance in the second half if we kept up this momentum.
After the first half ended.
There was an emergency in the German team locker room.
As if his feet were on fire, a coach came running and said.
"Director. The stadium just next door. "The first half ended with France scoring one goal."
The third game of Group A is taking place at another stadium nearby.
It was reported that the first half ended with France scoring the first goal against Ivory Coast.
Now that things were like this, Director Jonas couldn't help but feel out of breath.
This is because there must be at least a win against Korea to discuss the possibility of advancement.
There was a high possibility of winning with a large score difference.
"shit."
Jonas became increasingly impatient.
Suddenly, an interview with the coaches of France and Ivory Coast, who lost to Korea, came to mind.
-I regret losing in the opening match, but Woo Ho-young was a player with a powerful weapon. And based on his wealth of experience, he knows how to use that weapon well. He is a very smart player.
-Would you like to say something about Woo Ho-young? We lost two goals to that player. What more can I say here?
Although the two directors' interview attitudes were different, they had something in common: they highly valued Hoyoung's skills.
Therefore, Jonas prepared a strategy to attack Woo Ho-yeong over several days.
But who would have known that Woo Ho-young would go on a rampage as soon as the game started?
"after."
It was the moment when Jonas expressed his frustration.
"Director."
A key member of Germany who suffered a minor injury in the match against France.
He continued speaking while wrapping tape around his wrist.
"I'm going out."
It was the solemn determination of a special midfielder in charge of the tank corps' attack.
.
.
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