157. Battle of Spear and Shield (2)
When Real Madrid recorded an effective shot in the 7th minute of the first half, LaligaMania, a soccer website, went into overdrive.
In particular, the AT Madrid bulletin board was in an uproar, with fans of Real Madrid, AT Madrid, Barcelona, and Athletic all mixed together and holding a so-called 'Hell Party'.
Among countless posts being posted at the speed of light, there was one post that received a lot of comments.
It was a quote from an article that had appeared just a day before.
[There is an article that says, "On the 13th, Atletico coach Javier Aguirre successfully held the last training session in preparation for the game against Real Madrid, and expressed confidence in the prospects of the game, saying, "We can look forward to it."> Did you get around to it?]
└Really ? I want to kill him. Should we watch this game while eating dinner? The stress of the day is rising. └I
guess I rested for 2 weeks and then went to train on the last day in a hurry 😛
└Ha… It doesn't seem much different from when I played with Barça, right? If it weren't for the coupe, it would have been ruined.
└But are you going to be okay? Coupe's wrist was injured.
└The only thing I can trust is the coupe. Atlético please stop the fucking Merengue bastards' winning streak!!!!!!
└Barcelona supports ATM! Forlan, cheer up!
└Athletic Bilbao also supports ATM! Cheer up too!
Derbi Madrileno.
This derby match, commonly called the 'Madrid derby', is a term used to refer to the match between Real Madrid and AT Madrid, who are not on good terms with each other.
However, on this day, fans of Barcelona and Athletic join in to cheer on AT Madrid.
Isn't there a famous saying, 'The enemy of my enemy is my comrade'?
The 'Barcelona-Athletic-Atlético Madrid' alliance is a bond formed by feelings of hatred towards Real Madrid.
They want Real Madrid to disappear from the face of the earth, so they come together and attack Real Madrid as soon as the Madrid derby starts.
In other words, it is a strategic alliance.
But the funny thing is that Real Madrid actually does not consider AT Madrid a true rival.
Should I say that I feel like an annoying neighborhood kid who keeps attacking me even though I have no strength?
It was a margin of leeway because Real Madrid had a more than double lead in all-time records.
[Hey, it's embarrassing to even call it Madrid. Can't you just go to Basque Country or Catalonia? The quality of Castile is poor.]
└Damn. Spain could become a superpower if it weren't for puta Madrid whores like you.
└Go away, whore, Madrid
└Madrit~! Madrit~! Puta Madrit~!
While 'Futta Madrid', a derogatory term for Real Madrid along with merengue, continued to be plastered all over the world, hopeful articles slowly began to appear as time passed.
[Wait a minute, guys. Our performance is getting better. Asunsang is fighting in the midfield and gradually increasing his possession rate.]
That was correct.
At that time, the Vicente Calderon Stadium was filled with the cheering sounds of home fans, as AT Madrid was gradually regaining momentum.
It was only 15 minutes after the game started.
[Real Madrid, which came out with 4-1-3-2, is now playing 4-5-1. Since AT Madrid's attack power is so strong, it appears that they are trying to strengthen the midfield.]
[That's right. Zidane, who played as an attacking midfielder, is running the game with a rear build-up, and Woo Ho
-young is dropping down diagonally as a shadow striker and chasing Raul.] The triangle of Raul, Ho-young Woo, and Zidane showed a move to regain possession by applying pressure. .
However, AT Madrid responded appropriately to this space-oriented pressure and was able to escape Real Madrid's pressure and maintain a stable flow of the game.
Although AT Madrid had a weak defense, they were able to do so thanks to the busy work of midfielders Paulo Assuncao and Johnny Heitinga.
[AT Madrid came up with a customized tactic against Real.]
[They are trying to break the triangle that Zidane, Hoyoung Woo, and Raul are trying to create. From there, Real Madrid's flow is cut off, and Atletico's tactics are gradually showing the light.]
Around the 20th minute of the first half.
First of all, it was AT Madrid that took the advantage in the tactical battle.
As a result, the performance began to revive, and the 50,000 home fans who filled the stands began to shout harshly in unison.
"Atleti Atleti Atletico de Madrid!"
As the atmosphere in the stadium heated up, the tempo of the game began to get faster.
And as if in return, AT Madrid constantly took advantage with flexible tactical moves.
It didn't take long for it to come to fruition.
Only three minutes had passed.
Pow!
[Super save! Gregory Coupe blocks Hoyoung Woo's shot again!]
[It is true that class is eternal. If AT Madrid achieves a draw or better today, it wouldn't be surprising if Coupe received the man of the match award.]
It didn't end there.
Real Madrid's attack failure soon led to a counterattack.
Finally, it was AT Madrid who drew the sword.
[Aiming for the space behind Asunsang Ramos and attempting a forward pass.]
[Maxi Rodriguez catches the ball. Overtake Ramos with monster speed! Maxi Rodriguez! Ramos took advantage of the opportunity to join the midfield and penetrated the left back space! This is the moment when Salgado's skill was abandoned and Ramos' speed was chosen, making all the difference!]
[Garcia in the center rushing forward at the same time!]
Maxi Rodriguez – Raul Garcia – Luis Garcia ) AT Madrid's second line began to show explosive performance.
Their offensive line, one of the top five in La Liga, quickly created threatening chances and provided Forlan with a decisive opportunity.
[Forlan's chest trapping! Pepe is running in!]
[Mid-distance shot without hesitation!]
19 meters from the goal.
It was the perfect opportunity for Forlan, who is well-versed in unstoppable mid-distance shooting.
but.
Pow!
As a result of a physical fight with Pepe, he fell to the ground without even being able to stretch his feet.
"Kwaaah!"
Beep!
The match was stopped when Forlan screamed.
But regardless, Pepe looked down at him and spoke nervously.
"Hey dude. "Stop acting so harshly and get up."
Indeed, Pepe was different from the very beginning.
He was such a vicious and violent player that a video called 'Pepe Foul Special' was later released.
There is even a saying that the reason he was able to come to Real Madrid despite his pretty ugly face was because he was good at fighting.
Just by looking at the nickname he would get in Korea in the future, 'Gangpepe', we could see how hot-tempered a player he was.
If Diego Costa was a manly man, Pepe was a gangster.
"Yumma! Don't be scared and get up! "With a little bump."
It is true that there was a slight collision, but it was also true that Pepe's physical fight was aggressive.
It was natural for the referee to issue a yellow card.
"Hey, be careful. "I will watch."
"this."
When the referee turned and marked the free kick spot, Pepe turned his back and expressed his displeasure.
"Oh, that damn bastard. "Pretending to be sick."
"Hey Pepe!"
"Okay, I got it."
The situation was resolved only after Cannavaro rushed in and intervened with him.
And when Forlan got up from his knee and took the free kicker, thunderous cheers erupted.
"Didididi~~ Ego! Paul-ran! Forlan!"
With Forlan's dedicated cheering song filling the stadium.
Forlan, who finished the run, took a shooting stance.
Anyone who saw it looked like he was going to hit him directly.
It was because of the angle, because of the distance, and most of all, Forlan was a player who was skilled in free kicks.
but.
[Hit Forlan!]
[Ah! cross! He took a sharp kick to the center!]
A set-piece strategy prepared by Atlético Madrid.
All of this was fake.
Forlán, who knew how to kick the ball himself, made a surprise cross, and Raul Garcia, who had already taken the position inside the box, moved quickly.
The aerial ball, which was fired as fast as a bullet, caught right on his head.
In La Liga, he was second to none when it came to heading, and he defeated Casillas, who is called God.
Crash!
"Waaaaaaaa!"
AT Madrid's first goal.
Tens of thousands of flags were waving and a goal song celebrating a goal filled the stadium.
1 to 0.
AT Madrid took the lead.
While Forlan and Raul Garcia were returning from the ceremony, Bernd Schuster hurriedly called Raul over.
"There's a lot of time left, so you just have to do what you trained. "ATM's loopholes are still defensive."
"yes."
"Go and encourage the players."
"All right."
Raul, who understood what he meant, returned to the pitch and encouraged the players.
Even though it was a blow, it was a trend that could be reversed at any time.
'I really need to do that.'
However, for Hoyoung, who was in the Madrid derby for the first time, there was no other moment as tense as this moment.
Isn't this a situation where the first goal was conceded to a local rival?
Without realizing it, my heart began to pound.
I realized that playing against Barcelona B in the second division was just a game of play.
The pressure felt at the scene is truly indescribable.
'It seems like I'm the only one who's nervous.'
That's what Hoyoung thought as he lifted his chin and looked around.
In fact, the other players showed little signs of being discouraged or discouraged even though they gave up the first goal.
"Hey yumma!"
A short operation time.
It was someone's voice calling out to Hoyoung from down there.
Hoyoung looked up and saw Pepe beckoning to him.
As I ran forward in one step, Pepe slapped me on the back of the neck.
"evil!"
"Relax!"
"I'm not nervous. "It's because my head is complicated."
"Don't worry, just do it! We trained hard for two weeks. If you keep doing that, those defenders won't even be able to get to your feet."
It was a strange feeling to hear those words from Pepe, who made a mistake.
But it seemed helpful anyway.
"Look at that kid. "I was more nervous than you."
Pepe's finger pointed at the young AT Madrid player.
Although he is 20 years old, he still has a youthful face.
His name was Sergio Aguero, and he was a breakthrough striker in charge of AT Madrid's offensive line.
"I've faced it before."
"okay?"
"It was the semifinals of the Beijing Olympics. In fact, his presence wasn't that big at the time because he was overshadowed by Messi and Riquelme, but seeing him here is different."
"That guy is your rival today. "He won the Golden Boy award last year and was even nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year award this year."
He won the 2007 Golden Boy award by scoring 19 goals in the league last year, and scored 4 goals this season, currently tying with Hoyoung.
"All right."
"good. "I look forward to it."
Nod.
Hoyoung approached Raoul with a burning desire to win and said.
"captain."
"Looking at your expression, it looks like your body is itching. Don't be impatient, just persevere and run. "You have to play until the second half today."
"yep."
"And your chance will come soon."
At the end of the first half.
The time when AT Madrid was weakest was approaching.