152. Lucky Day (3)
As the thunderbolt-like shot passed the goalpost, voices came out simultaneously from the stands.
"Ah ah ah ah ah!"
"Great! "Let's just keep going like this!"
"Madrid is coming! cheer up!"
About 50,000 spectators cheering for Real Madrid poured out their voices of support.
The same goes for away fans.
Soon, the sound of musical instruments began to resonate from the away seats.
Thump, thump, thump!
"¡Puxa!"
Round, round, round!
"Puxa!"
Drum, rattle, rattle!
"Sporting!"
There were not even a few voices criticizing the players' mistakes.
Truly incredible passion.
The game, which had been heated before the start of the game, reached its peak just one minute after kickoff.
Director Manuel Preciado, who has gray hair, also participated.
He came to the front of the touchline and encouraged the players by shouting loudly.
"It doesn't matter even if I concede a point! We play our game! "I think we're going to have fun in Madrid!"
Following the fiery voice, the referee's whistle sounded and Croatian player Mate Bilic rolled the ball.
Afterwards, all of Sporting's players poured out to the front.
This happened less than 30 seconds after the game resumed.
Just like the cheering that makes you feel excited just by watching, the content of the game was indeed exciting.
Once they got the ball, they constantly pounded Real Madrid's goal with their hot and simple play.
It wasn't a counterattack, it was just an all-out attack.
Shock and awe.
An attack that throws away defense.
There was no such thing as 'back' for them.
This was true attacking football.
[David Barral moves up the line and forms a two-top line with Mate Bilic. In this case, the formation will change from 4-3-3 to 3-5-2.]
[It is the same flow as the last match against Barcelona. Coach Manuel Preciado strengthens the offense when the defense falters or becomes dangerous. The fans are enthusiastic about it.]
[Moreover, David Baral is a player from Real Madrid's youth team, so there is something even more interesting about it. We can look forward to an interesting game.]
Sporting Gijon attacked the side and central midfield defenders as they crossed the halfway line and went up.
Perhaps the motto of tactics is 'Callate y prisa!' (Shut up and charge).
Their attacking style was simple enough that even a shot rusher could understand it.
Rush again and again.
It was truly an attack-oriented tactic.
It was a simple method where the center forward would drag the ball from the side or front, and when he saw a player with enough space, he would give the ball away and cross to the center.
In fact, they were not a very good offensive team.
Nevertheless, the reason why many goals can be scored is because soccer is a team game.
If all players except the goalkeeper are aggressive, no matter how strong the defense is, there will be gaps at least once during 90 minutes.
In other words, their secret to scoring goals was to pound on the goal until success.
However, Real Madrid, which had the best defense in the first division, was by no means an easy opponent.
Based on the vigorous activity of Gago and Diara, they gradually took over the midfield and soon succeeded in creating a stable defense.
[Sporting Gijon is knocking hard, but Real Madrid's goal rarely opens.]
[On the contrary, Real Madrid is slowly gnawing at Sporting Gijon. No matter how energetic the players are, if they run out of stamina, they become scarecrows on the field. There is no need for Real Madrid to play along.]
[Could it be seen as Coach Schuster's intention to save stamina considering the away game against Real Betis in three days?] [
That's right. This is because September in La Liga is a hell of a schedule. Since we have to play six games in two weeks, going toe-to-toe in these easy games is a loss in the long run. All Madrid needs to do is block and counterattack. Like Barcelona, which defeated Sporting in the last game.]
A hot game makes fans dance, but it doesn't last long.
What matters is winning in the end.
The bigger the goal, the farther you had to look.
The key to this game was to avoid unnecessary power struggles, conserve stamina, and focus only on practical benefits.
That was the reason why Schuster appointed Woo Ho-young as the top player.
Nevertheless, Sporting Gijon's offensive showed no signs of stopping.
They showed a move to break the flow of defense by inducing fouls through aggressive play in various places.
And in the 22nd minute of the first half.
After an indomitable will, Sporting Gijon ended up with a chance.
It was a cross from left winger Diego Castro.
[Heading while running toward a David Baral cross inside the box!]
[Casillas saves! It's a super save!]
When Casillas hit Baral's header with monster-like reaction speed, Cannavaro rushed over and cleared the second ball.
The ball fell to Ramos on the right front and he ran.
change of flow.
It was a counterattack by Real Madrid.
[Ramos strikes! Showing aggressive overlapping!]
[This is Sergio Ramos, who is establishing himself as the successor to Michel Salgado. These days, my skills have improved and I am showing very good movement today as well.]
Generational change.
Mitchell Salgado, who had been at the forefront of Real Madrid's attack for a long time, handed over the position to Sergio Ramos.
Ramos, who inherited the position, was playing his role well.
His fierce gaze was directed at Woo Ho-young in the front.
Percussion.
[Loving through pass heading forward! Woo Ho-young's instantaneous penetration completely neutralizes the offside trap!]
A true beast.
Woo Ho-young, who was measuring the timing at the front line, ran to the front.
Percussion.
He trapped the aerial ball for a long time with his inside leg and hit it forward and ran.
Only the goalkeeper remains in the vast back space.
If we could accelerate here, we would have a perfect one-on-one opportunity.
The time needed is fleeting.
"Keck!"
"Stop it!"
"stick! "Everyone stick together!!"
Gerard tried to stop him by pulling on his uniform, but Hoyoung's resistance was beyond imagination.
Rather, he separated it and attempted to break through at breakneck speed.
But that was then.
[Roberto Canella's tackle from behind!]
While Gerard was rubbing his body, a foot came in from behind.
It was a sliding tackle by Canella, the left fullback who boasts the fastest power in Sporting Gijon.
[iced coffee! Woo Ho-young trips on Canela's toes and falls!]
As Ho-young fell to the floor, the Real Madrid players all raised their hands above their heads.
And then the referee called a foul.
Beep!
Fernando Gago, who was nearby, ran to the referee and appealed, blinking his big eyes.
"That's an incredibly deep back tackle!"
There was no need to look any further.
If it is a back tackle that cuts off a decisive opportunity, it is enough to receive a red card.
Moreover, in the Spanish 1st division, which is famous for its strictness, this level is not enough.
Beep-
"Roberto Carlo leaves."
The referee approached me with a solemn look and took out a card from his back pocket.
[Ah, Sporting Gijon. I receive a card again today without fail. This is the third red card this season.]
[This is a really consistent team. I collected 3 red cards and 11 yellow cards in 4 games? Fans don't seem to mind anymore. Looking at the away crowd's reaction, it seems like they are rather proud of it.]
[Hahaha. I see.]
Canela's exit.
Still, they did not give up.
Rather, Gerard put his hand on Canella's shoulder and said:
"Canella was cool. "I will never forget your fighting spirit."
"thanks. "Then please take care of it."
"Don't worry, I'm watching from the comfort of the locker room. "Sanchez, our eternal guardian, will stop everything."
"Yes, I only trust you guys."
Roberto Canella, who had been ordered to leave, left the ground without even looking back.
The away fans poured out cheers of encouragement for him.
It was a compliment to him who showed the spirit of a 'saintly saint' with kind words.
[Anyway, will Woo Ho-young be okay? The tackle was quite deep.]
[Ah, fortunately, he got up safely.]
When Hoyoung got up from his seat, Carlos asked with a worried look on his face.
"are you okay?"
"yes. "I only hurt my wrist slightly, but I'm fine."
Fortunately, there were no major injuries.
And everything was going fine.
Although the decisive scoring chance was missed, it resulted in a red card and a free kick.
The free kick point declared by the referee was 24 meters away from the goal.
Real Madrid's players, who had thoroughly trained for set pieces, finished their conversation lightly and went straight to the free kick.
Roberto Carlos left the ball and took a run.
[As expected, Carlos steps forward. It would be good to expect a heavy cannon shot.]
[First of all, the angle is good.]
Carlos took a powerful close shot with the intention of demonstrating what a free kick is.
And that was the moment when I reached the ball.
[Carlos Shoouuuut!]
[Aaaah! Let's go! I passed without kicking it!]
Carlos ran without kicking the ball.
It was a fake operation to disturb the defensive wall and goalkeeper.
The real kicker was something else.
Woo Ho-young.
He was waiting slightly behind and focused his entire attention on the side of the ball.
He kicked the opponent coolly with a lot of force on his thigh, as if he was going to send his opponent into the goal.
And when the ball left his foot, Hoyoung felt it instantly.
'Are you done?'
Cough!
'done.'
The shot, which was like a cannonball, extended straight out with rotational force.
Sporting Gijon's eternal defender, Sergio Sanchez, tried to reach out late, but could not keep up with the speed of the ball.
Not only was the speed fast, but the angle of the shot was absolutely perfect.
and.
Great love!
Crash!
Woo Ho-young scores a free kick that hits the goalpost.
It was truly a stroke of luck.
[Gooooooooo!]
[Woo Ho-young's lightning-fast shooting! It bends slightly to the left, lightly grazes the top left goal post, and is sucked into the goal! 3rd goal in the league! A cool spin kick came out!]
Because the training period was so short, it was embarrassing to say it was a banana kick, let alone a UFO kick, but the power was truly amazing.
However, he will be able to use more powerful free kicks in the future.
Because we succeeded in discovering Carlos' unique talent in advance.
[Cannon Shooter's Spin Kick (U)]
"Heavy rain!"
Hoyoung jumped into the sky.
As showmanship was shown in front of the coaching staff bench, tens of thousands of white flags were waving, creating a wave of turbulence.
The VIP seats in the back were also not crowded.
Many dignitaries who were sitting in a formal manner began to applaud.
Everyone, including the royal family, sponsors, executives, and presidents of various companies, heaped praise on him.
In the middle of it all.
Chairman Perez was particularly happy and said to the old man sitting next to him.
"I feel good about this season too."
"Cluck."
Real Madrid's greatest legend, nicknamed the Golden Arrow (La Saeta Rubia).
A key player in five consecutive Champions League wins and honorary president of Real Madrid.
Alfredo Di Stefano said, clapping three times.
"You're genius."
Known for his temper, his praise surprised Perez.
Then Perez lowered his voice with a grim smile.
"Do we need Ronaldo?"
I was wondering whether it was necessary to spend a huge sum of 120 billion won to recruit Ronaldo in such a perfect situation.
Of course, it was also true that Ronaldo was the best player in the world and the number one recruit.
In addition, Kaka Torres, Benzema Mascherano, Fabregas, Alonso Ribery, etc. were on the transfer list.
This is because Real Madrid was planning to spend a lot of money on a large-scale rebuild in next year's transfer market due to the aging of the players.
But you can't recruit everyone.
A choice was needed.
Di Stefano gave a wise answer.
"This is why we need it. Imagine the Bernabeu with the two of them playing together."
Perez nodded his head.
"That's clear."
If we could get enough of next year's budget, it seemed like we could build the best team ever, surpassing the first Galactico season.
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