174. El Clasico (4)
Victor Valdes.
A talented goalkeeper from Spain.
Although he was unable to get a chance in the national team due to being pushed back by Casillas, he was a man known as a guardian god in Barcelona.
He was performing at his best this season, conceding only 7 goals in 14 league games.
He recorded no goals even against teams known to have such strong offense.
However, today, Real Madrid conceded one goal and even allowed an additional goal.
Woo Ho-young.
'left…?'
"Tsk!"
Before the psychological warfare could begin, a low, fast shot came.
I tried to launch my body with a reaction speed close to that of an animal, but my shooting timing was faster than I expected.
I knew that Woo Ho-young enjoys shooting fast, but for some reason, his shooting seemed to be more perfect today.
Still, I tried my best to stretch my hand out to the other side.
At this level, the ball seemed to be on the edge of the keeper's glove.
but.
Great love!
The ball, which rotated properly, hit the opposite goal post.
Timing, direction, speed, power and even spin.
It was a flawless shot in that short moment.
No matter how veteran a striker he is, he is bound to feel shaken on a big stage like El Clasico, but that didn't seem to be the case for Woo Young.
He kicked the ball very calmly as if this was his home.
and.
Crash!
The ball that hit the inside goal post was sucked into the goal.
It was a tremendous goal decision.
[Gooooooooooo! Woo Ho-young scores! Real Madrid turns the game around again just before the end of the first half!]
[Ah, that's amazing. It's a pleasure to see. Is there any other game in the world this exciting? It's just a pity that there are only 50 minutes left.]
Beep!
2 to 1.
Ooooooooooooooooooo!
Thunderous cheers filled the field.
These were Real Madrid players who were running towards Hoyoung with the momentum to attack him.
Among them, the first place Hoyoung was hugged was Zidane's arms.
"Look at me."
"yes."
"Listen to me carefully. This was by far the best goal we've ever scored. It will probably be remembered in my mind for the rest of my life. And I am sure. "I think we can do it today here at Camp Nou."
"thank you. "I'm sure of that, too."
It was Hoyoung who felt salty at the tip of his nose.
"But in times like this, you have to be careful. The time when a soccer player needs to be most careful is right after scoring. If there is a crisis, it is now. "Be strong."
"All right."
Hoyoung passed by the people who were booing him and headed to the bench.
Coach Schuster, wearing a light blue shirt, welcomed Hoyoung with enthusiastic cheers.
"Good job!"
Schuster cupped Hoyoung's face with both hands and put their heads together.
"We don't stop until it's over. "I will go until the end."
"yes. Until the end."
The game was only halfway through, but maybe I didn't know it.
A draw was the goal of the day.
No, you might go beyond realistic goals and realize your ideals.
As Real Madrid took the lead again with one minute left in the first half, Barcelona became impatient and advanced their defense line to launch a last-minute attack.
However, Real Madrid's wall, which was determined and focused on defense, was not broken down as easily as expected.
Beep –
2 to 1.
The first half ended there.
In summary, it was a first half that brought despair to 250 million fans around the world.
Halftime.
It was Pep Guardiola who left the stadium faster than anyone else.
He was deep in thought as he walked quickly to the director's office.
My head was spinning.
My head, which should have been thinking about tactics, was filled with thoughts that had nothing to do with the game.
'shit.'
There was no humiliation like this.
Haven't fans' expectations been raised incredibly high already?
Barcelona was on a 12-game winning streak.
In particular, when they won 4-0 against Sevilla a few days ago, it was even said that no one in the world could stop Barcelona.
'That's who we are…'
We lost.
We ended up losing the first half 2-1.
Of course, Barcelona had the upper hand in terms of game content, such as possession, number of passes, number of shots, and number of breakthroughs.
However, the opponent took advantage of it and took advantage.
'You targeted my tactic.'
Custom tactics.
It was a clever and cunning operation.
My scalp felt hot knowing that I had taken another hit from Director Schuster.
And I couldn't believe it.
'My tactics were discovered in just three months?'
I don't know how much time and effort went into creating this tactic.
He came up with this tactic by watching countless videos and abusing his brain.
There was a risk of being fired because of that tactic, but the crisis was overcome thanks to the words of Barcelona legend Johannes Cruijff.
He said this about Guardiola's tactics in an interview:
-Barcelona's record of 1 draw and 1 loss since the opening was a truly miserable result, but the soccer shown by Guardiola was outstanding regardless of the results. But many people are criticizing Guardiola. Honestly, I completely understand their feelings. This is because Guardiola's soccer is a soccer that only he knows and did not exist in the world. Do ordinary people have the ability to know the true nature of that tactic? A true Barcelona fan should support his tactics. After a heavy rain shower, the flowers will bloom in full bloom.
Cruyff's words put the controversy to rest.
Nevertheless, there were players who criticized Guardiola's tactics.
Some may ask, "How do you give your all in every workout? He expressed his dissatisfaction openly, saying, "This is an insult to soccer."
They couldn't blindly trust a novice director with no experience.
So Guardiola at that time thought that he would eventually have to break his stubbornness.
But one day, Iniesta came to the director's office and said this.
-Director. Leave your worries aside. We are playing the best soccer in the world right now. They don't show it, but everyone knows it. You know. Catalonia is full of timid people. Like me, for example… And I think the way we play football is in a way that has never existed before. I think I would be very sad if I abandoned this method because I couldn't overcome external pressure. This is the happiest time in my soccer life. Please do not bend the director's convictions. No matter who our opponent is, we will win. It's a disaster, I can guarantee that.
Iniesta was famous for being quiet, both on the pitch and in training.
It was very surprising that he expressed such an opinion.
Even now, when I think about that time, Guardiola gives me goosebumps all over my body.
'Yes, this is not a tactic that will collapse.'
We should not have distrusted the strategy that was created after such twists and turns.
I had to believe in myself and the players.
I think we can turn things around in the remaining second half.
Isn't this Barcelona who has the experience of scoring 4 goals in just 10 minutes this season?
There is no perfect customized tactic in the world.
A breakthrough clearly exists.
Guardiola's brain quickly turned.
'We need to break Real Madrid's customized tactics.'
After gathering his thoughts, Guardiola entered into a meeting with the technical team.
Afterwards, the remaining four minutes were spent in the locker room.
As per his usual style, he was furious and maximized the players' concentration.
The miracle had to start from there.
It was no different from the visiting team's locker room.
Even though we were winning 2-1, we didn't lose the tension until the end.
"Hey guys. "Please focus."
Casillas, who blocked three decisive shots on target in the first half alone, was speaking strictly.
"Especially Pepe and Ramos, is it true that you guys wear colored eyes? Or are you in love with Messi and Eto'o? Why are you so confused? How many times do I tell Carlos that if he gets through, one of you has to go cover immediately. Stop straddling that damn bastard. These are things that can be prevented if you just stay a little more conscious. "We still have 45 minutes left to go."
"I know what you mean. "I'll be careful."
"Me too."
Both Pepe and Ramos had radical personalities, but they did not refute Casillas' words and instead accepted them.
Because it was El Clásico.
"Okay, let's all do well. We did good enough, but we could do better. We shouldn't think we're ahead now. "That's how soccer is."
"All right."
"yes."
Only after Cannavaro had finished what he had to say did the players come to their senses.
Finally, Captain Raoul's voice rang out.
"Let's go ¡Vamos."
"¡Vamos!"."
In this way, Real Madrid also increased concentration in its own way.
[The second half has begun.]
[This time, Real Madrid is on the right and Barcelona is on the left.]
The game flowed dynamically from the start.
It all started with Guardiola's counterattack, which set up a makeshift solution.
Real Madrid's tailored strategy had a flaw.
Although it was possible to maximize the advantages, the disadvantages were also revealed.
As expected, the time given to Real Madrid was only one week.
Detailed and thorough preparations were needed to hide the shortcomings of the tactics, so Madrid did not have time for that.
Accordingly, Guardiola exploited their weaknesses.
He boldly gave up playing inside the box and used Eto'o's mid-range shooting from outside the box, confusing the opposing defense.
Madrid often struggled and ended up losing the flow of the game.
And it soon led to Barcelona scoring.
Beep-
[Go! The second ball, which came out after Eto'o's mid-distance shot, lands squarely on Messi's foot. Messi's equalizer. This brings the game back to square one!]
2 to 2.
Messi's equalizer five minutes into the second half brought the voices of 100,000 fans to life.
Conversely, whenever Real Madrid got the ball, high-level profanity filled the stadium.
It was amazing that soccer could be played in a place like this.
To make matters worse, Barcelona's attacks became increasingly sharper and sharper.
Although he was a novice manager, Guardiola was a master at the same time, and his tactical skills were working well.
It soon showed itself in the results.
[Messi Messi Messi continues to try to break through!]
[Let Diarra go and run! [He doesn't give Madrid any time to spare!]
Messi's breakthrough begins again.
Ramos, who was in charge of Eto'o, rushed over without delay, but the ball had already left Messi's feet.
This time, Casillas tried to throw his body with excellent reaction speed, but the results were not good.
Crash!
Messi's second goal.
And Casillas screamed at Barcelona's comeback goal.
"You damn bastards! "Why don't you come to your senses!"
3 to 2.
Barcelona, which succeeded in an instant comeback, was in a truly festive mood.
[After all, no one knows about soccer. The atmosphere in Real Madrid was so good just 20 minutes ago.]
[I wonder what happened in the locker room at halftime. It seems that Guardiola's magic worked.]
"Huh…"
The tension was at its peak.
Hoyoung, who was looking at the back of Messi's head, felt his scalp bristle.
'It is God.'
Literally God.
At the same time, it was an opportunity.
A golden opportunity to acquire Messi's talent.
'Hidden condition 1 is securing a point after scoring.'
It wasn't over yet.
Now only 60 minutes into the second half.
If the other person changed, it was a matter of changing as well.
Initially, Real Madrid did not have one weapon prepared.
Anyway, I went out to catch a tiger, but did I come out with only a knife?
'I just have to endure it one more time.'
Then the opportunity will come.
Hoyoung, along with Zidane, applied forward pressure and focused on defense.
Then, I gradually measured the timing.
I held on tenaciously, waiting for the promised moment.
He showed his wits and broke the flow of Barcelona.
[Zidane and Woo Ho-young move desperately, interfering with Xavi and Iniesta's ball distribution.]
[But they cannot catch up with the two in stamina or activity. I can see Zidane and Woo Ho-young getting more and more tired. I think they'll run out of steam around the 70-80th minute of the second half?]
They were right.
Because the two's play seemed like a final struggle.
But the essence was different.
At that moment, Hoyoung's eyes turned to the electronic display board.
The 70th minute of the second half was approaching.
Hoyoung and Zidane's eyes changed in an unusual way.
The same goes for the rest of Madrid's players.
'Our time is coming soon.'
Game 2.
The second tactic to defeat Barcelona was slowly emerging to the surface.
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