Korea had scored.
The moment the net rippled, the red wave filling the stands split perfectly in half.
The supporters of the Spanish national team, known as the "Invincible Armada," all wore expressions of disbelief.
It was exactly that.
"I can't believe it."
"Does this make any sense?"
"Ha…"
"This is insane."
Objectively speaking, Korea was certainly an upper mid-tier team.
They possessed the best squad in Korean football history, and with Ho-young included, such an evaluation was understandable.
But they were still clearly weaker than Spain.
Before the match began, everyone expected Spain to win and believed Spain would score first.
Professional bookmakers had set David Villa's odds for the opening goal at 5/1.
Ho-young had slightly better odds at 4/1, but when considering all players together, Spain's odds were overwhelmingly lower.
In other words, Spain was heavily favored to score first.
But.
"Ho-young…"
Once again, he had made something happen.
His 12th World Cup goal.
No one could have imagined that it would be the first goal of today's match.
"What if we actually lose like this?"
"Don't say such ominous things."
"If we get knocked out here… I'll curse him for the rest of my life."
"Who?"
"Who else? Obviously Ho-young. I've already had it out for him."
Most of the Spaniards who had traveled all the way to South Africa were fans of La Liga.
Among them were quite a few people who disliked Ho-young.
The reason was simple.
Every team except Real Madrid had been thoroughly beaten by him.
Barcelona fans, the Cules, especially despised him.
In a survey asking how they would react if they met Ho-young on the street, the number one response was, "I'd curse at him and spit on him."
That was how deep their resentment ran.
If Ho-young were to sink Spain as well, it was obvious what would happen.
What kind of ill-fated relationship was this?
Spain had a stronger desire to win the World Cup than most European nations.
They were always considered favorites in every tournament, yet they had never lifted the trophy.
Because of that, their obsession and desire for victory had only grown stronger.
And finally, in this World Cup, it seemed that dream might come true.
It was the dream of the entire Spanish nation.
But that dream was beginning to crumble.
"Damn it…"
"Hey, there's nothing to be afraid of. It's only been ten minutes."
"That's exactly the problem. Who knows what kind of tactics they've prepared next?"
Just looking at the Korean coach standing near the bench was unsettling.
"Huh…? Where did that coach come from? Has he managed a big club before?"
"I've never heard anything like that…"
Their perception of Korean football was slowly turning into fear.
Meanwhile, Korea's supporters, the Red Devils, were completely lost in a frenzy of excitement.
What more needed to be said?
It was a festival.
The atmosphere in the stadium was explosive, and online communities were on the verge of meltdown.
[Are we actually going to the final like this? My heart feels like it's going to explode.]
└ My heart is pounding like crazy too. At this rate it's really going to explodeeeeeeeee…
└ The person above had a heart attack. Please delete the comment.
└ I don't want to jinx it, but we are playing incredibly well.
└ For the first time in my life, I almost wet myself watching football. Ask me anything.
└ What brand of diapers do you use?
└ Hmm. It's good so far, but I'm scared of how Spain will respond. Our defense is still shaky. How are we going to survive the next 80 minutes?
└ If they score, we'll just score again. Didn't you just see that?
└ This is what you call Korean-style tiki-taka.
└ Kimchi-taka lol.
└ First you take the cabbage, soak it in saltwater, mix it with seasoning, wrap it with boiled pork and eat it in one bite…
└ Even Casillas can't resist Kimchi-taka lol.
└ You guys are ridiculous. It's only the 10th minute of the first half. Do you think Spain will fall for it again? They already look like they're discussing countermeasures.
While the Korean players celebrated their goal briefly, the Spanish team gathered near the midfield line and quickly began a discussion.
It was a tense scene.
"Are you all out of your minds? How can you lose track of your mark like that? Especially you, Piqué. Where was your head?"
Casillas, wearing the captain's armband, sharply reprimanded his teammates.
It was not division.
It was simply Casillas' way of waking them up.
Puyol, with his fiery personality, backed him up.
"You idiots."
A shock therapy.
This was not a friendly match, it was the World Cup semifinal.
No one could afford to lose focus for even a second.
And it was the job of veterans to remind the players of that.
Puyol grabbed his teammates' faces with both hands, pressing his forehead against theirs as he spoke.
"The moment one of you loses focus, everything falls apart. Don't just look with your eyes. Picture the field in your head. Anyone who makes another mistake won't return to Spain in one piece. I promise you that."
Gulp.
Piqué and Busquets, both playing in their first World Cup, swallowed nervously and nodded.
The match soon resumed.
[The clock is now approaching the 18th minute of the first half. Spain's pressing is gradually intensifying, but our players' performance has also improved.]
[The team structure is coming alive. Ki Sung-yueng and Kim Jung-hoo are showing tremendous fighting spirit in midfield. They are battling without giving an inch.]
There was some bias in the commentary, but most of it was true.
Korea was gradually becoming stronger.
Iniesta was experiencing it firsthand.
This was a completely different Korea from the one they had faced in the friendly in Austria last month.
They were clearly stronger than they had been in the Round of 16 and quarterfinals.
Through real matches, they were becoming a true team.
We can't relax for a second. They're not backing down against us.
Ten minutes had passed since Spain conceded, and a fierce midfield battle had been unfolding.
Korea's resistance was formidable.
Against the Xabi Alonso and Busquets midfield, no less.
Their fighting spirit is just as strong as ours.
Especially Ho-young.
He was the final boss.
Like Xavi, he had excellent vision, creativity, and outstanding spatial awareness.
The lack of experience and psychological warfare he once had was now compensated by his other talents.
His football sense had improved significantly.
I didn't realize it during El Clásico…
But facing him in an international match made it clear.
It was not that Ho-young benefited from Real Madrid.
If anything, it was the opposite.
That thought even led Iniesta to imagine something else.
What would it feel like to play on the same team as Ho-young?
As that vague curiosity and hope lingered in his mind, someone stared at him sharply.
It was Ho-young.
[Andrés Iniesta]
[Possessed Talents: Flawless Midfielder (T), Perfect Press Resistance (SU), Ball Keeping at the Pinnacle (SSS-), Unparalleled Football Intelligence (SS+3), Miraculous Dribbling (SS+2), Brilliant Tactical Understanding (S+3), (More...)]
(If conditions are met, one talent can be coveted.)
(If a T-grade Title is coveted, part of its sensory ability can be acquired. However, it can only be coveted after the age of 18.)
(S-grade or higher talents require hidden conditions to be fulfilled.)
(Condition 1: Play together for at least 90 minutes in an international match)
(Condition 2: Record an attacking contribution in this match)
(Condition 3: Complete more dribbles than Andrés Iniesta in this match)
(Condition 4: Be selected as the official MOM of this match)
(Hidden Condition: Unlocks when at least one talent is coveted)
A midfielder universally recognized as one of the best in the world, possessing every quality required for the role at the highest level.
His press resistance, in particular, was unmatched.
No matter how high Spain pushed their line, they rarely faced counterattacks because of his ability.
I must obtain it.
Among all the unique talents Ho-young had seen so far, this ranked easily within the top three most desirable.
In modern football, where pressing had become crucial, it was one of the most valuable abilities.
The conditions were not much different from Xavi's.
It was achievable.
However.
We're slowly being pushed back.
As time passed, the match became increasingly difficult.
Ten minutes earlier it had been manageable, but as Xavi Hernández dropped from the second line into midfield, Korea began losing the physical battle.
Yet if Ho-young dropped deeper to join midfield, Pedro and Iniesta were moving far too actively on the wings.
[Iniesta looks to the opposite side with his pass. Sergio Ramos is making a run.]
[He sends a cross into the center! They must not lose track of Villa!]
[Ah! Lee Jong-soo clears it away!]
Korea continued to respond aggressively.
They were determined not to concede through careless defending.
But as fatigue set in, gaps began to appear.
[Our players must keep pushing despite the difficulty. If they can score another goal now, the second half will become much easier. We're almost there!]
[Korea is launching another full-team attack. Kim Jung-hoo is gradually pushing the line higher. He's looking toward Ho-young up front.]
[Ah! Piqué with the tackle! That had to be avoided!]
Piqué surged forward and intercepted Kim Jung-hoo's pass.
Spain immediately switched their defensive structure to a three-back system. Piqué and Busquets handled the build-up from the back, while the Xavi duo distributed the ball in midfield.
Counterattack.
A massive crisis arrived just 30 minutes into the first half.
Spain's characteristic rhythm came alive as their beautiful passing play unfolded.
[Our players must stay focused until the end.]
[That's right. They only need to survive this attack!]
The Korean players who had committed to the full-team attack hurried back to reorganize their defense.
But Spain's unique rhythm was not easy to stop.
"Du-rim! Just bring him down!"
"…!"
Cha Du-rim sprinted back at incredible speed and stood in front of Iniesta.
Then.
"Hup!"
He drove his shoulder in aggressively, ready to accept a booking.
Whoosh.
[Ah! Iniesta slips past him!]
[Ki Sung-yueng has to close him down!]
Iniesta instantly changed direction and easily shook off Du-rim.
But it did not end there.
"Ahh!"
With dazzling dribbling, he toyed with Ki Sung-yueng and broke through himself.
Immediately afterward, he delivered a high-quality cross to Pedro, who was charging in from the opposite side.
What followed was Pedro's first-time volley.
[Jung Sung-ryong! He has to stop this!]
Thud.
Jung Sung-ryong reacted with animal-like reflexes.
It was almost miraculous.
But the real miracle did not happen.
David Villa, who had been waiting for his chance, smashed the rebound into the net.
Rustle.
40 minutes into the first half.
The score was level again.
Five more minutes passed, and two minutes of added time were given.
During that short period, both teams exchanged attacks once each, but no additional goals were scored.
Whistle.
The first half ended there.
As the whistle echoed throughout the stadium, heavy breaths could be heard from all corners of the stands.
The match was flowing in a completely unpredictable direction.
(To be continued.)