Nearly one hundred thousand spectators fell into despair.
Camp Nou was filled with gloom.
The players felt it even more deeply.
Especially Lionel Messi, whose chest felt like it was being torn apart.
'God.'
Ho-young.
Starting from the Olympics until now, he had played nearly ten matches against him.
During that time, there had been tremendous growth.
Every time they faced each other, Messi could feel Ho-young improving right there on the pitch.
But never like this.
Overwhelming.
This time the level was different.
He roamed the entire pitch without caring whether it was attack or defense, and he created goals.
He appeared in an instant and vanished just as quickly the moment you looked away.
He seemed to exist everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
A memory from long ago surfaced.
Something his father had once told him.
"There was a player who could dominate the entire pitch by himself. Alfredo Di Stéfano. If he had played even once in the World Cup, people might have considered him greater than Pelé or Maradona. He was a player who reached the limits of what a footballer could be."
That was right.
Those words suited Ho-young perfectly.
But there was one difference between Di Stéfano and Ho-young.
Limits.
Ho-young did not seem to have any.
That thought filled Messi with a deep sense of emptiness.
"Ha."
How could someone possess talent like that?
It felt like he belonged to a completely different realm.
Perhaps Messi once had an inferiority complex toward Ho-young.
But that jealousy had long since turned into admiration.
Messi was not the only one whose mindset had changed.
Carles Puyol, Xavi Hernández, and Andrés Iniesta as well.
They had once felt so much psychological pressure that they even considered retirement if they lost this match.
But after conceding the first goal, their thoughts changed.
'Maybe this…'
Perhaps it was a rare opportunity that might never come again.
Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A.
Even now, countless players across the world wanted the chance to face Ho-young.
In this era, facing him was one of the greatest experiences a footballer could have.
In the twentieth century it had been Pelé and Maradona.
In the early 2000s it was Ronaldo and Zidane.
And now.
'Ho-young.'
Because of his presence, they could continue improving.
In fact, after two years of harsh defeats, they had made many small and large improvements.
Perhaps this was the most valuable time of their careers.
Puyol gathered the players.
"From now on, no one says anything. Just give everything we have. That's our job."
A storm was approaching.
There was no time to sit on the ground in despair.
The match continued, and the storm did not stop.
13th minute of the first half.
Barcelona seized the initiative.
The front three spread across the pitch moved in perfect coordination, tearing through the second line.
Tebar, who was supposed to be the pillar of the team, was constantly dragged around and could not regain his composure.
It was the ideal situation for Xavi's passing ability to shine.
[Perhaps it would have been better to bring on Gourcuff even if his defense is weaker. Tebar is really struggling to escape the press.]
[Real Madrid face another dangerous situation. Their defense hasn't looked good overall today.]
Real Madrid were constantly being pulled around, allowing Xavi and Iniesta the timing they needed for their passes.
The match gradually tilted in one direction.
On the surface it looked like Barcelona were dominating.
The flow clearly belonged to them.
Yet the decisive pass never reached the front line.
Smack.
[Once again Ho-young steps in. He challenges Pedro for the ball.]
[Ramos rushes over for support and clears it. That was close.]
Whenever Barcelona controlled midfield with strong pressing and Xavi attempted a killer pass, Ho-young appeared and cut off the chance.
The same pattern repeated.
Whenever Pedro or Villa received the ball, Ho-young appeared instantly and stuck his foot in, preventing anything meaningful.
Ironically, Xavi's unique talent had become a disadvantage.
[Especially Xavi's passes cannot escape Ho-young's radar. Even Xavi is being controlled by Ho-young.]
[It's like watching Superman. He's completely dominating the game. It's unbelievable that a single player can control a match like this.]
Eventually Barcelona pushed Iniesta further forward into the second line, trying to create attacks through different routes.
It was clearly more effective than when Xavi handled the playmaking alone in midfield.
But Real Madrid responded with their own solution.
[Real Madrid apply high pressing.]
[Ronaldo and Douglas push hard into midfield with their pace.]
As Iniesta moved forward, Ronaldo, Douglas, and Ho-young joined the midfield battle.
The already narrow midfield turned into a battlefield.
"Drop back."
"Stay calm. Don't panic."
Ho-young's dominance was terrifying.
With Real Madrid gaining numerical superiority, midfield became their stage.
All passing lanes toward the attack were blocked.
Under pressure, Busquets eventually passed the ball back to Valdés.
At that moment Higuaín sprinted forward from the front line, forcing Valdés to clear long.
Boom.
[The ball crosses the halfway line.]
[Ho-young runs in again and wins it.]
Positionless play.
Ho-young appeared everywhere, winning aerial duels with headers.
Barcelona had very few players strong in aerial battles, making it easier.
[Ho-young is playing like it's the final match of his life. Is he planning not to play the second half?]
[At that moment Ramos runs forward and receives the ball. Pedro presses from behind but Ramos passes safely to Xabi Alonso.]
[Real Madrid have an attacking opportunity. He looks toward Ho-young.]
After a fierce midfield struggle, Real Madrid created a chance.
A direct pass from the defensive line to the attacking line.
[A pass that slices through the field.]
[It moves toward the center. Ho-young has already positioned himself.]
With excellent positioning, Ho-young had already secured the receiving spot.
Just before the ball reached him.
Thud.
[That's a foul. Busquets hits Ho-young's thigh.]
Before he could even receive the pass, Busquets' knee struck the back of Ho-young's leg.
Ho-young rolled three and a half times before stopping.
"Urgh."
It felt like his organs might spill out.
Yet Busquets received only a yellow card.
[It seems unlikely we'll see a red card today.]
"Tch."
Ho-young spat out the bitter taste rising in his throat.
His mouth tasted bitter.
"Hoo."
The first half had not even reached the midpoint.
Yet he had already run more than four kilometers.
His breathing was heavy.
The stadium echoed with chants of "Ho-young, die."
But he heard nothing.
Thump. Thump.
Only the pounding of his heartbeat.
His mind remained focused solely on the ball and the goal.
The match continued.
[Indirect free kick for Real Madrid. Alonso takes it and passes to Ronaldo on the right.]
[Cristiano Ronaldo attempts a run down the flank.]
The already fast pace suddenly accelerated beyond control.
Tap.
Ronaldo, who had been sprinting down the wing, suddenly delivered a heel pass.
Ramos received it.
Pedro slid in from behind, but the ball had already moved centrally.
Play continued.
"Hey."
Tap.
"Here."
Smack.
Ho-young received the ball in the second line, passed it to Douglas on the left, then charged forward.
At that moment a cross was delivered into the box.
"Ha!"
It was a distance the goalkeeper could reach.
Victor Valdés rushed forward with both hands extended.
From the opposite side, black hair flew as someone charged in.
Ho-young's diving header.
And then.
Thud.
The net shook.
[Goal. Goal. Goal.]
[Ho-young. He does it again. What a brilliant diving header.]
There was a slight collision between them.
But Ho-young's head reached the ball first.
Second goal.
Yet Ho-young immediately ran back toward the halfway line.
There was no time for celebration.
However, in the 28th minute.
Barcelona responded.
Whistle.
Pepe received a red card.
At the same time Barcelona were awarded a penalty.
It happened instantly.
Pepe's sliding tackle struck Villa just below the knee.
Pepe was sent off amid loud boos.
Villa was carried off on a stretcher and replaced by Bojan.
The penalty was taken immediately.
[Messi steps up as the kicker. He avoids Casillas' gaze.]
[He shoots.]
[Goal. Lionel Messi calmly converts.]
3-2.
Barcelona's momentum did not stop there.
43rd minute of the first half.
While Marcelo was off the pitch receiving treatment after a tackle, Barcelona launched a full attack and scored the equalizer.
Messi dribbled past four defenders and scored a stunning goal.
[This is El Clásico. Absolutely explosive.]
2-2.
The match was level.
With Pepe sent off, it seemed like the perfect first half for Barcelona.
But football must be watched until the end.
Just before halftime.
Ho-young stepped forward again.
With dribbling that bordered on the supernatural, he escaped the pressure of Busquets and Iniesta.
Then he fired a thunderous long range shot through a narrow opening.
The net rippled.
Hat trick.
The match had only just begun.
[El Clásico. Real Madrid lead 3-2…]
[Ho-young hat trick. 5 interceptions, 5 tackles, 2 clearances, 1 shot block, 4 fouls suffered, 8 successful dribbles, 38 completed passes, 3 key passes, 28 sprints, 7.7 kilometers covered. He dominates the match.]
└ It's been a while since I enjoyed football like this. This is real El Clásico.
└ When did Real Madrid become the Ho-young one man team? His performance today is insane.
└ Barcelona also came out fully prepared.
└ Isn't this already one of the greatest matches ever?
└ But Real Madrid look shaky today. With Pepe sent off, who knows what will happen.
└ Their schedule this season has been brutal. UEFA Super Cup against Atlético Madrid in preseason, then Supercopa against Barcelona, and nonstop matches after that.
└ Letting Ho-young rest properly during preseason was a genius move.
└ Come to think of it, Real Madrid already have four trophies this year. If they win the FIFA Club World Cup, that's five.
3-2.
The thrilling scoreline ignited football fans across the world.
Meanwhile halftime was chaotic for both teams.
In the home locker room, Mourinho's passionate and desperate voice echoed loudly.
In contrast, Real Madrid's locker room was filled with Scolari's calm voice.
"I know this is a difficult situation."
Even though they were winning, Scolari's voice was heavy.
He knew the remaining forty five minutes would be even harder than the first half.
Among the last ten El Clásicos, none had been this difficult.
Real Madrid's overall condition was clearly not good.
Perhaps it was the result of Scolari's long criticized weakness, his poor squad management.
Perhaps that was why.
Scolari admitted his own fault.
"I know you all feel the pressure. But I will take all the blame if we lose. So don't burden yourselves. Ten consecutive wins? That number means nothing. You've done well in the last nine El Clásicos. Today, just enjoy the match."
The players slowly began nodding.
Scolari concluded the talk with one final remark.
"Of course, if we eliminate Barcelona today, the Copa del Rey will also be ours. That means a treble this season is possible."
It was meant to ease the players while motivating them.
And it worked.
Their expressions gradually changed.
Many criticized him as a manager carried by his players.
But Ho-young believed Scolari possessed excellent abilities as a coach.
And.
[Luiz Felipe Scolari]
[Possessed Talents: Charismatic Leadership (S), Sharp Judgment (S), Excellent Squad Control (S-), Outstanding Tactical Understanding (A+3)]
(Currently deteriorated talents cannot be viewed.)
(You can covet talents when conditions are met.)
Condition 1: Discuss tactics for 500 minutes.
Condition 2: Record 50 attacking points in official matches while on the same team.
Condition 3: Win five competitions.
Soon he would be able to covet Scolari's talent as well.
Conditions 1 and 2 had already been completed.
Only condition 3 remained.
'If we win the FIFA Club World Cup, that's the last one.'
The end was slowly approaching.
But before that, winning today's match came first.
(To be continued.)