[Italy are putting up a fierce fight. They are taking on Spain with overwhelming physicality and tremendous fighting spirit.]
[That's right. So far, they still look alright. But even this will eventually tilt in Spain's favor as time passes, you know? They cannot stop Ho-young anyway. The only answer seems to be to hold out as much as possible, convert their chances in attack, and drag the match to a penalty shootout.]
[In my opinion, the key will probably be De Rossi, who is both the team's workhorse and the one in charge of balancing attack and defense. Ho-young has faced Italy several times, but he has not yet had any experience going up against De Rossi.]
Midfield commander, Daniele De Rossi.
If you were to name the best defensive midfielders in the world, everyone without exception would mention Gattuso, Mascherano, and De Rossi.
Yet he had been arguing with Gattuso from the opening stages of today's match.
"No, you idiot!"
"How do you know if we haven't even tried?"
"I have tried, at Milan. I've gone up against Ho-young!"
De Rossi showed himself to be extremely skilled at coordinating both attack and defense through his excellent football intelligence, physicality, and ability to read the flow of the game.
In contrast, Gattuso was the kind to tear through midfield with his astonishing physicality and technical ability.
They were the same in that both were defensive midfielders, but their styles of play were subtly different.
Still, they were close enough to roughhouse and mess around whenever the chance came.
The problem was that both of them had fiery tempers, so once they started messing around, it tended to get excessive.
For example, one might repeatedly jab the other in the back with a fork, or wait motionless under the other's bed for an hour just to scare him. To anyone else, it often looked ridiculous.
Because of that, it sometimes carried over into matches, but today was different.
The two of them were no longer joking around.
"Gattuso, this isn't like you. You're actually holding back your body because you're scared of a little kid like that? Go and smash into him with everything you've got!"
"I said no, you moron! Impossible is impossible!"
"Since when has that word existed in our dictionary?"
"Can you smash a rock apart with your bare body? No, that's not even a rock, it's the Great Wall of China, damn it."
"You cowardly bastard. Your will and confidence are both dead. Let me give you a piece of advice, you'd be better off retiring soon. I can see why old man Trapattoni doesn't trust you. If your backup member weren't Montolivo, you probably wouldn't even be playing."
"You brainless fool. Think whatever you want. You'll understand once you experience it yourself. Ah, this must be why they call people creatures that learn."
Gattuso and De Rossi glared at each other and ground their teeth.
Even so, they covered each other's spaces and never lost their concentration until the very end.
That was only natural, because this tournament was none other than Euro 2012.
And this was the semi-final.
It was not a match they could smile through and enjoy.
They could not ruin things over personal pride.
Then it happened.
"Here!"
Marchisio, standing at the center of it all, signaled to the right.
That was because Fàbregas and Xavi, who had been slowly building up from deep, were now carrying the ball forward themselves.
[And now Iniesta on the left flank drops into midfield. That means they know build-up play alone is not enough to pull apart Italy's suffocating midfield.]
[Reading the build-up is one of De Rossi's strengths. And with Marchisio and Pirlo holding firm as well, it won't be easy for Spain.]
At the same time, on the right flank, David Silva widened the space even further.
It was a completely different movement from Iniesta on the opposite side.
[It seems they intend to break down Italy's shape by using an asymmetric strategy. If a crack appears, Ho-young will slip through it and try to break the line. Looking at their last meeting, wasn't Italy especially vulnerable to balls played into the space behind?]
The core of Italy's defense was the shape between the back four and the third line.
The reason they had conceded only three goals in the tournament was also because of their precise line control.
But in the Group C stage, Spain had repeatedly torn through the space behind them, and Italy had ultimately tasted defeat after conceding twice.
Still, Italy were not fools who would make the same mistake twice.
To avoid falling for the same method again, they had prepared a countermeasure, and on top of that, they had brought a weapon that could turn the tables on Spain.
That change came in midfield.
[Marchisio and Gattuso are dropping into the third line to form a new line with Pirlo. De Rossi is covering midfield on his own.]
[At the same time, they are dropping the back four as deep as possible. Andrea Barzagli is tracking Ho-young throughout the match. He is not leaving him alone for even a second.]
In an instant, Italy dropped their line and reshaped into a 4-3-1-2.
From the outset, they completely blocked the space behind and prevented Spain from making runs in behind.
[That is pure art. You can really feel how rapidly football is evolving through that change in shape.]
Zidane, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho.
Then after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo emerged, all sorts of tactics had been developed, and now the presence of Ho-young was driving that development even more radically.
But Italy's changes did not end there.
[There are signs of change in the front line as well. Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano are dropping back to support De Rossi.]
[In the end, everyone is joining the defense and it's taking the shape of a zero-top system. You could call it a three-line defense.]
As Spain began to attack in earnest, Italy literally parked the bus and adopted an extremely defensive approach.
The so-called madman combination.
Even Balotelli and Cassano, who had started as the two forwards, dropped their line significantly and formed a 4-3-3-0.
At the center of it all was De Rossi.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that both Italy's defense and attack began in his head.
'Good start.'
Spain had pulled back a step and were circulating the ball at the back.
De Rossi stroked his trademark beard and widened his view.
'What is there that we can't do?'
Of course, he knew full well what Ho-young was capable of.
A quick glance through Manchester City's matches was enough to tell anyone just how exceptional his technique was and how monstrous his physical ability had become.
Even so, De Rossi had confidence, and he had a solid reason for it.
'If he's a monster, then we've got devils on our side.'
Balotelli and Cassano.
They were starting as forwards, but the real purpose behind using them was to stop Ho-young.
"Hey!"
Just as Balotelli and Cassano settled into the prepared shape, De Rossi, having read the flow quickly, gave the signal.
It was the very moment Iniesta's pass reached David Silva on the opposite side.
Tap!
[David Silva brings the ball down safely.]
[Giorgio Chiellini comes out to meet him!]
As instructed by the manager, Chiellini focused solely on completely blocking Silva's dribbling lane.
As a result, he had no choice but to leave the passing lane open.
[David Silva, he cuts inside with a La Pelopina turn. He lifts his head!]
Quick attacking progression.
The moment David Silva's eyes turned toward the left side ahead of him, the forward pass was played.
The location was central in the second line.
Tap!
With no space left behind the defense, Ho-young had no choice but to receive the ball with his back to goal.
That was where the problem began.
"!"
Before he could even receive it, Barzagli stuck out a leg with the intention of taking Ho-young out.
His aim was to subtly step on the heel of Ho-young's boot and control his movement.
But that alone was nowhere near enough to stop Ho-young.
Whoosh!
The moment Ho-young sharply broadened his field of vision and saw Barzagli's foot sneaking in from behind, he pulled his own foot forward.
Superhuman senses.
At the same time, he drove strength into his back and shrugged Barzagli off.
For a moment, it looked like he had received the ball safely.
But.
"Not so fast!"
The real thing was someone else.
De Rossi had already dropped all the way to the third line and barged in with a shoulder charge.
His nasty, stubborn face showed exactly how determined he was.
And then, in that instant.
Thud!
He had slammed in with the full force of his 85-kilogram frame, yet Ho-young barely moved.
The one who was sent flying was De Rossi instead.
He was knocked away and sent sprawling some distance off.
"Urk!"
For a split second, the referee wondered whether he should stop the match, but the ball was still with Ho-young, and since possession had not been lost, he allowed play to continue.
But it still was not over.
[Look beside him, beside him!!]
And not just on one side, but from both flanks.
Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano were charging in aggressively from the left and right.
The sacrifices of De Rossi and Barzagli had all been for this very moment.
The real showdown was right now.
And the two of them chose a method that suited them perfectly.
'Ordinary methods won't work!'
Having just seen Barzagli and De Rossi get brushed aside helplessly, they knew that a physical battle would not be enough.
At that moment, Cassano's eyes flashed.
Right after that, his sharp hand shot toward Ho-young's throat.
At the same time, below the waist, Balotelli's leg came in slyly.
His aim was to cleverly target Ho-young's knee.
It was the kind of act that could never be expected from professional players, but the two of them were not the sort to be overly restrained by conscience.
But it was useless.
Whether arms flew at him or legs came at him, Ho-young paid no mind and moved his body.
He bent himself in a bizarre way, like a rhythmic gymnast, and avoided both attacks completely.
It was a sequence that looked straight out of a film.
And at the end came a dazzling finale.
[Ho-young, he shoots straight awaaaaay!]
Rotating his body half a turn, Ho-young struck boldly.
A turning shot.
And it was not just an ordinary turning shot.
The ball flew off in an unexpected direction, only to smash directly into Cassano's face right in front of him.
Smack!
But the sound did not end there, it was soon followed by a sharp, crisp noise.
Clang!
[Goooooooooal! Ho-young! It's in!]
After striking Cassano in the face, the ball deflected instantly and was sucked into the goal.
For goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, it was a shot trajectory he could never have predicted.
And Ho-young had calculated all of it.
'It feels like I'm nearing the limit of the superhuman.'
A transcendent shot that seemed to be approaching the limit of the superhuman.
At this point, he felt as though there was truly nothing he could not do.
And the reward was just as certain.
[You have preemptively coveted Eccentric Fantasista (T). You partially acquire Antonio Cassano's experience and senses. It will take 12 days to fully assimilate the experience and senses.]
The result of fulfilling the condition, 'Make Antonio Cassano's nose bleed.'
Just like the player's personality, the condition itself was peculiar.
And besides that, there was also one normal talent he could covet.
[You have preemptively coveted Midfield Commander's Sense for Balancing Attack and Defense (T). You partially acquire Daniele De Rossi's experience and senses. It will take 12 days to fully assimilate the experience and senses.]
De Rossi's title.
He had been able to obtain it thanks to scoring after winning the ball duel.
And reaching the final was an added bonus.
After conceding the opening goal in such a helpless fashion, Italy lost their will, and after being dragged around by Spain over and over, they ended up surrendering the match.
The glorious title of European champion was now right in front of them.
Spain's opponent in the final, which would be played four days later, was Germany, the winner of the 2010 South Africa World Cup.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)