[Ho-young receives Raul's back pass while facing the goal. Centre-back Bravo steps in to apply pressure, but Ho-young shields the ball to the very end.]
[Two touches. Ho-young. The ball looks like it is glued to his feet.]
Receiving Raul's layoff, Ho-young protected the ball all the way through against the defender.
He then slipped past Bravo with a compact dribble and narrowed his eyes.
"The box is too crowded."
With Raul heavily marked, Ho-young turned his gaze to the left flank.
Robben was there, with space to work in.
There was no long hesitation.
Tap.
A through ball slipped perfectly between the full-backs.
That single pass completely tore open the left channel.
[A key pass from Ho-young.]
[Robben is away. He tears apart Numancia's back line.]
[Robben's low cross follows. Players are charging into the box.]
Robben's sharp cross sliced across the grass.
It almost brushed Raul's boot, but Numancia goalkeeper Juan Pablo reacted well, preventing a goal.
The commentators expressed regret, but also pointed out something remarkable.
[Ho-young's ball control has clearly improved. His ball keeping is excellent. Even in a sudden situation, his body knows exactly how to protect the ball.]
[Impressive. He's like a chameleon, always showing a different side.]
[Numancia's players must be quite shaken. This is a completely different level from the Ho-young they faced last season in the Segunda.]
[Excellent. Ho-young keeps sticking close to Raul and gaining a lot from it. I guarantee the Numancia defenders are suffering the most right now.]
Although the chance did not result in a goal, the crowd applauded warmly.
For a debut, it was more than a solid attempt.
That alone showed a lot.
Ho-young felt the tension gradually easing.
"The game feels so comfortable."
Real Madrid really were different.
And with Numancia being a newly promoted side, it was easier than expected to play against them.
As long as he followed behind Raul and focused on his movement, chances would naturally come.
If he had to describe it, Raul was like the lead navigator.
As long as he traced his path, opportunities would surely appear.
"Alright. Stay calm. Just like Valdebebas."
Ho-young controlled his mindset, treating the match no differently from training, and played as he always did.
Today, he wanted to repay the fans who had waited so long for him with a spectacular performance.
In truth, expectations surrounding Ho-young were sky-high.
The chemistry he had shown with Zidane during the world tour.
The brilliant performances he displayed at the Beijing Olympics.
No matter how amateur-oriented the Olympics were, leading a weak South Korea side to a bronze medal was undeniably historic.
It was only natural for fans to expect a lot.
And Ho-young felt he could meet those expectations with a strong showing.
There was a saying often repeated at the Bernabeu.
"The 90 minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu are very long."
A legendary phrase passed down through Real Madrid's history.
Almost like a superstition that only applied here.
It was only the 62nd minute of the second half.
There was still plenty of time to show something.
After halftime, Real Madrid had switched from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1.
Ho-young's role was attacking midfielder, the central hub of the attack.
He was like a massive bridge leading straight into the enemy's base.
That was exactly why Schuster had sent Ho-young on before Van der Vaart.
If Ho-young could take over Sneijder's role successfully, it would make things much easier for Van der Vaart when he came on later.
Schuster wanted to see that possibility in this match.
Everything hinged on Ho-young.
All of it depended on his ability.
Having already faced Numancia twice in the Segunda, Schuster firmly believed Ho-young would deliver again today.
And as if to repay that trust, Ho-young kept producing dangerous movements, constantly troubling the defenders.
Another decisive chance came in the 69th minute of the second half.
It started from Zidane's foot.
[Zidane floats a lobbed pass into the left channel. Raul breaks through Numancia's defensive line.]
[At the same time, Ho-young sharply changes direction and follows up, perfectly supporting Raul from behind and acting as the link.]
Tap.
As centre-back Manuel Pavon stepped forward, Raul pulled the ball back and quickly assessed the situation.
Dribble or pass.
Sweat dripped down his face.
Although they had not played together long, Raul decided to trust Ho-young.
He slipped a short pass back to him and dashed into the box.
That was the moment.
Tap.
"...!"
Without even a fraction of delay, Ho-young returned the ball.
A key pass.
The goalkeeper rushed out quickly, so it did not lead to a goal, but it was more than threatening.
[The one-two between Ho-young and Raul was excellent.]
[He's flying right after coming on. As the chemistry improves, this could become a very dangerous attack.]
[There's no doubt. If he settles in like this, he could fill the void left by Robinho. The real question is whether it works against mid-table and top sides.]
The most surprised person was Raul himself, who had just combined with Ho-young.
"He's got instinct."
Despite their lack of shared experience, Ho-young had exceeded expectations.
Anyone could play a return pass, but making that decision instantly, without hesitation, without prior coordination, was not easy.
A prospect who could read the situation correctly and decide in a split second was rare.
"This is scary."
Raul acknowledged it.
This boy, Ho-young, possessed an innate talent for football.
And just as Schuster had said, he felt like a truly valuable asset.
Raul raised his hand slightly and signaled to Ho-young.
That was good, next time let's turn it into a goal.
That was what he was saying.
Right.
Two missed chances were enough.
It was time to score.
After that, the match continued in one-sided fashion, with Real Madrid firmly in control.
Numancia, who had shocked everyone by beating Barcelona in Round 1, struggled to show their quality, perhaps weighed down by the pressure of an away match.
Then, around the 75th minute.
[OUT 14. Guti]
[IN 23. Van der Vaart]
"Ooooooh."
Van der Vaart made his debut to thunderous applause.
With his introduction came a major tactical shift.
Zidane dropped into midfield from the right wing, while Robben and Raul spread wide up front.
Ho-young and Van der Vaart occupied the space behind them as dual attacking midfielders, acting as the pillars.
[Real Madrid are using two attacking midfielders. Robben and Raul are pulling defenders forward, while Ho-young and Van der Vaart are controlling spacing behind them and showing interesting chemistry.]
[If they communicate well with the holding midfielders, a good chance should come soon.]
And as expected, it did not take long.
Around the 82nd minute.
Tap, tap.
Casillas played to Ramos, Ramos to Diarra, and Diarra to Zidane.
The build-up flowed smoothly, as if scripted.
Zidane received the ball and immediately spotted Robben on the left.
Before Numancia's defense could organize, Robben darted into the space behind.
With a blistering burst nearing 37 km per hour, the crowd erupted.
"Ooooooh."
But that was not all.
What truly sent the crowd wild was something else.
Ho-young, who had started sprinting from midfield two seconds earlier, had already covered the distance to the edge of the penalty area.
The two of them looked like twin leopards sprinting across a peaceful savanna.
The explosive runs blew away the summer heat, and the crowd jumped to their feet.
The moment Robben took control of the ball.
"Madrid. Madrid."
Behind the goal, in the Madridista stand, massive white flags symbolizing Real Madrid waved proudly.
At the same time, thousands of socios raised their voices in unison.
The roar spread across the entire stadium, until everyone was singing together.
"Madrid. Hala Madrid."
The atmosphere was boiling.
Tap.
Robben cut inside from the left.
With an explosive burst, he beat one defender and entered the box.
[Robben, Robben, Robben. A magnificent run opens up the shooting angle. He cuts inside at 45 degrees to the right. Will he shoot.]
Near the corner of the penalty area.
It was the perfect angle for a curling shot, but Robben chose differently.
Being left-footed, he opted for a pass instead of forcing a shot.
Decision made in an instant, Robben scanned the box.
He saw Raul charging in from the right.
But there were too many defenders inside.
So he shifted his gaze just outside the box.
At that moment, Robben's dark eyes flashed.
"Not bad."
What caught his eye was Ho-young's off-the-ball movement.
With clever positioning, Ho-young was creating his own space.
Even though it was an unplanned counterattack, his instinct to find danger impressed Robben deeply.
A player who sniffed out goals like that deserved the ball.
Especially when he was a 15-year-old making his debut.
"Finish it."
Tap.
Without hesitation, Robben slid a fast, low pass straight to Ho-young's feet.
A perfect, completely unmarked chance.
The goal was wide open, and the goalkeeper had shifted to block Robben's angle.
There could not have been a better opportunity.
Ho-young had only two seconds.
But for players at this level, two seconds was enough to score and celebrate with a triple backflip.
And Ho-young was already in his shooting stance.
Clench.
He loaded power into his right thigh, perfectly timing the pass.
Cha Boom's thighs.
He had only started absorbing them yesterday, yet power already surged through his leg.
On top of that, the roaring chants of the Madridistas filled the pitch, fueling him even more.
It was completely uncontrollable.
A state of pure instinct.
"Hah."
Ho-young's breath was short and sharp.
But the shot was heavy and full of force.
Boom.
The first-time strike flew like a comet.
The net shook violently.
Thud.
[Gooooooal. Fantastic. Fantastico.]
No other words were needed.
Fantastic was enough.
"Waaaaaah."
The stands shook as if struck by an earthquake.
A thunderous roar poured down onto the pitch.
It was the Madridistas celebrating Ho-young's debut goal from the bottom of their hearts.
One bald middle-aged man even tried to storm the pitch, only to be restrained by security.
People were going completely mad.
Ho-young himself felt dazed after scoring.
He had scored on his debut many times before, but this was on a different level.
The thrill surged from his heart through his entire body.
Feeling like he might lose himself, Ho-young lifted his head.
His gaze was drawn instinctively toward the stand behind the goal.
The most passionate supporters of Real Madrid.
"Woo. Woo."
The chants sounded almost primal.
As the massive white flags waved, Ho-young sprinted toward them and slid on his knees across the grass.
Then.
"Ho-woo."
He made his presence unmistakably known.
The match had only just begun.
(To be continued.)