Víctor Valdés.
A talented goalkeeper from Spain.
Though he rarely had chances with the national team due to Casillas, at Barcelona he was regarded as a guardian deity.
This season, he was in his best form, having conceded only seven goals in 14 league matches.
Even against teams known for their potent attacks, he had kept clean sheets.
But today, he had already conceded once to Real Madrid and was on the verge of allowing another.
Ho-young.
'Left…?'
"Ugh!"
Before Valdés could engage in any sort of mind game, a low, powerful shot came flying.
He launched himself with beast-like reflexes, but the timing of the shot was faster than expected.
He already knew Ho-young favored taking shots a beat earlier than normal, but somehow, today, his finishing felt even more refined.
Still, he stretched out his hand in the opposite direction with everything he had.
It looked like the ball would just barely graze the tip of his glove.
But.
Bang!
The ball, struck with perfect spin, hit the far goalpost.
Timing, direction, speed, power, and spin.
In that brief moment, it was a flawless shot with no room for criticism.
Even veteran strikers might falter on a stage like El Clásico, but Ho-young showed no sign of nerves.
He struck the ball with the calmness of someone playing in his own backyard.
And then.
Thud!
The ball ricocheted off the inner goalpost and flew into the net.
An incredible finish.
[Gooooooooooal! Ho-young scores! Just before the first half ends, Real Madrid retakes the lead!]
[Ah, unbelievable. This is pure football entertainment. Is there another match in the world this thrilling? It's almost a shame that there are only 50 minutes left!]
Peeeeep!
2-1.
Uooooooohhhhhhh!
A thunderous roar filled the pitch.
Real Madrid players came charging toward Ho-young.
The first person Ho-young embraced was Zidane.
"Ho-young, look at me."
"Yes."
"Listen closely. That was the best goal we've created together. I'll remember this for the rest of my life. And I'm sure of one thing. We can do it. Today, here at Camp Nou."
"Thank you. I believe that too."
Ho-young felt a lump in his throat.
"But it's precisely at times like this that we must be careful. The most dangerous moment in football is right after scoring. If there's a crisis, it's now. Stay sharp."
"Understood."
Ho-young ignored the jeers raining down from the culés as he headed toward the bench.
Schuster, wearing a light blue shirt, welcomed him with an enthusiastic cheer.
"Well done!"
Schuster cupped Ho-young's face in both hands and pressed their foreheads together.
"We don't stop until it's over. We go all the way."
"Yes. All the way."
The game was only at its midpoint, but perhaps, just maybe, today's goal wasn't just a step toward a draw, but a step toward surpassing even that.
As Real Madrid took the lead with one minute left in the first half, Barcelona pushed their defensive line higher in a last-ditch offensive attempt.
But the wall formed by Madrid, fully committed to defending, wasn't easy to break down.
Peeeeep!
2-1.
That was the end of the first half.
In summary, it was a first half that brought despair to 250 million culés around the world.
Halftime.
The first to leave the pitch was Pep Guardiola.
Walking swiftly to the manager's office, he was deep in thought.
His mind was a mess.
He should have been focusing on tactics, but his head was filled with other thoughts.
"Damn it."
It was a humiliation like no other.
Expectations had been sky-high among the fans.
Barcelona had been on a 12-game winning streak.
Just a few days ago, they had defeated Sevilla 4-0, prompting claims that no team in the world could stop Barcelona.
But now...
They were losing.
They had dropped the first half, 2-1.
In terms of possession, pass count, shots, and dribbles, Barcelona had the upper hand.
But the opponent had used that against them, turning efficiency into results.
"My tactics got exposed."
A counter-strategy.
It was a cunning and shrewd plan.
Knowing he'd been outsmarted by Schuster made his scalp burn.
And he couldn't believe it.
"My tactics were figured out in just three months?"
He had poured years of effort into creating those tactics.
He had agonized over countless videos and pushed his brain to the brink to develop them.
At one point, he'd even been on the verge of being sacked for it, but the words of Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff had saved him.
In an interview, Cruyff had said:
"Since the start of the season, Barcelona's 1 draw and 1 loss have been disappointing. But the football Guardiola has shown is exceptional regardless of the results. Critics attack him, but I understand why. His football is new to the world and only he truly understands it. How can the public grasp its essence? True Barcelona fans should support him. After a storm, the flowers will bloom."
That quote helped calm the controversy.
Still, some players criticized Guardiola's system.
One openly said, "How can we give 100% effort in every training session? That's disrespecting football."
It was natural that they found it hard to trust a rookie manager with no real résumé.
At the time, Guardiola had considered abandoning his beliefs.
But one day, Iniesta came to his office and said:
"Coach, please don't worry. We're playing the best football in the world right now. Even if we don't show it, everyone knows it. You know how many of us here in Catalonia are quiet types... like me. I truly believe the football we're playing has never existed before. If you abandon it because of outside pressure, it would break my heart. This is the happiest I've ever been in my football career. Please don't give up on your convictions. No matter who we face, we'll win. Damn it, I guarantee it."
Iniesta, usually quiet both on and off the pitch, speaking like that was shocking.
Even now, thinking about it gave Guardiola goosebumps.
"This isn't a tactic that falls apart so easily."
He couldn't doubt the tactics he'd built through such hardship.
He had to trust himself and his players.
There was still time to turn the game around.
After all, this was Barcelona, a team that had once scored four goals in 10 minutes this very season.
There's no such thing as a perfect counter-strategy.
There is always a breakthrough.
Guardiola's mind shifted into high gear.
"We need to break Madrid's tactic in reverse."
He organized his thoughts and called in his technical staff for a quick meeting.
The remaining four minutes were spent in the locker room.
True to his style, he lit a fire under the players to maximize their focus.
The miracle would have to start from there.
It was no different in the away team's locker room.
They were ahead 2-1 but remained highly alert.
"Hey, guys. Stay focused."
Casillas, who had made three crucial saves in the first half alone, spoke sternly.
"Especially you two, Pepe and Ramos. Are your eyes just decoration? Or are you falling in love with Messi and Eto'o? Why are you hesitating like that? I've told you again and again, if Carlos gets beaten, one of you needs to cover immediately. Stop two-timing already. If you stay sharp, we can stop them. We've still got a damn 45 minutes to go."
"Got it. I'll be careful."
"Me too."
Pepe and Ramos, both known for their fiery tempers, didn't argue and accepted Casillas's criticism.
It was El Clásico, after all.
"Alright, let's do this. We've done well, but we can do even better. Don't think we're winning just because we're ahead now. That's how football works."
"Understood."
"Yes."
With Cannavaro's final words, the players came back to their senses.
And then the captain, Raúl, raised his voice.
"Let's go, ¡Vamos!"
"¡Vamos!"
And so, Real Madrid rallied their focus in their own way.
[The second half has begun.]
[Now, Real Madrid is on the right side and Barcelona is on the left.]
The match resumed with high intensity.
Everything started with Guardiola's counterattack.
Real Madrid's tailored tactics had a flaw.
While they amplified the team's strengths, they also exposed its weaknesses.
After all, Madrid had only had a week to prepare.
To hide the shortcomings of such a tactic required thorough and meticulous planning, which they simply didn't have time for.
Guardiola exploited that.
He abandoned box play altogether and used Eto'o's mid-range shots from outside the box to rattle the Madrid defense.
Madrid grew flustered and quickly lost control of the match.
Which led to Barcelona's equalizer.
Peeeeep!
[Goal! Messi capitalizes on the second ball after Eto'o's mid-range shot is blocked. It lands perfectly at his feet. Messi levels the score. We're back to square one!]
2-2.
Messi's equalizer, just five minutes into the second half, reignited the roar of the 100,000 culés.
Whenever Madrid had the ball, the stadium was filled with heavy boos and curses.
It was almost unbelievable to be playing in such an environment.
To make matters worse, Barcelona's attack became increasingly sharp.
Guardiola, though still a rookie, showed his class as a tactician.
And it showed in the result.
[Messi, Messi, Messi! He keeps pushing forward!]
[He beats Diarra and doesn't give Madrid a moment's rest!]
Messi's dribbling run began again.
Ramos, who had been marking Eto'o, immediately rushed in, but the ball had already left Messi's feet.
Casillas dove with lightning reflexes again, but this time, the outcome wasn't good.
Thud!
Messi's second goal.
Barcelona's comeback goal.
Casillas exploded.
"You goddamn bastards! Get your heads in the game!"
3-2.
In an instant, Barcelona had turned the game around. The stadium was in a frenzy.
[This is why football is so unpredictable. Just 20 minutes ago, the momentum was all with Real Madrid.]
[I wonder what happened in the locker room at halftime. It seems Guardiola's magic worked.]
"Whew…"
The tension was at its peak.
As Ho-young stared at the back of Messi's head, his scalp tingled.
A god.
Literally, a god.
But at the same time, it was an opportunity.
A once-in-a-lifetime chance to obtain Messi's talent.
Hidden Condition 1 is to score and secure points.
It wasn't over yet.
It was only the 60th minute.
If the opponent had changed, then they would simply change as well.
Real Madrid hadn't brought just one weapon to fight a tiger.
There was more.
Just one more push.
Then, the opportunity would come.
Ho-young pressed forward alongside Zidane, focusing on defense and waiting for the right moment.
They gritted their teeth and held on, waiting for the promised moment.
They disrupted Barcelona's rhythm with sheer will.
[Zidane and Ho-young are relentlessly pressing Xavi and Iniesta to disrupt their distribution.]
[But in terms of stamina and work rate, they can't keep up. Zidane and Ho-young look visibly exhausted. By the 70th or 80th minute, they might be completely spent.]
And that was true.
Their play looked like a final burst of energy.
But the truth was something else.
Right then, Ho-young glanced at the scoreboard.
The 70th minute of the second half was approaching.
Ho-young and Zidane's eyes began to change.
So did the rest of Madrid's players.
Our time is coming.
The second plan.
The second tactic to bring down Barcelona was slowly rising to the surface.
(To be continued.)