[Ho-young taps the ball forward.]
[Vieira is backpedaling as he squares up.]
Slightly, Ho-young's gaze shifted straight ahead.
It might not come across clearly on screen, but when you're actually playing, the opponent always feels larger than life.
Now imagine standing face-to-face with a Black man over 190 cm tall.
It wasn't that he had never faced someone that big before.
But.
'Strong.'
Vieira exuded a presence that could be felt just by looking.
It felt like a massive wall was blocking his path.
With someone like that in front of you, there was no room for other thoughts.
That was the norm.
Even top Serie A forwards had to bring out their best when facing him.
However.
Silently, Ho-young widened his field of vision.
At the same time, he remained completely focused on Vieira.
Multitasking.
It wasn't about showing off.
It was about exploring other attacking options and keeping all possibilities open.
And there was no way Vieira wouldn't notice that.
Realizing that Ho-young was looking away while facing him directly bruised his pride.
His brows furrowed deeply as his body moved on instinct.
That was when Ho-young's breath hitched for a moment.
Tap.
Both players moved at once, and it felt like time stopped around them.
The tense air suddenly intensified.
[Oh! Ho-young has slipped past Vieira!]
[He's charging forward without hesitation!]
For a moment, Vieira couldn't believe his eyes.
If nothing else, his reaction speed had always been elite.
Once, he had been hailed for having the physique of a beast.
It was a natural advantage of muscle fiber composition and the physical traits of Black athletes.
And yet, he was beaten.
"Damn…"
He swallowed a curse.
Instead, he quickly twisted his body and closed in on Ho-young.
A true veteran's response.
He had aged, but his persistence, grit, and mental strength remained world-class.
However.
[Vieira tries to chase, but it looks like he won't catch up. Ho-young is already past the second line.]
His worn-down legs simply couldn't keep up with Ho-young's dribbling speed.
His only hope now lay in Cambiasso behind him.
Then, it happened.
Wham!
[Ho-young collides with Cambiasso!]
[Cambiasso sneaks in and quickly pounces!]
Having tracked Ho-young's movements the whole time, Cambiasso pulled his shirt and engaged in a physical battle.
In the chaos, Vieira arrived from behind and stripped the ball away.
This was Mourinho's defensive strategy in action.
[A shame for Ho-young, but it was a solid attempt.]
It truly was.
Because he gained an unexpected reward.
[Unshakable Focus (A+)]
A long-awaited mentality trait.
'So I had this kind of potential too.'
Thinking about it, he barely knew his own limits.
Which made the excitement even greater.
It meant he still had much room to grow.
25 minutes into the first half.
Mourinho made a slight adjustment to his formation.
[Inter has shown strength from the start. They began in a 4-1-2-1-2 but adjusted their spacing to shift into a 4-3-1-2.]
Also called the diamond 4-4-2, the 4-1-2-1-2 was a favorite of Mourinho during his FC Porto days.
And under Mancini last year, Inter had also mainly used this setup.
So, most experts assumed Mourinho would keep the 4-1-2-1-2 as is.
But in reality, there was a twist.
Mourinho boldly discarded the traditional setup and combined it with his own philosophy to create a 4-3-1-2.
Under Mourinho, Inter had evolved by abandoning central dominance in favor of wing-based attacks.
[A tactical approach befitting a manager with a clear football philosophy. Up front, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Adriano are spreading the defense.]
[The wings are becoming increasingly active. Their attacks are flowing smoothly.]
[Very different from what Ibrahimović said last week in that interview.]
Just a week ago, following a loss to Napoli, Zlatan had directly criticized Mourinho in a post-match interview.
—I have no desire to play on the wings. If he keeps pushing me out wide like this, I'll play my way. Sure, we're getting results. I'm happy we've reached the Champions League semifinals. But winning isn't everything. Real victory is when we feel proud of our performance. Some of the other forwards feel the same. We're strikers, not wingers. We want chances in the center. Sometimes it feels better playing up top with Crespo. Mourinho should take our thoughts into account.
It was a heavily loaded statement.
Mourinho valued control over the squad above all else, and for Zlatan to say something like that was basically a challenge.
Naturally, it led to rumors of a rift, and speculation spread worldwide.
Most thought they would eventually compromise for the Champions League.
But when the match kicked off, it was clear none of that mattered.
Zlatan was playing to Mourinho's tactics without any sign of discontent.
In the first half, Inter completely dominated.
The deadlock broke in the 35th minute.
[Zanetti makes a deep run into the center, filling the space left by Zlatan.]
[He slips a pass toward the right side, where Zlatan is positioned.]
Receiving the ball wide, Zlatan fired a sharp and accurate pass toward the onrushing Maicon.
[Zlatan enters the box as Maicon collects the ball.]
[Roberto Carlos is tracking him!]
Thump!
"...!"
Using his strong frame, Maicon brushed off Carlos and broke into space.
His next move was his trademark: a deadly cross.
[A diagonal cross delivered into the box!]
[It flies past Zlatan's head into the far post area!]
[Adriano is charging in!]
"Stay tight!"
"He's going far post!"
"Damn it!"
The box was in chaos.
Cannavaro, who was supposed to mark Adriano, was caught off by his sharp run.
And then—
Thud!
A thunderous header.
Inter had taken the lead.
[Goal!]
[Adriano heads it into the net! An explosive leap and a downward header that smashed into the ground with power!]
[So close. Casillas reacted like a miracle, but the run and header were just too good.]
Adriano, the god-gifted talent.
At 27, his form had dropped, but his goal-scoring instincts were still alive.
[He may no longer have his unstoppable physique, but his positioning, spatial awareness, and raw power are still top-tier. To see someone like Cannavaro helpless is telling.]
This was Inter's terrifying strength.
With players like Maicon, Quaresma, and Luis Figo delivering pinpoint crosses, and finishers like Adriano, Zlatan, and Crespo in the air, they were deadly.
It was a nightmare for Madrid.
And worse, just 10 minutes later, they conceded again in almost identical fashion.
This time, it was Zlatan Ibrahimović who scored.
Madrid's attackers tried to respond with pressure of their own, but Walter Samuel, Ivan Córdoba, and Davide Santon were putting on a defensive masterclass.
And even if they broke through, Julio Cesar stood tall in goal with his spider-like reach.
In the end, Madrid couldn't create a single decisive chance and ended the first half scoreless.
The away team's locker room was filled with sighs.
They had shown nothing throughout the first half, and mentally, it was crushing.
The gap was only two goals, but they hadn't even managed a proper shot on target. It was a brutal reality.
Ho-young sat in a corner, deep in thought.
'Everything's gone wrong.'
It started with Schuster falling for Mourinho's psychological warfare and continued right up until now. It felt like being trapped under a spell.
And there was still something he couldn't wrap his head around.
'Hmm.'
Zlatan's explosive interview. The supposed conflict with Mourinho.
That should've been a major advantage for Madrid.
Schuster had been thrilled and even adjusted tactics based on it.
They'd spent hours training just for that.
Most expected Mourinho to drop Zlatan from the lineup or compromise and play him as a central striker.
But today, there had been no changes at all.
'Why?'
Did the mighty Zlatan suppress his ego for Mourinho?
If not, there was only one answer.
'It was a smokescreen.'
There had been suspicions, of course, but because it involved Zlatan, everyone had believed the interview.
His personality made it easy to believe.
'I was completely played.'
It felt like a hammer to the back of his head.
This was what made Mourinho a true master.
If Guardiola held the football in one hand, Mourinho shook the entire game with both.
'Guardiola is amazing, but Mourinho's no joke either.'
Now he understood why interview skills were so important for managers.
Those brief but impactful psychological tactics were what made Inter so dangerous.
Ho-young hadn't expected Inter to be this strong.
The Inter he remembered from the 08–09 season wasn't on this level.
But facing them now told a different story.
If that's the case, how much stronger would they be in 09–10?
The invisible pressure seemed to swallow even the locker room.
But.
'This is a hurdle I have to overcome.'
Gulp.
Swallowing his fear, he stood up.
At that moment, Raúl and Zidane were speaking with Schuster.
Ho-young spoke up.
"We need to turn this momentum around."
Meanwhile, in the home locker room.
Clap clap.
A sharp double clap echoed.
It was Mourinho, entering with confidence after their two-goal first half.
'So far, so good.'
Everything was going according to plan.
The media ambush targeting Schuster.
The fake interview with Zlatan to stir rumors of unrest.
It all worked.
Now it was time to finish.
"Everyone gather around. First half was good. But the second half has to be even better. Why? Because that's when Ho-young starts to burn. That's not magic, that's talent. You all understand?"
"Yes."
"We know."
"His fighting spirit is just as sharp as his skill."
"Good. Then what do you do? Focus on defense. Pay attention to when Ho-young is dangerous and when he isn't. Let him go when it's safe. But when the time comes, Vieira and Cambiasso will collapse on him together. We approach this second half differently. He's probably already figured out our defensive tactics."
"Understood!"
Inter's energy was sky-high.
Mourinho added a final note.
"I'm always the one leading from the front. All you have to do is follow behind. Get out there and fight. Our only destination is Rome. In bocca al lupo."
"Crepi il lupo!"
Wishing each other luck in Italian, they headed back out with the final in their sights.
And that dream started to shatter the moment the referee's whistle sounded.
It was exactly when Ho-young began to go wild.
(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.)