First up was Casiraghi's interview.
During the press conference held in the basement media room, a journalist raised a question.
"In today's match, you shocked everyone by starting Montolivo, but the result seems to prove that decision was a mistake. Do you believe Montolivo was the main cause of the defeat?"
Casiraghi wanted nothing more than to nod in agreement.
However, since the tournament wasn't over yet, he couldn't afford to spark unnecessary internal conflict.
Still, he needed to prepare an exit route for himself.
"No, the fault lies entirely with my tactical decisions. Failing to assess a player's abilities properly is the coach's responsibility."
"It sounds like you're saying Montolivo failed to carry out your instructions properly."
"Whether or not the players lived up to expectations, ultimately, the blame falls on me."
Regardless, there was no avoiding criticism from Italian football fans.
That was why Casiraghi chose to frame the interview this way.
He appeared to take responsibility like a leader should, while subtly redirecting blame toward Montolivo.
In essence, he was setting Montolivo up as a scapegoat to absorb the public backlash.
But reporters are not so easily fooled.
Journalists, who make a living decoding the slippery language of managers, weren't going to take Casiraghi's words at face value.
"Then why did you instruct Montolivo to engage in such rough physical play? It's hard to believe he chose that approach on his own. It was very different from his usual style."
"Reversal. I expected people to assume Montolivo would rely on intelligent play, since he's not known for his physicality. I tried to use that preconceived notion to our advantage."
"Still, there's one thing that doesn't make sense. Montolivo isn't particularly strong in aerial duels, so why was he assigned to man-mark Ho-young? You had players like Criscito or Silvestri available."
An implication that Casiraghi may have ordered Montolivo to deliberately injure Ho-young.
A reasonable suspicion for any journalist with a bit of imagination.
However, Casiraghi offered no answer to that.
Instead, a sharp retort echoed through the press room.
"Do you know football better than I do?"
Clack.
With a face contorted in visible frustration, Casiraghi stormed out of the press conference room.
At the same time, upstairs in the stadium.
As Montolivo was walking back to the locker room through the players' tunnel, a reporter hurried over and stopped him.
"Montolivo, could I get just one minute for an interview?"
"Sure. I'm not under contract with any specific outlet."
"Ahem, thank you. Just now, Coach Casiraghi stated in the press conference, 'Today's loss is my fault.' What are your thoughts on that?"
"Yes, it's true. It was his fault."
"…?!"
As Montolivo spoke with hollow eyes, the reporter sensed an unexpected scoop and pressed further.
"So, you're saying Coach Casiraghi made a mistake?"
"That wasn't a mistake. It was the worst decision possible. He gave me an absurd order to go out there and break Ho-young's leg."
Montolivo didn't hold back.
It was the beginning of a war of words.
An internal feud.
There's no rule that says players have to blindly obey the coach like schoolchildren.
This kind of situation often arises in major tournaments. Sometimes players publicly criticize their manager, or even leave the tournament without permission.
And as for managers, one wrong word in an interview can lead to widespread backlash and resignation.
That's why Coach Guus Hiddink once requested media outlets to refrain from publishing columns during a tournament.
Because when the stakes are high, media from all countries tend to launch attacks that destabilize team morale.
Amid such circumstances, Montolivo threw gasoline on the fire himself.
And that wasn't the end of it.
"Oh, and I'd like to say something to Ho-young, if I may. Once again, thank you. You reminded me what fair play really means."
At that point, no one could say for sure who was telling the truth.
However, a short interview with Ho-young afterward lent weight to Montolivo's claims.
In the hallway outside the Korean team's locker room.
A reporter from Marca, who had received clearance, approached and asked:
"Coach Casiraghi stated, 'I told him to play physically, but I never said to injure Ho-young.' What are your thoughts on that?"
"How could I know what Casiraghi is really thinking? All I can say is, Montolivo was visibly anxious throughout the first half, and Casiraghi was signaling to him intermittently. But Montolivo kept ignoring those signals. You could probably verify that by reviewing the footage."
"So, did you realize then that Montolivo was trying to injure you?"
"Of course I had my suspicions. Things like that aren't uncommon. That's why I prepared accordingly. But what confirmed it was when Montolivo came up to me and said, 'Sorry.' At that moment, I knew. This guy really was trying to take me out."
"Are you saying Montolivo directly apologized to you? During the match?"
"Yes."
"Oh…"
Excited by this new revelation, the reporter zoomed in on Ho-young's face and asked again.
"Then, what do you think about Coach Casiraghi?"
"Well, I guess only he knows the full truth. But if…"
Ho-young paused for a beat before speaking with confidence.
"If it's true, then he's trash. And trash doesn't belong on the pitch."
"Uh… I suppose that's true…"
"Let's be honest. Under the guise of a no-holds-barred professional environment, how many players have lost their dreams to injury? They were someone's hero too. This kind of intentional malice goes against everything modern football should stand for."
"Then what do you think needs to be done?"
"What's even worse is the weak punishments. I once read about a player who almost had to amputate his leg, while the offender only got a six-match ban. Does that make any sense? Football associations need to step up and take proper action."
The reporter, caught off guard by Ho-young's specific example, hesitated for a moment.
Then asked an impromptu follow-up.
"So, you're completely against the idea that 'intentional injury is part of the game'?"
"Planned injuries are just an excuse used by lazy managers."
Struck by Ho-young's blunt response, the reporter was momentarily speechless.
But he nodded, apparently agreeing with the sentiment.
"...You're not angry, are you?"
"Do I not look angry? Imagine someone told another person to smash your camera, something money can't replace. How would you feel?"
"Ah…"
Ho-young added one more remark.
"If anyone watching this feels guilty, raise your hand and reflect on your actions. If you want respect, the first step is to respect the players."
Later that night.
Click—
Crash!
Casiraghi, watching TV in his hotel room, threw the remote at the wall.
Ho-young's interview had aired on a Spanish television network, spreading across the media.
"That insolent little bastard!"
Even after swearing up a storm, he couldn't calm down.
But there was nothing more he could do.
The media was no longer on his side.
And that wasn't all.
As a final blow, a scene from the match where Montolivo mouthed the word "Sorry" to Ho-young was captured by some fans and spread online.
It served as strong evidence supporting Ho-young's claims.
[This pretty much confirms it.]
[This isn't the first time, right? If you dig deeper, there's probably more. Just look at the tackles in Serie A. These guys fix matches and bribe referees. What wouldn't they do?]
[But damn, Ho-young's interview was savage. Did you see that glare? He looked ready to march over and kill Casiraghi.]
Both domestic and international football fans started leaning toward believing Montolivo and Ho-young's side of the story.
Even so, Casiraghi continued to deny everything.
He even downplayed the fallout with Montolivo and hinted that he might still use him in the third match.
Rumors of his dismissal were already circulating in Italy, but for the moment, the matter settled down.
After all, it wasn't the kind of scandal that could shake the entire football world.
These kinds of incidents—like "intentional leg-breaking" orders in football or beanball orders in baseball—are sadly common scandals in professional sports.
If Korea were to file a complaint, the IOC would have to decide whether to sanction Coach Casiraghi.
But without tangible evidence, that wouldn't be easy either.
In the end, judgment on Casiraghi would fall to the Italian Football Federation and the Italian public.
Either he would return home in glory with the championship.
Or he would be dismissed in disgrace.
After that, various Olympic headlines began to dominate, and the incident gradually faded from memory.
On the other hand, Castilian fans in Spain went as far as to say, "We'll kill both Montolivo and Casiraghi."
Naturally, Korea was leaning more toward the latter camp.
In particular, after the match, Coach Park burst out in anger, saying, "If such a coach really exists, he should never be allowed on the pitch again!"
But the person most surprised by all this was none other than Ho-young himself.
August 12, the day before the third group match against Honduras.
Ho-young showed signs of distraction throughout training.
It wasn't a matter of physical condition. Mentally, he was clearly struggling.
Although he managed to pull through during the match, the incident had left a lingering fear.
Like trauma after a car crash.
He had coped with it well at the moment, but once he had time to think it over, fear slowly crept in.
'Things like this will only get worse in the future.'
For a footballer, injuries are an unavoidable fate.
Especially for a team's ace, tackles and tight marking come with the territory, and will only intensify with time.
No matter how strong your body is, if the opponent is determined to injure you, there's not much you can do.
That's what Ho-young suddenly found terrifying.
Frankly, he could end up in a hospital bed tomorrow morning.
'Well, nothing I can do about it. I just have to be careful.'
Even though caution alone wouldn't solve the problem, it was better than doing nothing.
After all, you're responsible for your own body.
August 13.
The third group stage match against Honduras, held in Shanghai, unfolded in a dull manner.
Korea, needing only a draw to advance to the quarterfinals, approached the game slowly and cautiously.
But they couldn't afford to be too relaxed.
If they didn't top the group, they would almost certainly face Brazil in the quarterfinals.
Fortunately, Honduras, already eliminated, showed little motivation.
They had nothing to lose and could've played recklessly, but they didn't.
Taking advantage of that, Ki Dong-jin scored the opening goal, and Korea implemented an ultra-defensive strategy, operating mostly in their own half to conserve energy.
Ho-young was not in the starting lineup, also due to energy management, and was able to rest comfortably on the bench.
If Honduras managed to equalize, they could always bring him on.
But there was no need.
As the weakest team in the tournament, Honduras failed to mount a comeback and ended up losing 1-0 to Korea.
Though the match was far from exciting, a win was still something to celebrate.
Meanwhile, the Cameroon vs. Italy match, played at the same time, ended in a 2-2 draw.
And so, Group D concluded with one surprise after another.
[Group D Standings]
1st: South Korea – 2 wins, 1 draw
2nd: Italy – 1 win, 2 draws
3rd: Cameroon – 1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss
4th: Honduras – 0 wins, 0 draws, 3 losses
A group that many had predicted Korea would barely escape as second place saw them advance confidently as group leaders.
The quarterfinals were scheduled for the 16th, three days later, in Beijing.
And their opponent would be…
[2008 Beijing Olympic Football, Next Opponent: European Powerhouse 'Belgium']
Once this news reached Korea, netizens went wild.
Some were relieved they had avoided Brazil, the overwhelming tournament favorite, while others cautioned against letting their guard down and predicted a tough match ahead.
Hwang Tae-seok, a special correspondent for the Olympics, wrote an article from Beijing and submitted it to his agency.
The article appeared briefly in the next morning's paper.
[No more stalling at the penalty area. It's time to tighten up both attack and defense…
Football site 'Goal.com' identified Korea's key weaknesses as: "Tactics that drain stamina," "Unstable central defense," and "Lack of finishing ability."
In particular, the poor finishing of Lee Chung-yong and Park Ju-young was on full display against Honduras.
Sending Ho-young up top could be a solution, but it would compromise his defensive contribution. It's time for Coach Park Seong-ho to make a decision.]
The article hit the nail on the head.
Korea's strengths and weaknesses were already out in the open. As a team with less firepower, they had to make bold moves.
Their next opponent, Belgium.
Though they had nearly suffered a humiliating defeat to China in the group stage, they still managed to finish second in Group C and reached the quarterfinals.
Belgium's overall strength was a notch below Cameroon's, but they were by no means an easy opponent.
In particular, they needed to be wary of Mousa Dembélé, a forward who had scored over 10 goals in the Dutch top division that season and was rapidly rising in stock.
That's why the Korean team jumped into intense training, as the night of the showdown quickly approached.
(To be continued.)