When the first half ended 3-0, the whole world erupted.
There was already a mood of celebrating Manchester City's mini-treble.
[Wow, this is insane. I didn't think it would be this bad even in a final. The match is flowing along so smoothly. And at the same time, it's unbelievably intense.]
└Maybe because it's the last match, he really looks like he came out fully determined
└Mini-treble... I seriously have no words except that it's incredible
It was not a true treble with the Champions League included, but even a mini-treble was still an enormous achievement.
[Champions League, Europa League, EPL, FA Cup, La Liga, Club World Cup, Supercopa... He's won almost everything worth winning]
└And next year there's also the Euros and the Olympics
└Idiot. Ho-young isn't European, he's Korean
└Oh, right. He's so good that sometimes I just naturally think of him as European
└If he goes to the Olympics as a wildcard, winning gold would probably be easy for him
└Still, it's a shame. If he were European, he could play in the Euros too. The three major tournaments are the World Cup, the Euros, and the Champions League, right? If he won all of those, wouldn't that make him a legend among legends?
└Even if he retired right now without playing the second half, he'd still be an all-time legend
└Nah. To go down as a true all-time legend, he'd at least need to win the World Cup
└So is the World Cup the only thing he has left now?
└Hmm... yeah, but honestly, with Korea that would be tough. From what I know, the 2010 squad was their best ever. To put it bluntly, that's like saying a second-division team could qualify for the Champions League and win it
└Then couldn't he just naturalize as Spanish even now?
└Sure, if you throw Blatter out and replace every FIFA official
└So you're saying it's impossible, right? Isn't Blatter's chance of reelection over 95%?
└Anyway, what are Juventus supposed to do now? Looking at their faces when they went into the tunnel, I actually felt sorry for them
└Yeah. Giovinco is definitely kind of pitiful. Every time he meets Ho-young, he gets torn apart and compared to him. How many trophies has he lost because of Ho-young by now? If it were me, I would've been sobbing in the dressing room
Juventus dressing room.
"Sniff, hngh... hngh..."
Sebastian Giovinco was in tears.
The unbearable humiliation and pressure were tormenting him.
There were 7 minutes left until the second half.
He was already afraid to go back out through the tunnel.
He had grown up carrying huge expectations from a young age, so the inferiority complex he felt toward Ho-young was especially severe.
On top of that, he was fiercely competitive, which made enduring all of this even harder.
And that soon turned into stubbornness and rage.
I'll kill him.
It was right then.
Manager Luigi Delneri entered the dressing room.
"Everyone, gather around."
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, and once the players had gathered in one place, he continued in a solemn voice.
"Do you all know about the Miracle of Bern?"
The Miracle of Bern.
It was a phrase that referred to one of the most famous matches in football history.
No footballer could possibly not know it, so the players all reacted as if of course they knew.
Captain Alessandro Del Piero spoke first.
"You mean the World Cup final between Hungary and West Germany, right?"
"That's right. Hungary scored the first 2 goals, and it looked like they would win easily. But West Germany never gave up, launched a comeback, and in the end turned it around to win 3-2 with only 6 minutes left. And that was in the World Cup final, the greatest stage in the world."
"I remember it exactly."
"Then do you know about the Miracle of Riazor?"
Manager Delneri continued slowly, as if he were telling them an old fable.
"It was a miracle that happened in the 2004 Champions League quarterfinals. Deportivo were down 4-1 against AC Milan, but then they scored 4 goals and reached the semifinals. And that was against AC Milan, who were the strongest team in the world at the time."
The Miracle of Riazor was a match still remembered as one of the greatest comebacks in Champions League history.
"And as you all know, there was also the Miracle of Istanbul. A famous match where Liverpool completely changed after halftime and came back from 3 goals down."
The reason he was saying all this was obvious.
"Do you know why those matches are still remembered by people even after all these years?"
"Because they were dramatic comebacks."
"Exactly. And today is the day the Miracle of Dublin happens."
A comeback.
That was Delneri's intention.
To create a miracle through motivation.
But in truth, even he felt sorry and ashamed of himself for saying such things.
Even if his words motivated the players, he did not really believe they could turn the match around in the second half.
Not unless a real miracle happened.
Or unless some natural disaster struck and Ho-young had to be carried off.
Still.
I have to do something.
As the manager, he could not just sit there and do nothing.
Win or lose, if they went back out looking this miserable, all they would do was disappoint the fans.
They had to regain their spirit, at least.
Whatever it was, the players needed something to spark them.
"Let's create a miracle ourselves. Right here, in Dublin, Ireland, let's make a miracle happen."
"..."
"...Yes."
But the players' reactions were cold.
There was a limit to what pretty words alone could do.
Because they carried no real conviction.
You could tell from the manager's eyes alone that his words were hollow.
But then, right at that moment.
"I'll stake my football life on it and make it happen."
It was Giovinco, glaring fiercely from the corner.
He meant it.
"It isn't over yet. We can still win. Think about the past. Everyone looked down on us. They said Juventus were finished, that we had failed in our generational change. That we were a pathetic team struggling even in the Europa League."
"..."
The players could not hide their surprise.
It was only natural. They had thought Giovinco was still just a kid, and yet he was saying things like this.
Giovinco continued without caring.
"But we did it. We reached the final. Your composure and experience gave hope to young players like me. So for the future of Juventus, take responsibility until the end. This is not the time to hang our heads yet."
When Giovinco finished his speech, silence fell over the dressing room.
It was the kind of atmosphere that felt like it should bring tears to the eyes.
Because anyone could hear that Giovinco meant every word.
Moved by that, the players made expressions as if they had come to a decision, and one by one they began to speak.
"Yeah, this is embarrassing to hear. Fine, let's do it. 3-0? Screw that. This match is ending 4-3."
"Good. I might as well assume I'm going to the emergency room today and run until I drop."
"Let's do better in the second half. If each of us just runs 2 kilometers more than usual, we'll have more than enough to win. Nothing beats sheer work rate. Just run until you collapse. No, even if you collapse, keep moving by crawling if you have to."
Their tight bond and burning competitive spirit matured them by one step.
They walked back out onto the pitch shortly after.
[Juventus have made a slight change.]
[Yes. If you look at the front line, Iaquinta has gone off, and David Trezeguet has come on in his place. His form has dropped a lot this season because of repeated injuries, but he is still a player with a powerful final touch.]
David Trezeguet.
His ability had declined a lot because of injuries, but whenever he came on as a second-half joker, he still played the role of a legendary striker who could decide matches.
In particular, he and Del Piero had shown such exceptional chemistry that they were called a two-man strike partnership of the soul.
In other words, bringing on Trezeguet was the manager's way of saying they would try to solve the game through organization.
[Yes, the second half has begun. This time Juventus have the kickoff. Del Piero starts us off, Trezeguet receives.]
The early part of the second half was frantic.
Every Juventus player moved tirelessly, and their possession rose dramatically.
On top of that, their organization improved, and their pass completion rate was getting higher too.
[We're not even 5 minutes into the second half yet, but Juventus are already moving very aggressively.]
[Well, Juventus have nowhere left to retreat. One more step back and they'll fall straight off the edge.]
Even a rat will bite a cat when cornered.
Something strange was happening.
The Juventus players, now properly motivated, had begun to work the match with solid organization and fighting spirit.
Awakening.
Diego and Giovinco created the right openings, and Del Piero and Trezeguet finished them off in an instant with brilliant link-up play.
It really was Trezeguet.
Class is permanent.
Ho-young, who had once admired Trezeguet, stared at him without blinking.
[David Trezeguet]
[Possessed Talents: Trezegol (T), Trezegol's One-Touch Shot (SU), Astonishing Finishing Ability (S+3), Explosive Kicking Power (S+), Peerless Heading (S-), (More...)]
(You can acquire one talent if the conditions are met.)
(If you acquire a T-grade title, you can gain part of its senses. However, you must be over 18 years old to acquire it.)
(Talents of S grade or higher can only be acquired after achieving the hidden conditions.)
(Condition 1: Record a hat-trick in this match)
(Condition 2: Score more goals than David Trezeguet)
(Condition 3: Successfully make 2 tackles)
(Hidden condition: Opens when you acquire at least 1 talent)
He had been nicknamed Trezegol because he scored before people even finished saying his name.
And sure enough, he was showing play worthy of that nickname.
But that was as far as it went.
Ho-young was just as motivated.
It was around the 10th minute of the second half.
That was when the flow of the match began to twist once again.
[Giovinco tries to break down the flank, and plays it forward!]
[At the same time Trezeguet breaks into the front line!]
[Ah, Ho-young clears it away!]
Dropping back into the defensive line, Ho-young kept a close eye on Trezeguet and put in iron-wall defending.
The storm Juventus had been building stopped there.
Instead, the wind began to blow the other way.
[Tackle successful. Ho-young wins the ball. He immediately drives into midfield.]
[Giovinco comes charging in from the right flank!]
"You...!"
Filled with stubborn fury, Giovinco rushed in and stretched both legs out, but those short legs could not even reach Ho-young's toes.
"Aaaaaah!"
It was the moment when that emotional atmosphere, the one that had felt like a miracle might happen, was completely smashed to pieces.
And, as expected, Ho-young...
Swish!
"Hooo!"
He combined with David Silva and scored his 4th goal.
And after that, the flow of the match never changed again.
6-1.
That was the score by the time the match was nearing its end.
And just as the whistle was about to blow.
[You have acquired Dribbling Beyond Mastery (L).]
Golden Ball winner at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Scored after running more than 60 meters at the World Cup.
Won the World Cup Golden Ball.
Won the UEFA Europa League.
After fulfilling all of those conditions, he had finally been able to acquire Maradona's talent.
It was an achievement nearly 1 year after first encountering Maradona.
However, because Ultimate Dribbling (W+3) had already reached its limit, it did not fuse.
But perhaps it would soon become possible.
Because from this moment on, things were truly beginning.
[You have fulfilled all the conditions for Talent Transcendence.]
[The talents that have reached the limits of humanity will now transcend one after another.]
Act Two of his life.
It was the moment his real life began.
(To be continued.)