<026. Genius and Glory of the Winning Cup (5)>
Alexandre Patu's gaze faltered looking at Ho Yung.
'Is this a coincidence?'
He believed this at that point.
Until he was stopped in the same way.
When he thought he had connected, he was immediately stopped and when he just got over the half line, he was cut at the second.
'Something's changed.'
The change was incredibly obvious the moment the second half started. It was incredibly common for this to happen on the professional stage.
"Ugh. This is bothersome."
The inconvenience showed itself in front of Patu's eyes.
A boy racing around, defending the area between Didi and Patu.
Ho Yung.
He was interfering with Didi's ball distribution to lead dominance in the midfield.
He was tall for his age and had firm muscles, but above all, his defensive skills were phenomenal. It may have been his skill in ball distribution but it seemed that Ho Yung saw through Didi's pass timing.
Penetration.
Like when a scammer knows a scammer's psyche, Ho Yung predicted when the opponent would employ certain skills. Because of this, Patu's possession of the ball decreased.
They couldn't stand for this to keep happening.
'We have to do what the coach said.'
"Didi!"
Patu moved to the right and signalled - Didi moved on his command and stood to the left.
It was to relieve pressure from Patu by switching from one top to two top - leading to a gang-like teamplay.
If they kept letting possession get away, it was possible that the opposition would utilise the back of the field to score. However.
"Hm?"
Patu suddenly made eye contact with Ho Yung, who was clearly watching the Corinthians change tactics.
Patu smirked.
'He must be 150cm, tops.'
It was almost natural to look down on a boy from Asia. He himself was a prodigy from the best soccer nation, Brazil. He was Alexandre Patu.
'There's a few Asian boys like that.'
They shined in Brazil for a year or two until they grew up and found they couldn't compete with others. There were so many of them - he assumed Ho Yung was also one of them.
Then, he underestimated Ho Yung.
When the referee turned his back, Patu slanted his eyes with his fingers.
"Crazy bastard."
Ho Yung never spoke Korean unless the situation called for it.
It was weird to see them laughing at something so openly derogatory. It reminded him of an incident that happened before he came back to life.
When Patu was competing in China, he slanted his eyes as a goal ceremony. Because of that, the label of racist followed him until retirement.
'A habit at 3 is a habit at 80.'
Tut.
He only gave him pity. He didn't have the luxury to care about those things.
Ho Yung focused on the match.
After Corinthians attempted possession soccer, Sao Paulo FC also changed their tactic.
Letting the opposition gain possession, Sao Paulo loosened the midfield and saved up energy.
One opportunity.
They were aiming for a sudden counterattack.
This relied on one opportunity, one chance to turn the tables.
15 minutes into the second half.
"Hey!"
Patu received a pass and sneaked past a midfielder by kicking the ball between the midfielder's legs.
It was a move Brazilians loved.
Patu kicked and ran the moment he slipped past the midfielder. He seemed tired but his special skill was still just as impressive.
Explosive speed.
Because of this, the same situation as the first half happened.
The back opened up wide.
"Catch him! Catch him!"
Ho Yung was screaming.
Casemiro, who calculated that he wouldn't be able to catch up, attempted a brave side tackle.
"Ugh!"
Tat.
He managed to bump the ball but Patu found his balance and continued kicking and running.
The only thing in his way was the goalkeeper.
A perfect 1:1 chance.
'The right…!'
As before, Patu struck out his foot having read into the goalkeeper's directions.
He was about to perform a calm inside kick.
"Huh? Uh uh uh?!"
A foot appeared from behind at a diagonal line blocking the shoot.
The ball skyrocketed up.
"Fuck!"
Patu was young but famed for having a foul mouth. He glared to the side.
The boy who crazily chased him down diagonally and blocked the shoot was none other than Ho Yung.
'What a rat. When did he catch up to me?'
Ho Yung's super-save.
"Hey! Run!"
Ho Yung trapped the flying ball safely and shouted.
No matter how high the pass success rate is, or how many times a team gets to shoot, if they don't score, it means nothing.
Soccer is ultimately down to goals.
This is why Sao Paulo FC, who needed a win, gave up the possession rate for a different tactic.
Namely, the strategy which 'gives up the flesh for the bones'.
Surprise counterattack!
One where the entire team attacks!
In the midst of it, Ho Yung's sprint was beyond imagination.
One. Two.
He sprinted past all other players in the blink of an eye and glanced backwards.
'It's a high possibility that someone will cut in.'
What about Dougie at the back?
'Even Dougie's not possible.'
Corinthians, who were excellent in defence, were quickly taking defence formations.
If he had to choose, what he could do was distribute the ball backwards and build up with a relay.
That was the normal choice.
But strangely, Ho Yung's vision faced the front.
Tat.
Like Patu had done, he pushed the ball between the opponent's legs.
"Oh!"
The field opened up in front of him.
20 metres to the goal.
He was confident.
What he practised on the training ground was carved into his instincts and into his legs.
The run-up was 6 steps exactly.
Then he kicked with all his strength.
The underside of the ball, straight ahead.
Shoot!
The ball curved slightly to the right and flew straight at the right side of the goal.
It was a fantastic mid-range shoot.
Slam!
The sound shattered the air. His heart stopped.
"AHhhhhh!"
Uncontrollable joy boiled and overflowed inside of him.
That moment, Ho Yung spotted a dismal Patu. His footsteps naturally lead there.
It wasn't a planned action. Just instinct.
He ran down, spreading his arms, shouting.
"Woaahhahahahhhhh!"
He would take on racism with skill.
Beep!
Patu tried to swallow his anger as the game continued but a closed door never opens again.
One sprint had mild success 30 minutes into the second half, but thanks to Casemiro pulling off a back tackle, it didn't lead to a goal.
The result was a red card.
It was an ungentlemanly act but a tactic was a tactic.
The remaining time was a little bit of a concern but he exited, trusting his teammates.
5 minutes until the game ends.
As expected, a vicious attack was led by the Corinthians.
Sao Paulo FC's morale was touching the sky and did not let the Corinthians focus only on attacking.
The ball distribution stemming from Ho Yung made the game a complete mud fight and there were fierce battles for possession everywhere.
Both teams burned up all the energy they had, as deserving of the last match in the season.
There was no side that wasn't desperate.
But it was only natural for it to lean one way.
The opportunity came from Sao Paulo FC's Ho Yung.
33 minutes into the second half.
A sneak pass that Ho Yung connected to the left created space to the back.
"Here! Again!"
He shouted and ran to receive the return pass.
There was no way back.
If he failed this attack, that was it.
The last chance.
Ho Yung lifted his head.
He spotted Douglas, who was weaving around the penalty box searching for an opportunity.
Ho Yung lifted his foot at that moment.
He kicked long to the right and brought the tempo up instantly.
The move that everyone falls for, even if they know it's coming.
He made a perfect shooting angle, bending it to the right, 45 degrees.
Three defenders crowded him but the ball had already left Ho Yung's foot.
'Please!'
22 metres.
The mid-shoot, which had been curved with an instep, headed toward the opposite post.
Smack!
The sound echoed around the field.
"Ah!"
Damn.
The shot bounced off the goalpost and bounced out.
But it wasn't the end.
"Eeeeek!"
The ball did not bounce out but landed in front of Douglas, who had been prowling the goal like a hyena.
He spotted this opportunity.
"Ahhh!"
Douglas' foot connected with the ball and it rolled right into the goal.
Exactly 34 minutes and 12 seconds into the second half.
1 minute from the end.
"Dougieeeeee!"
"Woahhhhhh!"
It was an unexpected turning point.
36 minutes into the second half.
The two extra minutes given were coming to an end.
The coach of the Corinthians tried to revive a last attack by sending even the goalkeeper out to the field, but failed.
The game ended with no comeback.
Beep!
The winners - Sao Paulo FC.
As soon as the whistle sound pierced the field, Ho Yung let out a scream.
It would have been natural for him to collapse on the floor comatose but he felt an incredible surge of energy.
It may be only a youth competition, but it was the first winning trophy that would be listed in his official career.
He jumped with ecstasy.
Ho Yung embraced his teammates and felt reality sink in as he held the gold plated trophy.
He may have only joined halfway in the season but it was true that he was crucial in this win.
Who could have imagined a little boy from Asia could have achieved such a feat!
Only the golden ball remained.
He was anxious but decided to enjoy this moment.
The last moments of being eleven that he would never experience again.
That afternoon, he let his family know of the good news and called Bum Gon Cha for the first time in a while.
He gave Ho Yung his congratulations, told him that there were some important things to discuss and arranged to meet in November when he returned to Korea.
There was a project he wanted to offer Ho Yung.
After agreeing, Ho Yung attended the party held to celebrate the U13 win.
At the same time.
The committee of Sao Paulo youth soccer organisation held a meeting in Victoria Hashipe.
The topic of debate was the golden ball of the U13 league and the nomination of the best players in each position.
The process of selection was as follows:
Scores from the season records
Suggested scores from three committee members.
These scores were combined to select the award recipients.
The most likely contestants were SC Corinthians' Alexandre Patu and Sao Paulo FC's Ho Yung Wu.
Patu's league score was 15 games, 10 wins, 2 ties, 3 losses, 19 goals and 8 assists.
Ho Yung had 10 games, 10 wins, 16 goals and 4 assists, putting Patu in the lead. However, Ho Yung took the win in the end.
It was normal for the golden ball recipient to come from the winning team and there were no incredible differences in their scores, so there was no need for further discussion.
Although, it was abnormal for an Asian player to be given the golden ball, so there was an aspect of caution.
"Anyway, this year was a brilliant year."
" I agree. In one league, an Asian comes around and holds the winning trophy, in the second league, a young boy born in '92 scored 40 goals."
"A boy born in '92, do you mean Neymar? I heard that Santos FC already recruited him. Haha. I'm looking forward to the league 1 next year."
The members had a lot to talk about.
They checked the results one last time and the meeting drew to a close.
"Yes. This is satisfactory. Although Ho Yung isn't a Brazilian, he'll grow another level with this trophy. I'm sure this could evoke something in the other players too."
The results were announced in the ceremony at Sao Paulo city centre Estadio do Pacaembu the next day.
Best scorer was SC Corinthians' Alexandre Patu.
Best defender was Sao Paulo's Ho Yung.
Finally.
"Congratulations, Ho Yung Wu."
"Thank you."
The golden ball plaque and 5000 Reals ($3100) in prize money were awarded to Ho Yung.
The youth league prize money was never extremely large in amount.
But the real reward remained.
[Select the skill you desire.]
Soccer genius ()
Legs faster than a Lamborghini ()
Sensitive ball touch (B)
Showy tricks (B-)
Competent goal decisiveness (C+ 3)
Ho Yung's mind only saw one answer.
'Genius… Let's go!'
Could he become a genius?