Chapter 85: Captain, Don't Be Like This, I'm Scared!
"Captain, don't be like this, I'm scared!" Lin Quan made a frightened expression, smiling as he spoke.
Puyol laughed heartily, "What are you afraid of? I think your abilities are no less than Messi's. If Messi can do it, then of course you can too!"
His words were half true and half false. Puyol, who had played alongside Messi, couldn't possibly not know Messi's true abilities.
Lin Quan's abilities were indeed strong, but compared to Messi at the moment, there was still a gap!
However, Spain's lineup was slightly better than Barcelona's, which could offset this difference.
The halftime break quickly ended, and the second half began with both sides switching ends.
After the restart, both sides noticed changes in each other's tactics.
The French team saw a glimmer of victory and maintained the high morale they had at the end of the first half, becoming more aggressive in attacking from the midfield and front, seemingly wanting to defeat Spain decisively.
Meanwhile, Spain's tactical approach became more targeted, avoiding France's strong three-defensive midfielder system and focusing more on the flanks.
Spain's flanks were not particularly strong, and the players on both flanks were not particularly fast.
But they had an advantage that the French team didn't have—they could all play various positions in the attacking third.
With Lin Quan also able to play on the wings, Pedro and David Silva could swap positions with him and cooperate with him on the flanks.
The possession-based system needed to make full use of the width of the field, which could stretch the opponent's defensive players, increase passing space on the field, and facilitate their attacks.
And in the second half, Spain executed this very well!
After the second half began, Spain's continuous positional exchanges in the midfield and front left the French players bewildered.
The reason why positional exchanges are so praised is mainly because when attacking players exchange positions, it confuses defensive players.
They don't know who to mark, and if they can't coordinate and communicate effectively with their teammates, it's easy to leave gaps.
Facing world-class players, even a moment's hesitation could be seized by the opponent to launch a deadly blow.
So as the game progressed, the French team began to feel the pressure.
Their three defensive midfielders had to frequently move towards the flanks to assist their full-backs in defending.
And the consequence of doing so was a drop in their central defense.
In the 48th minute, Iniesta dribbled the ball in the center, and the French defensive midfielder, who should have immediately moved forward to intercept, was now the only one marking Xavi.
This left Iniesta unmarked!
An unmarked Iniesta was the most deadly.
Seeing the movement of his teammates, he played a through pass towards the edge of the French penalty area.
Lin Quan swiftly cut inside from the wing, dribbled past the oncoming defender, and took a left-footed shot from the left side of the penalty area, which was deflected out by a defending player's leg.
Luckily, the defender's intervention deflected the ball, otherwise, it would have been very dangerous.
In the 53rd minute, Lin Quan and David Silva swapped positions, and Lin Quan dribbled down the left side.
The French defense line was nervous, as in the first half, the opponent's crosses from the left almost led to a goal.
But unexpectedly, Lin Quan didn't cross directly but instead dribbled the ball closer to the penalty area and made a back pass.
David Silva received the ball at the edge of the penalty area and made a through pass.
The pass was very cunning, as it was between several French defenders, but none of them could touch the ball in time.
Seeing that the defenders couldn't intercept the ball, the French goalkeeper, Lloris, chose to come out and try to catch the ball before the attacking player could reach it.
But a red figure got to the ball before he could touch it!
Lloris looked at the opponent in despair, only seeing his back and the shaking net.
The prominent number 30 on the opponent's red jersey and the ball flying into the net became an unforgettable image for him.
Boom! The Calderon Stadium erupted again!
Countless fans cheered Lin Quan's name, waving flags excitedly, holding up newly bought number 30 jerseys, expressing their support and admiration for him!
This goal not only changed the score but also finally relieved the tension of the Spanish fans who had been holding their breath.
After the French team gained momentum, their attacks were threatening, and they had several chances to score against Spain's goal.
If this trend continued, they were really afraid of being overturned by the French team!
Luckily, luckily, we have Lin! He stepped up at a critical moment and broke the deadlock!
After scoring, Lin Quan ran towards the sidelines, thinking about how to celebrate.
Messi and Kaka's hands pointing to the sky were elegant, but too religious, and he didn't believe in God, so naturally, he wouldn't celebrate in that way.
Cristiano Ronaldo's SIU was too iconic, and imitating him would probably cause controversy.
Raúl's celebration of kissing the ring was something he liked, but he wasn't married, nor did he have a championship ring to kiss, so he had no rings to kiss!
How about imitating the somersault celebration of the club's senior, Klose?
As he was about to run up for a somersault, his teammates caught up from behind and tackled him to the ground, piling on top of him.
Well, there's no need to worry about how to celebrate now.
After Lin Quan scored, the people on the coaching bench also fell into a frenzy.
Coach Tony couldn't believe it:
"This kid's scoring ability is really surprising. He has played for the national team twice and has already scored four goals. He's probably the most efficient forward we've ever had in the national team, right?"
Bosque hadn't paid much attention to these statistics, but he had seen Lin Quan's performance on the field with his own eyes.
"He has good technique, plays smartly, and coupled with our strong midfield lineup, it's not surprising that he has such a high scoring efficiency!"
Although that's what he said, why couldn't the forwards achieve the same goal-scoring efficiency as him with the same lineup before?
"He's not even 17 yet, I really look forward to his future performances!"
Coach Tony said with admiration.
Originally, after leading Spain to win the World Cup and European Championship titles, his enthusiasm for work had decreased without the thirst for honor.
But now, seeing such a young and promising superstar flourishing under his guidance, and curious about how far he would go in the future, his enthusiasm for work surged again.
Bosque felt the same way. He had a premonition that this kid might become a presence comparable to the football king in the future.
And being able to train a future football king, watching him grow step by step, and being able to participate in it.
This feeling was like playing a nurturing game, with a strange sense of fun.
Moreover, with the addition of Lin Quan's fresh blood, he was full of confidence in the team's future achievements.
This kind of work, which not only had guaranteed results but also was full of fun, who wouldn't love it?
...
Deschamps just couldn't love his job with the national team!
Just as the French team was gaining momentum, they were struck down by a shot from Spain's number 30.
After the opponent scored this goal, the morale of both sides changed completely.
The French players fell back into frustration because they felt they couldn't contain that kid.
Before Lin Quan scored, the French team had already noticed that number 30 was the most active and threatening player on the field.
He was too agile, able to play in every position in the attacking third, with no fixed position, which left them clueless on how to defend!
After the game restarted, the high-spirited Spain seized the opportunity to continue attacking the French team, trying to expand their lead while they had the momentum.
This put the French goal under severe pressure!
In the 56th minute, Pedro cut inside from the left and passed the ball back to Lin Quan, who then dribbled horizontally and made a through pass into the penalty area.
Iniesta received the ball on the left side of the penalty area, but his right-footed shot flew over the goal.
This shot was off target, and the fans in the stadium had already prepared to celebrate when Lin Quan passed the ball, but the ball flew into the stands instead, forcing them to hold back their celebrations that were almost on their lips.
In the 62nd minute, Xavi chipped the ball, and after Lin Quan received it, he selflessly passed it to his unmarked teammate.
Pedro received the ball in the middle of the penalty area, but his right-footed shot was blocked by Lloris with his leg.
The ball flew out of the small penalty area and reached Fabregas, who was following up.
Fabregas didn't stop the ball and directly took a right-footed shot, which was blocked by Lloris, who hadn't yet risen from the ground, and went out for a corner.
The ball didn't go in, and Pedro and Fabregas knelt in the penalty area, both holding their heads in disbelief.
The French goalkeeper was simply amazing!
Phew, that was close, I'm freezing!
(End of this chapter)