Chapter 153: Scoring 12 Goals and Breaking the Confederations Cup Record!
At the end of the match, Spain won the opening game of the Confederations Cup with a crushing 5-1 victory over Uruguay, thanks to the outstanding performance of the entire team. In this match, Lin Quan, who scored two goals and provided an assist, was chosen as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the match. Anyone who watched the game would agree with this assessment. His performance in both defense and attack was exceptional. This important match left a deep impression on the South American public about this young Spanish player.
As one of the twin stars of this Confederations Cup, Neymar, the Brazilian superstar, felt inspired after witnessing Spain's match. Determined not to be outdone, he helped his team beat Mexico 2-0 two days later with a goal and an assist. Although the result of this match seemed easy for Brazil, the process was exciting and tense. Neymar, in exceptional form, scored a goal in the first nine minutes, giving Brazil an early lead. However, Mexico counterattacked, and in the 14th minute, Hernández scored a goal that was disallowed for offside by the assistant referee. However, the slow-motion replay showed it was a valid goal. Despite this setback, the Mexican players were undeterred and continued pressing in the first half, creating significant pressure on the Brazilian defense.
To stop the rival attacks, Brazil's key defenders, Thiago Silva and Alves, received yellow cards. The suspense remained until the 90th minute when Neymar stood out again by assisting a teammate to score the second goal, securing the victory. Although Brazil won this match, they couldn't completely dominate Mexico. Compared to Spain's previous match against Uruguay, where they dominated the entire game and won 5-1, Brazil showed a lack of dominance. Moreover, Mexico is not on the same level as Uruguay. Uruguay is ranked fifth globally, while Mexico is 14th, representing a considerable difference between the two teams.
Brazil's performance in this match has raised concerns: Can they win against Spain, who is currently in great form? After this match, although Brazil secured their qualification for the next round of the group, the expectations about their title defense in the Confederations Cup have diminished. The odds for Spain to win the tournament are widening compared to Brazil on betting sites. Currently, Spain's odds of winning are 1.73, while Brazil's are 2.18, indicating greater confidence from the bookmakers in Spain.
Although the public is not very sure that Brazil can defend their title, the performance of the young star Neymar in this match has been praised by the media. His two outstanding performances in the last matches, with goals and assists, as well as his spectacular playing style, have won many admirers. In the minds of football fans, South American players have always stood out for their technical skill and elegant style, unlike European players. For example, Neymar and Lin Quan represent two completely different styles: one is flashy and the other more practical. Neymar shows his skills and techniques in every match, and every time he succeeds, he provokes cheers from the fans in the stadium. However, Lin Quan doesn't display many flashy moves or complex techniques. His movements are simple and effective, using changes of pace to dribble and surpass rivals. He rarely performs actions like the "bicycle kick" or the "roulette," and these skills are used occasionally.
These two completely different styles also determine that they have different groups of admirers. Fans who prefer practicality cannot appreciate Neymar's flashy style, considering it too showy. And those who enjoy technical skills may not appreciate Lin Quan's playing style, finding it boring. Of course, in football, no skill is superior to another; as long as the final goal is achieved, all are good skills. However, although there is no skill difference, there is only one championship trophy. Whoever wins this Confederations Cup will undoubtedly have the advantage in the competition between the two.
After the match against Uruguay, Spain had four days of rest. Four days later, they faced the weakest opponent in the group, Tahiti. Due to the weakness of the opponent in this match, Del Bosque decided to field many substitute players. In the last match, only Martínez and David Silva started on the field. Even key players like Lin Quan were on the bench. Thanks to the extensive team rotation, players like Torres and Villa had the opportunity to start. Since Lin Quan joined the team, Torres hadn't started for a long time. He was beginning to miss the days when he started in the team and led Spain's attack. Torres, frustrated T9, showed an excellent attitude in this match. Just 2 minutes into the start, Torres scored the first goal, putting Spain 1-0 up. In the 15th minute, David Silva also scored, increasing the lead to 2-0. Ten minutes later, Torres scored again, bringing the score to 3-0. In the 39th minute, Villa also scored his first goal of the match, making the score 4-0. By the end of the first half, Spain was already leading by four goals. Moreover, in terms of statistics, they had a clear advantage. In the first half, Spain had 88% possession, 19 shots in total, 11 of them on target. While their opponent, until that moment, hadn't even had a shot on target, with a pitiful 12% possession. The ball rarely stayed more than five seconds at their feet before a Spanish player recovered it.
But they can't be blamed, after all, Tahiti's total population is only 170,000 people, and it's hard to gather 11 players from that population base. Only one of them is a professional player and plays in a low-level oceanic league. Most of the other players are semi-professional or even amateur, who don't rely on football to make a living. For them, playing football is more of a hobby than anything else. Therefore, beating such a team is not difficult at all for the world champion; the difficult part is losing! Even without losing, if they were to allow a goal, it would surely be front-page news the next day and they would be mocked by football fans worldwide.
Watching their teammates dominate on the field, the starters on the bench were quite relaxed.
"Aren't they being a bit harsh?"
"Yes, a little. If they keep going like this, we might end up with a double-digit score in this match!"
"But Torres and the others have been without playing for a long time, so it's unlikely they'll moderate their game!"
After everyone spoke, they looked at Lin Quan. Since his arrival, even players like Torres, the center forward, and Villa, who can play as a winger, barely had opportunities to play. Lin Quan looked innocently:
"Why are you looking at me like that? It's not my decision. The coach prefers to play without a center forward, it's not my fault, right?"
Lin Quan is a false nine, not a front-line player. Saying he has taken Torres and others' place is not entirely appropriate. If Spain needs a center forward in the future, Torres still has a chance. But Morata's growth rate is fast, and perhaps in a few years, he will completely replace Torres.
During the break, Spain made no personnel changes. In the second half, Torres and Villa, determined as ever, showed no mercy. In the 49th minute, Villa scored his second goal of the match, bringing the score to 5-0. Eight minutes later, Torres completed his hat-trick, increasing the score to 6-0. Seven minutes later, Villa also completed his hat-trick, bringing the score to 7-0. Two minutes later, Mata scored directly from a free kick, making the score 8-0. In the 69th minute, Torres scored another goal, completing his poker, and the score was already 9-0!
"Ahem, should we remind them a bit to be careful with the intensity? If they continue like this, I'm worried the opponent might develop psychological trauma."
On the bench, Morata, "the good guy," could no longer bear to watch. This is too cruel, isn't it? There are still more than twenty minutes of play left, and the score is already close to double digits.
It seems like they heard your calls; Del Bosque started making changes. Lin Quan entered the field, replacing Cazorla. Iniesta came in, replacing Mata. Morata came in, replacing Villa. Del Bosque sent Lin Quan and Iniesta to warm up for the next match against Nigeria since Nigeria isn't a very strong team; Spain will continue rotating. But to secure the record, players like Lin Quan and Iniesta will be sent onto the field. As for veteran players like Xavi, for now, they'll sit on the bench, and it will be decided based on the match situation whether they play or not. Once on the field, Lin Quan automatically assumed the role of midfield commander. Iniesta took Mata's place, acting as the team's left winger. Morata replaced Villa, acting as the right winger.
This guy has exceptional balance with both feet; he doesn't have a dominant foot, so his position on the field isn't fixed.
He seems capable of playing as a center forward or as a left or right winger, somewhat similar to Lin Quan.
However, his technical ability and passing vision aren't as good as Lin Quan's, so he can't play as an attacking midfielder.
"Lin, pass it to me, let me score one!"
Morata saw Lin Quan with the ball and immediately reached out to ask for it.
As if he had completely forgotten what he had just said on the bench!
Who knows who said they should be compassionate...?
Morata's positioning is excellent; when he asks for the ball, he's in a better position than Torres.
So Lin Quan didn't reject his request; after dribbling past an incoming defender, he sent him a pass.
The pass was forward; if Morata couldn't get past the defender in front of him, he wouldn't reach the ball.
Great play by Morata! Seeing Lin Quan actually pass him the ball, he immediately accelerated, pushed aside a defender marking him, entered the box, and shot powerfully, sending the ball into the back of the net.
Compared to his height of almost 1.90 meters, Tahiti's defenders barely reached 1.80 meters and were almost ten kilos lighter.
Moreover, they're not professional players and rarely receive physical contact training, so the ability to physically confront is at different levels!
Morata's push has a hint of Haaland's style that would leave defenders behind.
But Haaland faces defenders from the top five leagues, and you?
Seeing Morata score and run excitedly towards him, Lin Quan skillfully stepped aside, avoiding his embrace.
He stepped away, with an expression that said, "I don't know this guy!"
The score on the field was already 10-0, but there was no despair or surrender on the faces of Tahiti's players.
On the contrary, seeing them fight with enthusiasm and defend with all their might, were they still enjoying the game?
This is Tahiti's first time participating in a major international tournament since Oceania's powerhouse, New Zealand, was unexpectedly eliminated by a weaker team, allowing them to qualify for the Confederations Cup.
For Tahiti's players, being on this field is already a victory in itself.
As for winning or losing, they're not so arrogant as to believe they can beat the world champion Spain.
Moreover, in the previous match against Nigeria, although Tahiti lost, they managed to score a goal, which was a milestone in major world tournaments!
With that goal, even if they are massacred in the next matches, they will have no regrets.
The fighting spirit, positive attitude, and determination of Tahiti's players earned them applause from the live audience.
Even with the score at 10-0, the spectators continued to enjoy the match and cheer loudly:
"Score one more!"
"Score one more!"
Many Brazilian fans, who love the show, even hoped that Tahiti could score a goal against Spain.
That way, it would be a reward for their serious play and a humiliation for the world champion.
But their conspiracy is probably difficult to execute.
After Lin Quan entered the field, he organized Spain's midfield orderly.
The pace of the match was firmly in Spain's hands; they didn't give the opponent any chance to counterattack.
In the 78th minute, Torres broke free and was about to ask for the ball when Lin Quan's precise pass was already at his feet.
Torres was surprised and delighted to find that his opponent's passing ability had already reached this level.
He didn't waste Lin Quan's magnificent pass; he dribbled past the goalkeeper and shot into the empty net, scoring his fifth goal of the match.
After scoring, Torres ran towards Lin Quan to hug him and celebrate.
"Thanks for the pass; it was excellent!"
Since Lin Quan joined the team, Torres lost his starting position. Saying he felt no resentment would be a lie.
But after receiving this assist from Lin Quan, all his resentment disappeared completely.
The opponent is truly stronger than him, and his contribution to the team on the field is greater.
Losing to him, Torres wholeheartedly accepts it.
"Your breakaway was excellent."
Lin Quan didn't know what Torres was thinking deep down, but still praised him.
Although Morata lacks the explosiveness he had before his injury, he still retains his experience and game awareness.
This is an aspect where Morata has a long way to go!
In the 89th minute, Lin Quan scored his first goal of the match with a free kick, helping the team win 12-0 against Tahiti.
This result broke the record for the largest goal difference in a Confederations Cup match. The previous record was set in 1999 when Brazil defeated Saudi Arabia 8-2.
Spain directly doubled that record!
In the future, unless another team as weak as Tahiti appears on the Confederations Cup field, it will be almost impossible to break this record.
(End of chapter)
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