Chapter 288: Lin Quan's First World Cup Goal and the Pressure on Ronaldo and Messi!
Spain played with a 4-3-3 formation today, while the Netherlands used a 5-3-2. Just by seeing that the Netherlands had five defenders, it was clear they were planning a counter-attack strategy.
Even though Van Gaal talked big at the pre-match press conference, on the field, he was more cautious, positioning his team defensively. However, this formation was dangerous on the counterattack, with both wing-backs free to join in the attack and assist the forwards or midfielders.
Knowing this, Spain played very steadily from the start. They used their strong midfield to dominate the center of the pitch against the Netherlands. The Dutch had Sneijder focused on attack, De Jong on defense, and De Guzman, who was balanced in both defense and attack.
Spain's formation quickly shifted from 4-3-3 to 4-5-1, allowing them to control the midfield with superior numbers. Despite this, De Jong and De Guzman played well, running tirelessly to prevent their midfield from being overrun. Robben and Van Persie were often isolated up front and had to drop back to help in midfield.
The Dutch full-backs also pushed forward to help defend, showcasing their signature "total football" style. Spain soon gained the upper hand, creating several scoring opportunities.
In the 2nd minute, Lin Quan made a through pass to Costa, but they didn't sync up well, and the chance was lost. In the 6th minute, Lin Quan earned a free kick after being fouled by De Guzman. He took the shot himself, which was well-aimed but saved by the Dutch keeper, Cillessen.
The game was not one-sided. The Dutch also sought counterattack opportunities. In the 8th minute, after a successful high press, Robben cut inside and passed to Sneijder, who broke free but had his shot saved by Casillas.
In the 10th minute, Lin Quan hit the crossbar with a long-range effort, giving the Dutch fans a scare. Both teams' attacks were fast and fierce, and the match was thrilling to watch.
Both Robben and Lin Quan, skilled wingers, frequently bypassed their markers, especially Dutch left-back Janmaat, who was beaten by Lin Quan multiple times within the first 15 minutes.
Fans enjoyed the fast-paced, back-and-forth action. Matches between equally strong teams are always exciting. However, the lack of goals so far was a bit disappointing for the spectators.
Then, in the 15th minute, Spain mounted another attack. Lin Quan received a pass from Xavi, evaded De Jong's challenge, and looked for Costa, who had learned to anticipate his passes better.
Lin Quan feigned a pass to Costa but sent the ball wide to Silva instead. Silva, anticipating this, quickly passed back to Lin Quan, who was now in space, having beaten Janmaat with a one-two.
Lin Quan found himself with room to maneuver as De Jong lagged behind. Dutch defender Vlaar stepped up to challenge Lin Quan but was easily outmaneuvered. Lin Quan entered the box, creating a 2v2 situation with Costa waiting.
Lin Quan faked a pass to Costa, then accelerated past De Vrij and scored before Cillessen could react. The ball rolled into the net, making it 1-0 for Spain. This was Lin Quan's first World Cup goal, putting Spain ahead.
The Spanish fans erupted in cheers, relieved by the goal after the Dutch counterattacks had kept them on edge. In contrast, the Dutch fans were disheartened.
Meanwhile, the Brazilian team, having just finished their first group stage match, arrived at the stadium to watch this clash.
After seeing Lin Quan's goal, Neymar's expression became very serious.
In the Confederations Cup, Brazil was soundly defeated by Spain, and Lin Quan took the Golden Boot right from under Neymar's nose.
Now, on the bigger and more important stage of the World Cup, watching Lin Quan's increasingly unstoppable performance made Neymar quite anxious.
This scene on the field felt eerily familiar to him, as if it was a replay of the Confederations Cup.
Is it possible that Lin Quan will be the one standing in his way again?
Apart from Brazil, several teams aiming for the championship, such as Argentina and Germany, were also paying close attention to this match.
Seeing Spain suppress the Netherlands and take an early lead made the players and coaches of these teams very serious.
"This Spanish team, its strengths and weaknesses have become even more pronounced!"
Germany's coach Low said seriously.
Compared to the coaches who focused on the teams, players like Ronaldo and Messi were more concerned about Lin Quan's personal performance.
From the first 15 minutes of the match, it was clear that Lin Quan was in excellent form.
Perhaps because it was his first World Cup, his enthusiasm and hunger for goals on the field surpassed that of most players.
This put a lot of pressure on both Ronaldo and Messi, as they realized Lin Quan might score many goals in this World Cup.
For Messi, as long as his team won, he didn't mind too much about his individual stats.
Ronaldo, on the other hand, felt differently. Since Portugal had little chance of winning the championship, he was very concerned about his individual performance in this World Cup.
He couldn't let Lin Quan outperform him. Thinking of this, Ronaldo decided to train even harder, aiming to be in peak condition for the upcoming matches!
On the field, after scoring, Lin Quan intended to celebrate with his signature bow and arrow pose.
However, before he could make the pose, his teammates swarmed him and knocked him down.
Diego Costa, who didn't even touch the ball during the attack, was completely like a supporting player.
But he had no complaints and was even more excited than the Spanish players.
For Costa, joining the Spanish national team was a risky move.
It was seen by many as a bandwagon move, and if Spain failed to win or even advance from the group stage, his decision would be ridiculed by fans from Brazil and around the world.
If Brazil, the host, won the championship, the ridicule would be even greater.
Therefore, Diego Costa, although not born and raised in Spain, was more eager than anyone else for Spain to win this World Cup.
This would prove that his choice was right.
Moreover, despite being young, Lin Quan was coach Bosque's trusted player and the tactical core of the team, much more established than Costa, who joined midway.
On the sidelines, after seeing Lin Quan's goal, Bosque felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders.
He excitedly embraced several assistant coaches before returning to the bench, sitting down confidently.
With the lead, Spain could now start implementing their pre-planned tactics.
"Heh, Van Gaal, I'd like to see how you respond to our new tactics?"
In the Dutch dugout, after glancing at the scoreboard, Van Gaal, who had signed with Manchester United, frowned.
Spain's number 30 was even stronger than he appeared on the videos.
Next season, when he faces Manchester City in the Premier League, Manchester United might find it tough.
He suddenly regretted taking over the hot seat at Manchester United, realizing the challenges were greater than he had anticipated.
Van Gaal's worries didn't end there.
When Spain resumed the game after celebrating, he was stunned to see the reigning champions, the world's number one team, pulling back to play counter-attacking football.
Van Gaal rubbed his eyes, doubting what he saw.
"Isn't Spain known for their pressing and attacking possession football? How come they're playing counter-attacking now?"
This felt very unfamiliar, as if he hadn't seen Spain use such tactics in six or seven years!
"Could it be that Bosque is shameless enough to do whatever it takes to preserve the victory?"
Not only was Van Gaal surprised, but also the Dutch players on the field, the fans in the stands, and even the Spanish fans were puzzled by Spain's tactics.
This Spanish team, although with little personnel changes, felt very different.
"Is this really the Spain we know?"
The fact is, counter-attacking is not terrifying, but when the world champions play counter-attacking, it is.
With Spain retreating, the Netherlands were momentarily at a loss.
Their 5-3-2 formation was designed to counter Spain, but now Spain was counter-attacking, giving up space.
This made the Dutch tactics ineffective!
Without space to sprint, their wing attacks lost their threat.
And with five defenders, their midfield was weakened, making it hard to press effectively.
Although their possession rate quickly increased, their front-line attacks gradually lost their threat.
Worse still, the roles had reversed. Previously, Spain was worried about the Netherlands' quick counters.
Now, it was the Netherlands' turn to be wary of Spain's fast counters!
In the 25th minute, Spain intercepted the ball and launched a quick counter.
Lin Quan got the ball in midfield and dribbled past De Guzman, who committed a tactical foul to stop Spain's attack, earning the first yellow card of the match.
Two minutes later, Spain had another good counter-attacking chance.
Casillas threw the ball to David Silva on the wing.
Silva, under defensive pressure, passed the ball forward.
The pass was slightly strong, and Dutch fullback Janmaat thought he had a chance to intercept, so he rushed towards the ball.
At the same time, Lin Quan accelerated towards the ball from behind.
Both were equidistant from the ball, and Janmaat seemed to have a chance to get there before Lin Quan.
However, after a few steps, he realized he started slower and was slower, unlikely to reach the ball before Lin Quan.
Thus, Janmaat quickly slid in, trying to stop Lin Quan from getting the ball.
Seeing this, the Spanish fans showed disappointment.
With Janmaat sliding in, most players would give up to avoid injury.
But to their surprise, Lin Quan didn't slow down; he kept accelerating towards the ball.
"Is he crazy?"
"Lin, stop!"
"This will get you injured!"
The Spanish fans exclaimed!
It was only 20 minutes into the game; if Lin Quan got injured, even winning the match wouldn't be worth it.
However, Lin Quan didn't act recklessly.
He saw Janmaat's slide, so he didn't force the ball.
Instead, he kicked the ball away just before Janmaat could reach it.
Without the ball,
Lin Quan easily jumped to avoid Janmaat's slide, but his speed reduced, so he couldn't chase the ball anymore.
It seemed like Lin Quan's effort was in vain since the ball was rolling towards the end line.
But then, a white figure streaked past both players, heading straight for the ball—David Silva!
It turned out that Lin Quan's kick wasn't just to avoid Janmaat's tackle but also to pass to David Silva.
The two players' chemistry showed again. Without any communication, they played with a remarkable understanding of each other's intentions.
Lin Quan's pass this time was very unexpected. The Dutch defenders didn't react in time. It wasn't until David Silva suddenly accelerated that they realized the danger. They hurriedly retreated, trying to get back to their own penalty area.
David Silva sprinted and finally caught up with the ball near the end line.
He glanced at the goal and sent a low cross into the box.
Diego Costa sprinted a few steps, shook off his defender, and stretched out his leg to shoot.
Unfortunately, as he shot, someone seemed to pull him from behind, causing him to lose balance. His shot went high and flew over the goal.
Thinking quickly, Diego Costa let out a loud scream and fell in the penalty area.
He was sure someone had pulled him, which should be a foul!
According to the rules of football, a foul in the penalty area should result in a penalty kick.
But if the attacking team gets the ball, the referee first ensures the advantage rule, allowing the attack to continue in hopes of a natural goal in the ongoing play.
If the attack doesn't result in a goal, the play that "could have been stopped" becomes void, and the foul is penalized with a penalty kick.
However, this requires the referee to notice the foul.
So, Diego Costa screamed loudly to attract the referee's attention.
Sure enough, as soon as he screamed, the Italian referee Rizzoli blew his whistle and pointed to the penalty spot.
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