Chapter 297: Annoying! He Actually Pulled It Off!
Mexico's goalkeeper, Ochoa, stared tensely at Lin Quan, who was standing just a few meters away.
He felt utterly helpless. This penalty had come too quickly and too suddenly.
Lin Quan was well-known and highly regarded, and Mexico's coach had repeatedly warned the players about his threat before the match.
This made the teammates very nervous. Just now, when Lin Quan dribbled into the penalty area, Rodriguez, instead of trusting his teammates to cover, instinctively pulled him down, resulting in a yellow card and an indisputable penalty.
The Mexican players had no complaints about the penalty decision.
But giving a penalty to a strong team like Spain just five minutes into the game made them feel desperate.
Luckily, Ochoa still had a chance to save his team. If he could block this penalty, Mexico would still have hope!
"Come on, show me what you've got!" Ochoa took a deep breath, focused, and stared intently at Lin Quan's every move, trying to read him.
With both sides ready, the referee blew the whistle, signaling Lin Quan to take the shot.
Lin Quan took a deep breath, glanced at the goal, and began his run-up.
One step, two steps, three steps...
His pace quickened, and Ochoa accurately judged that Lin Quan would shoot with his right foot, meaning the ball would go to the left side of the goal!
Without hesitation, he dived towards the left side of the goal.
The crowd held their breath, both Spanish and Mexican fans wide-eyed, not daring to blink, fearing they might miss this crucial moment.
Ochoa guessed the direction correctly; the ball indeed flew to the left side of the goal.
But it wasn't aimed at the bottom left corner as he had thought. Instead, it headed for the top left corner.
Ochoa's brilliant save attempt was in vain, serving only to highlight Lin Quan's nearly unstoppable shot.
Lin Quan's goal was followed by a brief silence, then a deafening roar of cheers and applause.
"You really used that move in a match!"
"What a beautiful shot!"
"Damn it, you really pulled it off!"
"Ha ha, seeing you take a penalty like that must have scared the coach and everyone else!"
As his teammates rushed over to celebrate, they couldn't help but tease him.
Lin Quan glanced towards the bench. Del Bosque looked delighted, judging by his excited fist-pumping. He didn't seem scared at all!
On the sidelines, after celebrating with a fist pump, Del Bosque felt a bit relieved: "Lin Quan is really bold to use such a technique in a match. If he had missed, the fans would have been furious."
But the result was good—the goal went in.
If he ever misses a penalty and suffers for it, then maybe we can convince him to change his approach.
The Mexican players looked very dejected after conceding the goal.
They had planned to use a defensive counter-attack strategy against the strong Spanish team, but falling behind early disrupted their plans.
With such a hasty adjustment, the Mexican players were unsure how effective they could be.
Once the Spanish players finished celebrating and the game resumed, even the Mexican fans could see that their team was struggling.
"This lineup is for defensive counter-attacks; it's not suitable for positional play. Without changes in key positions, they won't be effective in a positional battle."
But it was too early to make substitutions. If any injuries occurred in the second half, and they had used all their substitutes, they would be in trouble.
If substitutions were necessary, it would have to wait until halftime to make tactical and personnel adjustments for maximum effect.
This meant the first half would be very tough for Mexico!
Their opponents wouldn't give them any breathing room!
Once Spain suppressed Mexico's counter-attacks, the game quickly returned to Spain's control.
Spain played their familiar possession game. With a group of top-class midfielders, their attacks were relentless.
The ball moved back and forth among them, repeatedly tearing through Mexico's defense.
The Mexican players had to stay extremely focused, carefully dealing with each Spanish pass.
Any lapse in concentration could lead to a gap, giving their opponents an opportunity.
This constant tension was exhausting for the Mexican players.
It was only the first half, and many were already breathing heavily.
Physical exhaustion was one thing, but the mental strain was even greater.
They didn't know how long they could maintain this level of focus, but they were certain that once their concentration slipped, they would concede again.
On the sidelines, Mexican coach Herrera was extremely anxious, frequently checking his watch, wishing he could speed up time!
He desperately wanted the first half to end quickly. Mexico's counter-attacks were ineffective, and their defense was on the brink of collapse. He feared they would concede again if this continued.
Compared to the anxious Mexican coach, Spain's coaching staff was much more relaxed.
"Do you think we'll score again in the first half?"
"I don't know, it depends on the opportunities the opponents give us. But with little time left in the half, unless they make a mistake, we might not score again."
Del Bosque checked the match time. It was already the 37th minute, with 8 minutes left in the first half.
For Spain's players, this was enough time for several attacks, but scoring against a fully defensive opponent was uncertain.
Mexico had been wise not to make any hasty adjustments after conceding. Otherwise, their defense might not have withstood Spain's relentless attack for the rest of the half.
But like a tightly wound string, it could easily snap under pressure!
In the 44th minute, as the first half was about to end, Spain slowed down, passing the ball around in their own half, seemingly not intending to attack further.
This gave the Mexican players a brief moment to catch their breath.
After being pressured for the entire half, they were struggling to breathe.
The suffocating tension was finally easing. Hopefully, during halftime, the coach could make some adjustments to help them regain some control in the second half and not be so passive!
However, just as the first half was about to end, Spain suddenly sped up.
Pique carried the ball forward from his defensive position, passing to Xavi after a few strides.
Xavi quickly passed to David Silva before the Mexican players could close him down.
David Silva swiftly moved the ball to Lin Quan, who made a direct pass to Torres.
Torres then passed to Iniesta on the other side, who passed back to Lin Quan near the penalty area.
These passes were almost instantaneous. Within seconds, the ball moved from Spain's penalty area to the edge of Mexico's box.
This lightning-fast attacking rhythm left the Mexican players struggling to keep up.
By the time Lin Quan received the ball again near the penalty area, only two defenders were in front of him.
The Mexican defenders were feeling desperate. Spain's attack was too quick, and their midfield had barely offered any resistance.
There were three Spanish players near their penalty area, while they had only two defenders.
If they rushed at Lin Quan, he could easily pass to an open teammate.
But ignoring Lin Quan was not an option either, as he was Spain's most dangerous player.
Unfortunately, Mexican defender Moreno had to rush towards Lin Quan to block and disrupt his shots.
To prevent Lin Quan from passing through, he didn't rush too far forward, always maintaining a suitable distance from his teammates. This way, if Lin Quan tried to pass him forcefully, there was a high probability that a teammate would intercept the ball after he passed.
However, Lin Quan wasn't reckless; facing a situation where less was more, why would he act recklessly?
After attracting Moreno's press, Lin Quan quickly passed the ball to Iniesta, who was charging into the penalty area from the side.
Iniesta promptly dribbled into the penalty area without hesitation, preparing to shoot.
Inside the penalty area, Mexico's last defender also had to move forward to block.
However, like Lin Quan, Iniesta also chose to pass. Instead of passing to Torres, who was in an offside position, he passed to David Silva, who was charging into the penalty area from the other side.
David Silva didn't waste his teammate's excellent pass. After receiving the ball, he lightly pushed it into the far corner, scoring and helping Spain extend their lead to two goals!
This goal was conceded at a very bad time; with just a few seconds left in the first half, Mexico could have gone to the locker room calmly to strategize for a counterattack in the second half.
But this goal before the halftime whistle completely ruined their plan.
The pressure on players and coaches is completely different when trailing by one goal compared to two.
With just one goal down, a successful counterattack in the second half could equalize the score. With another goal, they could even reverse the game against Spain.
But now, being two goals down, their chances of equalizing have significantly diminished.
As for directly advancing to the quarter-finals, that's almost impossible now!
Scoring three goals against Spain in just one half? Mexicans dare not even think about it!
So, when the halftime whistle blew, their players were all worried, feeling very anxious about their team's prospects for advancing.
Apart from Mexicans feeling anxious about the score, other teams in the lower half are also likely to face Spain and are equally worried.
Spain's form has been outstanding. From the group stage to now, they have maintained a winning streak and each match has been won quite comfortably.
If Spain achieved these results by beating weaker teams, that would be one thing, but the fact is they have defeated strong opponents.
Netherlands, Chile, including today's Mexico, these are all strong teams in the World Cup, some even capable of winning the title.
Yet, they all fell at Spain's feet, without even a chance to fight back.
"Who can stop this Spain team!"
Costa Rica's coach sighed deeply, feeling their luck had run out, losing hope for their team to advance to the semi-finals.
However, for them, reaching the knockout stage and even having a good chance of reaching the quarter-finals is already a great achievement.
After all, Costa Rica's best historical result was only reaching the round of 16, so reaching the quarter-finals would already be making history for them.
Costa Rica's coach's optimistic attitude is obviously not something everyone can have.
Similarly, coaches from Belgium and Argentina in the lower half, after seeing the halftime score, also showed signs of worry.
They won't face Spain in the quarter-finals, but if they advance to the semi-finals, they might very well meet Spain there.
Looking at the current situation of this match and the potential opponents Spain might face next, their chances of reaching the semi-finals are very high.
Unless Spain makes a huge mistake or their opponents display a phenomenal performance, no one can change this outcome.
Just thinking about possibly facing Spain in the round after next, coaches from Belgium and Argentina felt very uneasy, realizing they needed to start collecting information about Spain early and study how to deal with them.
In the locker room, Bosque praised his players without making tactical or personnel adjustments.
On the contrary, Mexico decided to go all out, immediately substituting two players and adopting a desperate posture.
Spain expressed their willingness to comply with this challenge.
After the second half started, Mexico's players were very proactive.
They knew very well that if they didn't want their World Cup journey to end here, they had to give it their all.
During halftime, Mexico's coach Herrera made some adjustments to the team's offensive and defensive tactics.
Mainly, they increased their midfield pressure, hoping to limit Spain's midfield and thereby restrain Spain's attack.
Spain's midfield lineup is one of the best among the 32 teams participating in the World Cup.
Precisely because of this, Herrera believed that if they could disrupt Spain's midfield play, they could regain control of the game and relieve the immense defensive pressure they faced.
Moreover, besides disrupting the opponent's attack, pressing in midfield has another benefit: if they win the ball in midfield, they can launch a quick counter-attack right there.
This is much closer to the opponent's goal than launching a counter-attack from their own half, posing a greater threat.
If this were Spain from four years ago, they wouldn't fear Mexico's tactics.
But things are different now; their midfield lineup has aged a bit. Xavi is 34 years old, and his physical and athletic condition is far from what it was four years ago.
So, under Mexico's players' intense pressure, his performance noticeably declined in the second half.
Xavi was strong in protecting the ball when he was younger, but with age, he can't perform many actions anymore.
It's not that his technique is gone, but he doesn't have enough physical strength to support these actions, especially under intense physical confrontation.
As a result, at the start of the second half, Xavi made several mistakes in succession.
Taking advantage of his mistakes, Mexico also tried to organize several counter-attacks, but before they could even begin, Busquets stifled them.
Busquets plays with his mind; he's well aware of Xavi's condition, so he consciously stayed close to him, providing support and protection.
This choice played a crucial role in several defensive plays!
On the sidelines, Mexico's coach saw their counter-attacks being thwarted once again and frustratedly tugged at his hair.
Damn Busquets, why does he always appear so timely?
If it weren't for this guy's interference, Mexico might have scored on those counter-attacks!
Currently, their morale is quite low, desperately needing a goal to boost their spirits.
If they can equalize with one goal, the players' morale will be completely different. By then, Mexico's players might even be able to score two goals in quick succession and equalize the score!
Unfortunately, their opponents aren't just passive targets.
Del Bosque keenly sensed their intentions; it looks like they're aiming to exploit Xavi's weaknesses.
Xavi is aging, and his competitive form has declined significantly. Del Bosque has known about these conditions for a while.
To counter this, he has a plan: when Xavi's physical condition deteriorates in the second half, he'll substitute him.
However, glancing at the substitutes' bench, Del Bosque hesitated a bit.
Who should he substitute?
There are too many backup options!
Forget it, let's play it safe and bring on a more defensively reliable player!
Thinking this, Del Bosque called up Koke to warm up.
Koke is much younger than Xavi Alonso, which gives him more physical energy to cope with Mexico's midfield pressure.
Moreover, under Simeone's coaching, Koke not only has excellent attacking abilities but also greatly improved defensive capabilities.
Young, fast, and defensively proactive—these are exactly what the current Spanish team needs.
The reason Del Bosque chose Koke over Cazorla is to use the World Cup stage to develop these young players for the future generation of the Spanish national team.
(End of this chapter
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