Chapter 309: Lin Quan vs. Messi, a World Cup Clash!
Messi's defensive skills aren't strong, so when he saw Messi charging at him, Lin Quan wasn't worried. He timed it perfectly; as Messi lunged forward, Lin Quan deftly turned with the ball, not only evading Messi's challenge but also swapping positions with him, successfully dribbling past.
The fans in the stands gasped in surprise as they saw Lin Quan easily bypass Messi. This scene was far from the epic clash they had imagined. Many couldn't help but think that Messi might not be as good as Lin Quan.
"Doesn't matter, Messi's strength is in attacking!" "Exactly, Messi might not be able to stop Lin Quan, but Lin Quan can't stop Messi either. Just watch!"
Messi, with years of fame, had a massive fanbase. With Brazil next to Argentina, many Argentine fans filled the stadium, undoubtedly supporting Messi.
Thanks to their solid defense, Argentina withstood Spain's probing attacks. Then, they launched an offensive of their own. Messi, being Argentina's attacking core, naturally received the ball to organize their attack. As soon as Messi got the ball, Spain's players started pressing.
However, this didn't trouble Messi. He effortlessly dodged the first challenger with a change of pace. But as soon as he got past the first player, another one rushed in—Lin Quan.
Seeing Messi dribbling while Lin Quan defended, Messi's supporters got excited. Earlier, Lin Quan had bypassed Messi effortlessly, embarrassing them. Now, they saw this as the perfect opportunity for Messi to regain face.
"Get past him!" "Teach that kid a lesson!"
The fans egged Messi on. Messi himself also wanted to give Lin Quan a lesson. Though not as competitive as Ronaldo, Messi still had a strong will to win. He wanted to defeat Lin Quan in a direct duel to boost his team's morale and possibly dent Spain's confidence.
Messi, dribbling with quick steps, suddenly changed his pace, feinted, and pretended to break through Lin Quan's left side. Messi's fast footwork meant any hesitation from the defender would let him breeze through. Lin Quan didn't hesitate and made a move to block. Seeing this, Messi quickly pulled the ball back to his right foot, attempting a quick maneuver to pass Lin Quan.
Just as Messi initiated his move, he felt a slight nudge, losing his balance. He stumbled and miscontrolled the ball, which rolled away to a nearby Spanish player. The referee blew his whistle, signaling a foul on Lin Quan.
"Lin, watch your defensive actions!" The referee came over and verbally warned Lin Quan. The foul was borderline—could be called or ignored. However, since Messi was involved, the referee had to call it to avoid controversy, given Messi's superstar status.
Lin Quan accepted the warning without protest and extended a hand to help Messi up. Messi wasn't angry, as the foul wasn't malicious. He grabbed Lin Quan's hand, got up, and patted him on the back as a friendly gesture. Despite not knowing each other well, there was a sense of mutual respect between them.
Although Lin Quan was warned, his defense was effective. Purely relying on skill to stop Messi was nearly impossible. Even with a good understanding of Messi's style, Messi's adaptability meant he could often find a way through. Thus, adding physicality to the defense was necessary. There was a risk of being carded, but Lin Quan was careful not to cross the line.
This tactic worked only against honest players like Messi. Against someone like Di Maria, Lin Quan's slightest touch might result in a dramatic fall and loud screams, drawing all attention.
On the bench, Aguero watched his two friends with envy, wishing to be on the field. He hoped the coach would bring him on soon, although it might mean Argentina was struggling.
As the match progressed, both teams began to reveal more of their tactics, gradually increasing their attacking efforts.
The pace of the match gradually picked up, becoming increasingly thrilling. After mid-field pressing failed, Argentina began attempting long passes over the Spanish defense. However, the Spanish defenders effectively covered the ball's landing spots, and Messi was constantly marked, limiting his ability to receive passes. As for Higuaín, without Messi's passes, he was unable to pose a threat upfront and was swallowed by Spain's defensive waves without causing a splash.
In the 25th minute, after switching positions with David Silva, Lin Quan took the ball on the left flank and attempted a forceful cut into the penalty area. Mascherano's charge failed, and Lin Quan bypassed him. Unfortunately, Zabaleta made a successful sliding tackle, clearing the ball to the sideline. Lin Quan shook his head but gave his club teammate a thumbs up for a smart defensive play. Zabaleta had cleverly used the moment Lin Quan adjusted his pace to dispossess him, giving Lin no time to evade the slide.
This tackle might have seemed ordinary to the fans, but only players on the field understand the complexity of such a play. Without deep knowledge of Lin's playing style and significant match experience to time the tackle, it would have been easy to miss the ball and lose position, potentially giving Lin a clear shot at goal.
Spain earned a corner kick, and after consulting with Xavi, it was decided that Xavi would take the corner. Ramos excitedly moved into the box, ready to head the ball, and the towering Piqué also pushed forward. Argentine defenders heightened their alertness, marking these threats tightly to prevent any scoring chances.
Xavi didn't send the ball directly into the box but instead passed to Lin on the right edge of the box. Lin then passed the ball back to the center where Iniesta, taking advantage of the defenders primarily guarding inside the box, tried a long shot. However, the shot deflected off a defender and went out for another corner.
This time, Lin positioned himself in the corner area. He signaled his teammates, indicating he would send the ball to the far post. Piqué initially dashed forward, drawing the defenders with him. Then, Ramos cleverly doubled back towards the far post. As the ball flew over the heads of the leaping players at the near post, it fell perfectly at the far post where Ramos awaited eagerly.
He jumped with great enthusiasm, ready to head in his third goal of the tournament. However, Argentina's keeper Romero was vigilant and punched the ball away before Ramos could connect. The ball fell to Xavi, who unfortunately over-hit his shot.
Although Ramos didn't make contact, the Spanish wave of attacks continued, and the fans were beginning to notice that control of the game was shifting into Spanish hands. As predicted before the game, Spain's robust midfield gradually took over the match dynamics.
By the 29th minute, Mascherano had to clear the ball after Lin's breakthrough on the right flank. After the throw-in, Iniesta passed to Xavi, who then found David Silva. Silva's shot from just outside the box was slightly off target.
During Spain's offensive surge, Argentina managed a few counterattacks. In the 34th minute, Pérez was fouled near the arc, granting Argentina a promising free-kick position. Messi positioned himself for the kick. After observing Spain's wall, he chose a delicate chip over it. The ball's trajectory was unpredictable, almost catching Casillas off guard, but it just wasn't enough.
Despite the high quality of Messi's free-kick, it still didn't result in a goal. Following this close call, Spain's coach Bosque immediately cautioned his players to avoid fouls around the box.
As the first half drew to a close, Spain's relentless offense dominated. The rapid passing between Lin, Iniesta, Xavi, and Torres showcased a mesmerizing flow, leaving the Argentine defense scrambling to cover gaps. Finally, in the 42nd minute, Busquets intercepted a pass in the midfield and quickly found Xavi, who passed to Lin. Lin tapped the ball to Iniesta, who threaded it through to Torres. Torres then returned it to Lin, who had positioned himself just outside the box.
Lin didn't attempt to break through the central defenders directly but instead drew them out, opening a channel in the middle. He then cleverly back-heeled the pass to the onrushing Torres, who found himself directly in front of the goal.
Seeing the ball coming his way, Torres marveled at Lin's precision and vision—the pass was perfect. He relished the thought of having such a teammate at Chelsea. What a joy it would be!
As Romero rushed out to intercept, Torres didn't shoot but instead passed back to Lin, who was ready. Lin fired a powerful shot into the net. 1:0! Spain broke the deadlock.
The vast stadium fell silent as the fans were stunned by Spain's intricate play and Lin's final strike. While Argentina defended well, Spain's players found a way through with their precise passing, reminiscent of peak-era Barcelona. However, it wasn't the legendary number 10 scoring this time but number 30 for Spain—Lin Quan!
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