Chapter 312: Defeating Argentina, Advancing to the World Cup Final!
"Lin Quan, it was him again, stepping up during a deadlock, and once more rescuing the team!"
"The Spanish fans at the venue erupted into celebration, shouting Lin Quan's name, hailing him as the hero of the team!"
Commentators around the world lavished praise from every angle after Lin Quan scored his second goal. On the World Cup semifinal stage, his ability to step up twice and stabilize the team's morale, securing the lead, cannot be overstated.
After scoring, Lin Quan pointed to Mata, who assisted him. He leapt high, riding on Mata's back, celebrating excitedly.
"Nicely done!"
"Great shot, Lin!"
His Spanish teammates, thrilled by Lin Quan's goal, chased after him, crowding around him and Mata to join the celebration.
Even goalkeeper Casillas performed a somersault in front of the Spanish goal in celebration.
The timing of this goal was crucial!
Just as Argentina was gaining momentum, Lin Quan's goal doused their spirits. Had the goal come any later, Argentina might have used that momentum to launch a ferocious comeback. If they had scored another, Spain would have been in great danger!
Now, with a renewed lead, Spain could play with more ease.
Messi quietly retrieved the ball from his net, carrying it back to the center circle, placing it on the spot, and watched as the Spanish players celebrated, waiting to restart the game.
The offensive play Spain just displayed was something Messi had often orchestrated with his teammates back at Barcelona.
Unfortunately, many of those teammates were now his opponents.
Truthfully, Messi did not feel comfortable playing within the Argentine team. The midfield strength of Argentina was nowhere near that of Barcelona, forcing him to play multiple roles. Messi was not yet suited for these responsibilities before his transformation.
He could easily be the finisher and the goal machine, but being the central organizer was a tall order for him at that time.
Messi's transformation occurred over the following years after consecutive defeats at the national team and club levels.
There's always been debate about which Messi was stronger: 2012 Messi, who scored 91 goals in a calendar year, or 2019 Messi, post-transformation.
While opinions may vary, it is evident that Argentina's strength increased after Messi's transformation, as seen by their consecutive wins in the Copa America and the World Cup—two prestigious trophies.
Before this, Messi's international achievements were modest.
Now, without having completed his transformation, and while he had some organizational skills, performing the central role with ease was still challenging for him.
Thus, back in play, Messi was proactive and tried hard to equalize. However, his efforts were not rewarded, and Argentina's attacks were repeatedly fruitless.
Spain had found a way to limit Argentina's offense—by keeping Messi away from the goal.
Messi's finishing skills were evident, but his organizing skills were not as strong. So, forcing him to pass the ball rather than allowing him direct shots at goal significantly reduced Argentina's offensive threat.
Martinez, once on the field, was tasked with this role.
Against the towering 1.92m Martinez, Messi's usual quick footwork and agility should have helped him escape, but it proved ineffective this time.
On the sidelines, Coach Bosque and defensive coach Puyol were relieved to see Martinez thwart Messi's efforts again, both smiling.
"Lin really is our treasure, not only making unmatched contributions on offense but also significant ones in defense," they agreed.
Although it might confuse outsiders, as Lin Quan's defensive performances weren't notably strong, they were unaware of Spain's pre-game training methods.
Lin Quan had helped the Spanish defenders adapt to defending against Messi during these sessions.
These experiences became valuable in managing Messi during the game.
As the game reached the 70th minute, Messi's energy was severely depleted, hindering his ability to perform his usual dribbles.
So, the encounter between a defensively strengthened Martinez and an energy-depleted Messi wasn't as surprising.
Furthermore, whenever Messi had the ball, nearby Spanish players would immediately assist in defending, further exhausting him.
This tactic quickly drained Messi's stamina.
In the 78th minute, Messi's fatigue led to a rare mistake, passing the ball directly to the opposition.
Spain seized the mistake and launched a counterattack.
Mata's precise pass, deliberately let through by Lin Quan for David Silva, led to a quick shot on goal, which Romero swiftly parried.
Martinez controlled the rebound and attempted a long shot. The shot itself wasn't particularly threatening, but after deflecting off a defender, it nearly ended up in Argentina's net.
As the ball almost crossed the line, Zabaleta heroically blocked it on the goal line, preventing the score from becoming 3-1 by mere milliseconds.
Phew!
Seeing Zabaleta clear the ball, both Argentina's fans and players breathed a collective sigh of relief. Martinez, on the other hand, was a bit frustrated. When he took the shot, he wasn't expecting much, but the deflection had reignited his hope, which was then dashed.
"It's okay, next time go into the box to get a header, I'll pass the ball to you!" Lin Quan patted his shoulder, comforting him.
"Okay!" Hearing Lin Quan's words, Martinez's mood lifted, and he happily ran into the box to get ready.
With Martinez on the field, Spain now had three key headers in the box: Ramos, Pique, and Javi Martinez. Ramos was undoubtedly the best at heading, so Lin Quan repeated his words to him.
"Really? Will you really pass to me?" Ramos, eager to showcase his heading ability, was excited.
"Of course, when have I ever lied to you?" Lin Quan winked innocently.
Ramos fell for it and eagerly ran into the box, fighting for a good jumping position against Demichelis and Garay.
As for Pique, Lin Quan didn't trust his heading ability as much, so he didn't give him any instructions. Holding the ball, he placed it at the corner and stepped back, signaling where he would aim.
Seeing Lin Quan's signal, Ramos pretended to run forward, then suddenly turned back, a trick to shake off defenders. However, this time Argentina's players were not fooled and crowded around Ramos.
In his shock, Ramos saw Lin Quan's corner kick head towards the near post instead. "Damn, he tricked me too!" he thought.
Martinez leapt like a rocket and powerfully headed the ball towards the goal. Ramos, a heading expert, immediately recognized the high quality of the header.
Martinez was known for his versatility and had even played as a forward under Coach Bosque and contested headers under Guardiola. If Ramos was the best header in the team, Martinez was undoubtedly second.
The ball, headed with precision and speed, left Romero helpless as it flew into the net, making it 3-1 for Spain in the 80th minute. This goal by Martinez virtually killed the game's suspense, given the remaining time and Messi's exhaustion.
Spain's players went wild, celebrating the goal. Martinez rushed to Lin Quan, giving him a bear hug. "Thank you, Lin!"
"You're welcome, the credit goes to your great header!" Lin Quan responded, acknowledging Martinez's skill.
"Hey, you two, stop being so modest. Lin, you promised to pass to me. Why did you trick me?" Ramos, eager to score, protested.
"Sergio, you are our strategic weapon. We can't reveal you so easily," Lin Quan said seriously.
"Really? Am I that important?" Ramos was skeptical but flattered.
"Of course. Your heading ability is the best in the team. We need to save it for the most crucial moment, the final in a few days. Don't you want to show your skills to the world?"
Lin Quan's words made Ramos feel important and responsible. Nodding, he said, "You're right, I'll save it for the final."
Ramos then returned to his defensive duties, eagerly anticipating the final to showcase his heading ability to the world.
Martinez's goal had a significant impact on Argentina's morale. Coach Sabella quickly made substitutions to adjust. However, he didn't dare to substitute Messi, even though he was exhausted. As long as Messi was on the field, Argentina had a glimmer of hope. But once he was off, it would signal that Argentina was giving up, further demoralizing the remaining players.
But with Messi's reduced stamina, he couldn't perform at even half his usual strength. Against Spain's tightening defense, Argentina's attacks seemed threatening but were ineffective.
In the 88th minute, Di Maria suddenly fell inside the box. Argentina's players rushed to the referee, demanding a penalty. The replays showed that Pique's hand might have brushed Di Maria, but it seemed unintentional. Nevertheless, Di Maria seized the opportunity and went down, hoping for a penalty.
Pique argued passionately, insisting Di Maria was diving. The referee consulted the assistant referee and eventually awarded the penalty. This decision infuriated the Spanish fans, who loudly protested.
"Angel's acting is a bit over the top!" "Really? Just a touch and he goes down?" "It looked like Pique unintentionally brushed him while turning. No real foul there!" "Exactly, Di Maria's path was blocked. No one would be foolish enough to foul in that situation!"
The Spanish fans' view was naturally dismissed by the Argentine supporters.
"A foul is a foul. If you don't want to get called for it, don't touch him!" "Exactly, if you make a mistake, own up to it!" "Messi is stepping up to the spot. He will definitely equalize, and Argentina will seize the chance to defeat Spain!"
As Messi approached the penalty spot amid cheers from Argentine fans and boos from Spanish supporters, he took a deep breath, calming himself before beginning his run-up.
Casillas watched Messi intently, ready to dive. He guessed correctly, but Messi's shot into the top left corner was perfect.
With the score now 3-2, Messi quickly retrieved the ball and ran back to the center, knowing time was running out. They had to push hard to equalize and force the game into extra time.
Spain, aware of this, retreated into a defensive shell, marking Messi tightly. Every time he touched the ball, he was immediately pressured, forcing him to pass or risk being tackled.
With Messi contained, Di Maria became Argentina's main threat, but his tendency to dive worked against them. Spain's strategy was simple: foul him to break up the play. Di Maria's antics wasted precious time, further diminishing Argentina's chances.
In the fourth minute of injury time, with only seconds left, Argentina had one last chance. The ball fell to Messi, who fought through Spain's defense to get a shot off, but Casillas saved it comfortably.
The referee blew the final whistle. After a grueling 90 minutes, Spain emerged victorious, 3-2, securing their place in the final against Germany. They were now one match away from defending their World Cup title.
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