Chapter 372: World Champion vs. The Uncrowned King, Another Grudge Match!
"Lin, pass the ball to me more during the game; I have a feeling I'm going to score!" Morata whispered to Lin Quan as they prepared to enter the pitch, standing in the players' tunnel.
Lin glanced at him, saw his pleading expression, and nodded in agreement: "Make sure you seize the opportunity!"
Morata was starting today, and scoring could potentially secure his place in Del Bosque's trust and solidify his position in the national team. However, Lin felt that it would be difficult for Morata to become a regular starter, given Diego Costa's much higher goal-scoring efficiency.
After the World Cup, there was a generational shift in Spain's forward line. Torres and Villa faded from the national team, with Villa leaving the top European leagues. After deliberating between the Chinese Super League and Major League Soccer, he ultimately chose to join New York City FC. Departing from the top leagues meant he would no longer receive calls from the national team. However, for Villa, who had won two Euros, two World Cups, and one Confederations Cup with the team, his presence or absence didn't really matter now given the abundance of successors.
Although Spain wasn't in a dire state of lacking talent, Del Bosque was still cautious with his lineup for this match. He opted to start only a few young players like Morata, Isco, and Juanfran to ensure a victory in this crucial match. This cautious approach stemmed from a painful lesson learned previously.
On October 10th last year during a Euro qualifier, Spain had suffered a defeat against Slovakia, where Del Bosque had aggressively rotated the squad, incorporating many newcomers without calling up main players like Lin Quan. The inexperienced new players, unsettled from the start after falling behind early, played increasingly desperately despite having the upper hand; they struggled to score until Paco managed to equalize in the 82nd minute. However, their inexperience showed when they let their guard down after scoring, and Slovakia seized the opportunity to score in the 87th minute and secured a win against Spain.
This defeat marked Spain's first loss in an official international match since the 2010 World Cup group stage loss to Chile—a gap of four years. Even including friendly matches, it was their first loss in three years. The defeat frightened the new players, although the veterans reassured them that it was just a routine Euro qualifier loss and that it wouldn't affect their chances of topping the group. Nonetheless, the rookies couldn't help feeling anxious and guilty for ending the team's unbeaten streak.
Therefore, Del Bosque felt it was crucial not to rush things; it was better to gradually increase the young players' playing time and have them guided by more experienced teammates to rebuild their confidence.
During this transitional phase, some pain was inevitable, and Del Bosque hoped it would pass quickly. With many players born in the 1980s still at their peak, but set to decline by the 2016 Euros, the time left for adjustments was about three years. By the 2018 World Cup, it was uncertain how much form they would retain.
Thus, Del Bosque had only about three years to integrate fresh, capable young players into the team, hoping for new talents like Lin Quan to emerge—although expecting another like him might be wishful thinking.
...
Ukraine wasn't a particularly strong team, ranked third in Group C, level on points with Spain but three behind Slovakia. Therefore, this match was crucial for both teams in their fight for qualification. A loss for Spain could disastrously derail their qualifying campaign, a humiliation for the dual World and European champions, which they could ill afford.
Thus, Del Bosque issued a clear mandate: the game had to be won. Spain didn't probe but attacked fiercely from the start, using their home advantage against Ukraine, who conservatively set up a defensive bus, hoping for a draw or a lucky counter-attack.
Spain's continuous attacks were initially thwarted by the Ukrainian defense. Despite dominating possession and the game, Spain struggled to penetrate the defense, leading to anxious and worried murmurs among the fans who began chanting for their players, especially calling out for Lin Quan, the biggest star and team's cornerstone.
Heeding the fans' calls, Lin Quan sprang into action. In the 28th minute, leveraging his exceptional skill, he dribbled past two defenders and delivered a precise lob into the box, assisting Morata who broke the deadlock. Overjoyed, Morata jumped onto Lin Quan, hugging him tightly and planting kisses on his head.
"Great pass! That was just perfect!" Morata couldn't stop praising Lin Quan's assist, feeling like he had never scored such an effortless goal. He wished he had such a supportive teammate at his club, thinking his goal tally would increase significantly if he did.
"Lin, keep those passes coming! I feel like I can score a hat-trick today!" Morata declared confidently.
Lin Quan, impressed by Morata's recent shot, decided to trust him for the time being. Once Ukraine conceded and had to open up, Spain found it easier to attack.
In the 32nd minute, Lin Quan once again set up Morata with a perfect pass, but this time Morata shockingly sent the ball over the bar. The crowd was stunned, holding their heads in disbelief at the missed opportunity.
"Lin, next time aim for my left foot, that's my stronger side, I promise I'll score!" Morata exclaimed.
Lin Quan, puzzled, remembered Morata being adept with both feet, not really favoring one over the other. But he decided to trust Morata's request once more.
In the 55th minute, after some smooth team play and a series of one-twos, Lin Quan provided another impeccable pass to Morata, setting him up for another chance.
Following Morata's instructions, Lin Quan precisely delivered the ball to his left foot. With the goalkeeper out of position, Morata faced an almost open goal, yet his far corner attempt astonishingly missed the far post and rolled out of bounds.
Exclamations and gasps filled the Spanish stadium. How could he miss such a clear opportunity? What a waste of Lin Quan's brilliant pass!
After witnessing two wasted opportunities, Lin Quan learned his lesson and ceased passing to Morata. He began to suspect that Morata's initial shot was a fluke, given his skill level seemed incapable of producing such high-quality shots. Conveniently, as Morata continued to receive focused attention from the Ukrainian players, Lin Quan seized this chance to assist David Silva and Pedro in scoring at the 72nd and 77th minutes, bringing the score to 3-0, decisively determining the outcome of the match.
At the 80th minute, Coach Bosque began making substitutions, replacing the increasingly bewildered Morata with Diego Costa. Shortly after, Bosque substituted Lin Quan, the game's key player, allowing him to receive a standing ovation from the thousands of Spanish fans at the Pizjuán Stadium.
Pizjuán Stadium, predominantly red, symbolizing fervor, was true to its reputation. Despite its modest size and capacity of just over 45,000, it was a favorite among the Spanish players, possibly because its colors closely matched the Spanish team's kit, offering a sense of familiarity. Additionally, the victory there undoubtedly boosted their spirits.
Ultimately, Spain triumphed effortlessly with a 3-0 victory over Ukraine. However, Slovakia also defeated Luxembourg 3-0, maintaining the three-point gap with Spain still in second place in their group. The next round of group matches was scheduled for mid-June, with Spain set to face Belarus in Minsk.
Following the European qualifiers, the Spanish national team did not disband. Taking advantage of the international match day, they scheduled a friendly against a familiar adversary, the Netherlands—the so-called uncrowned kings.
On April 1st, April Fool's Day, the Spanish team arrived in Amsterdam to face the Netherlands. Both teams agreed to field many young players, but the Dutch were well-prepared. By the 13th minute, they capitalized on a corner kick, creating chaos in the Spanish box before Lazio's central defender De Vrij scored, giving the Netherlands a temporary lead. Just three minutes later, Ajax's Klaassen added another goal, stunning the Spanish players, who were traditionally dominant in possession, yet found themselves trailing.
This unexpected turn rattled Spain's bench, prompting Bosque to reevaluate his strategy as he watched his young team falter. Despite the jovial mood among the starters on the bench, the consecutive goals silenced them, and their expressions turned serious.
The young Dutch players, mostly born in the 1990s with two from 1994, appeared formidable. The sight of the Dutch team pressing Spain cheered the local fans immensely. The Dutch had endured significant frustration at Spain's hands in recent World Cups, including a loss in the final in South Africa and a crushing defeat in Brazil.
Despite their current advantage, the Dutch fans felt something was amiss since Lin Quan, Spain's number 10, had yet to play. His presence on the field might have prevented such a Dutch dominance.
In the second half, Bosque substituted all his main players, and the Dutch responded in kind. What was intended as a warm-up friendly transformed into a clash as intense as a World Cup final. But as the game progressed, Spain demonstrated their superiority.
After 90 minutes, Spain, with two goals from Lin Quan and a last-minute header from Ramos, overturned the match to win 3-2. This outcome seemed to divert from the initial purpose of the friendly, turning it into a grudge match and exposing lingering issues among Spain's youth.