Breaking Records, Standing with Messi and Ronaldo!
"Gooooooooooal!"
"Incredible!"
"Amazing!"
"In a crowd of defenders, Lin broke through and scored against Brazil! This is unbelievable!"
In the Sky Sports commentary booth, Martin Tyler showcased his professional skills by quickly narrating the goal's process.
He added with admiration:
"Lin, a young player not even 18 years old, has scored two goals in this match, bringing his total in this Confederations Cup to 9 goals.
"This breaks the historical record set by Romário in the 1997 Confederations Cup, significantly raising it to 9 goals!"
"Scoring in 5 consecutive games, with an average of 1.8 goals per game, this scoring efficiency can only be matched by Messi and Ronaldo worldwide!"
"It's no exaggeration to say that we are witnessing the birth of a legendary player!"
Martin Tyler gave Lin a very high appraisal!
Andy Gray agreed:
"Yes, for a forward, maintaining such stable performance and scoring so many goals in an international tournament with strong teams, even Ronaldo and Messi haven't done that!"
The two kept comparing Lin with Ronaldo and Messi, hoping to make the viewers realize just how high Lin's starting point is and how much potential he has!
Since Ronaldo and Messi's dominant performances, they have been far ahead of other players, becoming the unparalleled duo of modern football.
Over the years, there have been challengers, but none could truly threaten their positions, either due to a lack of hard skills or their quick fall from grace.
But now, a real challenger has emerged beyond the unrivaled duo!
And that person is Lin!
Lin didn't know the high praise he was receiving for his goal. He had scored even more spectacular goals at his club, so he didn't think it was anything special.
However, after scoring two goals, he was in a good mood.
Spain's players rushed over to celebrate with him.
While Lin thought this goal was nothing special, his teammates didn't feel the same way.
They had never seen a more spectacular goal in the national team, so they naturally had to celebrate it well!
Moreover, they needed to design a special celebration to make it memorable.
In their previous match against Italy, Lin and his teammates came up with a very creative celebration that left many fans eagerly anticipating their next one.
So this time, Lin and his teammates started discussing it.
They wanted to meet the fans' expectations!
Lin: "Should we use that celebration?"
Iniesta: "I don't know, will the opposing fans see it as provocation?"
Pedro: "Maybe, we might get things thrown at us!"
Ramos: "Then we celebrate further away?"
Xavi sighed: "So we're definitely doing it, right?"
Everyone: "Yes!"
Xavi shrugged: "Alright, I'll be the backrest!"
Iniesta: "I'll be the toilet seat!"
Lin: "I'll be the one going to the toilet!"
Pedro sneakily stepped back, leaving Ramos as the odd man out.
Seeing everyone else had roles, Ramos complained:
"Why do I have to be the toilet?"
"Stop complaining, just get down!"
Ignoring his grumbles, everyone pushed him to the ground.
Ramos, helpless, had to play along with his teammates' performance.
"Hey, what are they doing?"
The fans quickly noticed something unusual about the Spanish players.
After scoring, they didn't celebrate immediately but gathered to discuss something.
"Are they planning a celebration move?"
Fans speculated curiously.
Soon, the Spanish players' actions confirmed their guess.
"They're planning a celebration move!"
"I wonder what surprise they'll bring us this time?"
"Haha, will it be the fishing celebration again?"
"Why is Ramos on the ground with his butt up…"
"To be honest, Ramos has a pretty perky butt!"
"…"
"Definitely a six!"
"There are weirdos all around me!"
With Ramos on the ground, Iniesta knelt beside him, leaning over him.
Xavi stood behind Iniesta, leaning on his back.
No one knew what they were doing until Lin approached.
Lin lifted Iniesta's arm like opening a toilet lid.
Then he sat on Ramos, pretending to use the toilet.
After finishing, he twisted Xavi's arm as if flushing, then closed the 'toilet lid' (Iniesta) and left.
The crowd finally understood the Spanish players' celebration!
They mimed using the toilet!
The fans laughed out loud, amused by the creative and humorous celebration.
Only a few Brazilian fans felt humiliated, thinking Spain was comparing their team to a toilet.
"Uh, the Spanish players have made a very creative but somewhat inappropriate celebration. The Brazilian fans seem a bit angry and are booing them,"
Martin Tyler commented, holding his head in his hands. In all his years of commentary, he had never seen such a celebration.
"How do the Spanish players come up with these bizarre celebration moves?"
"Fans' emotions can affect players on the field. Celebrating like this away from home is unwise,"
Andy Gray, who supported Brazil, criticized the Spanish team.
Martin Tyler didn't mind. The skill gap between the teams was evident after these few minutes.
Even with extra motivation, Brazil might not beat Spain.
What they needed to do now was find an effective way to tie the score.
If they entered the second half trailing, it would be hard for them to play!
The Brazilian players understood this. After the restart, they were very anxious.
They wanted to score immediately and tie the game.
But the more anxious they were, the worse they played.
In the 25th minute, Alves' through ball on the right was missed by Fred before the box.
In the 28th minute, Hulk's through ball from midfield was cleanly tackled by Ramos just as Oscar approached the box.
In the 32nd minute, Brazil counterattacked after a defensive interception. Neymar's through ball from the left found Fred, who, despite muscling past Piqué, couldn't shoot effectively, allowing Casillas to save easily.
Brazil had a small wave of attacks, but their final shots were poor.
They shot for the sake of shooting, not threatening Spain's goal. As their impatience grew, they cooperated less and relied more on individual efforts.
In the 36th minute, Hulk received the ball on the wing, outmuscled Alba but was stopped by Piqué.
A few minutes later, Neymar took the ball on the other side.
He performed a beautiful flick over a defender but was quickly dispossessed by another defender in the crowded box.
Without cooperation, Brazil's attacking threat dropped, and they struggled to challenge Spain's goal.
Conversely, Spain's attacks became more fluid.
In the 38th minute, Xavi's midfield pass was intentionally let through by Lin to a teammate behind him.
Pedro arrived and shot from the edge of the box, narrowly missing the post, scaring Brazil.
If that had gone in, it would have been over for them.
Trailing by three goals at halftime, not every team could pull off a comeback like Liverpool in Istanbul!
In the 45th minute, Spain missed a great chance.
Lin dribbled past Gustavo and passed cleverly.
Pedro, running from the left, crossed quickly.
Iniesta arrived, trying to curl the ball into the far corner.
Brazil's keeper Cesar couldn't reach it. If the shot was on target, it would almost certainly have been a goal.
Iniesta raised his arms, ready to celebrate.
But Brazilian defender David Luiz made a crucial goal-line clearance with a split-like move.
Iniesta held his head in disbelief, staring at the ball flying out.
Really?
That ball was cleared?
The Brazilian players couldn't believe their teammate's heroic clearance.
They rushed to David Luiz, ruffling his hair and patting his back in praise.
An ecstatic Cesar hugged him, grateful for the save.
He didn't want to pick the ball out of the net three times in one game!
With few fouls in the first half, the referee added only one minute of stoppage time.
It was too short for either team to score, and the 2-1 scoreline remained at the halftime whistle.
Hearing the whistle, Spain's players casually chatted and laughed as they walked to the locker room.
On the other side, Brazil's players looked serious.
Neymar walked, staring at Lin's back, clenching his fists.
So far, he had been completely overshadowed!
Lin had already scored twice, while Neymar barely had any shots.
Lin had 9 goals, three times Neymar's tally.
Even with divine intervention, Neymar couldn't close that gap.
So, surpassing Lin in total goals was impossible.
The only way to beat him was to win the match and lead his team to victory!
With this in mind, Neymar made up his mind.
...
In the locker room, Bosque walked in beaming.
He immediately applauded his players!
"Guys, you played great. I'm proud of you!"
Brazil wasn't weak. In the first half, they had 7 shots, 4 on target.
They had a 79% pass success rate and 39% possession.
These stats were better than at the start, showing they were adapting to Spain's possession style.
Given more time, they might fully adapt and slowly regain control.
But Spain's timely goals disrupted their momentum each time.
This gave Spain the lead and stifled Brazil's attacks.
Facing such a strong opponent, Spain turned the game around after a poor start, dominating the match.
Bosque was very pleased, as the players met his tactical expectations.
"In the second half, they will increase their attacking intensity, putting more pressure on our midfield!"
Bosque drew on his tactical board, planning the second-half strategy.
...
In Brazil's locker room, Scolari also hastily arranged second-half tactics.
"Our wing attacks weren't effective, not because the strategy was wrong, but due to poor coordination."
"In the
second half, we need more teamwork and avoid solo play, got it?"
Scolari looked around at his players.
The Brazilian players nodded, somewhat afraid of him.
Scolari led Brazil to the 2002 World Cup title and held high respect in the national team.
Most of the current young players weren't from top leagues, many promoted by Scolari, making them reluctant to upset their mentor.
Satisfied with their response, Scolari addressed Neymar:
"Neymar, you're the team's biggest star. Now the team is struggling, and we need you to step up. Can you fulfill my task and lead the team to victory?"
Scolari's "team's star" comment spurred Neymar's sense of responsibility.
With eyes wide and fists clenched, Neymar loudly replied:
"Don't worry, coach. I will lead the team to crush Spain and win the trophy!"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone