Completely Killing the Game!
"This, this can't be my fault too, right?"
Seeing Neymar miss the penalty, Pelé muttered to himself in the VIP box.
The feelings of the Brazilian fans were very complicated.
Disappointment, frustration, sadness, anger—these emotions surged through them.
If they hadn't seen a glimmer of hope for equalizing, their feelings wouldn't be so complex.
But Neymar had created that hope for them, only to kick it away.
The Brazilian fans found it hard to accept!
A penalty!
That was a penalty kick!
The chances of a penalty being saved are less than 20%, and yet you missed it!
It was as if ten thousand stampeding horses were trampling over the hearts of Brazilian fans.
But can Neymar be blamed for not scoring?
Not really, because he was the one who earned the penalty.
It's just that Neymar didn't seize the opportunity and failed to stand out and save the team when they were in trouble.
To become the leader of Brazil, he still has a long way to go.
Missing the penalty greatly affected Neymar's mindset.
For the next several minutes, Neymar seemed to be in a daze. Although he still cooperated diligently with his teammates, his creativity and flair seemed to have vanished, and his play was ordinary at best.
Neymar was Brazil's biggest threat, and his loss of flair was a deadly blow to Brazil's offense.
On the other hand, Spain's attacks remained highly threatening.
In the 64th minute, Spain launched another fluid attack.
With constant passing and movement up front, they once again tore apart Brazil's defense.
Iniesta delivered a crucial through ball, breaking behind Thiago Silva, giving Lin a chance to face the goalkeeper one-on-one.
But this time, Brazil's goalkeeper César was very alert. As soon as Iniesta was about to pass, he sensed the danger and quickly charged out, grabbing the ball before Lin could get to it.
The Brazilian fans collectively exhaled in relief!
From the moment Spain began their quick passing play, their hearts were in their throats.
Seeing the Spanish players continue their wall-passing moves and get the ball into the penalty area, their hearts nearly jumped out of their chests.
It was only when their goalkeeper caught the ball that they could breathe a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness for César's heroic save, or Brazil would be two goals down by now.
In the 65th minute, Spain started to change their tactics.
Xavi moved from the defensive midfield position to the attacking midfield, coordinating the attack alongside Iniesta.
Lin shifted to the right flank, continuously attacking Brazil's left side along the right corridor.
Brazil's left-back was Marcelo, who is known for his strong offensive skills but weaker defense.
There's a joke in football that it takes three Marcelos to stop one Marcelo.
This means that Marcelo is so strong offensively that even three of him couldn't defend against himself.
Lin's offensive abilities were even stronger than Marcelo's. Besides being able to pass and dribble, he also had excellent scoring ability.
Facing Lin's attacks from the right wing, Marcelo couldn't hold his ground and was repeatedly beaten.
On the sidelines, Brazil's coach Scolari became restless upon seeing Spain's tactics.
Marcelo and Neymar were on the same side, and Brazil's left-wing attacks were dangerous because both players were very strong offensively.
But once Lin appeared on that side and completely suppressed Marcelo, Marcelo didn't dare to push up to attack.
Without Marcelo's support, Neymar was isolated up front, and his threat level dropped significantly, giving him few chances to shine.
What a ruthless move!
Bosque, I really underestimated you!
Since Lin had been playing as a free-roaming forward in previous matches, Scolari always saw him as Spain's striker. Even if not a traditional one, at least a false nine.
This fixed impression made Scolari almost forget that Lin played as a right winger for Werder Bremen.
Not only did Scolari not anticipate Bosque's adjustment, but the TV commentators were also surprised by Spain's tactics.
"Bosque actually fixed Spain's attacking core on the right wing. This adjustment is very bold!"
Martin Tyler was impressed by Spain's tactics and admired Bosque's courage.
Lin had always been Spain's attacking core, playing the false nine role, taking on some forward and midfield duties.
But fixing him on the wing turned him into a sharp knife, abandoning the organization role to focus solely on piercing the enemy's defense.
It's foreseeable that Spain's offense will be very active after this adjustment!
In Chelsea's office, Mourinho frowned at Bosque's adjustment.
To him, using Lin like this was a waste of talent.
If Lin were under his control, he would have a thousand ways to maximize Lin's potential!
On the other hand, Guardiola laughed when he saw Bosque's tactic.
This style of play was exactly what he used with Barcelona.
However, Spain didn't have a center forward like Eto'o.
Playing this way, the attacking burden falls entirely on Lin.
If Bosque knew about the outside speculations, he might laugh out loud.
Everyone thinks I'm planning a massive attack, but in fact, this is active defense.
It doesn't matter if Lin scores or not, what's important is suppressing Brazil's left flank.
Putting Lin on the right wing is like trading him for both Marcelo and Neymar, a very profitable exchange.
Seeing Lin move to the right, Brazil's two center-backs finally breathed a sigh of relief.
At least we don't have to deal with this tough guy directly anymore!
While they felt relieved, left-back Marcelo had a hard time.
From the 65th minute, Spain launched continuous attacks from the right wing. Marcelo tried hard to keep up with Lin's pace but failed repeatedly in one-on-one situations.
Luckily, sometimes his teammates provided timely support to neutralize the danger.
But when luck was not on his side, even the supporting teammates got beaten, giving Lin a direct shot opportunity after cutting inside.
Exhausted like a dog, Marcelo had no energy left to assist in the attack.
Without his forward runs, Neymar was even more isolated up front, frequently surrounded by Spanish players. His already poor form now seemed completely frozen.
As the match progressed, the fans on the sidelines noticed something was off.
Why has Spain been attacking this whole time? Where is Brazil's counterattack?
In reality, Brazil had organized counterattacks.
But their attacks primarily came from the right, where Hulk was positioned.
Although Hulk was physically strong, his ball-handling skills were far inferior to Neymar's.
He could be a good finisher, but not a good playmaker.
As a result, Brazil's attacks lacked threat, making it seem like they were just being beaten the entire time.
In the 77th minute, Lin carried the ball down the right wing. Marcelo, unwillingly, had to defend him.
Fortunately, his good friend Gustavo came to help, and the two of them sandwiched Lin.
With two of us, there's no way you can get past both of us, right?
Lin glanced at Gustavo and charged straight at Marcelo along the sideline.
Marcelo desperately tried to block him.
But Lin's real intention wasn't to overtake him on the outside; he cut the ball back and headed straight for Gustavo.
Gustavo, having experienced Lin's skills at Bayern, immediately prepared to intercept.
Lin pushed the ball to the left, then accelerated to the left.
Gustavo quickly moved to block, but Lin's two quick touches evaded both Gustavo's and Marcelo's legs.
Lin broke through their double-team.
Thiago Silva cursed inwardly and stepped up to cover.
If he didn't, Lin would shoot directly.
Facing Thiago Silva, the world's best defender, Lin didn't force it.
He passed the ball to a teammate.
Xavi received it near the penalty area, and David Luiz charged at him fiercely.
Xavi had no angle to shoot, so he threaded the ball into the space David Luiz vacated.
Iniesta appeared, received the ball, and shot in one fluid motion.
César made another world-class save, flying to push the ball away.
However, the ball didn't go far and fell to a Spanish player's feet.
Pedro got the ball and, facing his club teammate Alves, attempted a feint but failed. He quickly passed to a teammate.
With many players in the box, Pedro didn't try to cross but passed back to the edge of the box.
Martínez, arriving at that position, saw the situation in the box. Spain had mostly small players, while Brazil's defenders were tall. A cross would be a waste.
As for ground passes, the box was too crowded.
So, Martínez decided to take it himself!
With a powerful kick, the ball flew towards Brazil's goal with a whooshing sound.
The speed was so fast that César couldn't see it clearly and instinctively dove in one direction.
His luck wasn't great. Although he guessed the right direction, the ball slipped under his arm and crashed into the net!
In the 78th minute, Spain's defensive midfielder Martínez scored, making it 3-1!
With a two-goal lead, Spain could already see the championship within their grasp!
Martínez's goal effectively sealed Brazil's fate!
With less than 20 minutes left, could Brazil score two goals to tie?
Even Brazilian fans found it hard to believe!
If they had such firepower, they wouldn't have only scored one goal by now!
And that goal was from an early attack. Once Spain settled into their formation, Brazil hadn't been able to breach their defense.
Thinking of this, countless Brazilian fans teared up.
They found it hard to accept their team losing the championship at home, but football is cruel.
There is only one championship trophy, but many teams vying for it.
Winners are few; losers are many.
Seeing his team extend their lead, Bosque sighed in relief.
He started making substitutions.
Cazorla came on for the veteran Xavi.
The Spanish fans at the venue stood up, giving Xavi a round of applause for his contribution.
Xavi jogged off, clapping back at the fans in appreciation.
With Cazorla on, Spain continued their attacks, focusing on Brazil's left.
Brazil's left wing was completely suppressed, unable to launch attacks from there.
And Hulk's right-wing attacks lacked threat.
Scolari had to make personnel adjustments, replacing Hulk with Lucas.
Lucas could play as a winger or a makeshift attacking midfielder.
Though only 1.72 meters tall, he was extremely fast, a typical speedster.
Clearly, Scolari hoped to use his speed and playmaking to break through.
This substitution had some effect. Lucas indeed created several threats, even forcing Piqué to foul him, earning a yellow card.
But Brazil's attacks still didn't convert into goals, while the clock kept ticking.
In the final stages, Lin, after getting the ball, no longer pushed forward aggressively.
After Xavi went off, Cazorla played as an attacking midfielder for a while before moving back to a defensive role.
Lin returned to the false nine position, taking on the playmaking duties.
For Spain, leading in the score, engaging in a shootout wasn't favorable. They needed to control the game's pace and slowly run down the clock.
So, Lin slowed the game's tempo, passing the ball around with teammates and patiently looking for opportunities.
Brazilian fans, initially hopeful after Lucas's substitution improved their offense, now watched in frustration as Spain played keep-ball.
They were furious, hurling boos and curses at the Spanish players.
But Spain remained unfazed.
You boo; we pass.
Everyone doing their job, perfect!
Brazil's coach Scolari glared at Bosque, seemingly questioning how he could be so shameless.
Bosque shrugged:
Shameless?
Come on, we're not passing in the back; we're in the midfield. You can press if you want. No one's stopping you.
Pressing was a must!
With only a few minutes left, if they didn't press and let Spain pass the time away, Brazil was doomed.
They were already two goals down, so they had nothing to lose.
So, Scolari waved his hand, sending all players forward to press!
Lin, initially passing slowly with teammates, saw the opponents angrily charging and signaled to speed up the passing.
Spain's passing rhythm quickened.
Lin orchestrated from the center, fully utilizing the field's width, sometimes passing to defensive midfielders, sometimes to wingers.
With his second-tier stamina skill, Lin was still energetic and didn't mind running more.
But the Brazilian players couldn't keep up!
They chased the ball everywhere, while Spain moved it around effortlessly, tiring themselves out without getting the ball.
In frustration, they fouled Lin in the middle.
Beep!
The referee blew the whistle, gave Oscar a yellow card, and awarded Spain a free-kick.
Lin didn't waste time on the ground, despite many Spanish fans hoping he would.
He sat on the grass, rubbed his ankle, thinking how vicious Oscar's tackle was.
Even with injury mitigation, it hurt a lot.
Without the skill, this tackle might have injured him.
"Do you need a stretcher?"
Iniesta and Silva approached, concerned.
"No need!"
Lin shook his head, stood up with his teammates' help, and walked a few steps. His ankle still hurt.
But the pain was subsiding, and with some ice after the match, it should be fine.
Seeing Lin stand up, Spanish fans breathed a sigh of relief.
They were close to winning, and an injury to their core player would be a heavy price.
Bosque, more nervous than the fans, called Torres to get ready.
But Lin signaled from the pitch, asking to stay until after the free-kick.
The free-kick was near the halfway line, too far to shoot directly.
But Spain intended to loft it into the box, forcing Brazil to set up a wall.
While unlikely to score directly, a headed goal was still a threat.
Spanish players jostled with their Brazilian counterparts in the box. The referee warned them to keep it clean.
Boo!
The crowd jeered, knowing this free-kick would waste about two minutes, with the match at 86 minutes.
Such blatant time-wasting!
Despicable!
Lin ignored the boos and signaled to his teammates, indicating he would target the far post.
The ball was delivered, and Spanish players rushed to the far post.
The Brazilians followed, but the ball fell to the near post.
Piqué reached it but didn't shoot directly, instead setting it up for a teammate.
Cazorla, at the edge of the box, faked a shot, drawing Brazilian defenders towards him to block.
But instead of shooting, Cazorla passed to an open space on Brazil's left.
A red figure arrived, received the ball, and burst into the box, slotting it past the charging keeper into the net!
4-1!
Lin completed his hat-trick!
And with that, he sealed the game!
With less than six minutes, including stoppage time, Brazil had no chance of recovery!
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein