Capítulo 289: Chapter 289: 5-1? Spain's Big Victory Over the Netherlands!
Chapter 289: 5-1? Spain's Big Victory Over the Netherlands!
"Spain's attack!"
"David Silva crosses, Diego Costa!"
"Diego Costa is down in the penalty area, and the referee has awarded a penalty!"
"This penalty is almost fatal for the Netherlands. If they concede another goal while already one down, their chances of winning this match will be very slim!"
The two commentators on CCTV were also very surprised by the referee's decision.
From the slow-motion replay, it looked like Costa might have dived, and he had already completed his shot. In this situation, the penalty decision seemed debatable.
"The Dutch players are very emotional, running to the referee, trying to explain something!"
"The Italian referee insists on his decision, signaling the Dutch players to back off!"
Seeing that the referee was firm in his decision, the Dutch players, despite their frustration, had no choice but to leave the referee.
Continuing to surround him might earn them yellow cards.
The Dutch fans in the stands were furious, shouting accusations of diving and biased refereeing.
They knew this penalty decision could destroy their four-year-long revenge plan.
If Spain scores this penalty, they will be two goals down within the first 30 minutes.
Against a top team like Spain, being two goals behind is almost a death sentence.
It's almost impossible to come back from a two-goal deficit against Spain!
So, they could only hope their goalkeeper could perform a miracle.
They hoped Cillessen could save the penalty. If he did, they would still only be one goal down, keeping the match alive.
On Spain's side, the players were discussing who would take the penalty.
Diego Costa, who won the penalty, was eager to take it, but he was new to the team, and coach Bosque hadn't designated him as the first penalty taker, so he didn't have much say.
During the Confederations Cup, Lin Quan was the primary penalty taker.
But Lin Quan wanted to let vice-captain Xavi take this one, since it was his last World Cup.
In the upcoming matches, Xavi, due to his position, might not have many scoring opportunities.
If he took this penalty, he could have better stats in his last World Cup.
"No need, I'm not a forward. Goal stats don't matter much for midfielders like us. But for you, you're competing with Ronaldo, Messi, and Neymar for the Golden Boot. Every goal is crucial, so you should take it," Xavi declined Lin Quan's offer.
At his age, Xavi was no longer concerned with personal glory.
Being able to participate in one last World Cup was enough for him.
Goals didn't matter.
Seeing Xavi's determination, Lin Quan didn't insist.
He stepped up to the penalty spot, placed the ball, and took a few steps back, looking at the Dutch goalkeeper.
Cillessen was very nervous. He knew the heavy responsibility on his shoulders.
Saving this penalty and not saving it was almost a matter of life and death for the Netherlands.
But even for top goalkeepers, the chance of saving a penalty is less than 30%.
As long as the penalty taker doesn't make a big mistake, the penalty will most likely result in a goal.
Especially when the taker is Lin Quan.
This guy had never missed a penalty before, with a perfect 100% record. Which goalkeeper wouldn't be intimidated?
Lin Quan noticed the goalkeeper's tension and decided to play a psychological game.
He deliberately looked towards the right side of the goal, as if he was going to shoot there.
Cillessen saw this but couldn't help but suspect it was a feint.
Recalling Lin Quan's previous goal, Cillessen trusted his judgment.
It had to be a psychological trick!
However, when Lin Quan finally took the shot, Cillessen was dumbfounded!
He really aimed for the right side of the goal!
Cillessen, who hadn't moved early, reacted too late.
The ball swished into the net.
Cillessen, like a rusty robot, moved a beat too slow!
He dived after the ball was already in the net, making it hard for Dutch and neutral fans to watch.
This Dutch goalkeeper seemed weak!
2-0!
After scoring, Lin Quan rushed to the sidelines, finally completing his bow and arrow celebration that he couldn't do earlier!
The Spanish fans at the stadium erupted in joy, even more relaxed than before.
With a 2-goal lead, their advantage was turning into a victory.
Their worries vanished, and many started thinking not about this game, but the next one against Chile.
If they beat Chile, Spain would advance to the knockout stage with one game to spare.
Australia was weak, and beating them shouldn't be a problem.
If they secured early advancement, they could give some substitutes a chance to experience the World Cup in the last group match and let the main players rest.
In contrast to the jubilant Spanish fans, the Dutch fans were dejected.
Four years of revenge turned into a joke, and Van Gaal's pre-match words became a boomerang, likely to be mocked post-match.
This filled the Dutch fans with bitterness.
Is Spain their natural nemesis?
In the stands, Neymar saw Lin Quan score two goals in just 30 minutes, catching up to him in the top scorers' chart.
His expression turned very serious!
The match wasn't over yet, and Lin Quan might score more.
If he scored another, Lin Quan would overtake him in the scorers' chart!
In a hotel room where Portugal was staying, Ronaldo, seeing Lin Quan's second goal, angrily turned off the TV.
He couldn't watch anymore; it was too infuriating.
In the last World Cup, he had struggled to score even once, and that was in Portugal's 7-0 win over North Korea.
But Lin Quan scored two goals in one match!
It seemed as easy as eating or drinking!
Come on, this is the World Cup, the highest level and hardest stage to score.
How could he make it look so easy, like a regular league match?
It was unbelievable!
In Argentina, although Messi didn't turn off the TV, he couldn't help but frown seeing Lin Quan score again.
Messi often watched Lin Quan's matches when he played in the Bundesliga and sometimes even reviewed them.
In these matches, Messi noticed a phenomenon: once Lin Quan gets into form, it's hard for opponents to defeat his team. Moreover, with Spain's already strong squad, plus a firing Lin Quan, the Netherlands team would likely face an uphill battle!
Argentine coach Sampaoli, German coach Low, and French coach Deschamps, among others, shared similar sentiments upon seeing the scoreline. They had believed that the Netherlands, with their strength, could at least challenge Spain. Even if they couldn't win, they could make it very difficult for Spain to secure a victory, with scores like 1:0 or 2:1 being the most likely outcomes they envisioned.
However, reality turned out to be far from what they had imagined. From the current results, it seemed challenging for the Netherlands to trouble Spain. As long as Spain continued to employ a pragmatic tactic of defending and counterattacking, they were bound to score more goals in this game.
This left these coaches extremely troubled! Spain, for no apparent reason, abandoned their possession-based football and resorted to counterattacks, and they were excelling at it. This left everyone wondering how to counter Spain to avoid a major setback when facing them in the knockout stage.
After the score became 2:0, the morale of the Netherlands team suffered a heavy blow. For over ten minutes, they struggled to recover. Meanwhile, Spain seized this opportunity to launch frequent attacks on the Netherlands, keeping them on edge in their own box.
In the 37th minute, the Netherlands finally countered. Their left-back dribbled forward and delivered a cross from the left. Robben and Van Persie attempted a double-header, but Van Persie's touch was too weak, barely altering the ball's trajectory, grazing the post and flying out of bounds.
After missing this chance, Van Persie knelt on the ground, clutching his head in frustration. If he were just a centimeter taller, the ball might have gone in. It was that close!
In the 39th minute, De Jong attempted a long-range shot from outside the penalty area. Initially harmless, the ball deflected off a defending player's leg in flight. Just then, Casillas reacted almost instantly, as if a deity descending to earth, batting the ball away, averting the danger.
The Dutch fans couldn't help but sigh in unison. If not for the goalkeeper's miraculous save, that ball would likely have gone in. If they could pull one back before the end of the first half, there would still be a chance in the second half.
But alas, the ball didn't go in. Seeing the Netherlands create consecutive threatening attacks, Spain immediately responded in kind.
In the 41st minute, Spain launched another rapid counterattack. Lin Quan's through ball pierced the Netherlands' defense, forcing De Vrij to foul Silva, stopping Spain's advance at the cost of a yellow card.
In the 43rd minute, Iniesta and Lin Quan executed a brilliant combination. After consecutive one-twos, Iniesta played a through ball at the edge of the penalty area, sending Diego Costa through on goal. However, the final step seemed to strain Diego Costa, his shot lacking power, easily parried away by Cillessen.
As expected, Diego Costa made a painful expression and signaled for a substitution, his old injury acting up again. Both the Spanish players on the field and the fans in attendance were speechless! This guy's injury really wasn't healed properly!
Bosque also seemed a bit speechless. He hesitated between Villa and Torres for half the day but ultimately chose to send Torres onto the field.
Torres was quite pleased. Diego Costa's presence posed the biggest threat to him. With Lin Quan falling back, Spain would inevitably have a true center-forward on the field. Originally, this position should have been contested between him, Villa, and Negredo. However, Negredo, having spent too much time on the bench at Manchester City, was left out of the national team. So, it was only him and Villa left!
As a result, there was an unexpected turn with the appearance of Cheng Yaojin, catching Torres off guard.
This guy's current ability indeed surpasses his, and he's more adapted to Spain's tactical system. So Torres can only sit on the bench, waiting for his chance!
However, he didn't expect the opportunity to come so soon! After Torres came on, the first half quickly ended.
The Netherlands couldn't score, and Spain didn't widen their lead. During halftime, Del Bosque seriously considered whether to adjust the tactics back.
In terms of counterattacks, Diego Costa posed a bigger threat than Torres!
Now that Diego Costa was substituted, could Spain still continue with their counterattacking strategy? Del Bosque hesitated for a moment, deciding to observe the second half first.
If necessary, they'd switch to possession play! The players were well-versed in the possession system, needing little instruction; they knew how to handle it themselves.
On the other side, with the Netherlands trailing, they had to adjust their lineup. They substituted a center-back for a winger, changing to a 4-3-3 formation.
This adjustment was clearly aimed at strengthening their attack! After the formation change, the Netherlands' attack noticeably improved.
In the 54th minute, the Netherlands launched an attack on the right flank. The full-back Blind delivered a long pass from near the halfway line, about 50 meters, into the penalty area.
Van Persie arrived and leaped to head the ball, bypassing Casillas' interception and scoring, pulling one back for the Netherlands, making it 2-1.
This goal was somewhat miraculous, with a full-back displaying such excellent footwork, truly surprising. After narrowing the gap, the Netherlands' players were pumped up, attempting more attacks to equalize the score!
However, while their sustained pressure indeed stressed Spain, their failure to score exposed vulnerabilities in their defense.
In the 57th minute, Xavi made a crucial through pass, finding Lin Quan. Evading De Guzman's interception, Lin Quan dribbled into the edge of the penalty area, then passed to Iniesta, who, after adjusting his angle, chipped the ball into the net, changing the score to 3-1.
The Netherlands had just narrowed the gap, only to see it erased instantly.
This frustrated the Dutch players, who had struggled for over ten minutes to score once, only to concede on a single counterattack.
The efficiency of both sides was vastly different! Yet, this wasn't the most despairing moment.
Torres dashed into the penalty area and received a pass from Lin Quan.
At that moment, he felt as if he had returned to his peak, with exceptional clarity of mind. After observing the goalkeeper's position, he seized the perfect opportunity, calmly placing the ball into the net, helping the team change the score to 4-1!
After the goal, Torres let out a roar, releasing all the frustration of the past few years. Then he turned and ran towards Lin Quan, embracing him tightly.
He said, "Thank you, Lin!"
Lin Quan patted Torres on the back and replied with a smile, "I also thank you for allowing me to tally another assist!"
The two exchanged smiles, dissipating any past unpleasantness from their league encounters.
On the field, seeing the Spanish players celebrating, the Dutch players felt deeply disheartened.
The goal in the 53rd minute had given them hope of equalizing. However, Spain's consecutive goals shattered their dreams.
Seeing the bright red score on the scoreboard, the fans at the stadium felt bewildered.
What was predicted to be a evenly matched game had turned into a massacre!
And considering Spain's form, they might even score more!
What would the final score be?
Could it be 5-1, or even 6-1?
(End of this chapter)
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