Capítulo 83: Captain, Don't Scare Me!
"Captain, please don't scare me, I'm afraid!" Lin made a fearful expression and said with a smile.
Puyol laughed heartily, "What are you afraid of? I think your skills are not inferior to Messi's. Whatever Messi can do, you certainly can do it too!"
This statement was half true and half false. Having played with Messi, Puyol couldn't possibly be unaware of Messi's true abilities. Lin was indeed very strong, but currently, there was still a gap between him and Messi!
However, the Spanish team's lineup was slightly better than Barcelona's, which could offset this gap.
The mid-game break quickly came to an end, and the second half began with both sides starting a new round of the game.
After the game restarted, both teams noticed changes in each other's tactics.
The French team saw a glimmer of victory, maintaining the morale they had at the end of the first half, and began more actively launching attacks in the midfield and front, seemingly aiming to defeat Spain in one fell swoop.
Spain's tactical approach became more focused, avoiding challenges with the powerful three central midfielders of the French team and often working on the two wings.
Spain's wings were not particularly strong, and the speed on both wings was not particularly fast.
But they had an advantage that the French team did not possess—each of their players could assume positions in the frontcourt. Additionally, Lin could also operate on the wings. Pedro and David Silva could swap positions with him and cooperate with him on the wings.
The possession-based system needs to fully utilize the width of the field, allowing them to pull apart the opposing defensive players, thus increasing passing space on the field, making it easier to launch attacks.
And in the second half, Spain executed this very well!
After the second half began, the Spanish team's constant swapping positions in the midfield and front field made it difficult for the French team to handle.
The praised tactical method of swapping positions was mainly because when the attacking players do so, it leaves the defending players at a loss.
They don't know who to mark, and if they fail to coordinate and communicate effectively with teammates, they can easily leave gaps.
Facing world-class players, even a second of hesitation could let the opponent seize the opportunity for a critical blow.
So, the French team found it somewhat challenging to handle this.
The three central midfielders had to frequently lean toward the wings to assist their full-backs in defending.
An outcome of this was a decline in their central defense.
In the 48th minute, Iniesta dribbled the ball in the center. The last French defensive midfielder who should have immediately intercepted him was now left to only be marking Xavi, and this left Iniesta unguarded in the center!
This let Iniesta have no one to guard him!
The unmarked man is the most deadly one.
After spotting his teammate's run, a through ball was made to the edge of the French team's penalty area.
Lin quickly cut inside from the wing and took the ball. After dodging a defender who tried to stop him, he shot but the ball deflected off a defender's leg and missed the goal.
In the 53rd minute, Lin exchanged positions with David Silva and dribbled the ball down the left.
The French team's defense line was on high alert, as in the first half, the opponent's cross from the byline nearly led to a goal.
But surprisingly, instead of crossing directly, Lin moved with the ball towards the penalty area and then made a square pass backward.
David Silva received the ball at the edge of the penalty area and immediately made a through pass.
This pass was very incisive, and it came to the French defenders in the middle, but none of them were able to touch the ball at first attempt.
France's goalkeeper Lloris, seeing the defenders unable to reach the ball, chose to rush out in an attempt to catch the ball before the attacking player could reach it.
But before he could touch the ball, a figure in red grabbed the ball! Lloris looked in despair and could only see the opponent's back and the shaking net as the ball went in.
The bright number 30 on the red jersey and the football flying into the net became an unforgettable scene for him.
Bang! The Calderón Stadium erupted again!
Countless fans cheered Lin's name, waving flags excitedly and holding up the newly acquired number 30 jersey, expressing their support and admiration for him!
This goal not only changed the score, but also finally relieved the burden on the Spanish fans.
With the French team on the rise, their attacks posed a significant threat and several times threatened the Spanish goal.
If the game continued in this trend, they were really afraid of the possibility of being overtaken by the French team!
Thankfully, we have Lin!
He stepped up in a crucial moment and broke the deadlock!
After scoring, Lin ran towards the sidelines, thinking about how to celebrate.
Messi and Kaka's hand-pointing celebration is elegant but too religious, and since he doesn't believe in God, he naturally wouldn't celebrate in that way.
Ronaldo's SIU is too iconic, and imitating it might cause controversy.
The celebration method of the "Lord of the Rings" Raul kissing a ring is something he likes, but he is neither married nor has a championship ring, so he couldn't do that either!
How about imitating the club's senior carpenter Klose and doing a somersault?
But just as he was about to sprint and take off for a somersault performance, his teammates caught up with him from behind, tackling him to the ground and piling on top of him.
Now he doesn't need to worry about how to celebrate.
After Lin scored, the people on the coaching bench plunged into a frenzy.
Coach Tony found it somewhat unbelievable, "This kid's scoring ability really is surprising. He has already scored four goals in two appearances for the national team. I'm afraid he is the most efficient striker our national team has ever had, right?"
Bosque hadn't paid attention to these statistics, but he had personally witnessed Lin's performance on the field.
"He's very skilled and plays very smartly. Coupled with our strong midfield lineup, having such scoring efficiency isn't surprising!"
Although it sounded like that, why couldn't the forwards before him score in every game like he does?
"He's not even 17 yet, I really look forward to his future performances!" Coach Tony said, his face full of longing.
Originally, after leading Spain to win the World Cup and European Championship and losing his thirst for honors, his passion for work had already waned.
But now, seeing such a young and promising rising star flourishing under his guidance, he was curious about how far he could go in the future, rekindling his enthusiasm for work.
Bosque felt the same way. He had a feeling that this kid might very well become a presence comparable to a football king in the future.
And being able to train a future football king, watching him grow step by step, and being part of it, gave him a feeling akin to playing a game of nurturing, inexplicably delightful.
Additionally, with the addition of Lin and his fresh blood, he was full of confidence in the team's future results.
This kind of work, which both guarantees results and is full of fun, who wouldn't love it?
Deschamps just couldn't love his job with the national team anymore!
Just as the French team was gaining momentum, they were stunned by the shot from Spain's number 30.
After the opponent's goal, both sides' morale underwent a complete change.
The French players once again fell into despair because they felt they couldn't defend against that kid.
Before Lin's goal, the French team had already discovered that the opponent's number 30 was the most active and threatening player on the field.
He was too agile, able to play at every position in the frontcourt, and had no fixed position, which made it impossible for them to figure out how to defend him!
After the game restarted, the high-spirited Spain continued to launch attacks on the French team, attempting to capitalize on this momentum to increase their lead.
This put the French team's goal under severe pressure!
In the 56th minute, Pedro, after cutting inside from the left, passed to Lin. After dribbling horizontally to create space, he made a through-pass into the penalty area.
Iniesta received the ball on the left side of the penalty area, but his powerful right-footed shot missed the target.
This missed shot left the fans ready to celebrate when Lin passed the ball, and when the ball flew to the stands, they could only hold back their almost celebratory shouts.
In the 62nd minute, Xavi's lob pass found Lin, who selflessly passed to his unmarked teammate.
Pedro, in the middle of the penalty area, received the ball but had his shot blocked by Lloris with his legs.
The ball flew out of the small penalty area and came to Fabregas, who was following up.
Fabregas didn't stop the ball, but unleashed a right-footed shot on goal, only to be blocked by Lloris who was still on the ground with his hands, denying the ball out of play.
The ball didn't go in, and Pedro and Fabregas knelt in the penalty area, both holding their heads in disbelief.
The French team's goalkeeper was incredible!
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