Capítulo 157: The Confederations Cup Final Begins, A Dominant Performance That Stuns the World!
Pelé's prediction immediately sparked a public uproar.
It couldn't be helped. Pelé was notoriously known as a jinx!
Since the 1990 World Cup, every team Pelé predicted to win had ended up losing.
In the 1990 World Cup, Pelé favored Yugoslavia.
Yugoslavia was eliminated by Argentina in the quarterfinals.
That wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was that after that World Cup, Yugoslavia disbanded, and they never had the chance to get revenge on Argentina.
In 1994, Pelé predicted Colombia would win, but they were eliminated in the group stage. Their defender, Andrés Escobar, was even shot dead by a fan over an own goal, creating a tragic incident in football history.
Besides these two most unfortunate teams, France, Argentina, and even Pelé's own Brazil were jinxed by his predictions.
Because of Pelé's jinxing reputation, fans both respected and feared him, to the point of being extremely cautious.
During the last World Cup, Pelé predicted Brazil would reach the finals.
After hearing his prediction, Brazilian media immediately reported that Brazil was eliminated, even though the game hadn't started yet, causing a huge blunder.
However, the Brazilian media was not wrong. In the end, Brazil was indeed eliminated by the Netherlands that day…
Spain was also jinxed by Pelé. In the 1998 World Cup, Pelé predicted Spain would win.
But Spain lost consecutively in the group stage and didn't even advance, going home early.
Having experienced Pelé's jinx, the Spanish felt relieved when he predicted Brazil would win.
On Pelé's social media, many Spanish fans left comments:
"Thank you, King Pelé, for not jinxing us!"
"Grateful!"
"Grateful +10086!"
...
Meanwhile, knowing Pelé's prediction, everyone in Brazil was extremely nervous.
Why didn't you jinx Spain?
Why jinx us?
Do you want us to lose?
So frustrating, so infuriating!
But they couldn't curse him!
They had to hold it in!
Pelé made significant contributions to the Brazilian team, leading them to three World Cup victories!
Three of the five stars on Brazil's crest were his doing.
Faced with such a national football legend, Brazilian players, even if angry, could only hold it in.
A Brazilian reporter interviewed Pelé, gently asking why he jinxed his own country's team.
"Why do you all think I jinx teams? Many of my predictions came true!" Pelé said to the camera, looking surprised.
"I think people are biased against me. Yes, I made many wrong predictions, but I also had many correct ones!"
"For example, last World Cup, I predicted Germany would beat Argentina, and Germany won, didn't they?"
The reporter quietly replied:
"But you also predicted Brazil and Argentina would meet in the finals, and both teams were eliminated in the quarterfinals..."
Pelé got angry:
"I'll say it again, I believe Brazil will win. I'll be at the game to cheer for our boys!"
Initially, Pelé's prediction made Brazilian fans nervous.
Hearing he would attend the game in person made Brazilian fans almost cry with fear!
"King Pelé, please have mercy, spare our team!"
"I was optimistic about Brazil, but now…"
"Thousands sign a petition for Pelé not to attend the game!"
The petition seemed ineffective.
On the day of the final, cameras caught Pelé in a box at Maracanã Stadium.
The King really came!
In the box, Pelé felt anxious too.
Could he really be a jinx?
If Brazil loses this game...
At 7 PM, the Confederations Cup final officially began.
As players entered the field, the cameras focused on Neymar and Lin.
Clearly, these two were the stars of the game.
Whoever won would have the upper hand.
Before the game, Lin had scored seven goals in the Confederations Cup, tying the tournament record.
Neymar had four fewer goals, a significant gap.
Even if Brazil won, many would still support Lin.
But if Lin led Spain to victory, there would be no dispute about who was better.
In terms of goals, assists, and team achievements, Neymar couldn't compete.
What did he have to win with?
Neymar knew this, so he looked at Lin with hostility.
During the handshake, Neymar held onto Lin's hand, staring at him as if declaring war.
I will prove my strength in this game!
The trophy belongs to Brazil!
Lin responded calmly.
He nodded slightly, as if saying:
Oh, good luck then!
This calm response surprised Neymar.
"Ha ha, Neymar got ignored by Lin!"
"Looks like Neymar wants to outshine Lin, but Lin never saw him as a rival!"
"Indeed, Lin's rivals are players like Ronaldo and Messi. Neymar? Not there yet!"
Because of Neymar's poor sportsmanship and his stats being worse than Lin's, neutral fans supported Lin much more.
But in Brazil, Neymar had more supporters.
Seeing Lin's seemingly dismissive response, Brazilian fans booed him.
They thought Lin was showing off!
Aren't you a young player too?
Do you really think you're a superstar?
...
After the pre-game ceremonies, players took their positions.
Lin noticed Brazil's formation was 4-2-3-1.
It was a balanced formation.
Spain's formation was 4-3-3, but they didn't have a traditional forward.
Pedro, Lin, and David Silva at the front were not traditional strikers.
So, 4-3-3 was a guise, and Spain quickly shifted to a no-forward formation.
Brazil had anticipated Spain's tactics.
Spain's formation had barely changed during the Confederations Cup. Against strong teams, they used their favored no-forward formation.
Using their midfield advantage to control the ball and break down defenses with continuous passing.
Only against weaker teams did they start traditional strikers like Torres to act as a pivot.
To counter Spain's midfield advantage, Brazil fielded two defensive midfielders.
Both were energetic, wide-ranging, and strong tacklers.
One was Gustavo from Bayern, and the other was Paulinho, signed by Tottenham for 17 million pounds.
Lin had played against Gustavo.
As for Paulinho, Lin had seen him play for Guangzhou Evergrande and knew he was a box-to-box midfielder.
Energetic, strong in defense, powerful in attack, with good passing and shooting—nicknamed "Violent Bird"!
Though he hadn't shown his strength in top leagues yet, being in Brazil's national team meant he wasn't weak.
This match promised fierce midfield battles.
Lin expected a tough game but was surprised when Brazil started aggressively.
They bypassed the midfield, launching long balls from the back to their forwards.
Hulk, known as the Green Giant, used his physical advantage to get the ball, passed to Oscar, and continued forward.
Oscar passed into the box, but Spain's defense deflected it.
However, the clearance wasn't far, and Neymar got it.
Neymar used a feint to dodge a defender and shot as he entered the box.
Casillas was well-prepared, leaping to save Neymar's shot.
But the rebound fell to a Brazilian player.
Fred followed up with a powerful shot, scoring in the empty net!
Brazil scored in the first minute.
As the referee confirmed the goal, Brazilian fans erupted in disbelief and cheers.
This isn't a dream, right?
A goal in the first minute?
Spain doesn't seem that strong after all!
At that moment, Brazilian fans felt overwhelmed with happiness!
The supposedly invincible Spain seemed to have fallen, ready to be trampled!
In the box, Pelé danced with joy!
See?
What did I say?
Brazil will beat Spain at home!
Who dares call me a jinx now?
He felt the jinx label was finally lifted!
But the Spanish players wouldn't agree!
"Sorry, my fault, I missed my mark!"
Alba took responsibility, admitting he failed to cover Neymar, allowing the shot.
"It's not your fault. I didn't control the rebound!"
Ramos also admitted his mistake, his focus had lapsed, and he didn't coordinate well with Casillas.
If he had been more focused, he should have controlled the rebound, preventing Fred's follow-up.
"Alright, everyone, stop blaming yourselves. We have plenty of time left. Instead of self-blame, think about how to equalize!"
Spain's team spirit was strong, their consecutive wins building immense confidence.
Though they were behind, the players didn't panic.
Seeing their calm, confident state, Bosque sighed in relief. He had worried the early goal might affect their mindset.
But it seemed he needn't worry!
Brazil, enjoy your moment. Soon, you'll witness the power of possession football.
...
After the restart, Spain didn't rush to attack.
They maintained possession, patiently looking for opportunities.
Brazil couldn't let them control the ball freely. Without the ball, Brazil couldn't attack.
So, Brazil committed six players, including both defensive midfielders, to press and break Spain's possession.
But this level of pressing didn't pressure Spain much. Their players were highly coordinated.
The ball moved swiftly among Spanish players, while Brazilian players chased without even touching it.
Spain's passing was terrifying.
As Spain quickened the pace, Brazil struggled to keep up.
This was the power of top-tier possession football!
On the field, Brazilian players and fans felt Spain's oppressive possession football.
Their players ran tirelessly, but their efforts were mostly futile.
Spain kept control, dictating the game's pace.
As the ball moved swiftly, gaps appeared in Brazil's defense.
In the 15th minute, Lin got the ball in the front.
Dribbling right, he drew defenders
before passing back to Xavi.
Without stopping, Xavi passed to Iniesta on the left.
Iniesta sent the ball to Pedro on the left wing.
Pedro's cutback found Lin at the edge of the box. Lin passed to David Silva on the right.
Spain's quick passes overwhelmed Brazil's defense.
When Lin passed to Silva, there were no defenders around him, giving him a clear chance.
Brazil's goalkeeper, Cesar, felt pressured. The passes were too fast, making him feel dizzy.
He couldn't rely on his teammates and had to charge at Silva.
Meanwhile, Brazilian defenders rushed to block Silva's shot.
Unexpectedly, Silva passed back to Lin, who entered the box.
Lin received the ball near the penalty spot, now unmarked.
Not only was he alone, but the goal was also wide open.
Lin easily pushed the ball into the empty net.
The score was now 1:1!
Spain took only 14 minutes to equalize.
Unlike Brazil's lucky goal, Spain's goal showcased pure skill.
Before scoring, they completed six quick passes, breaking Brazil's defense.
Even if it wasn't Lin, anyone could've scored with the open goal.
Brazilian players looked helpless, chasing the ball like headless chickens, leaving gaps everywhere.
This goal demonstrated world champion dominance, showing the world Spain's possession football's true strength!
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