บท 291: Chapter 291: Brazil's Unexpected Slip, Spain vs Chile!

Chapter 291: Brazil's Unexpected Slip, Spain vs Chile!

Although Spain secured a big win, there were still some concerns for the team.

Diego Costa's old injury flared up again, leaving Spain's front line less robust than before. Without Diego Costa, Spain lacked a strong center forward and a key scorer, putting more pressure on players like Lin Quan to score.

After the match, Bosque immediately sent someone to the hospital to check on Costa's condition and confirmed that his right thigh injury had recurred. The team doctor determined that Costa would need at least two weeks to recover before he could play again.

Two weeks meant he would miss the remaining group stage matches and possibly even the round of 16. However, Bosque felt relieved upon hearing this news. He believed that Spain would have no trouble advancing from the group stage.

By finishing first in their group, Spain would likely face a weaker opponent in the first knockout round, making it easier to reach the quarter-finals. The quarter-finals were scheduled for July 5-6, about three weeks away, which should be enough time for Costa to recover and reintegrate with the team.

Bosque decided to monitor Costa's recovery before deciding whether to play him in the quarter-finals. If necessary, he could wait a few more days and have Costa ready for the semi-finals and final, assuming Spain made it that far.

On June 18, the Brazil vs Mexico match kicked off first. Compared to their previous opponent, Croatia, Mexico was much stronger. This match was a real test for Brazil.

The world paid close attention to this match because it was crucial for evaluating Brazil's capabilities. Based on the performances in the first round of group matches, four teams were considered favorites to win the World Cup: Spain, Brazil, Germany, and Argentina. If it weren't for Spain's overwhelming dominance, Brazil, as the host nation, would have been the top favorite.

Even if not the top favorite, Brazil's match attracted a huge crowd. Over 60,000 fans attended the game, with countless Brazilian supporters coming from all over the country to cheer for their team.

When the Brazilian national anthem played before the match, the entire stadium of 60,000 fans, along with the players and coaches, sang in unison, demonstrating unprecedented unity in Brazil. Brazil's star player Neymar was moved to tears during the anthem. The world's top defender, Thiago Silva, sang with his eyes closed, feeling his blood boil with excitement.

He couldn't wait to crush the Mexican team!

However, 90 minutes later, Thiago Silva felt utterly cold, and Neymar, who had cried before the match, was crying again. The scoreboard showed a number that neither Brazilian players nor fans could accept: 0-0. After 90 minutes, the second favorite to win the World Cup, Brazil, had been held to a draw by Mexico. Not only were they held to a draw, but they were also kept scoreless.

Brazil, known for its powerful offense, performed poorly in this match, with their strong forward line completely silenced. Despite dominating the game, Brazil's strikers wasted numerous opportunities and were ultimately punished for it.

Failing to win this match left Brazil with the same points as Mexico, and both teams now had a chance to top the group. If Brazil wanted to avoid facing other group winners in the knockout stages, they had to win their final group match and score as many goals as possible. Otherwise, they risked finishing second in their group.

According to World Cup rules, the first-place team in Group A faces the second-place team in Group B, and the second-place team in Group A faces the first-place team in Group B. Currently, Spain was leading Group B. If Brazil failed to top their group, they could face Spain in the round of 16. Given the current form of both teams, Brazil's chances of beating Spain were less than 30%.

Thus, this result not only troubled Brazil but also affected Spain. Originally, Spain would only need to face a second-tier team like Mexico in the round of 16, but now, due to Brazil's unexpected slip, the top two seeds might meet early in the tournament.

For Mexico, this result was entirely acceptable. A draw was better for their chances of winning the group. To reach the quarter-finals, they needed to avoid facing Spain. Therefore, they would need to fight hard against Croatia in their next match and aim for a big win.

The man of the match was Mexico's goalkeeper, Ochoa, who made six spectacular saves. In the 26th minute, he miraculously saved Neymar's header aimed at the bottom corner. A slow-motion replay showed that he saved the ball just as it was about to cross the goal line! Even more incredible was his instinctive save in the dying minutes, stopping Thiago Silva's close-range header with his right hand. This save left the Brazilians in despair, with one commentator exclaiming, "Today, it wasn't just a man standing on Mexico's goal line; it was a god!"

The draw between Brazil and Mexico was great news for Croatia and Cameroon. Both teams knew that a win in their match would keep their hopes of advancing alive. In the end, the stronger Croatian team prevailed, with Modric and Mandzukic scoring three goals between them to lead Croatia to a 4-0 victory over Cameroon.

With this win, Croatia could breathe a sigh of relief. If they won their final match against Mexico, they would advance from

the group stage. If Brazil lost their final match, Croatia could even top the group. On the other hand, Cameroon, having lost both their matches, was eliminated early, becoming the first team to exit this World Cup.

The unexpected twists in Group A caught Bosque's attention. "Damn Brazilians, how did they mess up?" he exclaimed.

Brazil didn't want to face Spain too early, and Spain didn't want to face Brazil prematurely either. With Diego Costa still recovering, it would be even harder for Spain to overcome Brazil in the first knockout round.

Bosque decided to prepare ahead of time. "We'll give our all in the match against Chile. After winning, we'll field our substitutes in the last group match, allowing our main players to rest and recharge for the knockout stages."

The World Cup knockout stages are decided by single matches, with no home or away advantage, making the margin for error very slim. Even the strongest teams can easily stumble.

Bosque's strategy was clear: secure a win against Chile, ensure top players are well-rested, and be ready to face any opponent in the knockout stages.

Moreover, facing such strong opponents makes it even more likely to have an upset.

For the Chilean team, being placed in Group B, which includes the last World Cup's champion and runner-up, was extremely unlucky. But as a strong South American team, they wouldn't give up easily.

Currently, the Dutch team is not in good form. They were thrashed 5-1 by Spain in their first match, and in their just-concluded second match, they barely managed to win 3-2 against the weakest team, Australia. This gave the Chileans hope for advancing!

On paper, Chile is definitely not as strong as Spain or the Netherlands. But football is unpredictable, and anything can happen on the field. If they manage to upset the powerful Spanish team, their chances of advancing would look very optimistic! Of course, even if they lose, it's not the end of the world.

Chile currently has a goal difference of +4, while the Netherlands has -3. This means that in the final round, if they face the Netherlands, they only need to win or draw to advance. The key is not to lose too badly in this match!

So, in this match, Chile naturally adopted a defensive strategy. A minimal loss would be considered a win for them; if they could draw, even better! Even if they lose, keeping the goal difference within two goals would still leave them with a better goal difference than the Netherlands.

Seeing their opponent's defensive setup, Bosque's mouth twitched slightly. It was indeed a defensive setup, just as he had expected.

Breaking through a dense defense is a challenge for any team in the world, including Spain. In this match, Chile's defensive setup was even more exaggerated than the Netherlands in the previous match, forcing Spain to use a possession-based pressing style, circling around the opponent's goal trying to find an opportunity.

For the first 30 minutes, the game was uneventful. Spain's possession rate was astonishingly high, and their passing success rate was also very high, but they just couldn't score. Their attacks were repeatedly blocked by the opponents, and when the defense failed, the opponents would resort to fouls to break up Spain's play.

In those 30 minutes, Chile already had three yellow cards. This showed the tremendous pressure Spain was putting on them.

Chile's goalkeeper, Bravo, was outstanding in this match. In the 15th minute, he saved a one-on-one chance from Torres, and in the 27th minute, he saved a long-range shot from Lin Quan. These were both very threatening shots, and if it weren't for Bravo's heroic performance, Spain would have already been leading.

On the World Cup stage, aside from passionate fans, there are also scouts from various big clubs. Bravo's excellent performance earned him high praise from many scouts, including those from top clubs like Barcelona!

Faced with the opponent's defensive wall, Spain started trying to utilize set-pieces and long shots. In the 35th minute, Lin Quan created space in front of the penalty area and launched a high-quality long-range shot. Once again, Bravo made a spectacular save, tipping the ball over the crossbar and averting another crisis for his team.

Seeing this save, Lin Quan put his hands on his hips, feeling a bit helpless. This guy seems even tougher than Buffon and Neuer!

Every World Cup, there always seems to be a bunch of goalkeepers who perform heroically.

Xavi took the corner, causing chaos in the penalty area. Ramos and the opponent's defender Venna both fell in a scramble, but the referee didn't react. Pique won the aerial duel, but his header lacked power, and Bravo easily caught the ball.

Bravo, being both brave and meticulous, noticed that most Spanish players were in their own half, so he quickly threw the ball to winger Sanchez. Sanchez, like a race car, sped down the wing, quickly advancing into Spain's half.

Although Chile had adopted a defensive strategy, it didn't mean they abandoned attacking. With a star like Sanchez, how could they forsake their advantage?

Spain's defense was exposed, with both center-backs still in the opponent's penalty area. In a critical moment, Busquets stepped up and committed a tactical foul to stop his club teammate.

Despite Busquets's apologetic demeanor, the referee still issued a maximum penalty: a red card!

Busquets was stunned by this decision. The foul happened on the wing, far from the goal, and Sanchez hadn't created a clear scoring opportunity. It should have been a yellow card, not a red!

He desperately tried to explain to the referee, hoping to change the decision. But the referee insisted it was a red card, rejecting Busquets's protest. His reasoning was simple: Sanchez had already crossed midfield and was about to cut inside, and Busquets was the last defender, denying Chile a clear scoring opportunity. Thus, it was a red card!

Seeing this decision, Bosque on the sidelines also became agitated. He ran to the fourth official, loudly protesting, but to no avail. The fourth official wasn't going to overturn or stop the referee's decision.

As a result, before the first half ended, Spain was down to ten men. Bosque had no choice but to make a forced substitution. He took off Torres and brought on Xabi Alonso.

The tight defense had caused Torres to struggle again, making him almost invisible on the field. Substituting him had the least impact on Spain's lineup, and the crucial defensive midfield position couldn't be left vacant.

Torres walked off looking somewhat dejected, aware of his poor performance. Without Lin Quan's excellent dribbling and skills, he found it hard to get the ball or create space against a tight defense. He had no complaints about being substituted, realizing it was due to his own lack of ability.

However, Torres felt deeply unsatisfied. With the team down a player and facing a defensive wall, the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable for Spain. Fans at the Maracana stadium couldn't help but worry: Could Spain also be held to a draw by Chile, just like Brazil?

But at that moment, someone stepped up. In the 43rd minute, after a brilliant combination play with his teammates, Lin Quan broke into the penalty area and received a pass from Iniesta. Facing the unbeatable Bravo, Lin Quan didn't shoot immediately but continued to dribble forward! He was actually going to try to dribble past the goalkeeper!

(End of this chapter)

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