Chapter 186: The Invincible Myth, Early Qualification for the World Cup!

Chapter 186: The Invincible Myth, Early Qualification for the World Cup!

"Brr, it's so cold!"

When they arrived in Helsinki and got off the plane, the Spanish national team players collectively shivered as they were hit by the cold wind.

The temperature in Helsinki at that time was around 5 degrees Celsius, and at night, the minimum temperature could drop below 0 degrees Celsius.

When they left Spain, it was sunny and 33 degrees in Madrid.

The temperature difference between the two places was up to 30 degrees, giving them the feeling of going from midsummer to midwinter in one night.

Although the national team logistics staff had warned them before departure to make sure to bring warm clothes, the Spanish players underestimated the cold of this place.

The worst part was that the wind in Helsinki was quite strong.

With the cold wind, the players' body heat dissipated quickly, and everyone began to shiver involuntarily.

"Quick, get on the bus and don't stay outside freezing and catching colds!"

Coach Tony also had a red nose from the cold, but still stayed outside in the icy wind, urging the players to quickly get on the bus.

Once inside the bus, the driver turned on the heater, and the Spanish players sighed in relief as they felt the warmth coming from above.

"Is this the Arctic Circle country? Did winter come too early here?"

"I've heard that it's not usually this cold, but today it is because of a cold wave."

"Damn, just at this moment a cold wave comes, what bad luck!"

Upon hearing this news, the players began to worry.

Playing football in a cold environment increases the risk of injuries, especially if the warm-up is not adequate.

They just arrived from Spain and have not adapted to the climate here at all.

They probably need some time to get used to this temperature, but the game starts tomorrow, and they don't have much time.

"Don't worry, this is not a life-or-death situation, even if we lose the game, it won't affect our qualification!"

Seeing his teammates' concern, Casillas stepped forward to reassure them.

Spain still has three qualifying matches to play, besides this one against Finland, they have two more at home against Belarus and Georgia.

By winning one of these last two games, they will be able to qualify first in their group.

The importance of having defeated the French team twice is now evident.

If they had lost one of those games, they wouldn't have any room for error now.

Hearing Casillas' words, the players felt a bit more at ease.

After all, it's not a life-or-death battle, there really is no need to worry so much.

Just relax and play!

After calming his teammates' moods, Casillas discreetly approached Lin Quan:

"Lin, do you have any plans for tomorrow's game?"

"Huh?"

Lin Quan looked at Casillas in confusion, not understanding why he was asking this now if they just said the result wasn't important.

"Do you have any ideas, Captain?"

Lin Quan replied with another question, believing that Casillas had a purpose in asking him.

"I want to win tomorrow's game and qualify the group two rounds early," Casillas said, nodding, and it wasn't strange for him to have that idea.

Not only did he have that idea, but Lin Quan also had it.

The other two opponents in the group stage are not particularly strong, and if they can beat Finland to qualify early, they will be able to rest in the next two games.

Mid-October is when the group stages of the Champions League, domestic league, and cup begin.

Playing on three different fronts would require a great deal of energy for these key players.

If you add a national team game to that, their energy consumption will be even greater.

Overworking the body could lead to injuries, so if they can secure their World Cup ticket early, at least they can reduce one front and save a lot of energy.

"Okay, I understand, Captain, don't worry, I'll make sure to be in my best condition for tomorrow's game!"

"Then I can rest easy."

Hearing Lin Quan's promise, Casillas felt relieved.

Lin Quan is the core of the team's attack, as long as he takes it seriously, beating Finland will be a piece of cake!

Finland, however, doesn't see it that way!

When Finnish fans saw the Spaniards getting off the plane in Helsinki and freezing in the cold, their original despair turned into hope again.

The Spanish players seemed not to adapt well to Helsinki's climate, while they themselves, as hosts, had no problem with it.

Therefore, the weather would help weaken Spain's fighting power, preventing them from showing their full potential.

If Finland can take advantage of this opportunity, it is very possible they can beat Spain while they are not in top condition.

Spain is currently unbeaten in 37 international competitions, the last time they lost was in 2011.

As the boss in major tournaments, other national teams take pride in defeating Spain.

Moreover, Finland is currently third in the group, with 6 points, while France, in second place, has 9 points, just one more win than them.

Theoretically, Finland still has hopes of fighting for second place in the group and advancing to the playoffs.

Therefore, the entire Finland team is prepared for this match, and the Helsinki Olympic Stadium is completely filled, with nearly forty thousand spectators.

At 19:30 sharp, with the main referee's whistle, the key match of Group I of the 2014 World Cup European qualifiers began, with the defending champion, the Spanish national team, visiting Finland.

For this game, Del Bosque made significant changes to Spain's starting lineup.

The young George Koke, who plays for Atlético Madrid, debuted as a right back in the national team, this is his first start in an official national team match.

Mario Suárez, also from Atlético Madrid, replaced Javi Martínez as a defensive midfielder.

Arsenal midfielder Cazorla replaced the veteran Xavi as the core organizer of the midfield.

The injured Silva was replaced by Mata.

Lin Quan remains the only forward on the front line, with Fàbregas and Iniesta behind him.

After the game started, the Spanish players, as the Finnish fans predicted, played conservatively.

The players were worried about injuries and didn't dare to make too bold moves on the field.

Meanwhile, Finland took this opportunity to launch attacks against the Spanish goal.

In the 3rd minute, Finland launched a quick attack from a midfield corner.

Finland's left winger, Alexander Lin, dribbled horizontally with the ball, but the Spanish defense was well-organized.

After a failed attempt to dribble, he managed to send a cross just near the left baseline.

Finland's center forward, Pukki, tried to head the ball from the penalty spot, but his position was blocked by Koke.

In a rather forced situation, he attempted to shoot anyway, but couldn't create a threat and the ball was easily caught by Casillas.

The young Koke, only 21 years old, had a very solid performance in this defense, earning the applause of his teammates and coach.

Casillas also came over and patted him on the back to encourage him.

Finland's attack was not yet over. In the 6th minute, Shchennikov launched an attack from midfield.

Pukki received the ball inside the box and, after turning halfway, shot with his right foot.

The shot was not accurate, and the ball soared over the crossbar.

The fans in the stadium saw their team dominating the game against Spain and were very excited.

One of the fans, excited, took off his shirt and waved the Finnish flag, cheering for his team.

The temperature at that time was around 3-4 degrees Celsius, with a cold wind of two or three degrees on the field.

Being barefoot in this situation really shows great determination.

Although at first Spain seemed to be in a defensive situation, gradually, as the Spanish players increased the distance covered on the field, their bodies warmed up.

It was evident that the Spanish players were no longer so rigid, they began to relax.

The gap in strength between the two teams was large. When Spain didn't dare to relax, Finland managed to take the lead.

But when Spain finished warming up and officially entered the game, Finland was quickly surpassed.

In the 11th minute of the first half, Spain recovered the ball in the center of the field.

Pedro passed on the right and sent the ball to Lin Quan, who combined with him to reach the edge of the penalty area.

Pedro got rid of the defenders and reached the penalty area, where he tried a shot with his right leg.

The shot was a bit weak and the goalkeeper caught it easily, posing no threat.

Although there was no goal, this shot attempt announced Spain's counterattack.

In the 12th minute, Spain showed excellent cooperation on the field, and Iniesta made an imaginative pass to the area after a series of passes.

Unfortunately, the defenders were focused and managed to clear the ball before Lin Quan could get it.

Otherwise, if Lin Quan had received the ball, it would probably have been a goal.

In the 15th minute, Spain charged again.

Defender Alba assisted from the flank, crossing from the left.

The cross was a bit high and difficult to handle.

But Lin Quan didn't want to miss this opportunity, so he instinctively performed a bicycle kick.

The goal was magnificent, the ball found its way and the goalkeeper did not expect a shot with the back to the goal.

Therefore, when he tried to save it, it was a bit late, and the ball passed in front of him into the goal.

1-0, Spain was temporarily leading.

This goal was incredible, even Lin Quan was surprised.

But his teammates didn't think much of it, they hurried to hug and celebrate.

Spain did not fear a change in the situation, as long as they scored first, they would probably win.

Now that they were ahead in the score, the players felt relieved.

"Let's not let our guard down, let's keep pressing and try to score two more goals to secure the victory."

"Yes, if Lin Quan scores two more, he can rest in the second half."

Iniesta said humorously.

After opening the score, the morale of the Finnish fans in the stadium visibly faded.

Even the shirtless man waving the flag seemed to move slower, whether from the cold or hopelessness.

Spain's attack didn't stop.

In the 28th minute, taking advantage of the opposing team's anxiety to equalize the score, Spain launched a quick counterattack.

Fabregas made a brilliant pass in the center of the field, Lin Quan advanced in the offside, leaving him alone with the goalkeeper.

Facing the goalkeeper, he calmly chose a shot with his left leg, sending the ball into the net.

The score was now 2-0. Spain had basically secured the victory.

"Great shot!"

"Lin has an incredible balance between his left and right leg, it almost seems like he has no weak foot!"

"Ha, that's good, but it's not as good as Santi Cazorla."

Lin Quan said modestly.

There are many players on the Spanish team with good skill with both feet, such as Iniesta and Pedro.

But the most balanced is probably Santi Cazorla.

When he plays, it's impossible to know which is his weak foot, it seems he doesn't have one.

The balance between both feet is terrifying.

For a professional player, developing your weak foot is an important skill.

Being skilled with only one foot is a great limitation, as defenders can predict your movements based on your dominant foot. If you have a weak foot, it's easy to defend.

Lin Quan was originally right-footed, and Messi is left-footed.

So, after copying Messi's template, Lin Quan could use both feet to pass, dribble, and shoot.

The match continued, and Finland created a decent opportunity in the 25th minute.

But unfortunately, Yelémyski's shot was blocked by Alba.

Then, Spain counterattacked, Iniesta sent a pass to the area from the left side, Lin Quan passed to Pedro.

Pedro also wanted to show off his skills, so he chose a shot with his left foot, but couldn't control the angle and the ball went wide of the far post.

Seeing the ball go out, Pedro felt uncomfortable and apologized to his teammates:

"It was a mistake, a mistake, next time I'll definitely get it!"

"I don't believe you one bit, Lin, next time don't pass the ball to this guy, can't you shoot with your right foot as you should?"

The teammates looked at Pedro with disdain, everyone knew he was trying to show off.

Otherwise, if he had simply used his right foot, could he have sent the ball out?

Seeing the relaxed and smiling Spanish players in front of their area, the Finnish players felt frustrated.

They couldn't do anything to stop them, they just couldn't.

The Spanish players weren't particularly tall or especially fast, but their combination of passing and movement was excellent.

Unless they doubled the number of defenders in the area, blocking all the spaces for passing, they couldn't stop their game of passes and cuts.

Seeing that the opposing team's attack was becoming sharper, the passion of the Finnish fans in the stadium completely faded.

Even the cheers became lower.

In the 37th minute, Fabregas received the ball on the left edge of the area. He passed to Lin Quan, who dribbled past two players horizontally.

But the way forward was already blocked, so he didn't force the situation and decided to return the ball.

Fabregas received the ball and passed to Pedro, who, instead of receiving it, feigned a shot and passed it to Iniesta arriving from behind.

Iniesta shot directly at the goal, and the goalkeeper was fooled by Pedro, having no chance to stop it, helplessly watching his goal being pierced again.

The first half was not yet over, but Spain was already leading 3-0.

Seeing Spain score another goal, the Finnish fans in the stadium finally couldn't take it anymore and began to leave early.

The shirtless man had found a jacket on his seat and put it on tightly.

Who knows if he was cold or if he felt cold inside.

In the second half, due to the team's great advantage, to avoid accidental injuries to the players, Bosque made early changes.

After the break, Spain directly replaced Iniesta and Fabregas.

Nacho and Isco came in.

After playing for more than ten minutes and seeing that Finland had no intention of attacking, Spain also planned to finish the game.

So, in the 59th minute, Bosque replaced Lin Quan with Morata.

Morata and Lin Quan shook hands excitedly.

Now, with less than 60 minutes of play, Morata had at least 30 minutes of time on the field.

Much more time than when he came on as a substitute in the Confederations Cup!

As for Lin Quan, after leaving the field, along with three other starters who were replaced early, he wrapped himself in thick coats and sat on the bench chatting and laughing.

"Do you think the coach will call us for the next qualifying match?"

"I don't know, if he wants to develop young players, he probably won't call us."

"But if he wants to maintain our unbeaten record and continue our streak, who knows!"

After Lin Quan left the field, Spain's attacking ability decreased a bit, and in the second half, they couldn't score more goals.

Finally, with goals from Lin Quan and Iniesta, Spain defeated Finland 3-0 away.

Not only did they maintain their unbeaten streak, but they also qualified for the 2014 World Cup finals two rounds early.

(End of chapter)

Thanks for all the support friends. Go to my Patreon to read the chapters in.