Chapter 298: A Dominating Performance, Advancing to the World Cup Quarterfinals!
Chapter 298: A Dominating Performance, Advancing to the World Cup Quarterfinals!
Seeing Spain swiftly substitute Harvey, Mexico's coach sighed with regret.
Harvey had been their breakthrough, a point they planned to capitalize on, but Bosque's quick and steady decision to substitute him was unexpected.
The new midfielder brought on was young, only 22 years old, yet already a key player for Atletico Madrid with outstanding performances in the Champions League.
Such a player was not easy to deal with.
Indeed, Koke's entry proved their worries right, boosting Spain's midfield defense significantly.
Whether it was innate or nurtured by Simeone's coaching habits, Koke executed the coach's tactics thoroughly, sparing no effort in his physical capabilities, sprinting across the field tirelessly after coming on.
You could see him on the attack and just as much on defense.
And when defending, his tackles were decisive, giving off a rough, wild vibe, reminiscent of players like martial artist Pepe.
Yet when he took the ball forward, his technical skills, expansive vision, and precise passing shone brightly.
This guy seemed like a younger version of Xavi or a blend of Xavi and Xabi Alonso.
With abundant stamina, robust physique, wide vision, nimble feet, and accurate passing, Koke was truly versatile!
Lin Quan hadn't played much with Koke before. After Spain advanced early in the World Cup qualifiers last year, Lin Quan missed several months of national team matches consecutively.
During this period, due to his excellent performances at the club level, Bosque invited Koke and other young players to join the team, playing them in remaining matches and some friendlies.
Among these, the forward pairing of Koke and Real Madrid's Isco garnered high expectations from many Spaniards, who believed these two young talents might eventually succeed the classic combination of Xavi and Iniesta.
Though their cooperation was sparse, the teammates' abilities were evident on the field.
Seeing Koke quickly finding his rhythm upon entering the field, Lin Quan eased up and consciously pushed the formation forward, igniting Spain's offense towards Mexico's half.
Naturally, Mexican midfielders and defenders couldn't just sit idly; they combined to stifle Lin Quan, aiming to dispossess him.
Lin Quan's objective wasn't solely to break through the opponent's defense with his personal prowess, although he could try—yet the success rate was low and not very team-oriented.
Seeing he had attracted defensive attention, Lin Quan immediately shifted the ball sideways, consciously pulling Mexico's formation towards the wings, leaving their midfield open, thus creating opportunities for Spain to attack through the center.
Spain had strong wingers on both sides, and after Lin Quan's pass, he actively moved closer again, forcing Mexican players to stay vigilant.
They assigned a holding midfielder to work with full-backs and wingers, constricting Spanish players with the ball on the wing.
Within the relatively narrow space along the sideline, ten players crowded in suddenly, making it chaotic.
Meanwhile, with one holding midfielder withdrawn, Mexico's central defense became somewhat exposed.
Under pressure, Iniesta shielded the ball, noticing Lin Quan nearby, swiftly returned it to Lin Quan's feet, and moved forward along the wing, seeming to prepare for tactical coordination with Lin Quan.
Mexico's full-back marked Iniesta closely, blocking his path, but after controlling the ball, Lin Quan feigned a pass to Iniesta, prompting the holding midfielder to intercept midway.
However, Lin Quan faked a shot, confusing the opposition, then swiftly moved the ball past the defender in front, charging toward the goal.
This time, the unfortunate Rodriguez was left behind again.
As before, he instinctively reached out to stop Lin Quan, but recalling the painful lesson from the first half, he quickly withdrew his hand.
Mexico's captain, wearing the number 4 jersey, Raphael Marquez, appeared in front of Lin Quan.
Compared to Rodriguez, Marquez had much more experience in defense.
Having played for Barcelona, he was Mexico's first player to wear the Barcelona jersey.
Although aged, his form remained excellent, and he used his extensive experience to help the team win games by carefully observing game trends.
After the previous lesson, Marquez knew Rodriguez couldn't stop Lin Quan, so he preemptively moved over.
Without Marquez's decision, Lin Quan would likely have had a clear chance now.
Marquez quietly sighed in relief, focusing his mind and staying vigilant.
Despite Lin Quan looking young, his reputation and skills were substantial.
If Marquez were careless and underestimated him, he might pay a painful price.
Marquez was prepared to confront Lin Quan head-on.
However, Lin Quan didn't give him the chance.
After drawing away two defenders, Torres' position was now vacant.
So Lin Quan selflessly passed the ball to Torres, who was in an open position.
After receiving the ball, Torres adjusted himself and aimed for the top left corner of the goal, hoping to score an absolute banger just like Lin Quan.
It turned out to be a risky move! With a loud bang, the football hit the crossbar and bounced out over the baseline.
Ah, this...
Torres was stunned, holding his head with his mouth forming an "O" shape.
On the sideline, Bosque saw Lin Quan pass to Torres and shoot, clenched his fists, raised them up, ready to wildly celebrate once Torres scored.
However, Torres kicked the ball high, causing Bosque, the Spanish coaching staff, and even the substitutes on the bench to abruptly halt their celebrations.
"This guy, I'll make him practice shooting a thousand times, aiming specifically for the top left corner of the goal until he's satisfied!"
A one-on-one miss, could there be anything more outrageous? Lin Quan also felt it was outrageous!
He and David Silva had already dribbled past all the opposing defenders, leaving Torres just needing to face the goalkeeper.
Moreover, in that situation, the opposing goalkeeper couldn't come out at all. Torres had enough time to adjust and shoot.
Yet he handed in such an outrageous answer sheet! The mood of the Spanish fans on the scene was like riding a roller coaster. They thought the team could completely seal the victory, but they didn't expect such a good opportunity to be wasted.
Fortunately, they were still leading, and the lead was still substantial, so they quickly recovered from this regretful state, one by one applauding the players on the field, affirming their excellent performance in this attack.
After missing this goal, Torres felt guilty and specifically ran over to apologize to Lin Quan.
"Sorry, Lin, I wasted your assist!"
"Next time, don't hesitate to shoot directly!"
Lin Quan nodded without pursuing the matter further.
"Yeah, next time for sure!"
Torres nodded heavily.
However, there was no next time.
In the 67th minute, Bosque made another substitution.
He took Torres off and sent Villa on.
Although Villa was older, his form was really good.
In the 78th minute, Spain launched a fast counterattack.
Still, after Koke intercepted in the middle and sent a through pass, it reached Lin Quan in the front.
Lin Quan lobbed the ball forward, and Villa successfully avoided offside, stormed into the penalty area, and got a one-on-one.
He didn't waste Lin Quan's brilliant pass and lightly pushed the ball into the far corner, helping Spain expand the score to 3-0.
After scoring this goal, they completely killed the suspense of the match and secured a spot in the quarterfinals.
With just over ten minutes left in the game, Mexico couldn't possibly equalize the score.
"David, great run, great shot!"
During the celebration, Lin Quan sincerely praised him.
Villa, 33 years old, still had such a strong sense of goal and ability to seize opportunities.
It's a pity that time waits for no one, and his days in the national team are probably numbered.
"Heh heh, your pass was perfect. If your pass was a bit slower, I would've been offside!"
Villa didn't boast, but humbly attributed the credit for the goal to Lin Quan.
This made Lin Quan's impression of him even better—humble, low-key, not seeking the limelight, despite his strong abilities, his fame in the national team was far less than his two teammates.
Of course, his style was quite different from Torres'.
Villa was a natural striker, while Torres was more like a traditional center-forward, able to shoulder, shoot, dribble, and even devour defenders alive.
The only problem was that Torres' peak was a bit short. After leaving Liverpool, he went downhill.
Villa's ceiling might be slightly lower than Torres', but his peak period was longer. Even at the age of 33, he still maintained a good form.
When Lin Quan joined the national team, Torres was no longer at his peak, but Villa was still in the tail end of his peak period. This made him have a better impression of Villa.
Spain's third goal was a fatal blow to Mexico.
Three goals behind, with the game about to end, Mexico's players realized they had no chance of reaching the quarterfinals.
This result left them feeling frustrated, playing on the field with a sense of powerlessness, almost allowing Spain another goal-scoring opportunity.
Fortunately, their captain, Max, stepped up in time, scolding his teammates awake, urging them to regain their composure and fight for Mexico's honor.
Mexico had already conceded three goals; they couldn't afford to concede a fourth.
Another goal would turn it into a disaster. They could accept losing, but they didn't want to be humiliated by Spain.
Thus, in the final stages of the match, a group of Mexican players fought for honor, playing even better than before.
However, it was a pity that this form came a bit too late.
In the 84th minute, Bosque used up his final substitution opportunity.
He took off Lin Quan and sent on Pedro.
The purpose of this substitution was clear—to let Lin Quan alone receive the applause from the fans.
In this match, Lin Quan scored a goal and contributed an assist, making him the biggest contributor to the team's victory.
Without the penalty he won just five minutes into the game, Spain might have won, but not as comfortably.
The fans cooperated well, standing and applauding Lin Quan, showering him with applause.
Lin Quan also clapped back to acknowledge the fans, but he couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled:
Recently, Bosque had subbed him off early in consecutive games, letting him alone receive the applause from the fans. Was Bosque being too favorable towards him?
Moreover, it seemed he hadn't favored him this much before, right?
Why the sudden...
This made Lin Quan feel like Bosque seemed to have some conspiracy!
After Lin Quan was substituted, Spain's attack declined significantly.
Their desire to attack also weakened, and players started passing around in their own half to waste time, without continuing to attack Mexico's goal.
Mexico's players attempted to press Spain's players, but after being dribbled past for a while, they decisively gave up this impractical idea.
Unless they pressed everyone forward, it was clearly impossible for just a few forwards to snatch the ball from Spain's defenders.
A few minutes later, as the last minute of injury time passed, the referee blew the final whistle, ending the match.
In the end, Spain defeated Mexico 3-0, advancing to the quarterfinals.
The Legion of Bullfighters continued their winning streak, and their opponent in the quarterfinals would be decided in four hours.
However, whether it was Costa Rica or Greece, they couldn't pose a threat to the Legion of Bullfighters.
Their advancement to the semifinals was just a matter of time!
(End of this chapter)
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