Chapter 650: Disrupting France's Offensive Rhythm
If Spain tried using long balls like mid- or lower-tier Premier League teams, Lin Quan would struggle. With his height and physical strength, he wouldn't stand a chance against France's tall and strong central defenders.
But if the passes came from a top-tier passer, the situation would be different. Since Lin Quan wasn't great at holding his position or winning aerial duels, Spain decided not to force him into such challenges. Instead, they focused on passing the ball to the wings, avoiding the French defenders.
This way, the French defenders couldn't control the ball's landing point immediately. They'd have to race Lin for it. Whoever got there first would take possession.
Spain's first attempt didn't work out. Piqué's clearance had a bit too much power and went closer to the French defenders. Lin Quan sprinted with all his might, but the French defender got there first, kicking the ball out for a throw-in.
Even though Lin didn't get the ball, the Spanish fans still applauded both him and Piqué for their efforts. After all, they had earned a throw-in in France's half. Given how much pressure they'd been under, this was a huge relief, giving them a moment to catch their breath.
"France is really pushing Spain to the edge. They're incredibly strong!"
"Yeah, Spain was almost getting beaten down by France's relentless attacks. If it weren't for Lin Quan's quick thinking, taking advantage of Piqué's clearance, they'd still be under siege!"
"By the way, could the French defender have controlled that ball instead of kicking it out?"
"No way! He touched it with his left foot, and Lin was already closing in fast. He didn't have time to adjust, so clearing it was the safest move."
After Varane cleared the ball, he backpedaled while giving Lin Quan a long look.
This guy has incredible stamina. After playing for so long, he could still sprint all the way here without even breaking a sweat. Meanwhile, after a shorter sprint, I'm already panting! Varane couldn't help but wonder if Lin was some kind of alien—did he never get tired?
No, that's impossible! No one has infinite energy. He's probably just pretending. As Spain's core player and spiritual leader, if Lin showed signs of fatigue, it would hurt his team's morale. So, he must be acting! He's probably exhausted by now—after all, he was the most aggressive attacker in the first half.
Varane's assumption was understandable, but it showed his lack of experience and his misunderstanding of Lin's abilities. If Varane were an English Premier League defender, who had faced Lin many times, he wouldn't have made that mistake.
Lin Quan was a beast, the kind that never stops running!
Since most of the Spanish players were still in their own half, Lin couldn't throw the ball in by himself. Nor did he intend to.
Spain's players were slowly moving forward. Busquets jogged toward the sideline, though his pace was slower than a walk. He wasn't stupid—this was the perfect chance to catch his breath and recover energy, and he wasn't going to waste it.
Plus, France was playing well right now. If Spain restarted too quickly, it would allow France to maintain their momentum. But if they delayed a bit longer, France's rhythm might die down.
Busquets knew exactly how to handle this situation, which not only gave his team a chance to rest but also disrupted France's offensive flow.
"Ref, they're wasting time! Do something!"
The French players, growing impatient, pressured the referee to warn Spain about time-wasting. The referee also suspected that Spain was stalling, so he shot Busquets a look, considering whether to issue a yellow card.
Busquets, a crafty player, noticed the referee's stance and immediately picked up the pace, no longer wasting time. While some French players were busy complaining to the referee, he took the opportunity to throw the ball in quickly.
He faked like he was going to throw the ball back toward Spain's half but then surprised everyone by launching it into France's half.
This completely fooled the French players. Seeing Busquets' initial movement, they had started to push up, ready to press Spain's defense. But Spain's deceptive play caught them off guard.
Busquets had chosen not to throw the ball back toward Spain's half because it would have been too dangerous. While it might have looked safer to keep possession, France had plenty of players nearby and were positioned toward Spain's goal. If France intercepted the ball, Spain's goal would be immediately threatened.
That's why Busquets did the opposite, throwing the ball into France's half. Even though there was only one teammate there, he trusted their chemistry.
Sure enough, as Busquets looked back at his own half, Lin Quan, positioned in France's half, suddenly accelerated, darting past the defender and heading toward the sideline.
As soon as Lin moved, Busquets threw the ball. The French defenders didn't expect Busquets to pass to Lin, and since Lin had successfully gotten ahead of his marker, he smoothly collected the ball.
The nearby French defenders were shocked. They immediately sensed danger and frantically rushed toward Lin.
At that moment, France's half was wide open. Only a few defenders had stayed back, and none were positioned deeper than Lin.
If Lin could pick up speed, he'd have a one-on-one chance with the goalkeeper. His success rate in such situations was 100%. If Lin got a clear shot, France might as well go home. Conceding a third goal would essentially end the match.
Knowing this was a rare opportunity, Lin pushed the ball to his left, ready to turn and cut inside.
But he needed time to complete these moves, and France wasn't about to give him any.
Umtiti and Hernandez both lunged in with sliding tackles. Faced with this double challenge, Lin had no choice but to let himself be taken down.
Beep!
The referee immediately blew his whistle, running over to show Umtiti a yellow card.
Umtiti's tackle had been dangerous—his foot was too high, and he hit the player before the ball. The yellow card was well-deserved, and Umtiti didn't protest. He knew it was fair and accepted it quietly.
Spain now had another free kick in the attacking half, but the position wasn't great. It was right near the sideline and over 40 meters from the goal—hardly an ideal scoring chance.
Given the poor angle and long distance, most people assumed Spain wouldn't make much of this opportunity.
But they were wrong.
Lin didn't care about the angle or distance. A chance was a chance, and as coach Del Bosque had told him before the match, "If you've got an opportunity, take it."
So what if it was far? So what if the angle was bad? Free kicks are about luck anyway, right? So why not give it a shot?
To buy more time and let his teammates rest, David Silva and Busquets came over to Lin, pretending to discuss "tactics."
In reality, the three of them weren't discussing tactics at all. Even though they were gesturing toward France's goal, they were talking about something else entirely:
"Phew! Finally, I can catch my breath! I almost suffocated just now!" Busquets wiped sweat from his face, complaining to his teammates.
"Tell me about it. France's last wave of attacks was brutal! Our formation was completely pressed back—it was really dangerous!" Silva added.
"Yeah, that's why we need to break their rhythm. Let's drag this out as much as we can, waste some time."
"Won't the ref give us a yellow for stalling?"
"Nah, just make sure you look like you're doing something—adjust the ball, check the turf. As long as it doesn't seem like you're stalling, you'll be fine."
Busquets, the veteran, was sharing his experience with the younger players on how to deal with referees.
The referee for this match was Néstor Pitana from Argentina, who had officiated at the 2014 World Cup and last year's Confederations Cup. Spain was quite familiar with him. What they were doing was still within the rules. Compared to fake injuries or lying on the ground, this was a more respectable way to waste time.
"Looks like Lin isn't happy with the pitch. He's stomped on the grass several times and moved the ball around a lot."
"That's normal! This distance is tough, so he's just making sure the details are right."
"Well, that's why he's the master of free kicks—success is all about the details!"
Even though the free kick was far from the goal, France's goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris, was still on edge. At first, he wasn't too nervous, but after seeing how "seriously" Lin was preparing, he couldn't help but feel anxious.
Ah, that familiar sense of dread! It's terrifying!
Beep!
The referee blew his whistle, and Lin started his run-up.
With a heavy swing of his right foot, he struck the ball hard.
The ball distorted slightly under the impact and soared through the air, clearing France's wall and heading for the goal.
Because of the distance, Lloris had plenty of time to react, and this time, he guessed correctly, making a perfect save. He stretched out and tipped the ball over the crossbar, earning a round of applause from the crowd.
French fans, who had been holding their breath in fear, finally let out a sigh of relief.
To be honest, given how far the shot was, they shouldn't have been so worried. But after Lin's two free-kick goals in the first half, they couldn't help it.
Every time they saw him standing over a free kick, they couldn't shake their anxiety. That's how much of an impact Lin's earlier goals had made!
Although the free kick didn't go in, Lin wasn't too disappointed. Free kicks from that distance are mostly down to luck—scoring would've been a stroke of fortune, but missing was perfectly normal.
Besides, Spain had earned a corner kick from it, giving them another chance to slow the game down and rest.
With over 60 minutes played, the French players were visibly growing anxious. Many of them kept glancing up at the scoreboard, checking the time.
They could almost taste a goal during their last wave of attacks—if they could just keep pressing a little longer, they might finally score.
But Spain's counterattack had interrupted their momentum, forcing them to fall back and defend.
Now, five minutes had passed since France had last threatened Spain's goal, and the ball was still in Spain's possession. This only added to the French players' frustration.
They desperately wanted to push forward, to attack and equalize as soon as possible.
But just like with the free kick, Spain was in no hurry with their corner kick, taking their time to discuss "strategy." What they were really planning, only they knew.
Judging by their positioning, Spain seemed to be preparing a set-play routine. Lin wasn't in the corner but was instead near the right side of the penalty area, while David Silva stood at the corner flag.
Given Lin's huge threat, France had assigned N'Golo Kanté to mark him closely, acting as his shadow to limit his movements.
In the penalty area, France's taller players gathered to contest the aerial ball, preparing to challenge Spain's headers. They suspected that Lin was just a decoy and that Spain's real danger lay inside the box.
And they weren't wrong.
When Silva took the corner, he didn't pass it to Lin but swung it toward the far post instead.
At the near post, Piqué and Varane both jumped for the ball, but neither got a clean touch.
The ball flew to the far post, where Ramos charged in and outmuscled Umtiti to win the header.
Umtiti's shorter height—just 182 cm—proved to be a disadvantage against Ramos, who was 2 cm taller. And Ramos was famous for his heading ability!
Ramos thundered the ball toward the goal with a powerful header. The shot had both force and speed, the kind of header that usually leaves goalkeepers helpless.
But unfortunately, Ramos aimed it straight at Lloris.
Lloris didn't even have to move—he simply caught the ball.
Reacting quickly, Lloris sprinted out of the penalty area, shouted to his teammates, and launched the ball forward with a powerful throw.
France's fast counterattack had begun!
(End of Chapter)