Chapter 643: World Cup Final, Spain vs. France!
After a series of passes, the Spanish team finally launched an attack on their opponents.
The crowd erupted in deafening cheers, and a wave of encouragement swept across the stadium, making the players feel as if they had been injected with adrenaline. Their blood began to boil, and their spirits rose to an intense level of excitement.
Lin Quan advanced with the ball, bypassing Giroud's attempt to steal and pulling wide. He exchanged a one-two pass with David Silva, then broke into the opponent's flank area.
Kanté rushed in to challenge him, so Lin Quan passed the ball to Diego Costa, who had held his position.
Costa, unable to turn, played the ball back to the oncoming Isco.
Isco had just received the ball when Pogba appeared in front of him. Frantically, he looked for Lin Quan, but Mbappé was eyeing him, blocking the passing lane.
Isco was wary of Mbappé's speed, not daring to risk a pass, fearing a quick counterattack if Mbappé intercepted it.
On his right, Alba hadn't reached the halfway line yet, making it impossible to pass to him. Isco had no choice but to pass the ball back to Busquets.
Busquets was about 30 meters away from Lin Quan and the others, too far to lift the ball into the crowd towards Lin Quan.
Spain's initial probing attack was forced back by the French defense.
"Yes!"
"Great defense!"
"France is amazing!"
The French fans in the stands were exhilarated by their team's defense. The game had just begun, and with no goals yet, every successful play in this intense attack-and-defense battle drew cheers from the crowd.
France, having just completed a successful defensive play, was clearly riding a wave of high morale.
But the Spanish fans weren't worried. They had great confidence in their team's attacking abilities, convinced that the score would change in the first half. They didn't mind the unsuccessful attack; after all, no team scores with every attempt, not even a powerhouse like Spain.
If every attack succeeded, the match would be pointless—just hand them the trophy and send them home!
Besides, the game had only just begun. Why panic?
Lin Quan, seeing the situation, pulled back to reorganize.
As soon as he left France's midfield, Kanté returned to his position and didn't follow him. But whenever Lin Quan entered the French midfield, Kanté stuck to him like glue.
With Kanté constantly in his way, Lin Quan found it very difficult to play comfortably.
And that wasn't even counting the occasional double-teaming that made the situation even more frustrating.
Kanté, although incredibly strong, couldn't mark Lin Quan out of the game every time.
Lin Quan managed to break through on a few occasions, but the time it took to get past Kanté allowed France's defense to fully organize itself.
While France wasn't parking the bus, their defense was solid—definitely not easy to break through.
Led by Umtiti and Varane, their backline was extremely stable in direct defense, like two iron gates.
The fullbacks also provided timely assistance, narrowing the attacking space and neutralizing Spain's offensive threats.
Facing this kind of defense, Lin Quan tried to collaborate with his teammates, but the results were less than ideal because Diego Costa was the only one who could cooperate with him.
The midfielders behind him were being held off by Kanté and Pogba.
In France's midfield, Kanté and Pogba had clear roles.
Kanté focused on interceptions and disrupting the play, while Pogba controlled the tempo and used his creativity to set up opportunities with his passing during attacks.
However, Pogba also had solid defensive skills. When the pressure mounted, he could assist Kanté in maintaining control of the midfield.
Lin Quan could get past Kanté, but his teammates weren't as lucky. If Kanté intercepted them, their attack would stall completely.
Playing outnumbered while the opposition was fully prepared—there was only one likely outcome.
In the first 10 minutes of the match, Spain managed two shots, but neither posed much of a threat.
On the other hand, France, exploiting Mbappé's speed, launched a dangerous counterattack that gave Spanish fans a scare.
If Kanté was the standout in defense, then Pogba shone on the attack.
He played as an active forward, speeding up attacks and positioning himself closer to his teammates, sometimes even trying long-range shots.
This expanded France's attacking options and made defending much harder for Spain.
After the first ten minutes, the game reached a stalemate.
Spain found it difficult to threaten France's goal. Their opponents fiercely contested every ball in midfield, and the physical battles were intense, with players frequently ending up on the ground.
It was clear that France had come well-prepared.
Spain's tiki-taka style, reliant on ball control and technical skill, struggled against such physical play.
Spanish players, generally not the most physically imposing or adept at body-to-body challenges, found themselves at a disadvantage.
In contrast, most of France's players were black athletes, renowned for their physicality and strength.
Their athleticism made them the perfect counter to Spain's technical play.
Facing such players, Spain's game turned into a grind.
Even technical players like David Silva, Isco, and Koke were at a clear disadvantage in physical battles during those opening minutes.
Busquets, thanks to his high football IQ and acting skills, managed to draw several fouls, earning Spain some free kicks.
Unfortunately, none of the free kicks were in a good position—either too far or too wide for a direct shot.
The only player holding his own in these physical duels was Lin Quan.
In his battles with Kanté, Lin Quan emerged victorious more often than not, successfully breaking through a few times.
Kanté's defensive prowess had been proven time and again in previous Champions League campaigns.
Yet, when facing his club teammate Lin Quan, the man hailed as the best defensive midfielder in the world found himself at a disadvantage.
The two were similar in height and weight—Lin Quan only slightly taller by 2 centimeters.
Unlike taller defenders, who are often slower and less agile, Kanté was quick, extremely agile, and had incredible stamina, which made him a nightmare for most attackers.
Most players marked by Kanté struggled to make an impact on the field.
But Lin Quan wasn't just anyone. He understood that the key to outplaying Kanté was speed.
He increased the frequency of his touches to ensure he was always one step ahead of Kanté.
This strategy worked; Kanté couldn't extend his leg to intercept the ball.
Kanté's interceptions were normally so successful because of his strength, speed, and excellent anticipation.
But Lin Quan was faster, and his physical strength was on par, if not better. Kanté's signature move was ineffective against him.
Unable to steal the ball from Lin Quan, Kanté could only try to block his path.
Even if Kanté was slightly outplayed, he had teammates nearby, ready to provide backup and double-team Lin Quan.
But Lin Quan had already anticipated this, and his solution was still speed.
Maintaining a high frequency of touches, Lin Quan constantly observed the movement and positioning of the French defenders, aiming to move toward less crowded areas.
Occasionally, he made sharp changes of direction, trying to shake off Kanté's tight marking.
Even if he couldn't fully escape Kanté, he could at least disrupt his rhythm and slow him down, giving himself more space.
At first, Kanté managed to keep up, but after a few changes of direction, he felt his knees protesting.
"How does this guy do it? Are his knees made of iron? Doesn't he worry about injuring them with all those sharp turns?"
The human knee is naturally fragile, and such abrupt stops and changes of direction can easily damage the meniscus and ligaments—serious injuries that could end a player's career.
The moment Kanté lagged behind, Lin Quan successfully broke through.
Umtiti and Varane, seeing Lin Quan bypass Kanté, immediately closed him down, denying him any shooting angle.
The two had defended together many times before and had great chemistry.
Even though Lin Quan was alone in the box, breaking through France's defense wasn't going to be easy.
The penalty area is only so big. With two towering defenders blocking your way, it's hard to find an angle to shoot, let alone score.
Diego Costa, the closest teammate, was cut off by the two defenders, and Lin Quan couldn't pass to him.
As for the midfielders running up to support him, there were several French players between them and Lin Quan, making a pass too risky. Besides, if Lin Quan passed, they would lose this precious attacking opportunity.
Seeing no other option, Lin Quan decided to shoot.
He nudged the ball sideways, pretending to dribble toward the flank.
The move worked—Varane followed him closely, but Umtiti didn't budge.
Umtiti's choice was smart. If he had followed, France's goal would have been left unguarded.
But this was exactly the result Lin Quan wanted.
After taking a few steps sideways and observing the gap between Varane and Umtiti, Lin Quan also kept an eye on the French fullbacks and defenders around him.
When the moment was right, and just before he was surrounded, Lin Quan suddenly cut the ball in the opposite direction, catching Varane off guard. He also managed to pull away from Pavard, creating just enough space for a shot.
Yes, opportunities are fleeting, and with that tiny window of space, Lin Quan took his shot.
Umtiti stretched his leg to block the ball, while Lloris dove sideways to make a save.
Umtiti missed the ball, but Lloris barely managed to tip it with his fingertips, changing the ball's trajectory just enough for it to graze the post and go wide.
The stadium echoed with the sound of gasps. The French fans in the stands stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
That shot had almost gone in!
How did he manage to get a shot off, and with such accuracy, in that situation?
At that moment, both the French fans and the players on the field looked at Lin Quan as if he were a monster.
Lloris, having saved the ball, climbed to his feet and roared, clearly unhappy with his teammates' defense.
Even though he had played the hero, he would have preferred not to.
Damn it! So many of you, and you couldn't stop one guy? You gave him a shot on goal, and it nearly went in!
If Lin Quan had scored, every French defender in the box would have been nothing more than a backdrop in his highlight reel.
If Spain went on to win the championship because of that goal, those players would go down in history as the villains.
Lin Quan shook his head as he saw the ball tipped wide by Lloris, feeling a bit of regret.
The shot was well-placed, but just a little too soft. If it had been hit harder, the keeper might not have reached it.
But in that moment, Lin Quan knew it was already a challenge to get a shot off, so he couldn't do everything perfectly.
Learning from that near-miss, the French defenders became much more decisive in their fouling after that. They showed no hesitation in their tackles.
With the fierce pressure and interceptions from the French players, Spain couldn't penetrate their defense. It was hard to pass the ball forward, and even if they did, the forwards faced too much pressure to control the ball well.
France's backline was solid and dependable. Without gaining control of the midfield, Spain would find it difficult to threaten their goal.
Understanding this, Spain decided to up the intensity. Led by Lin Quan, the Spanish midfielders began playing with more aggression.
They increased the speed of their passing, aiming for quick one-touch play to make it harder for France to intercept the ball.
This tactic proved effective. The French players found themselves running all over the field but couldn't win the ball back from Spain. Not only did they waste energy, but their morale also began to drop.
If this continued, France's confidence would diminish, and Spain might find their breakthrough.
Though France's players were younger and had better stamina, even the best-conditioned players couldn't keep up with such a demanding pace.
Before anyone realized it, the first half had already passed the 25-minute mark!
(End of Chapter)