A Victory Led by Lin!
Seeing Uruguay concede three goals to Spain in less than half an hour, the expressions of the Brazilian players watching from the sidelines grew serious.
As fellow South American teams, Brazil had faced Uruguay many times. They were well aware of Uruguay's strength. Uruguay was currently ranked among the top three teams in South America, only behind Brazil and Argentina. Furthermore, Uruguay was not without a fighting chance against these two powerhouses. Two years ago, in the Copa América, Uruguay had eliminated Argentina to reach the finals and win the championship.
But now, this South American champion team was being thoroughly beaten by Spain on the field. This made the Brazilian players feel a sense of awe:
How strong is Spain really?
Gulp!
Someone nervously swallowed, feeling the oppressive presence of Spain even without being on the field.
Trailing by three goals, Uruguay's players were on the verge of mental collapse. Their mindset became frantic, and their actions on the field grew more aggressive.
The Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura seemed to sympathize with the struggling Uruguay, showing some bias in his decisions. In the 35th minute, Alba was struck in the face by Rodríguez and fell to the ground, but the referee did not call a foul. Uruguay continued their attack, and Ramos, in his anger, knocked down Ramírez. This time, the referee was not blind and ran over to show the Real Madrid defender a yellow card.
Ramos, unwilling to accept this, waved his fists and tried to argue with the referee. His teammates, fearing his temper might get him sent off, quickly pulled him back. However, Busquets and Xavi still 'politely' discussed the decision with the referee. The referee stood by his call, believing the yellow card was justified, and ignored the earlier foul by Uruguay.
Uruguay then got a free kick in a good position, and after the Spaniards finished arguing with the referee, Suárez took the kick. Suárez's technique was good, and he lofted the ball into the box, finding Cavani, who headed it from 7 meters out, but Casillas was alert and caught it.
As the first half was ending, it began to drizzle. The players had to contend with the rain, which wasn't heavy enough to cause puddles, so the impact on the game was minimal. During halftime, the rain intensified, and by the start of the second half, there were visible puddles on the field.
The standing water on the pitch significantly affected Spain's ground-based attack. Uruguay took advantage of this and launched a counterattack, hoping to change the score. Unlike Spain, who relied on ground passes, Uruguay could use long balls and aerial attacks effectively.
In the 64th minute, Uruguay made a long pass from their defense, finding Suárez up front. Facing Piqué, Suárez faked him out. Just as he was about to enter the penalty area, Piqué pulled him down from behind outside the box. The referee showed Piqué a yellow card and awarded Uruguay a free kick in a prime position.
Earlier in the first half, Suárez had taken a similar free kick and opted to cross it into the box. This time, he looked up, saw Casillas' positioning, and decided to shoot directly. The ball was expertly struck, curving beautifully towards the top right corner of the goal. Casillas, hindered by his height, couldn't reach it, and the ball went in.
Uruguay pulled one back through Suárez, making it 3-1. After scoring, Suárez smugly showed his teeth at Piqué, seemingly responding to Piqué's pre-match taunt. Suárez managed to hold back his urge to bite and instead used his skill to punish his opponent, feeling quite pleased with himself.
"Keep playing like this!"
"Uruguay still has hope!"
"Yes, the rain affects Spain's play more than Uruguay's!"
In the stands, the Brazilian players, who had thought Uruguay was done for, felt a renewed sense of excitement after the goal. They believed they had found a weakness in Spain.
"It's a pity we can't control the weather. Otherwise, if it rains during our match against Spain, that would be great!"
The Brazilian players thought Uruguay could turn the game around using the rain, and Uruguay believed the same. The rain kept getting heavier, causing more puddles on the pitch. Spain's passing accuracy decreased, and even with their excellent footwork, they struggled in these conditions. Complex tactics became less effective, while simple long passes and crosses became more viable.
From the moment they scored, Uruguay's attacks intensified, frequently threatening Spain's goal. Seeing the increasingly passive situation and the frequent mistakes due to the standing water, Lin knew he had to step up.
He dropped back from the front line to defend near the penalty area. With Lin leading, the Spanish players also retreated, compressing the space Uruguay had to attack. With more defenders in and around the box, Uruguay's straightforward attacks were less effective. Cavani and Suárez were not like the physically dominant Drogba; their impact was reduced against taller defenders like Martínez, who often dropped back to help defend.
With Cavani restricted, Suárez became more dangerous. Although slower than Cavani, Suárez had exceptional awareness, sharp instincts, and excellent physical and technical skills. He could always find ways to score, whether conventional or not. In 2013, Suárez wasn't at his peak yet, but by the time he formed the MSN trio with Messi and Neymar at Barcelona, his true prowess would be seen.
In the 69th minute, Suárez's shot just missed the post after tricking Alba. In the 73rd minute, he received a pass at the top of the box. Everyone expected him to control the ball with his chest and then shoot. Instead, he squatted slightly and headed the ball from about 20 meters out. This unexpected move caught the goalkeeper off guard.
Casillas reacted quickly, but he was still half a beat slow and couldn't reach the ball. Suárez and the Uruguay fans were ready to celebrate, but the ball hit the crossbar and bounced out. The crowd sighed in disappointment, feeling Uruguay's bad luck.
Spain's luck was really good!
Lin realized the team was in danger. Suárez was on fire, and if allowed to continue, he would likely score again. Moreover, Diego Forlán was warming up on the sidelines. If he came on to form a front trio with Suárez and Cavani, Spain's defense would be even more challenged.
So, Lin started demanding the ball more, keeping possession. His teammates trusted him, and after Casillas' goal kick, Alba passed to Lin. Lin began his run from his own half, with Suárez immediately closing in on him.
Confident from his earlier success, Suárez tried to steal the ball, but Lin cleverly baited him. Thinking Lin had made a mistake, Suárez lunged for the ball, only to find it gone. Lin had deftly turned and sped past Suárez, heading into Uruguay's half.
Before Lin's attack, he had signaled to his teammates. Spain's players were now sprinting forward into Uruguay's half. Sensing the danger, Uruguay's players hurried to block Lin.
"Stop him!"
Two players rushed towards Lin, but before they could close in, he passed to a teammate. Fabregas, left unmarked as his defender went to double-team Lin, received the ball.
Lin's pass was perfect, allowing Fabregas to control it effortlessly and scan for options. Pedro seemed offside, so passing to him risked falling into an offside trap. Iniesta was in a slightly worse position but had no defenders within two meters.
Seizing the moment, Fabregas kicked the ball hard, sending it over Uruguay's midfield to the edge of their box. Iniesta arrived just in time, controlled the ball, and dribbled past a defender with a neat trick, finding himself one-on-one with the keeper. He shot to the far corner, and despite Juan stretching to block, the ball hit the post's inside and bounced into the net.
The score became 4-1!
Uruguay, having just pulled one back and hoping to narrow the gap further, was stunned by this blow. With Spain finishing their celebration, the game clock showed the 77th minute. Time was running out for Uruguay.
Spain then made substitutions. Mata replaced Pedro, and Cazorla replaced Xavi. At Xavi's age, playing over seventy minutes was already taxing. Thankfully, after this tough game, the next two should be easier, giving Xavi time to recover.
With the substitutions made, Del Bosque relaxed on the bench, humming a tune as he watched the game. Leading by three goals with Lin still on the field and less than fifteen minutes left, victory seemed assured.
As the rain intensified, the standing water on the pitch grew, hindering Spain's ground play. In the final minutes, Lin started sending more high crosses into the box, aiming for headers. Ramos, who had almost scored a hat-trick of headers in a previous national team match, was eager for another chance.
Whenever Spain had a set piece, Ramos charged into Uruguay's box, seeking a header opportunity. Seeing Ramos's enthusiasm, Lin didn't let him down. In the 83rd minute, Spain won a corner. Piqué and Martínez moved to the near post, drawing defenders with them.
Piqué and Martínez were Spain's tallest players, and Uruguay's defenders closely marked them. As they moved, they opened up space in the box. Lin seized the moment and sent the ball to the far post, where Ramos, freed from his marker, dove and headed the ball into Uruguay's net.
5-1!
Ramos, ecstatic after scoring, instinctively started to take off his shirt but remembered his yellow card halfway through. Ignoring it, he ran to Lin, signaling for a chest
bump celebration.
This goal owed much to Lin. Without hesitation, Lin jumped up, meeting Ramos mid-air. With a thud, Ramos landed on his backside, looking at Lin in shock.
"Wow, you've got some strength!" Ramos thought. "You don't look it!"
Spain's other players were also surprised. Lin, shorter by ten centimeters and visibly smaller, had knocked Ramos down.
"Haha, no wonder they call you the little tank of the Bundesliga. Your physicality could handle the Premier League!" said Piqué, who had briefly played for Manchester United.
David Silva, now at Manchester City, agreed, "Yeah, if I can handle the Premier League, Lin definitely can!"