Dribbling Past Multiple Players

On the last day of the group stage, Spain faced the African Eagles of Nigeria at the Maracanã Stadium.

This Nigerian team wasn't particularly strong, but they weren't especially weak either.

So, Spain fielded a half-main, half-reserve lineup against them.

Even though the Spanish thought they were fielding half of their substitutes, to the Nigerian players, the opponent's substitute lineup seemed more luxurious than their own main lineup.

So, even if Spain fielded substitutes, it wouldn't be easy to win.

The progress of the game proved this point.

Just three minutes into the game, Lin broke through on the wing, dribbled past three players, cut into the penalty area, and calmly shot into the far corner, scoring a solo goal and helping his team take the lead.

This goal was incredible, drawing exclamations from the crowd.

In front of Lin, the opposing defenders seemed like clumsy wooden stakes. They barely had time to react before he had passed them cleanly!

Even the Brazilian fans, who supported Neymar and looked down on Lin, had to admit that this goal was very impressive.

Although Neymar also scored goals by dribbling past multiple players, such goals were very rare and didn't look as effortless as Lin's.

During this goal, Lin didn't use any flashy moves. He simply controlled the ball with a flick and a change of pace, effortlessly bypassing the defenders.

With his high step frequency and ball-touch frequency, the opposing defenders seemed like wooden stakes, unable to keep up with his rhythm.

This dribbling style left the Brazilian fans feeling very shocked.

Although they previously looked down on him for not using fancy moves, experiencing the impact of his dribbling firsthand made them think: This way of dribbling seems more efficient?

After scoring this goal, Lin brought his total goals in the Confederations Cup to four.

Neymar had just managed to catch up to him in goals in the last match, but Lin took only three minutes to push him down again and take the lead!

The Nigerian players hadn't even fully entered the game when their goal was already breached.

This left the Nigerian players feeling bewildered.

Falling behind early, coupled with the overwhelming strength of their opponents, caused the Nigerian players to lose their composure under the pressure of advancing from the group stage.

In the 11th minute of the first half, while Lin was dribbling, Nigerian defender Kenneth Omeruo attempted a slide tackle but accidentally injured his own thigh.

This was really a case of trying to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice. He didn't get the ball and couldn't continue playing.

Nigeria had to make a forced substitution.

After losing a key defender, Nigeria's defense became even more fragile.

Spain smartly targeted this weak spot in their attacks.

Their targeted offensive soon paid off!

In the 34th minute of the first half, Spain extended their lead.

After receiving the ball in the middle, Lin delivered a precise long pass to Torres on the edge of the penalty area.

Torres took a step forward to enter the penalty area before the defender could tackle him and blasted the ball into the goal.

This was the second goal that Lin assisted Torres with, and their coordination on the field looked great.

Torres was very excited after scoring and ran over to hug and thank Lin.

Scoring two goals in two games, no one could say that Torres was just making up the numbers anymore!

"I also made a significant contribution to the team!"

Against Spain's powerful midfield, Nigeria's counterattacks rarely posed any threat.

The 2:0 score remained until the end of the first half.

In the second half, Spain began making substitutions, with Isco coming on for Fabregas.

This was Isco's first match representing the Spanish national team.

Making his debut, Isco was very excited and chased the opposing defenders like a mad dog in the front field.

However, he didn't get the ball and received a yellow card for a foul in less than five minutes.

No one else could get a yellow card so quickly.

Bosque was scared to death seeing Isco with an early yellow card.

"Damn, can't this guy calm down? That foul was completely unnecessary!"

He didn't expect Isco to contribute significantly to the attack. He just wanted him to feel the game's atmosphere.

But if Isco got two yellow cards and was sent off, it would be embarrassing!

Why couldn't these young players be as reliable as Lin?

Bosque complained inwardly.

"Isco, control your emotions, don't get too excited.

There's still a long time left in the game. If you get another card and are sent off, I guarantee you'll have no place in the national team in the future!"

Lin also noticed Isco's excessive excitement and went over to remind him during a dead ball.

"I got it, thanks, Lin!"

Isco nodded heavily, indicating he knew what to do.

He wasn't like Balotelli, who had a loose screw. Isco was a normal person with his intelligence intact.

After adjusting his emotions, he quickly calmed down.

Once calm, Isco's performance began to improve.

Bosque breathed a sigh of relief seeing Isco's transformation.

"Did you notice that Lin has a high reputation among the young players?"

Recalling Lin's recent intervention with Isco, Bosque turned to Coach Tony beside him.

"I noticed long ago. Didn't you see Morata and the others always hanging around Lin? This kid is the leader of the younger generation of players!"

Tony had obviously noticed this earlier than Bosque.

Hearing Tony's words, Bosque began to think seriously:

Undoubtedly, Lin is Spain's tactical core for the foreseeable future, even for the next decade.

Since he's the most important player on the team, he should be given some additional responsibilities.

For example, becoming the team captain and taking on the role of the team's spiritual leader.

This idea had crossed Bosque's mind earlier, but due to Lin's relatively short tenure on the team and his young age, Bosque hadn't acted on it.

But now, realizing Lin's high standing among the young players, Bosque felt it was time to prepare for this.

Given Lin's current credentials, making him Spain's captain might be too much to swallow.

But making him a vice-captain, the third or fourth captain, shouldn't face too much resistance.

With this identity, as older players gradually retired from the national team, he could naturally become the captain and spiritual leader.

With this in mind, Bosque secretly made up his mind to slowly try this after the Confederations Cup.

If they could win the championship and Lin performed well in the following matches, announcing this decision then might face less opposition.

...

In a box in the stands, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, who had agreed to watch the game together, began to comment on Lin's performance after watching most of the game.

"This kid's position in the front isn't fixed, a bit like Messi's role at Barcelona!"

Ronaldinho, who had a good relationship with Messi and paid close attention to him, noticed that Lin was playing in the same position as Messi – the free role in the front!

This position isn't easy to play because it's not fixed and the roles it undertakes aren't fixed either.

On the wing, he needs the ability to break through and pass. On the forward line, he needs to serve as a pivot, hold the ball, and make plays, and he also needs excellent finishing ability.

In the midfield, he needs strong organization and passing skills, a good overall view, and wide vision.

He needs to seize fleeting opportunities in the opponent's defense and use passing to break through and deliver the final blow.

Possessing even one of these abilities makes a player outstanding.

Having two can almost be considered a star!

Possessing all three, without a doubt, makes a top star.

Even someone as strong as Ronaldinho wouldn't dare to say he could perfectly play this role.

Ronaldo frowned. He wasn't interested in the free role in the front.

As a former striker, he cared more about how many goals Lin scored in the game.

This guy, apart from the beautiful solo goal at the beginning, didn't seem to have any desire to score.

Sometimes he had a clear shot but chose to pass to a teammate instead.

This choice puzzled Ronaldo. Isn't he a forward?

A forward's job is to score, right?

If so, why pass the ball? Just shoot!

Ronaldo had seen Lin's dribbling ability and didn't believe Nigeria's defense could stop Lin's breakthrough.

Impossible!

Absolutely impossible!

So this guy is limiting himself!

As if responding to Ronaldo's call, in the 71st minute of the game, Lin scored directly from a free kick, completing a brace.

"Well, free kicks count too!"

Ronaldo didn't score many free kicks himself but couldn't deny that scoring directly from a free kick was also a skill.

After scoring this goal, Lin was substituted.

However, this goal brought his total in the Confederations Cup to five, two ahead of Neymar.

Considering Brazil had at most two games left, and their opponents were very strong, Neymar's chances of catching up seemed slim!

Spain made two substitutions simultaneously, with David Silva coming on for him.

Morata also entered the field, replacing Pedro.

After coming on, Morata was as active as Isco, both eager to score a goal.

But their luck seemed to be lacking.

In the 79th minute, Morata had a one-on-one chance but took a heavy touch, and the oncoming goalkeeper grabbed the ball.

Morata was very annoyed, wishing he had shot directly instead of taking that extra touch!

Had he done that, he might have had a chance to score. Now, the ball was taken!

Missing the one-on-one chance, his

 teammates might doubt his ability and not pass to him again in such situations!

Thinking of this, Morata began to miss Lin.

If Lin were on the field, given their relationship, he might continue feeding him the ball.

Morata and Isco didn't score, but that didn't mean other Spanish players didn't have chances.

In the 88th minute, Alba scored a beautiful long-range shot, sending the ball into the top corner and changing the score to 4:0.

After scoring, Alba glanced at Isco and Morata, seemingly showing off his skills:

To score, you need to shoot like this!

Isco and Morata felt both dejected and embarrassed, being ridiculed by a defender.

...

In the end, Spain won 4:0 against Nigeria, advancing to the semifinals with three straight group stage victories.

Their semifinal opponent would be the second place in Group A, Italy, who they faced in the European Championship final.

In this Confederations Cup, Italy's group stage performance was not good.

Their chain defense seemed to have lost its effectiveness, conceding eight goals in three group matches.

Besides conceding four goals to hosts Brazil, they even allowed the weakest group opponent, Japan, to score three goals.

Italy struggled throughout that match and would have lost if not for Japan's own goal in the critical moment.

Struggling to win even against Japan made people worry about Italy's condition:

How did the proud European runner-up fall to this level in such a short time?

Why hasn't Spain experienced such a decline?

Despite having many veterans, Spain's performance in this Confederations Cup has been perfect.

In three matches, they scored 21 goals and conceded only one.

Averaging seven goals per game set a record in the history of the Confederations Cup.

And conceding only one goal seemed to reverse roles with Italy, known for its defense.

Considering the vastly different group stage performances, the outside world was very optimistic about Spain's chances of reaching the final.

It was hard to believe that such a struggling Italy could pose a threat to the world champions.

Not only did the outsiders think this, but the Spaniards did too.

Given the opponent's poor condition and their 4:0 victory over Italy in the European Championship final, Spain had every reason to be optimistic.

So, facing this opponent, the entire Spanish team felt very confident.

Some had even started studying their potential final opponents!