Real Madrid Takes Action!
On the sidelines, Bosque and Tony, just like the fans at the stadium, prepared to celebrate when they saw Lin pass the ball.
But Pedro missed a one-on-one chance!
They held their heads in regret.
Then, the ball came to Fabregas.
They let out a sigh of relief and prepared to celebrate again.
But then, Fabregas' shot got blocked...
Both felt frustrated, almost wanting to curse!
"What are these guys doing?"
"Why can't they score such great opportunities? It's ridiculous!"
"Exactly, it's absurd. If Lin had been there, he would have scored for sure!"
Tony nodded repeatedly in frustration, feeling speechless about the unreliable shooting skills of his team's forwards.
While the Spanish fans were feeling perplexed, the French fans felt like their hearts were about to jump out!
The opponents kept shooting, each chance was so good that if not for the superhuman performance of the goalkeeper, they would have conceded a goal by now.
Being one goal down, they still had hope of equalizing, but being two goals down…
With Spain's solid defensive ability, it was almost a done deal!
French goalkeeper Lloris, who made a series of excellent saves, stood up dissatisfied and shouted at his teammates:
"Stay alert, stop daydreaming, mark your defensive targets properly, don't leave any gaps!"
His recent performance was indeed brilliant, but if faced with the same situation again, Lloris wasn't certain he could save consecutive shots from the opponent.
Moreover, this time it wasn't even the most threatening player of the opponents shooting.
If it had been their number 30, Lloris felt he would have to fish the ball out of the net for the third time.
Despite Lloris's reminders, the French team's defense didn't improve.
After the kickoff, Spain piled on the pressure, continuing to besiege the French team.
Hence, French goalkeeper Lloris became the busiest player on the field during this period.
He made high saves at the goal line, blocking six or seven threatening shots within the frame.
If not for his outstanding performance, the French team would most likely have already been defeated by Spain.
The French team's defensive line also contributed to this effort.
In the final stage of the match, the French team strengthened their defense and managed to avoid conceding any more goals.
But their counter-attacks didn't yield results either, with several attempts falling short.
Neither side could change the score, and in the end, after ninety minutes of fierce battle, Spain won the game against France with a score of 2-1 at their home stadium.
Spain currently has three wins in three matches, with 9 points and 8 goal difference, leading the group.
By defeating their biggest competitor in the group, the French team, the Spanish national team's qualification prospects are looking very promising.
In the same group, France, with two wins and one loss, has 6 points and occupies the second position.
With an extra game played, Georgia with one win, one draw, and two losses has 4 points in third place.
Similarly, Belarus with one win and three losses accumulates 3 points in fourth place.
Finland with one draw and two losses has 1 point and is at the bottom.
Spain's next match will be held on March 22 next year against Finland, currently sitting at the bottom of Group I.
After the victory, led by captain Casillas, the players ran to the sidelines, thanking the fans around the field for their support.
The Spanish fans are happy, as their team has been a dominant force in world football since 2008.
In these four years, they have not only won two European Championships but also clinched a World Cup.
These achievements are rare in football history.
Moreover, in the league, after 2010, La Liga has been catching up with the Premier League in terms of influence, attendance, and overseas market development.
With the likes of Messi and Ronaldo, La Liga has undoubtedly become one of the most prominent leagues.
However, what makes them even happier is the emergence of a superstar like Lin!
Being young and with La Liga thriving, continually providing excellent talent for the national team, they are full of expectations for future games!
In the post-match press conference, nine out of ten questions were about Lin.
"Yes, it was me who went against the tide and recruited Lin into the national team!"
Faced with questions from journalists, a proud Bosque confidently boasted about his discerning eye in front of the media.
"Young players like him, ordinary coaches might not dare to use them."
"But after watching his game video, I knew he was the player my team needed the most!"
"So, ignoring external pressure and his age, I recruited him, and the results have proved me right!"
After Bosque finished speaking, he looked pleased, anticipating praise from the journalists.
The Spanish journalists were very supportive and led the applause for the coach.
In their opinion, Bosque truly deserved such praise.
Lin is absolutely the biggest discovery of the Spanish national team this year, his emergence possibly signifies that the long-standing issues that plagued Spain might be resolved.
The flaw-free Spanish national team alone makes one eager to see more.
The journalists have lost interest in the World Cup qualifiers and can't wait for the 2013 Confederations Cup.
In that tournament, Spain could compete with top teams from various continents, allowing fans to directly gauge the current strength of the Spanish national team!
The journalists were very interested in discussing Lin, and after the applause, they hurried to ask questions:
"Mr. Bosque, from what I know, Lin couldn't find a place and playing time at Barcelona, so he had to go on loan to play.
"For the development of Spanish football and better results for the Spanish national team, do you support Barcelona terminating Lin's loan early, recalling him, and preparing him a starting position?"
Bosque's smile disappeared upon hearing the journalist's question.
He glanced at the journalist and realized that the question came from the mouthpiece of Real Madrid, the AS newspaper.
This question seemed harmless on the surface, but actually held a big trap.
Lin is so strong that he couldn't find a spot at Barcelona because there is a stronger Messi there!
Now, if Lin were recalled early, what would happen to Messi?
Would Messi have to give up his starting position to Lin?
Regardless of Messi's willingness, can Lin actually perfectly replace Messi's role in Barcelona and match his contributions?
Remember, Messi and his Barcelona teammates have played together for almost a decade!
Lin hasn't even played a single game for Barcelona.
Even if both players possess equal abilities, the synergy factor remains a massive gap.
Therefore, if there were any fluctuations in Barcelona's performance led by Lin, fans would immediately draw comparisons and criticize him in comparison to Messi.
For a young player under 17, this immense pressure is highly detrimental to his growth.
Barcelona must be troubled by this situation, but as long as no one talks about it directly, they can temporarily suppress it.
But now, with Lin's outstanding performance in the national team, his superstar light cannot be hidden, prompting Real Madrid's mouthpiece to come out and reveal this plan.
What's the purpose of this move?
Bosque could easily guess—this surely came from Real Madrid's directive.
He could even speculate that this originated from Real Madrid's President Florentino.
It appears that Real Madrid has their sights set on Lin and wants to bring him to Bernabeu for playing!
"Cough, club matters are not within the scope of this press conference. I will only answer questions regarding the national team!"
Bosque didn't want to answer directly as it wouldn't be appropriate in his position as the national team coach to criticize the club's actions.
However, the AS newspaper journalist wasn't willing to let him off the hook:
"The level of La Liga is higher than the Bundesliga, so if Lin returns to play in La Liga, it can not only enhance his skills but also improve coordination with his national team colleagues, thus boosting the overall strength of the Spanish national team. So why is this solely a club matter?"