Spain's Shameless Play!

Seeing his players score, Del Bosque excitedly pumped his fist. Scoring so early allowed him to relax completely. Spain was very stable in their matches; they rarely lost after taking the lead. Spain had maintained a 73-game unbeaten streak in matches where they scored first, with 71 wins and 2 draws. Scoring first was almost synonymous with winning.

Del Bosque couldn't help but marvel at Lin's impact on the front line. He knew he had made the right choice. Lin's organization, coordination, and attacking skills made Spain's offense flow smoothly and dangerously. Lin hadn't taken many shots in the first half, but he created numerous chances for his teammates. If not for their wasted opportunities, the score would have been even higher.

Lin's passing and assisting abilities were impressive, but what stood out most to Del Bosque was his finishing ability. With Lin on the field, Del Bosque no longer had to worry about the team not scoring. Lin had a thousand ways to put the ball in the net.

Compared to Del Bosque, Uruguay's coach felt immediately disheartened after his team conceded. It seemed the Spanish were taking advantage of them. They had just substituted in their backup goalkeeper, who hadn't even warmed up or adapted to the game yet, and Spain scored. However, there was nothing they could say about it. They couldn't expect Spain to refrain from attacking for a few minutes to let their keeper warm up. Besides, even if the goalkeeper wasn't ready, what were their defenders doing to allow such an easy break?

"Really pathetic!"

In the stands, Brazilian players couldn't help but curse after seeing the goal. They had hoped to witness a high-level match, but this was disappointing. Uruguay, apart from the first few minutes, had been completely dominated by Spain. Spain's relentless attacks kept threatening their goal, while Uruguay couldn't capitalize on their counterattacks or withstand Spain's pressure. At this rate, Spain would win easily, and the Brazilians' hopes of seeing Spain's hidden tactics were diminishing.

But the Brazilians had another goal besides scouting for weaknesses or hidden tactics—they wanted to assess Lin's strength.

"So, how strong is that kid?" Marcelo finally broke the silence.

"Very strong!" Thiago Silva said seriously. "His footwork is impeccable, his dribbling and passing are top-notch, his ball control is exceptional, and his finishing instinct is incredibly sharp. We cannot underestimate him!"

With the insight of the world's best defender, Thiago Silva found Lin to be a player who was nearly impossible to defend against one-on-one once he had the ball.

Dani Alves, another veteran from Barcelona, added, "Thiago is right. He played effortlessly and hasn't shown his full strength yet. This isn't his peak form."

"What? This isn't his peak form? How terrifying is his peak form?" someone exclaimed.

"I don't know, but Uruguay's defenders aren't putting enough pressure on him to force him to play at his best, so we won't see it in this game."

Alves, who trained with Messi regularly, recognized Lin's playing style as very similar to Messi's—practically identical. Having faced Messi often, Alves knew how dangerous such a player could be. When the ball was at Lin's feet, stopping him was nearly impossible without multiple defenders.

Gustavo from Bayern Munich cleared his throat and said, "Last season, Lin led Werder Bremen against us four times, winning twice and drawing once. In those games, especially the ones they won or drew, Lin seemed to be at his best. I can find the match tapes for us to review."

Everyone nodded in agreement. With endorsements from two top club veterans, the Brazilian team knew not to underestimate Lin. As a team aiming for the championship, they needed to thoroughly study their biggest rival in the Confederations Cup.

Moreover, Brazil had their star player—Neymar, who was highly sought after by clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid. Comparing the two young stars, both wingers, would be intriguing.

Neymar, watching Lin in his red jersey, felt his fighting spirit surge. The time to prove who was superior would come in the knockout stages.

---

On the field, Spain continued their assault on Uruguay's goal. In the 20th minute, Spain earned a corner. Lin discussed with Xavi and decided to position himself outside the penalty area, ready to receive the ball. Seeing this, Cavani quickly moved to mark him closely. Regardless of whether Spain was planning a tactical corner, Lin couldn't be left unmarked.

Xavi glanced at Lin and took a few steps back before kicking the ball. The ball curved beautifully into the box. Lin's movement to the left side created the illusion of a tactical play, drawing Uruguay's defenders closer. But when Xavi's corner aimed for the far post, they realized it too late. Spain's tallest player, Martínez, reached the ball but his header hit the crossbar and bounced out.

The ball landed at Pedro's feet. Without stopping, Pedro volleyed the ball from about 25 meters out. Lugano tried to clear it but misjudged, causing the ball to deflect off his leg and into the net. 

2-0!

Since Pedro's shot was on target, it wasn't counted as an own goal. This was Pedro's 13th goal for Spain, a respectable 0.45 goals per game, though still behind a certain someone.

Down by two goals, Uruguay was stunned. The last friendly might have ended 1-3, but Spain hadn't been this dominant. How had Spain become so much stronger in just a few months? The rosters hadn't changed much, yet Spain felt like a different team.

Desperate, Uruguay launched a series of attacks. In the 24th minute, Cavani's long shot was tipped over the bar by Casillas, giving Uruguay their first corner. From the corner, Cáceres's header was saved by Casillas at the right post, squandering Uruguay's best chance.

Seeing Uruguay's attacks gaining momentum, Lin gestured to his teammates to slow the pace and suppress the opponents' energy. His teammates agreed, and the game tempo dropped significantly.

Why? Because Spain began playing keep-away in their own half.

Uruguay's fans, seeing their team frustrated by Spain's time-wasting tactic, were livid and jeered the Spanish players. "Shameless! You're the world champions; have some dignity!"

"Yeah, playing keep-away to waste time. Who does that?"

"If you're so great, come out and attack! You're up two goals; what are you afraid of?"

Spain's fans, however, smiled and clapped, encouraging their team. "We play however we want. Who says we can't play keep-away?"

"Right! If you don't like it, come and take the ball. No one's stopping you!"

While the fans argued, the neutral spectators were bored by Spain's slow play. Uruguay's coach, Tassotti, seeing Spain's determination to waste time, cursed them but had no choice but to signal his players to press forward.

Uruguay's players, already frustrated, immediately surged forward to press Spain. With more pressure, Spain's keep-away tactic became risky near their goal. Lin signaled again and retreated to receive the ball.

His teammates understood and passed to him. Two Uruguayan players immediately closed in, trying to steal the ball. Calmly, Lin passed the ball back to a safe spot, diffusing the pressure.

Del Bosque, watching Lin's play from the sideline, was both surprised and delighted. "This kid is impressive, even as a defensive midfielder!"

"Yes, his ball distribution and tempo control are excellent. With him dropping back, his teammates have a safe outlet, making it hard for the opponents to steal the ball while he consistently finds a safe pass," assistant coach Toni added, also impressed. "He's so versatile!"

"If we didn't need an attacking core, I'd consider using him as a defensive midfielder to replace Xavi," Del Bosque mused. Xavi, at 33, was already declining, and by the next World Cup, his form would likely dip further.

On the other side, Uruguay's coach Tassotti felt helpless seeing Spain's seamless transitions led by Lin. "Why don't we have such a genius? With a midfield genius, our strikers would feast on easy goals!"

Frustrated by Spain's dominance, Uruguay's players finally lost their patience. In the 29th minute, Cavani tackled Lin harshly, venting his anger. The referee quickly booked Cavani, showing a yellow card.

As the referee issued the card, Lin promptly got up. Despite his injury mitigation trait, he still felt pain from the heavy tackle. Uruguay's brief attacking momentum was completely disrupted by Spain's possession play.

Seeing this, Lin decided to stop the time-wasting and speed up the game again. Receiving a pass from a teammate, he swiftly dribbled past a defender and passed to Iniesta. 

Iniesta, anticipating the play, gently tapped the ball forward. As a red blur raced past him, Lin collected the ball before the defenders could intercept. 

From 30 meters out, Lin took a powerful shot. The ball curved into the net, brushing the left post. The Uruguayan goalkeeper, Juan, reacted too slowly, unable to save it in time.

Spain scored again, leading 3-0 before the 30-minute mark. The South American champions didn't seem so tough after all—easier to beat than France!