Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 547: Portugal's "Iron Curtain" Defense

July 11, 2016, Paris, France.

At the Stade de France, just outside Paris, the 80,000-capacity stands were already packed with fans.

The Delaunay Cup, the symbol of the European Championship, was placed in a prominent spot at the entrance of the players' tunnel, making sure the players could see it immediately.

Many UEFA officials, FIFA executives, and even high-ranking political figures from Spain and Portugal were present at the stadium. Along with hundreds of reporters and photographers from major media outlets worldwide, they were all here to witness this highly anticipated final alongside the 80,000-plus fans.

With about ten minutes to go before the start of the match, both teams had left their locker rooms and were patiently waiting in the players' tunnel.

The pressure of such an important game weighed heavily on both sides. Many younger players were visibly nervous, crossing themselves repeatedly as if praying for good fortune.

Even Cristiano Ronaldo, despite his wealth of experience in various tournaments, felt nervous. As his thoughts raced, he couldn't help but glance at the opposing number 10, Lin Quan.

Lin Quan, in contrast, looked completely calm, showing no signs of nerves. When he noticed Ronaldo's gaze, he even glanced back at him.

Their eyes met briefly before Ronaldo quickly looked away, his mind filled with questions:

"Why is this guy so relaxed? Why isn't he nervous at all?"

This was Ronaldo's first time playing in the final of a major international tournament, while Lin Quan had already played in two.

Although Ronaldo was 11 years older than Lin Quan, in terms of big match experience, Lin Quan clearly had the upper hand.

Fortunately, Ronaldo felt more reassured knowing that their coach had thoroughly prepared them for this match. With that thought, his anxiety subsided a bit.

It wasn't long before the referee, seeing that the time was right, led the teams out onto the pitch.

Though the players had already sensed the intensity of the atmosphere from inside the tunnel, they were still taken aback by the deafening roar of the crowd as they stepped onto the field.

The majority of the fans in attendance were supporting Spain and Portugal, with very few local French fans, as their team had been eliminated.

Without the neutral French fans, the supporters of both teams were doing everything they could to create an electric atmosphere for their side.

Despite being neighboring countries, Portuguese football fans didn't have much respect for Spain.

Their pride was on the line, and this final was their best chance to prove themselves against a dominant Spanish team.

Meanwhile, Spain, as the reigning football powerhouse, wasn't about to give up their top spot so easily. For any challengers attempting to overthrow them, they wouldn't make it easy.

Even before the match began, the fans were already clashing with their chants, each side trying to outdo the other.

Portugal, being a smaller country with fewer fans in the stadium, was slightly outnumbered by the Spanish supporters. But when they saw Ronaldo and his teammates step onto the field, the Portuguese fans erupted, briefly silencing the Spanish supporters.

This was especially evident during the national anthem. Spain's anthem has no lyrics, so the players and fans stood in silence, while Portugal's anthem was sung loudly and proudly by thousands of fans, creating a powerful atmosphere.

On the sidelines, Del Bosque, having just shaken hands with Portugal's coach, felt uneasy as he heard the thunderous support for Portugal.

The crowd's energy could have a significant impact on the players. If Portugal used this momentum to launch an early assault on Spain, even Del Bosque's pre-match plans might not be enough to hold them off.

However, to his surprise, when the match kicked off, Portugal didn't press forward aggressively. Instead, they pulled back and adopted a highly defensive formation.

Seeing this, Del Bosque was a bit taken aback.

"Could it be? Are they really going to park the bus in the final?" he thought.

The fans were equally shocked. Spain hadn't even started attacking yet, but Portugal had already retreated deeply into their own half, as if they were afraid of Spain's offense.

With Portugal not taking the initiative to attack, Spain naturally couldn't waste time passing the ball around at the back.

They began to push forward and test Portugal's defense.

Spain had faced this kind of "park the bus" strategy many times, especially in recent years.

After their European and World Cup triumphs, teams that couldn't match Spain's strength often adopted an ultra-defensive approach. Their goal wasn't to win but to avoid losing badly.

And, surprisingly, this tactic worked quite well.

When weaker teams tried to go toe-to-toe with Spain, they would often concede four or five goals or even more.

But by parking the bus, these teams could significantly reduce Spain's goal-scoring opportunities and sometimes even hold them to a draw.

Breaking down a well-organized defense is a global challenge in football, after all.

In this match, while Portugal wasn't considered a top-tier European team, they weren't weak either.

If they were determined to defend deeply, Spain would struggle to break through.

In the first ten minutes, Spain tried attacking from both the wings and the center, but Portugal's airtight defense held strong.

Spain only managed three shots, none of which were clear-cut chances. Apart from Lin Quan's shot in the ninth minute that was on target, the other two posed no real threat.

At this point, Spain seemed to be running out of ideas.

Portugal's defensive strategy had caught Del Bosque off guard. He had expected Portugal to use their fitness advantage to press high and engage in a war of attrition, not to sit back and defend so passively.

Now, Spain was in a difficult position. The longer the game dragged on, the more it would favor Portugal, who had fresher legs.

If Spain allowed the game to continue this way, Portugal could wait for Spain to tire out, then take control and press them back.

All it would take is one goal from Portugal, and Spain's hopes could be dashed.

Del Bosque didn't believe Portugal was trying to drag the game to penalties, but he was certain they were aiming to take it to extra time.

Since time wasn't on Spain's side, they needed to score as soon as possible and seize control of the match.

With this in mind, Del Bosque called over Sergio Ramos and gave him some instructions.

Soon, everyone noticed a change in Spain's formation.

In attack, Spain's defensive line pushed well past the halfway line, with Ramos frequently joining the attack like a fullback.

Ramos had previously played as a right-back, so his involvement in Spain's wing play added an extra dimension to their offense.

In this match, Portugal's starting left-back was 24-year-old Cédric, who was only 1.71 meters tall and struggled with aerial duels.

Del Bosque clearly wanted to exploit this weakness.

With Ramos pushing forward, Spain's defense became thinner, leaving them vulnerable to counterattacks.

This was a risky move by Del Bosque, and he felt nervous as he stood on the sidelines, unable to sit still.

On the opposite side, Portugal's coach Fernando Santos was also feeling the pressure.

With Ramos joining the attack, Portugal's left side was under immense defensive pressure.

Having Lin Quan on that side was already causing them problems, but with Ramos added to the mix, players like Nani, Sanches, and William had to devote more energy to defending that flank.

Nani, while not as famous as Ronaldo, was a key player in Portugal's counterattacks due to his speed and ability to deliver precise passes.

Without Nani's support, even with Ronaldo up front, Portugal couldn't mount any dangerous counterattacks.

Though it looked like Portugal was parking the bus, they weren't entirely passive.

Fernando Santos had a clear plan for counterattacking, hoping to catch Spain off guard.

However, with their left side collapsing, his strategy was falling apart.

The decision to start Cédric was made because of his speed, which allowed him to keep up with Lin Quan both offensively and defensively.

He was supposed to combine with Nani to ensure Portugal could launch fast counterattacks from the left.

Unfortunately, Cédric's attacking talents hadn't come through, and his defensive weaknesses were being exposed.

While his speed matched Lin Quan's, he struggled to keep up with Lin Quan's frequent changes in direction. After the first 10 minutes, Cédric was clearly lagging behind.

If not for his teammates' support, Portugal's left side would have completely collapsed.

Now, with Ramos joining the attack, another of Cédric's weaknesses was becoming apparent.

Due to his smaller stature, he struggled in physical duels and shielding the ball.

Ramos didn't need Lin Quan's agility to beat Cédric; his height and strength were enough to dominate.

With Spain having identified this weakness in Portugal's defense, they relentlessly targeted the left side.

Starting from the 15th minute, almost all of Spain's attacks came down that wing.

Despite the help of his teammates, Cédric was struggling. By the 18th minute, he picked up the first yellow card of the match.

Already struggling to defend, Cédric's yellow card put Portugal's left flank at serious risk of total collapse.

Fernando Santos had no choice but to pull everyone, including Ronaldo, back to help defend.

For now, counterattacks had to be put on hold—the priority was patching up the holes in defense.

While Spain was dominating, their control of the wings hadn't yet translated into a decisive advantage.

Portugal's goalkeeper, Rui Patrício, was having an outstanding game, making several crucial saves to keep Spain's best chances out of the net.

Thanks to his efforts, by the 30th minute, Spain still hadn't managed to score.

While Spain couldn't break through, Portugal wasn't faring any better.

By the 30-minute mark, they had only managed two shots, both of which missed the target.

Clearly, Portugal's plan for high-quality counterattacks wasn't working.

After 30 minutes of fruitless attacking, Lin Quan decided to control the game's tempo.

The relentless assault had taken a toll on the team's energy, and continuing to push without scoring increased the risk of conceding on the break. Spain needed to slow things down, regroup, and launch more organized attacks.

Sensing that Spain was retreating a bit, Portugal took the opportunity to push forward slightly, hoping to regain some control over the midfield and stretch their defensive lines.

Seeing Portugal's shape expand, Lin Quan had an idea.

Portugal's left side had already been fully exposed, and they would expect him to continue attacking from there.

But this time, Lin Quan decided to do the opposite.

In the 33rd minute, Spain suddenly increased the tempo. Lin Quan dribbled past Nani and quickly passed the ball to Pedro.

Pedro sprinted down the wing, drawing several defenders with him. Lin Quan stayed behind, and when Pedro was forced to pass the ball back, five Portuguese players were now surrounding Lin Quan!

Perfect opportunity!

Without hesitation, Lin Quan sent a long pass to the opposite side of the field.

Portugal's defensive shape had completely shifted to the left, leaving a wide-open space on the right.

Even before the ball arrived, David Silva had seen Lin Quan's signal and was already sprinting down the right side.

Cesc Fàbregas, Busquets, and others also started shifting toward the right.

The Portuguese defenders were caught off guard and scrambled to recover.

But no matter how fast they ran, they couldn't outrun the ball.

By the time they reached the area, David Silva, who had received Lin Quan's pass, was already cutting inside and preparing to shoot.

Left-back Rafael and center-back José Fonte rushed to block the shot, but Silva faked a shot and passed the ball back to the center.

With no defenders nearby, Fàbregas unleashed a powerful long-range shot!

The strike was perfect, heading straight for the top corner of the net!

(End of Chapter)

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