Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 549: Time is Running Out for Portugal

The atmosphere in Portugal's locker room was grim. Coach Fernando Santos could feel the heavy mood in the room as he mentally prepared himself, trying to figure out how to lift the team's spirits again.

To be fair, the first half hadn't been terrible. Statistically, the gap between the two teams wasn't that big. Spain only had a higher possession rate, while the number of shots and entries into the final third were pretty close. In fact, Portugal had more entries into Spain's danger zone.

Spain's goal seemed more like a stroke of luck rather than the result of breaking through Portugal's defense in open play. However, a goal is a goal, no matter how it happens.

Being behind heading into the second half was certainly not part of Santos' game plan.

"We need to change tactics for the second half!" Santos clapped his hands, drawing the attention of all the players before speaking calmly.

…

In Spain's locker room, coach Vicente del Bosque was also outlining the game plan for the second half.

"We'll focus on counterattacks in the second half. Portugal will definitely push forward, and that will leave gaps in their defense. If we can seize the right moments to transition from defense to attack and get the ball to our forwards, we'll have a great chance to score."

In the first half, Portugal's defense was strong, and Spain hadn't gained much advantage in open play. But in the second half, with Portugal attacking more, their defensive strength would naturally weaken. Breaking through their defense might actually be easier than in the first half.

However, this approach wasn't without risks. With Portugal intensifying their offense, Spain's chances of conceding a goal would increase. If they couldn't withstand the pressure and allowed Portugal to equalize before Spain scored again on the counter, things could get complicated.

To prepare for this, Del Bosque made some adjustments. He planned to sub out Fàbregas and bring on Javi Martínez, shifting to a five-man defense.

However, Fàbregas was a key player in Spain's counterattacks, often acting as the main distributor. If Lin Quan also joined the counterattacks, Fàbregas might be the only reliable option to set up plays.

Del Bosque wasn't questioning Lin Quan's abilities—Lin's passing and playmaking skills were more than capable of handling the job. But Lin wasn't just a crucial midfielder; he was also Spain's most reliable forward, a consistent goal-scorer.

If Lin Quan were pulled back to help in midfield, Del Bosque was concerned about relying solely on Morata and Pedro up front. Not that they weren't talented—both were world-class players—but compared to Lin Quan, the gap in quality was as wide as the Mariana Trench.

This made Del Bosque glance over at his substitutes, Andrés Iniesta and Thiago. Both players had excellent playmaking abilities, and if either could come on, there would be no need to worry about losing the creative spark in midfield.

However, both Iniesta and Thiago weren't known for their defensive skills. Bringing either of them on would mean taking off Sergio Busquets, who was crucial to Spain's defensive midfield. And with the increased defensive pressure expected in the second half, Del Bosque was reluctant to take off Busquets.

Caught in a dilemma, Del Bosque hesitated, unable to make a final decision.

…

The 15-minute halftime break passed quickly, and both teams returned to the field to start the second half.

As expected, Portugal immediately increased the pace after the whistle blew, wasting no time on slow build-up or cautious probing. They launched a direct assault on Spain's goal.

They first tried attacking through the middle, but Spain had packed their defense in that area, and their formation was tightly compacted. Portugal's players didn't have the same level of finesse in tight spaces as Spain's, so they couldn't break through. After a few failed attempts, they switched tactics and focused on wing play.

Nani was particularly active, constantly creating danger down the flanks. At one point, he even delivered a dangerous cross to Cristiano Ronaldo in the box. Unfortunately, Ronaldo couldn't convert the chance, his header just grazing over the crossbar as he tried to aim for the corner.

Frustrated, Ronaldo held his head in disbelief. The Portuguese fans in the stands were even more distraught, pounding their chests as if wishing they could have been on the field to score the goal themselves.

But realistically, no one could have done it better. Ronaldo was already one of the best headers in the game. Even if someone else had been in his place, they probably wouldn't have done better.

While Portugal hadn't scored, they had glimpsed an opportunity. In the following minutes, they continued to send crosses into the box, hoping to replicate that chance.

Ronaldo was playing like a man possessed. Every time a cross came in, whether he could reach it or not, he fought tooth and nail to contest it, even at the risk of injury.

For Ronaldo, this might be the closest he'd ever come to winning an international title with Portugal. If he couldn't seize this moment, he might never get another chance to lift a trophy.

So if not now, when?

But no matter how hard he fought, success wasn't guaranteed. Spain knew how dangerous Ronaldo was in the air and had prepared accordingly. Sergio Ramos, Ronaldo's club teammate, was fully aware of his heading ability.

Whenever Ronaldo entered the box, Ramos was glued to him, doing everything he could to disrupt his timing and positioning. Even if Ramos couldn't win the ball first, he used his physicality and subtle fouls to prevent Ronaldo from getting a clean jump for a header.

Ronaldo was visibly frustrated, appealing to the referee several times, but the official paid no attention. Ramos' fouls were just within the bounds of legal physical play. And with both players inside the box, the referee was reluctant to call a penalty unless absolutely necessary.

In a match of this magnitude, the referee wanted to avoid influencing the outcome unless there was a clear and blatant foul. A wrong penalty call in such a critical game would invite worldwide scrutiny.

Seeing that Ronaldo was struggling alone in the box, Portugal made a substitution, bringing on the 190cm tall Eder and taking off midfielder Renato Sanches.

The message was clear: they wanted more physical presence in the box to capitalize on their wing play and break the deadlock.

Eder's presence immediately relieved some pressure off Ronaldo, as now defenders couldn't just double-team him. In open play, Eder also acted as a target man, holding up the ball for Ronaldo to create better shooting opportunities.

After the substitution, Portugal's attacks noticeably improved, and their threat to Spain's goal increased.

In the 65th minute, Ronaldo received a pass from Eder just outside the penalty area and unleashed a powerful shot. It came within inches of scoring, narrowly missing the goal.

If not for Iker Casillas' sharp reflexes—and his years of experience playing with Ronaldo—Portugal might have equalized then and there.

Seeing the team under so much pressure, with constant threats near their goal, Del Bosque quickly made adjustments. He subbed out Fàbregas for Javi Martínez.

At 192cm tall, Martínez had been transformed into a center-back by Pep Guardiola at Bayern, meaning he could play both defensive midfield and center-back. Del Bosque brought him on to strengthen the defense, but when Spain attacked, Martínez would push forward to serve as a key distributor.

Once Martínez was on the field, Spain's defensive intensity ramped up. The five-man backline squeezed Portugal's wing play, limiting their effectiveness.

With less success down the flanks, Nani tried to switch things up, cutting inside more often. But this left Ronaldo and Eder in awkward positions.

Ronaldo isn't a traditional target man, and he lacks the ability to play with his back to goal. Without teammates providing service, Ronaldo had to drop back into his preferred wide-left area, hoping to create chances from there.

This was a reasonable choice for Ronaldo, and from this position, he managed to produce a few quality shots. But against such a compact defense, breaking through from that angle was extremely difficult.

Ronaldo's struggles to replicate his club success with Portugal became more evident. After all, Portugal's midfield was nowhere near the quality of Real Madrid's.

As Portugal pressed forward, Spain wasn't sitting back idly. They capitalized on opportunities to counterattack, with Morata even scoring a one-on-one goal—only for it to be disallowed for offside.

Morata felt like he was in top form today, especially when he wasn't being heavily marked. He genuinely believed he could score in this final.

Spain's counterattacks were causing concern for Portugal. Realizing the threat, Portugal became more cautious in their forward surges. However, after Fàbregas was subbed off, Portugal noticed that if they could shut down Lin Quan, Spain's main passer, they could neutralize their counterattacks entirely.

Several Portuguese midfielders took turns marking Lin Quan, using every trick in the book to disrupt his passing and prevent Spain from launching quick counters.

The best opportunities to score often arise when the opposing team is transitioning from attack to defense. During this phase, many players are still upfield, leaving the backline exposed. If someone can deliver a precise pass to exploit these gaps, it can lead to a direct threat on goal.

But to make such a pass, the player needs excellent vision, precise passing, and the ability to shake off defenders in pressure situations.

Only the best midfielders in the world possess all these traits—players like Kevin De Bruyne from Manchester City or Luka Modric from Real Madrid.

Without such a player, teams often struggle to make quick counterattacks count. A misplaced pass or a momentary hesitation allows the opposing team to regroup, and what could have been a dangerous attack turns into a slow, predictable buildup.

This is precisely why some teams, like China's national team, often fail to capitalize on counterattacking opportunities. They lack that key player who can hold the ball under pressure and deliver the perfect pass to exploit the opponent's disorganization. Without that, they are forced to retreat into their defensive shell, hoping for a draw or a lucky break.

Portugal was unlucky in that Lin Quan had all the qualities needed for a deadly counterattack. His field vision was superb, and he could spot open spaces and passing lanes almost instantly. Not only that, but he also had the skill to place the ball exactly where it needed to go, allowing his teammates to take their shots with ease.

What made Lin Quan even more dangerous was his ability to dribble out of tight situations. One-on-one, defenders had little chance against him, especially when they lunged in hastily. More often than not, he'd breeze past them, leaving them scrambling.

The best way to deal with Lin Quan? Multiple defenders. But how many teams have the luxury of assigning several players to mark one guy, especially when caught off guard during a counterattack?

Since that wasn't always feasible, Portugal resorted to another tactic: fouling.

In the 69th minute, during one of Spain's counterattacks, Lin Quan had just received the ball and was preparing to make a pass when Portugal's Adrien Silva came flying in and knocked him to the ground.

Whistle!

The referee immediately blew the whistle and issued Adrien a yellow card.

Adrien didn't argue. He didn't try to pull Lin Quan up or complain to the referee. He knew what he'd done. His foul was blatant, and there was no use trying to deny it.

If he hadn't been the last defender, the card might have been red instead of yellow.

Adrien wasn't the only Portuguese player who had been booked for fouling Lin Quan. Renato Sanches, who had been subbed off earlier, had also been given a yellow for a foul on Lin. And Cédric, who received a yellow card early in the match, had committed his foul on Lin Quan as well.

In total, Portugal had racked up five yellow cards by this point in the game, three of which were for fouls on Lin Quan.

This showed just how much Portugal had to sacrifice in order to contain Lin's influence on the game.

Seeing Adrien booked, Portugal's coach Fernando Santos decided it was time to make another substitution. He called João Moutinho from the bench and gave him some instructions before preparing to send him onto the field.

The midfield was a critical area, and with Adrien now on a yellow, Santos knew he'd be less willing to foul. But someone still needed to be there to break up Spain's plays, even if it meant committing tactical fouls.

Portugal's fouls were starting to pile up, and with so many yellow cards, the game was getting harder for them to control.

But oddly enough, the player who had a reputation for picking up cards—Pepe—hadn't received a single one yet. This, in itself, was surprising.

Pepe had been fortunate. Lin Quan hadn't been as active on the wings in this match, so Pepe had mostly been marking Morata and Pedro. Both of them were players Pepe could handle with ease, so he hadn't needed to resort to fouling.

Pepe often committed fouls out of frustration, particularly in retaliation. These kinds of fouls were what earned him his reputation for being a dirty player, and they were the reason why he often got red cards and even additional suspensions.

For now, Pepe was safe. But time was ticking away, and Portugal had yet to score. This was making their fans more and more anxious.

At this point, they couldn't care less about yellow cards. All they wanted was a goal!

But with regular time running out, Portugal was running out of opportunities.

Time was not on their side.

(End of Chapter)

Friends, if you want to read chapters in advance, subscribe to my patreon.

You can also buy the book if you are only interested in reading the novel.