Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 536: Germany's Counterattack

The answer became clear quickly—Germany's attacking core was Marco Reus!

In the 25th minute of the first half, Germany launched a fast counterattack down the wing.

Reus carried the ball from the back, skillfully evading the Spanish players' attempts to stop him. He sprinted down the wing into the Spanish half.

Compared to his teammate, Reus had better ball control, along with excellent speed, dribbling, positioning, and long-range shooting abilities.

His only flaw, perhaps, was his tendency to get injured often, earning him the nickname "charges for two hours, works for two minutes" from fans.

The Spanish players knew the threat Reus posed, so they immediately moved to block him on the wing, cutting off his chances to cut inside for a shot or pass.

However, one reason Reus started ahead of Özil was his creativity—he was no less talented in creating opportunities than Özil.

Seeing that he was being heavily marked, Reus used his great vision and made a long pass to switch the play to the right side.

The 21-year-old Joshua Kimmich arrived just in time, sending in a precise cross before the defenders could close in on him.

Mario Gómez, who had positioned himself perfectly, dove for a header, aiming for the goal.

Normally, a header from such close range would be impossible to stop, but Gómez's header went straight at Iker Casillas.

The ball, however, was so powerful that Casillas couldn't fully control it, and the ball rebounded off him.

Sergio Ramos saw the ball fall near him and immediately went for a clearance.

But just as he was about to clear it, a shadow dashed in front of him, poking the ball forward with the tip of a boot.

The follow-up shot was too quick for Casillas to react, and the ball was tapped into the net.

The stadium erupted into deafening cheers as the German fans went wild, waving banners and scarves, screaming and celebrating.

The goal had come so suddenly—it was like a slap of happiness that no one saw coming.

As the ball rolled into the net, the German player who made the final touch got up from the ground, raising his fist and roaring in celebration.

It wasn't until the player stood up that Ramos recognized who it was—Thomas Müller, the German forward!

When did this guy get behind me? Ramos wondered, his head full of questions.

The German players were just as ecstatic as Müller, rushing over to embrace him and celebrate this crucial goal.

"Great cross, Kimmich!"

Müller gave a thumbs-up to Kimmich when he saw him.

Even though it wasn't a direct assist, without Kimmich's cross, Müller wouldn't have had such a perfect opportunity to follow up.

"It was Reus who set it up!" Kimmich, thrilled by the praise from his teammates, remained humble, giving credit to Reus.

The chance had indeed been created by Reus. Without his breakthrough and evasion of Spain's first line of defense, Germany wouldn't have had this series of attacking opportunities.

Reus had shown great vision by spotting the opening on the right and delivering the pass under intense pressure, which left Kimmich in awe.

"Heh, your cross was spot on. If it weren't for their goalkeeper's good positioning, Gómez's header would've already been a goal!"

Reus, ever the bright and cheerful presence, smiled widely.

Due to injuries, Reus had missed out on many tournaments with the German national team, including the 2014 World Cup, something he regretted deeply.

So for him, it didn't matter who scored; as long as he could help the team, he was happy—even if he didn't get any of the credit himself.

"Alright, let's not get too complacent. Let's push for another goal before the first half ends!"

Müller put an arm around both Reus and Kimmich, encouraging his teammates loudly.

The team's spirits were high—if they didn't take advantage of this momentum to extend their lead, when would they?

On the bench, Germany's coach Joachim Löw had been worried after conceding such an early goal.

It had disrupted his pre-match plans and dampened the team's morale.

Since then, he had been concerned about how the team's confidence and performance would be affected—after all, Spain was an elite team, and if Germany was off its game, Spain could quickly take control.

However, after Müller's equalizer, all of Löw's worries vanished.

Both teams were back on equal footing, and Germany's game plan had been proven effective.

Now, it was just a matter of which team could seize the next opportunity and score the second goal!

Although their lead had evaporated, Spain's coach Vicente del Bosque remained calm.

As long as he could see Lin Quan on the pitch, del Bosque felt reassured.

However, the game was not looking great for Spain. After Germany's equalizer, they were riding high on their momentum and had Spain on the back foot.

At that moment, Spain was losing the midfield battle.

Germany had more numbers in the center and a clear physical advantage.

Knowing their technical skills weren't as refined as Spain's, the German players focused on using their physicality to engage in direct confrontations.

Spain's midfield, which consisted mostly of smaller players, wasn't built for physical battles.

This was their weakness, and as expected, they quickly began to struggle in such a bruising match.

Without control of the midfield, Germany's attacks became more dangerous.

In this tournament, Germany boasted one of the strongest midfields among the 24 teams—arguably even stronger than Spain's.

In this match, Germany's midfield was well-balanced:

Toni Kroos dictated the tempo from the center, controlling the flow of the game.

Sami Khedira, using his physical strength and boundless energy, disrupted Spain's midfield.

On the wings, Kimmich and Jonas Hector, with their stamina, speed, and wide coverage, acted like wingers in attack, stretching the field and adding width to Germany's offense, making it harder for Spain to defend.

When defending, they shifted back to help on the wings or closed in centrally to aid in midfield duels.

They could play as midfielders and drop back into the defensive line, turning Germany's formation into a 5-4-1.

At first glance, Germany seemed to be playing with three central defenders, giving the impression that they had no full-backs.

But in reality, they did have full-backs—they were just deployed in unconventional positions!

With Kroos pulling the strings, Germany's attacks became more relentless and threatening.

His vision and awareness allowed him to exploit any gaps in Spain's defense, consistently delivering pinpoint long balls to target Spain's weaker flanks.

Up front, Reus, Müller, and Gómez, supported by Hector and Kimmich, relentlessly pressed Spain's defense.

Things were looking grim for Spain. The German fans in the stands began to sing triumphantly, confident that if the game continued like this, Germany would come out victorious.

"Germany sure can run!"

Del Bosque had known that German teams emphasized stamina, but he hadn't expected Löw to deploy his team this way.

Löw had chosen to forgo some of his bigger-name players, instead opting for those who better fit his tactical needs, even if they were lesser-known—like the inclusion of a rookie like Kimmich.

It was clear that Löw had thoroughly prepared for this match.

Two years ago, Spain might not have been afraid of such a strategy.

But things were different now, as the team's average age had increased significantly.

In terms of stamina and running distance, they couldn't compete with the Germans anymore.

Knowing this, they had to avoid playing at Germany's pace.

If Germany continued to increase the tempo, it wouldn't be long before Spain's aging squad was completely overrun.

Realizing this, del Bosque signaled his team to adjust their tactics.

On the field, Lin Quan and David Silva exchanged a glance after seeing their coach's signal. With a slight nod, they began to drop deeper.

It wasn't long before the Germans noticed that Spain's formation had shifted.

There were now more Spanish players in midfield and fewer in the attacking third.

Spain had changed from a 4-3-3 to a 4-5-1, with the two wingers dropping back into midfield as wide midfielders.

Löw frowned as he watched this unfold. He wasn't surprised that del Bosque made this change—he just hadn't expected him to do it so decisively.

Spain was known for its intricate passing and exceptional technical ability.

Their two wide players, though labeled as wingers, were essentially midfielders.

Their playmaking skills were arguably better than the midfield generals of some other teams—especially Lin Quan.

By pulling them deeper, Spain's midfield gained significant depth.

They had more options when passing the ball, and their play became much safer.

This nullified Germany's pressing and double-teaming tactics.

Previously, they had focused on shutting down Fabregas and Iniesta.

By cutting off service to these two players, Germany had effectively neutralized Spain's attack, reducing the forward players to spectators.

But now, that strategy was no longer effective.

With Lin Quan and David Silva dropping back, Spain's midfield had five players, and they began rotating positions frequently.

If they had only been swapping positions, it wouldn't have been too much of an issue—it would just be a bit of a distraction for Germany's defenders.

But the key problem was that all four of them were highly creative players, and their chemistry was excellent.

Give them some space, and they could produce dizzying, brilliant passing combinations.

This made life incredibly difficult for Germany's defense!

Whereas previously, Germany's players had used their superior strength and stamina to dominate one-on-one situations, they now found themselves struggling even in two-on-two and two-on-three scenarios. They couldn't stop Spain at all.

Germany was pressing aggressively, but the more they pressed, the more exposed their defense became.

In just a few short minutes, the situation on the field completely reversed.

Germany, who had been riding high on their momentum and seemed poised to overrun Spain, suddenly found themselves on the back foot as Spain took control.

Spain's attacks were now concentrated in Germany's half, and they were beginning to threaten the German goal.

The German fans in the stands exchanged puzzled glances, unsure of what was happening.

Hadn't Spain weakened their attack by pulling two forwards back?

So why was their offense becoming more dangerous?

While the casual fans were confused, Germany's coach Löw quickly understood the situation.

Spain's players weren't built for physical confrontations, which was why they had lost control of the midfield earlier.

Del Bosque had clearly seen this, which is why he pulled Lin Quan and David Silva back.

This not only allowed them to avoid Germany's pressure but also added numbers to Spain's midfield, easing the defensive burden.

Löw couldn't push his defensive line too far forward, which meant the number of players he could commit to midfield battles was limited.

Spain could now deploy five players in midfield, and Germany could only use six.

While they still held a numerical advantage, it was nowhere near as significant as the previous six-vs-three matchup had been.

Moreover, Müller wasn't a midfielder—he was a shadow striker, and if he dropped too deep, he wouldn't be able to influence the game as effectively.

Reus was willing to help out defensively, but as Germany's main attacking threat, he couldn't take on too much defensive responsibility.

As a result, Germany lost their numerical advantage in midfield, and with it, control of the game.

So, how could they solve this problem?

Löw quickly began racking his brain for a solution.

Del Bosque's clever retreat had given him a big headache!

Up in one of the stadium's VIP boxes, José Mourinho and Jorge Mendes were watching the game together.

Mendes had originally planned to bring Cristiano Ronaldo along, but things between them had been a bit tense due to Ronaldo's transfer situation.

With Portugal advancing to the semifinals, Ronaldo was also more focused on training, so he hadn't come.

As they casually chatted while watching the game, Mendes turned to Mourinho after Reus helped Germany equalize.

"Reus is playing really well. If he can stay healthy, you should think about signing him."

Mourinho glanced at him, knowing that Mendes had his sights set on adding Reus to his client roster.

Reus's current agent wasn't a big name—he had some influence in the Bundesliga but wasn't well-known across Europe.

Mendes, on the other hand, was a heavyweight in the agent world, and many players sought him out, knowing that signing with him could greatly boost their careers.

"He's definitely more well-rounded than Mata, but Dortmund may not want to let him go.

And you know how it is with the Manchester United higher-ups—they only care about spending big, not spending smart. I doubt they'll listen to me."

(End of Chapter)

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