Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 537: The Unexpected Goal by Lin Quan

Hearing Mourinho's words, Mendes was momentarily speechless, unsure of how to respond.

Manchester United is a club that has been incredibly successful in its commercial ventures, but that's also where their problem lies—they are too commercially successful.

Everything about Manchester United is overly commercialized, showing the shrewdness and opportunism of American businessmen.

For United's owners, the team's performance on the pitch isn't their top priority—profits are.

With owners like these, it's extremely difficult for any manager to do their job well.

Mourinho clearly wasn't happy at United, especially after his disputes with Pogba, where the club's management didn't back him up. This only made things worse for Mourinho.

If a coach can't maintain their authority, how can they effectively lead the team?

Mendes was also deeply worried about Mourinho's situation.

Ever since Mourinho left Inter Milan, he hadn't made significant progress in his career—in fact, he seemed to be on a downward slope.

This didn't bode well for his future. If Mourinho failed again at Manchester United, it was possible that no top club would want to hire him again.

Mendes's two most important clients were Cristiano Ronaldo and Mourinho.

Recently, both of them had been facing challenges: Ronaldo, because Real Madrid hadn't made further progress and his advancing age meant his golden years were nearing an end; Mourinho, because of his string of defeats, had lost the confidence that made him once declare himself "The Special One."

If these two continued to decline, it wouldn't be good news for Mendes either.

Meanwhile, the game continued on the field.

After regaining control of the midfield, Spain's attacks started to gain momentum.

In the 38th minute of the first half, Spain executed a beautiful sequence of play.

Lin Quan, working with Fabregas and Iniesta, moved the ball forward down the right side, exchanging quick passes and wall passes, dribbling past one German player after another.

When Lin Quan reached the edge of the penalty area, the ball landed at his feet.

Before stopping the ball, he glanced up to check Morata's positioning, making it seem as though he was about to pass to him.

Seeing this, Jerome Boateng marked Morata closely, giving him no space to receive the ball.

But by doing so, he left his teammate Mats Hummels isolated in front of Lin Quan.

Due to Lin Quan's deeper position throughout the game, he hadn't attempted many dribbles, which made the German defense drop their guard.

Hummels, confident that his teammate was close by to help, moved forward to intercept Lin Quan, planning to trap him between them.

However, Lin Quan quickly shifted the ball, feinting as if he would break left.

Startled, Hummels adjusted his balance, preparing to defend his right side.

But just as he shifted his weight, Lin Quan cut the ball back to the right.

Hummels was left sweating, unable to change direction quickly enough. He almost tripped over himself, helplessly watching Lin Quan dart past him on the left.

Boateng saw his teammate get beaten and instinctively moved to intercept, but before he could react, Lin Quan had already taken his shot.

Neuer, Germany's goalkeeper, had been prepared for this. As soon as Lin Quan received the ball at the edge of the box, Neuer had braced himself for a potential shot.

When Lin Quan bypassed Hummels, Neuer predicted that a shot was imminent.

Fixating on Lin Quan's every movement, Neuer dived to his right just as Lin Quan swung his leg to shoot.

The distance was too close—he couldn't wait until the ball was struck to make his move. He had to rely on his instincts and anticipation.

Neuer guessed the direction correctly and managed to make the save.

But just as he started to celebrate, the ball ricocheted back from his save, flying over his head.

Dumbfounded, Neuer stood frozen, staring at his opponent in disbelief.

In front of the goal, Lin Quan, in an awkward posture, headed the ball into the net.

Not only was Neuer shocked, but the fans in the stadium were too.

At first, when they saw Neuer make the save, they thought Germany had successfully defended.

But then, to their astonishment, the ball rebounded and Lin Quan managed to head it back into the net—it wasn't even a deliberate header. It looked more like the ball had just bounced off his head.

On the big screen, a replay of the goal was being shown.

Spain's attack had been beautifully orchestrated, patiently passing in midfield before catching Germany off-guard with a sudden burst of speed. Through a series of quick exchanges, they sliced through Germany's defense, culminating in a decisive finish.

Throughout the play, Lin Quan and his teammates' passing was dazzling, and his dribble past Hummels was the cherry on top.

Even though Lin Quan was through on goal, Neuer's save was remarkable—he lived up to his reputation as one of the world's best goalkeepers by stopping the first shot.

However, Neuer was unlucky. The ball bounced off Lin Quan's head in an unintended direction, right back into the goal.

The slow-motion replay on the big screen made it clear: Lin Quan hadn't meant to head the ball. In fact, as the ball rebounded toward him, he even instinctively tried to pull his head back to avoid it. But the ball hit his head anyway, bouncing straight into the net.

"Holy! That luck is off the charts!"

"Haha, Lin's flinch as he tried to dodge the ball is hilarious!"

The fans burst out laughing after seeing the replay.

"It looks like we've got another 'Prince' on our hands!"

"I thought Lukaku was the king of weird goals, but it looks like Lin's got him beat!"

"Ha, Lukaku blocks his teammates' sure goals, while Lin just stands there and picks up goals—these two 'posts' have completely opposite effects!"

"After all, Lukaku's special ability is stopping his teammates!"

Lin Quan's unexpected goal completely changed the game.

On the sidelines, Spain's coach Vicente del Bosque was overjoyed, practically jumping for joy. He even hugged the fourth official, smothering him with kisses.

Seeing del Bosque kissing the fourth official, assistant coach Tony, fitness coach Milliano, and goalkeeper coach Ochoto cautiously backed away, afraid they'd be next in line for a smothering.

Del Bosque's excitement was understandable. The match had reached the 40th minute, with only a few minutes left until halftime.

If Spain could maintain this lead going into the locker room, they would have many more tactical options for the second half, greatly increasing their chances of winning.

On the other hand, Germany would be in a tough spot, as Löw's tactical choices would be limited.

Out on the pitch, Germany's players were visibly disappointed after Lin Quan's goal, their expressions growing anxious.

Many of them remembered the match two years ago, where Germany had been thoroughly beaten by Spain.

And with this goal, that sense of helplessness was creeping back in—Spain was just too strong, making them seem invincible.

As these thoughts surfaced, many players' confidence took a hit, and they began to doubt whether they could actually beat Spain.

"Don't lose heart, stay focused! There's still time, and we're only one goal behind!"

Reus, who hadn't experienced defeat at Spain's hands before, wasn't affected by these negative emotions.

Noticing the change in his teammates' demeanor, Reus tried to rally them, urging them to stay motivated.

One goal down wasn't the end of the world.

If Lin could score, so could he!

Seeing the determination and confidence in Reus's eyes, his teammates seemed to regain some of their fighting spirit.

"Tell the players to press hard—we need to equalize before halftime!"

On the sidelines, Löw called one of his players over, giving instructions.

There wasn't much time left in the first half, and he didn't want to go into the break trailing, as that would make his second-half tactics more difficult to implement.

So Löw ordered his players to use the remaining time to try and level the score before the break.

Germany followed orders without hesitation.

In the 44th minute, with only a few minutes left in the half, Kroos carried the ball forward, drawing defenders toward him.

As Busquets advanced, and Iniesta and Fabregas drifted slightly inward, Kroos delivered a precise long pass across the field.

The ball was aimed at Reus, who was the only one capable of breaking through the Spanish defense.

Reus received the ball and didn't try any fancy moves, using his speed to force his way through.

As he cut inside and approached Spain's goal, Piqué had no choice but to move wide to help defend.

This was exactly the opportunity Reus had been waiting for. As Piqué shifted positions, Reus threaded a perfect through ball into the space Piqué had just vacated.

Standing there was a towering figure—Germany's forward, Mario Gómez!

Gómez received the ball inside the penalty box, using his right arm to shield off Ramos and prevent him from closing in. With his left foot, he swung a powerful shot at the ball.

The shot was taken from very close range, giving Casillas little time to react.

Like Neuer before him, Casillas had to rely on anticipation, as the shot was too fast for him to respond in real-time.

Fortunately, Gómez's wind-up was obvious—at nearly 190cm tall, his leg movements were big and hard to hide.

This gave Casillas just enough time to dive and make the save.

The stadium filled with sighs of disappointment and gasps.

The German fans let out the sighs; the Spanish fans gasped in relief.

Gómez's shot had been Germany's best chance to score in the last ten minutes.

Reus had drawn away a center-back, significantly reducing Gómez's defensive pressure and setting him up with a superb through ball.

Gómez had performed admirably, using his physical strength to hold off Ramos and take a clean shot in the box—something no other German player could have managed.

His shot was quick and aimed precisely, but Spain's goalkeeper was quicker and performed like a man possessed, stopping what could have been a crucial equalizer.

By this time, the first half's regular 45 minutes had expired, and the fourth official added just one minute of injury time.

Germany earned a corner kick, giving them one last chance to equalize before the half ended.

With a clear height advantage, they didn't bother with any intricate set-piece plays.

Kroos delivered a high ball into the box, where chaos ensued.

At the near post, Piqué mistimed his jump, confusing the players around him.

Gómez, leaping right behind him, also failed to make contact, and Müller was at a disadvantage in his aerial duel with Morata.

The ball eventually fell to Khedira at the far post, but his header, under heavy pressure from the Spanish defense, missed the target.

After successfully defending this corner, Spain decided to run out the clock.

After Casillas restarted play, they passed the ball around in their own half, waiting for Germany to press.

When the Germans applied pressure, Spain would take the ball wide.

If Germany continued to chase, Spain would kick the ball off their legs and out of bounds, ensuring they maintained possession.

Using this strategy, Spain ran down the remaining injury time and managed to head into halftime with a one-goal lead.

Despite holding the lead, Spain's players weren't overly celebratory.

They knew their opponents were strong, and the pressure from this match was immense.

Their right side, in particular, was under constant threat.

Reus, in particular, was proving difficult to handle, forcing Del Bosque to consider substituting Fabregas for Koke in order to strengthen their defense.

However, taking off Fabregas would weaken Spain's ability to combine with Lin Quan on the right side.

Koke was a solid player, but he wasn't on Fabregas's level, especially when it came to organizing play and passing.

After all, Fabregas came from Barcelona's famed La Masia academy, while Koke was a product of Atlético Madrid's youth system.

The two academies had vastly different philosophies.

Given that Spain still held a one-goal lead, Del Bosque didn't need to rush into any changes.

He decided to wait and see what adjustments Germany made during the break before responding with his own tactical changes.

Since Germany was trailing, they would undoubtedly come out stronger in the second half.

The question was: how would Löw change his tactics? Would he continue to exploit the wide areas to maximize Reus's effectiveness?

Or would he focus on strengthening their central attacks through Müller?

Germany's bench was packed with talent, including the likes of Götze, Schweinsteiger, and Schürrle, making Del Bosque wary.

(End of Chapter)

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