Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 550: Ronaldo Leaves Injured, Lin Quan's Long Run

Cristiano Ronaldo's expression was filled with pain, and it wasn't just because Portugal was trailing and struggling to find a way to score. It was because he was injured.

In the 78th minute of the second half, Ronaldo collided with Sergio Busquets in a tussle for the ball near the penalty area, and both players fell to the ground, unable to get up. The slow-motion replay on the big screen showed that Ronaldo, attempting to receive a pass and push forward, was hit by Busquets as they both challenged for the ball. Busquets' right knee slammed into Ronaldo's left knee, and it was clear that both were badly hurt.

Spain's medical team quickly rushed onto the pitch and checked Busquets. After a quick evaluation, they signaled to the sideline for a substitution. Busquets couldn't continue playing.

The Portuguese medical team followed suit and attended to Ronaldo. While Ronaldo's injury was serious, he was determined not to leave the pitch. Despite the doctors advising him to come off, he chose to stay on, not wanting to abandon his team while they were losing.

When Ronaldo managed to stand up, albeit limping, the 80,000 fans in the stadium, including some Spanish supporters, rose to their feet and applauded him. Regardless of his performance or whether he scored, Ronaldo's determination earned everyone's respect.

However, an injury is an injury. No amount of willpower can change that. Playing with a hurt knee, Ronaldo's performance drastically declined. His left knee couldn't bear weight properly, making even running difficult, and every movement caused him excruciating pain. Worse still, the injured area began to swell and fill with blood, making it impossible for him to bend his knee or move properly.

After five painful minutes, Ronaldo couldn't push through any longer. He realized that staying on the pitch wasn't helping the team. In fact, he might be slowing them down.

Ronaldo covered his face with his hands, tears welling up in his eyes as frustration and disappointment overwhelmed him. The referee, seeing that a player was down, blew the whistle to stop the match and rushed over.

The crowd buzzed with concern, as countless fans instinctively stood up, looking toward Ronaldo, who was lying on the ground.

On the sidelines, Portugal's coach, Fernando Santos, had a deeply worried expression. With the team losing and little time remaining, losing their star player was a devastating blow. Though there was still time left in the match, Santos felt the grim weight of what was to come, as if he could already see their fate.

The medics returned to the pitch, and this time Ronaldo didn't try to fight through it. After receiving medical attention, he was carried off on a stretcher.

As Ronaldo was lifted away, tears streamed down his face, and he began to sob quietly.

The fans started chanting Ronaldo's name, and his Portuguese teammates gathered around to comfort their captain as he passed by on the stretcher.

In the broadcast booth, the commentator He Wei sighed and remarked, "A hero has fallen on the path of chasing his dreams."

At 31 years old, Ronaldo knew that when the next European Championship came around, he would be 35. With Portugal's limited chances and his age, missing this opportunity might mean never winning an international title. Ronaldo's injury signaled the likely end of Portugal's journey in this Euro final.

Everyone understood this. And they also realized that without Ronaldo, the excitement of the match would be severely diminished. The remainder of the game would feel like garbage time.

However, neither Ronaldo nor Portugal was ready to give up just yet.

As Ronaldo was carried to the sidelines, his good friend Ricardo Quaresma was already preparing to enter the game. Ronaldo took off his captain's armband and handed it to Quaresma, declining the medical team's offer to leave. Instead, he chose to sit on the bench and watch the rest of the match.

Portugal's substitution indicated they were not ready to surrender. Though Quaresma wasn't as strong as Ronaldo, he had his own unique weapon: his signature outside-of-the-foot crosses.

After Eder had come on as a substitute striker, he had struggled due to a lack of service from the midfield. But once Quaresma entered the field, the chemistry between him and Eder began to show. With Quaresma's skillful outside-foot passes, he created several dangerous chances for Eder.

At first, Eder didn't fully adjust to Quaresma's passing style, missing opportunities or being closed down by defenders before he could shoot. But after getting used to Quaresma's delivery, Eder started posing a serious threat to Spain's defense.

In the 83rd minute, Eder received a pass from Quaresma and made a clever flick, redirecting the ball toward the far corner of the net.

Casillas, Spain's goalkeeper, had no time to react and was seemingly beaten. But just as everyone thought the ball would find the back of the net, it smashed against the crossbar with a loud thud and bounced out for a goal kick.

The Portuguese fans behind the goal had already clenched their fists, ready to celebrate. From their perspective, the ball was surely going in. But to their shock, it struck the crossbar.

Eder collapsed to his knees in frustration, clutching his head. He couldn't believe it hadn't gone in. After his flick, he had already prepared to celebrate the goal.

Sitting on the bench, Ronaldo had been ready to leap up in celebration, tossing aside his injury blanket, only to watch as the ball cruelly rebounded off the bar. His disappointment and frustration mirrored Eder's.

"If only I were out there, that ball would've gone in," Ronaldo thought bitterly, confident in his heading ability. He was sure that if he had been on the field, he would have scored.

But unfortunately, while he was on the pitch, no such chances had come his way.

The Spanish players felt lucky to have survived that scare, with Ramos even running over to kiss the goalpost. The French goalposts had certainly been kind to Spain, saving them twice in this match already. Without those two key interventions, Spain might well have found themselves trailing.

Having let their guard down after Ronaldo's exit, thinking they had the match under control, Spain was jolted awake by Portugal's renewed pressure.

They knew the importance of maintaining control of the game. A one-goal lead wasn't safe enough, as just one Portuguese goal would level the match and give them momentum. And late in the game, if the opposition gained the upper hand, the pressure could make it difficult to hold on.

So Spain decided to take the initiative. They would either push the action into Portugal's half to prevent them from threatening their own goal, or, better yet, score another goal and crush Portugal's fighting spirit, securing the win.

Understanding this, Spain pushed forward even as fatigue began to set in.

Lin Quan sprinted with the ball, glancing around him. Pedro was too exhausted to keep up, David Silva had fallen behind, and although Morata was still running, he was marked by two defenders. Even if Lin managed to get the ball to Morata, there was no guarantee he could hold it, and if they lost possession, Portugal's keeper could send the ball right back downfield, setting up a counterattack.

Weighing his options, Lin decided to take matters into his own hands and pushed forward on his own.

Behind him, Koke, who had just replaced the injured Busquets, was chasing after him. Having only recently come on, Koke still had plenty of energy.

Koke expected to catch up to Lin soon, but as they crossed the halfway line, Koke looked up and realized that Lin was still ahead of him—and getting further away.

Koke was stunned.

How could this be?

It was already the 85th minute, so how could Lin still have so much stamina left?

It wasn't just Koke who was puzzled. Portugal's defenders were equally baffled.

When Spain's counterattack started, they were ahead of Lin. But as they ran, Lin caught up to them. Even worse, Lin wasn't slowing down—he was speeding up. If this continued, he would soon leave them all behind.

The crowd erupted with excitement. Both Spanish and Portuguese fans held their breath, eyes fixed on the pitch.

In both league and cup competitions, Lin's long solo runs always thrilled fans, stirring their emotions. Many believed that this type of play—symbolizing speed, passion, and bravery—was the essence of football.

Compared to boring, overly cautious passing games, where attacks were disorganized and confusing, this kind of attack was the very definition of real football.

As the fans cheered, some even shouted words of encouragement.

But for the Portuguese players, especially the defenders, it was pure agony.

Lin was moving too fast. In another moment, they wouldn't even have the chance to foul him!

In desperation, Portuguese center-back José Fonte made a risky sliding tackle in an attempt to take out both the ball and Lin. If he could get the ball first, great. But if he missed and fouled Lin instead, he could face a red card.

At this stage, it was hard to say if the red card would be worth it. Portugal would be down to ten men, with little time left, making a comeback almost impossible. But if they didn't stop Lin, his one-on-one finishing was so lethal that a goal was almost inevitable.

Fonte had already committed to the slide. Whatever happened next was out of his control.

Fonte's intentions were clear, and Lin sensed the danger before the slide even came. In a split second, Lin jumped just as Fonte slid in, avoiding the challenge completely.

As Fonte slid harmlessly underneath, stunned that he hadn't stopped Lin, the ball momentarily escaped Lin's control, rolling a bit too far forward.

Portugal's goalkeeper, Rui Patrício, immediately saw his chance and charged out to claim the ball before Lin could regain control.

Lin had broken free and was now one-on-one with the keeper. Patrício knew he had to act. If he didn't come out, Lin would have a free shot at goal.

His timing was perfect. Though the ball seemed out of his reach, it was rolling toward him, closing the distance rapidly.

Even if Patrício couldn't grab the ball, he would block all of Lin's shooting angles, stopping the attack cold.

Lin sprinted forward, as did Patrício.

Both sets of fans held their breath, hearts pounding. They all willed their player to reach the ball first.

On the benches, players and coaches from both sides were on their feet, eyes wide, afraid to miss the decisive moment.

Cristiano Ronaldo, still sitting on the bench, was incredibly tense. He watched Lin's sprint, fists clenched, praying his teammate would stop him.

In that breathless moment, Spain's number ten reached the ball first.

Patrício arrived just a split second later, positioning himself perfectly to block every shooting angle. Lin was now inside the penalty box, where the goalkeeper had the advantage of using his hands. No matter how skilled Lin was with his feet, hands were always quicker.

Patrício felt confident he had Lin trapped.

But to his shock, Lin seemed to have anticipated his move, deftly tapping the ball forward with the tip of his boot and spinning away from him.

How was this possible?

How could someone at such high speed pull off a move like that?

Stunned, Patrício instinctively grabbed Lin's jersey, pulling him down. But even as Lin fell, he managed to sweep the ball into the goal with his right leg.

The score was 2-0. Spain had sealed their victory.

(End of Chapter)

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