Chapter 646 The suffocating last two minutes!
"Although the goal was not achieved using the ground coordination method that we are familiar with, the Spanish team finally scored first. Now the rhythm of the game seems to be back to what everyone predicted before the game."
"Haha, the game had a tendency to go astray, but Lin Quan forced it to straighten."
In the CCTV studio, the two commentators couldn't help but joke after seeing the Spanish team's goal.
The Spanish team played more calmly after taking the lead, and were more proactive in ground attack. They seemed to be inspired by Lin Quan's free kick goal. They increased their attempts to break through, as if they wanted to actively cause fouls to their opponents and give the opponent a chance to score. Lin Quan received a free kick opportunity.
When it comes to free kicks, technique alone is not enough. If you want to score goals, you have to look at your feeling.
No matter how you feel, you can play whatever you want. If you don’t feel right, you won’t be able to score goals no matter how good your technique is.
Lin Quan has already scored a free kick, which proves that he is in very good condition for taking free kicks in this game.
In this case, it is natural to keep working hard and create more opportunities for him.
For a time, Isco, David Silva, and even forward Diego Costa were all passing by.
This style of play made the French team feel very uncomfortable. At the beginning, they did not react and used the same defensive method to deal with the opponent.
As a result, the Spanish team was given several free kick opportunities, and as long as there was a free kick, Lin Quan must be the one who took the free kick for the Spanish team.
Every time they see Lin Quan standing in front of the football and preparing to take a free kick, the players of the French team can't help but feel terrified.
I am afraid that he will copy the last free kick and score directly. If the opponent scores two goals in such a short period of time, the situation of the French team will be really dangerous.
Thank God, the positions of these free kicks were not very good. Except for one shot that was extremely threatening and forced the goalkeeper to make a thrilling save, the other few free kicks were either blocked by the wall or did not control the intensity and angle well. Hit it too high or miss it.
Although the opponent did not score any more goals, the French team did not dare to give the opponent a free kick so easily.
They finally saw that the opponent No. 10 was in really good shape today.
If he is really given another free kick opportunity from a perfect position like the first goal, he might really be able to score again.
Therefore, the French team consciously reduced the number of fouls committed at the front of its own penalty area and moved the battleground between the two sides to the center circle.
Even if a foul is committed at this position, because the foul point is too far away from the goal, it is very, very difficult to score a direct free kick from this distance.
Any such ultra-long-distance free kick that can be scored will become a classic scene in the World Cup and will be remembered by countless people.
The French team's idea is good, and the tactics to deal with it cannot be wrong.
But they ignored one thing, and that was the yellow card Kanter received for defending Lin Quan for a foul.
Affected by the yellow card on his back, Kanter not only lost the opportunity for a tactical foul, but he himself did not dare to make too many defensive moves because he was afraid of receiving cards when defending.
This greatly reduced Kanter's defensive power. In the first thirty minutes, Kanter was basically able to restrain Lin Quan, greatly reducing his offensive threat.
But now, it is difficult or even impossible to do this.
After losing Kanter, the trump card that restricted Lin Quan, the French team had to double-team him in order to restrict Lin Quan.
But there are only so many people on the court. If one more person is sent to deal with Lin Quan, there will inevitably be vacancies in other positions.
Coupled with the fact that the Spanish team is accustomed to pressing attacks, they have a clear numerical advantage when fighting near the center circle.
Except for one defender who stayed back to defend, all other players participated in the pressing and attacking.
On the other hand, the French team has at least two people unable to move in their defense, and the full-backs on both sides must always be prepared for the opponent's surprise attack from the wing.
This made the difference in numbers between the two sides in the midfield even greater, so there was no surprise. In the battle between the two sides, the French team gradually fell into a disadvantage.
The Spanish team's ground penetration is very good, and they are very good at passing and cutting in the small space in the frontcourt.
And when the opponent moved the strangling place forward, the space in their backcourt was much larger than before, which gave the Spanish team more room to cooperate!
In the 37th minute, the Spanish team played a wonderful match.
Lin Quan received the ball on the left and then played a wall-to-wall cooperation with David Silva. Faced with multiple double-teams from the opponent, he calmly passed the ball to the wing.
The full-back Carvajal who came up with the assist received the ball and passed it diagonally to David Silva who cut inside. The latter knocked in front of the goal. Diego Costa, who received the ball with his back, passed the ball back to the center to follow up. Isco.
The latter took a shot directly without interference and hit a very beautiful long-range shot.
This shot is of extremely high quality, powerful and heavy, extremely fast, and the angle is also very tricky.
After Isco completed the shot, he felt something in his heart. He couldn't help raising his hands and was ready to celebrate.
But the French goalkeeper Lloris, who was beaten by Lin Quan and lost his mind, this time seemed to have divine help. He jumped at extremely fast speed and blocked the ball that was almost grazing the goal post.
Everyone in Isco is stupid!
Can you save this kind of ball?
Is the opponent's goalkeeper a god?
The French fans in the stands thought they were about to concede a second goal. Many female fans covered their eyes in fear and did not dare to watch the game.
As a result, they waited for a long time and did not hear the cheers from the scene. So they opened their eyes curiously and saw the stunned expressions of the compatriots around them.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
"Lori...he...actually saved the ball!"
The French fan who was asked was so excited that he stuttered even when he spoke.
Just then, the big screen at the scene began to replay the save just now.
The Spanish team's offensive coordination was very beautiful. Even the fans of the French team couldn't help but applaud the opponent.
But the really beautiful thing was Lori's save. Before Isco completed the shot, he seemed to have predicted the opponent's shooting intention in advance and quietly moved two steps to the right.
It was these two crucial steps that allowed him to save Isco's shot.
Otherwise, no matter how fast he reacts, he will fail to save because his arms are not long enough and cannot reach the ball.
What's even more admirable is that it is very dangerous for the goalkeeper to save a football that almost touches the goal post.
If they are not careful, they will hit the post and be injured. If the injury is serious, it may affect their career.
Moreover, humans have the instinct to avoid danger. Asking the goalkeeper to pounce on such a ball is no different from asking someone to hit a wall. Human instinct needs to be overcome.
"Lori!"
"Lori!"
"Lori!"
After watching the replay on the big screen, countless French fans chanted Lori's name and paid high respect to him.
Good thing we have Lori!
This is the truest thought in the minds of countless French fans at this moment.
After completing this wonderful save, Lori stood up from the lawn and roared, venting his frustration and anger.
He felt that his condition was all back. His previous fluctuations in mentality due to Lin Quan's influence had now completely calmed down.
As long as he is not allowed to face Lin Quan or other players in Spain, he has no fear and can even perform beyond normal performance.
As for how he will fare against Lin Quanhui, Lori is still a little unsure. He needs to save a few more good shots to further build confidence in himself. When Isco shot, Lin Quan was also in place to outflank him.
Isco's shooting quality is very high. Even if it is left to him, I am afraid he will not be able to handle it better.
But Isco's luck didn't seem to be very good, and he encountered a moment when the opponent's goalkeeper was in peak condition.
"That's a good shot, keep up the good work!"
Seeing Isco's somewhat frustrated expression, Lin Quan went up and patted him on the shoulder.
"Yes, I will!"
Isco nodded heavily, trying hard to adjust his state and not let this shot affect his mentality.
Of course he was very unhappy. Why did the opponent's goalkeeper perform so mediocrely when facing Lin, but suddenly exploded when facing him?
Did the other party regard me as a soft persimmon?
It is unbearable!
On the edge of the court, Deschamps stood up and applauded the team's successful defense.
However, although he was applauding, his expression looked quite solemn.
Obviously, Deschamps has seen the difficulties the team faces.
The Spanish team did not play such a threatening offense in positional battles before, but now they have.
Although no goal was scored in the end, this trend itself is very dangerous.
Fortunately, there was not much time left in the first half. Deschamps glanced at the scoreboard and saw that the time had reached 38 minutes.
If the French team persists for another seven or eight minutes, the first half of the game will be over.
Although he lost a goal, it was harmless and he was confident that he could get it back in the second half.
But the premise is not to lose the ball again!
Hold on, boys, survive the first half, and it's time for us to blow the counterattack horn in the second half.
The French players on the field seemed to have an understanding with their head coach. They didn't need the coach to shout on the sidelines and ask them what to do. They all chose to defend steadily.
How much investment does the French team have in defense?
Just look at Mbappe’s position!
In the 40th minute, during an attack by the Spanish team, Mbappe returned all the way to the penalty area and contributed a tackle.
Even he, the vanguard of the counterattack, returned to the penalty area. You can imagine what the other French players were doing.
Mbappe's original intentions are good, but whether this choice is cost-effective is another matter.
At least after Mbappe actively returned to defense, the Spanish team's offense became more and more unscrupulous.
Almost the entire team passed the half, and even the goalkeeper De Gea was active near the center circle on the French side.
All members of the Spanish team have participated in the attack. The goalkeeper is the last line of defense. He even has to serve as the ball release point and participate in passing the ball during the attack.
Thanks to their numerical advantage, the Spanish team's offense became extremely fierce.
Center, wing, rib...
The French team was in panic from all directions, and the opponent's attack was urgent and fierce, which made them exhausted.
Although the first half was not over yet, the French players on the field felt too tired to run.
The huge psychological pressure, coupled with the opponent's crazy attack, gave them no chance to breathe and kept running at high intensity.
It was only then that the French players truly realized the power of the Spanish team's offense.
What is a violent storm?
"The Spanish team's offense is so fierce!"
"Footballs were flying around France's penalty area almost all the time!"
"One wave after another, and there is no chance for the French team to breathe!"
"The French team's defense is already in a bit of a mess. They must find a way to clear the ball and take a breather. Otherwise, they may be overwhelmed by Spain's powerful offensive!"
French team goalkeeper Lloris has become the busiest person on the field during this period.
If it weren't for his high-speed defense and flying saves again and again, helping the team to save the day, the French team would probably not be able to withstand Spain's attack.
But even Lori felt a little suffocated.
The opponent's attack was so fierce that every time he completed a save, he didn't have time to take a breath before flying to save again.
Although he looks very handsome when he resists with high speed, the physical exertion is really a bit overwhelming.
Fortunately, the first half is almost over, and there is not much time left for the Spanish team.
Otherwise, he really can't imagine how long he can last if the Spanish team continues to besiege like this!
On the edge of the court, the head coaches of both teams couldn't sit still.
Bosque crossed his arms and frowned as he watched the team's offense.
The team's offense during this period was very fierce, but this was based on the cost of squeezing the players' physical fitness.
If the opponent can withstand this wave of offensive, the Spanish team will suffer a big loss.
Originally their physical fitness was not as good as that of their opponent, and now they are squeezing their physical fitness like this. In that case, their physical bottleneck will probably appear earlier in the second half.
Moreover, such an attack cannot defeat the opponent and will seriously dampen the team's morale.
In the first half, when they were full of energy, they could not defeat their opponents. In the second half, during the opponent's offensive round, Spain may not have the opportunity to overpower their opponents.
So, hurry up and score goals, one more is enough!
As for the French team, Deschamps frowned even more.
Even if he is not on the court, he clearly feels that the players' condition has been squeezed to the limit.
This made him feel very uneasy. His clenched fists were full of sweat, and the tie in his suit was particularly strangled around his neck, making him feel like he couldn't breathe.
At this moment, the fourth official raised his sign and the stoppage time of the first half was 1 minute.
Seeing this time, Deschamps breathed a huge sigh of relief.
The game time has now reached 43 minutes and is about to enter the 44th minute.
Even including injury time, there were only more than 2 minutes left in the game.
So, you have to hold on!
Grit your teeth and hold on!
If we persist for these last 2 minutes, victory will be ours! (End of chapter)