Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 522: Lin Quan Misses Out, Spain Struggles to Win!

Before Spain's match, Croatia and Turkey kicked off their Group D battle.

In the very first minute, Croatia almost scored. Rakitic's volley brushed past the post, just missing the goal and narrowly avoiding a dream start for Croatia.

Turkey is not a weak team. Back in the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, they made it to the semi-finals and finished in third place. Facing Croatia, their direct competitors for a spot in the knockout stage, Turkey was not intimidated. They set up a 4-1-4-1 formation, clearly intending to grab points off Croatia.

Despite Turkey's aggressive approach, Croatia played with calm precision. Thanks to their strong midfield, Croatia gradually took control of the game after the initial phase of mutual probing between the two sides. Mandzukic, Perisic, and Brozovic all had excellent chances to score, but none of them could finish.

It was finally Modric who stepped up. In the 41st minute of the first half, he capitalized on a poor clearance by Turkey, volleying the ball into the bottom left corner of the net, breaking the deadlock and putting Croatia up 1-0.

It was a beautiful and highly difficult goal. Initially, Croatia's left winger Brozovic had attempted to cross the ball into the box for Mandzukic to head home. However, Mandzukic couldn't reach the ball, and a Turkish defender cleared it. Unfortunately for Turkey, the ball landed right in front of Modric. Without hesitation, Modric struck a powerful volley, catching everyone off guard. The goalkeeper had no chance as the ball flew into the net.

With the lead secured, Croatia played even more confidently, continuously attacking Turkey's weak spots on the flanks, exploiting the vulnerabilities of their single defensive midfielder. Although Croatia's possession rate was only 52%, compared to Turkey's 48%, they outshot Turkey by a large margin. Croatia took 19 shots, six of which were on target. If their forwards hadn't wasted so many opportunities, they could have scored more.

Turkey, on the other hand, only managed nine shots, with two on target, posing very little threat throughout the game. They couldn't achieve the results they had hoped for.

After securing the win, Croatia breathed a sigh of relief. Turkey was their main competitor for advancing from the group, and defeating them put Croatia in a strong position. If they could win their next match against the Czech Republic, they would guarantee a place in the knockout stage. With a bit of luck, they could even aim to take points from Spain and compete for the top spot in the group.

For Turkey, however, the result was disastrous. Their next match would be against defending champions Spain. Even though many believed Spain had been significantly weakened by the absence of Lin Quan, Turkey's chances of beating them still seemed slim.

After Croatia and Turkey's match, both teams turned their attention to Spain's upcoming game against the Czech Republic. They wanted to gauge Spain's strength and verify the rumors surrounding Lin Quan's potential absence.

The curiosity extended beyond just these two teams. Spain's match against the Czech Republic attracted a massive crowd, and millions more tuned in to watch the game online or on TV.

In Germany's training camp, head coach Joachim Löw and his staff were glued to the television, watching the game intently. The atmosphere was tense, especially for Löw. Germany's loss to Spain in the last World Cup still haunted him and his team, and over the past two years, he had explored countless strategies to defeat Spain and exact revenge.

For the Germans, this Euro Cup had two main objectives:

Win the championship. Beat Spain!

If they could face Spain in the final and exact their revenge while claiming the title, it would be the ultimate victory.

Meanwhile, in France's training camp, coach Didier Deschamps was doing almost the same thing. In many national teams' training camps, coaches and players were tuning in to the Spain vs. Czech Republic match, all eyes fixed on Spain's performance.

Online, fans were already buzzing with speculation.

"Do you think Lin Quan will play today?"

Lin Quan's potential appearance was the hottest topic, overshadowing the game itself. Some fans believed he would play, arguing that the earlier rumors were just a smokescreen by Spain to confuse their opponents. Others were convinced that Lin Quan was truly injured after the Champions League final, which the entire world had seen, and that it would be impossible for him to recover in less than two weeks.

Neither side could convince the other, and the only way to find out the truth was to wait for the game to begin.

On June 13, at 4:00 PM, Spain's match against the Czech Republic kicked off. However, at the start of the game, a strange phenomenon occurred: the fans weren't looking at the pitch. Instead, their eyes were glued to Spain's bench.

Not only were Spain's fans doing this, but so were neutral and Czech fans alike. The reason was simple: Lin Quan wasn't listed in Spain's starting lineup.

Hoping to see him among the substitutes, the fans scoured Spain's bench, scrutinizing each of the players sitting there. Yet, even after combing through the entire bench, they couldn't find him.

Finally, the cameras zoomed in on Lin Quan, who was sitting in the stands, watching the game with Pep Guardiola and a few of his younger siblings. Dressed casually, he appeared relaxed, occasionally chatting with Guardiola. When he noticed the cameras on him, Lin Quan smiled and waved to the fans.

His appearance in the stands, however, confirmed what many feared: Lin Quan was missing Spain's first Euro Cup match.

The news spread like wildfire, and within moments, "Lin Quan Misses Euro Cup" became the top trending topic on Twitter. Reporters, not waiting for the final score, quickly wrote their stories, racing to be the first to publish this breaking news.

Headlines flooded in:

"World's Best Player Misses Euro Cup!"

"Spain's Key Player Absent – Disaster for the Bullfighters!"

"Lin Quan Misses Euro Cup, Opening the Door to a New Champion!"

Some media outlets, eager to stir the pot, went even further with their speculation:

"Man City Superstar's Leg Possibly Broken – World's Best Player Ruined by Injury!"

"Football Star Falls – We May Never See Lin Quan's Brilliance Again!"

These outlets jumped to dramatic conclusions, claiming that Lin Quan's career was over due to injury.

Even more ridiculous headlines emerged:

"Man City and Lin Quan Have Yet to Renew – Could the City Legend Be Abandoned?"

"World's Best Player Loses Hope – Could He Retire Early?"

Seeing these outrageous headlines, Lin Quan could only shake his head in disbelief. Missing one match was enough for the media to pronounce his career dead.

Meanwhile, Lin Quan, still unaware of the frenzy, sat in the stands, chatting with Guardiola.

"Why didn't Del Bosque let you play?" Guardiola asked.

As Lin Quan's coach and adoptive father, Guardiola knew his situation better than anyone. Although it seemed hard to believe, after Manchester City's medical team had thoroughly examined him, they had confirmed that Lin Quan's injury was not serious. He needed only one or two weeks of rest before returning to training and matches.

Both Lin Quan and Manchester City had informed Spain's national team of this, yet Del Bosque still chose not to let him play, not even as a substitute.

Del Bosque had two reasons for this decision: first, to give Lin Quan as much rest as possible, ensuring he was fully recovered. Second, to use the media's speculation to throw opponents off guard.

Spain's first opponent wasn't particularly strong, so there was a good chance they could win without Lin Quan. If Spain managed to win, their chances of advancing from the group would be high. In that case, Del Bosque could keep Lin Quan as a secret weapon, only revealing him in the knockout stages to catch opponents by surprise.

Of course, if Spain lost their first match or fell to Turkey in the second, Del Bosque would have no choice but to play his ace sooner.

After explaining Del Bosque's plan to Guardiola, Pep nodded. "It's a cautious approach, but without you, the team's going to play some ugly football."

Guardiola's prediction turned out to be spot on.

Spain played a truly ugly game.

Despite fielding a full-strength lineup, minus Lin Quan, Spain's attack was utterly toothless. Thanks to their strong midfield, Spain controlled the game, holding 72% possession and completing an astonishing 729 passes with an 89% success rate. Despite their dominance, Spain only managed 18 shots, with just four on target. The Czech Republic, with only four shots, had three on target, making the match surprisingly even in terms of dangerous chances.

Spanish fans in the stands were in disbelief.

"Is this the unstoppable team we remember?"

"How did they end up playing like this?"

Even after just one game, Spain's fans were already missing Lin Quan. With him on the field, there was no way Spain would have struggled like this.

Meanwhile, Czech fans were left on edge as Spain's attackers kept firing off inaccurate shots. Their inconsistent aim made it impossible for the Czech goalkeeper, Chelsea legend Petr Cech, to predict where the next shot would go.

At first, Cech had been cautious, knowing Spain's formidable reputation. Even without Lin Quan, Spain was full of star players. But after enduring Spain's unreliable barrage of shots, Cech was no longer worried.

"Is this it? Is this Spain's level? I could do better than their forwards!"

Frustrated by his team's inability to break through, Del Bosque began making substitutions. He replaced Morata, Nolito, and Fabregas, completely reshuffling Spain's attack. But the substitutes fared no better. They continued passing the ball endlessly, failing to penetrate the Czech defense.

It wasn't until a set-piece opportunity in the 87th minute that Spain finally broke the deadlock. Center-back Piqué headed the ball into the net, securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory for Spain.

Fans, both Spanish and neutral, left the stadium grumbling.

"We came expecting to watch top-level football, and this is what we got?"

"It felt more like a cooking competition than a football match!"

Though Spain's reputation as reigning champions still carried weight, their actual performance was hard to watch. It was even worse than France's unimpressive showing in the opening match.

At least France's winning goal was scored by a forward. Spain needed a defender to bail them out. What a disappointment!

As expected, following the match, the internet and media were flooded with doubts about Spain's chances. Some were quick to write them off entirely:

"I declare Spain out of the Euro Cup!"

"I agree. With the way Spain is playing, I'm not sure they can even beat Croatia!"

"Croatia is strong, and Spain might really lose. If Spain doesn't take first in the group, they'll be in serious trouble come the knockout stages!"

This sentiment was widely shared, and even coaches and players from other teams, after watching Spain's performance, felt they had a real chance.

Spain's next opponent, Turkey, especially seemed to have found new hope of advancing.

(End of Chapter)

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