Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 525: Battle for the Top, Spain vs Croatia

"Coach, I want to play!"

Before the third group stage match between Spain and Croatia, Lin Quan approached Bosque, requesting to play.

Without hesitation, Bosque immediately rejected the request:

"No, no, absolutely not! It's only been a little over 20 days since the Champions League final. You must still be tired. You need proper rest, so you'll be ready for more important matches later on!"

Lin Quan sighed, "Coach, I've already rested enough!"

But Bosque shook his head vigorously, "No, you haven't!"

"Then fine, I won't play. But can you at least put me on the roster? I'll sit on the bench," Lin Quan suggested.

After thinking for a moment, Bosque realized Lin's eagerness to play wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Constantly holding him back might dampen his morale.

So, he nodded, "Alright, I'll include you for the next game."

However, Bosque didn't promise Lin any playing time. He was planning that if Spain could take the lead without Lin, he wouldn't need to bring him in. But if the team fell behind and there was no other choice, then Lin might be called upon to try and salvage the game. Although Spain could afford a loss in this match, having Lin as a backup provided some reassurance.

Fans had already assumed Lin would miss the entire Euros after he sat out the first two games. But when Spain announced their squad for the third match, to everyone's surprise, Lin's name was included.

Could it be true? Could Lin have fully recovered, as Bosque claimed, and be ready to play for Spain again?

This news immediately caused a stir in the football world. Spanish fans were thrilled, eager to watch the final group stage match, while neutral and rival fans debated whether this was just a smokescreen.

"I'm sure it's a bluff," some fans argued. "This is a battle for the top spot between Spain and Croatia. Bosque is probably playing mind games to make Croatia cautious, thinking Lin might play, so they'll adopt a more conservative approach. If they do, Spain, who only needs a draw to secure first place, will have the upper hand."

"Exactly! If Lin were really fit, he would've played already. This is a Spanish trick, and Croatia shouldn't fall for it," others agreed.

Croatia's coach, hearing the news, also suspected it was just psychological warfare from Bosque. He had already spoken to Modric, who had played in the Champions League final, and based on what he knew, Lin's injury was serious. It seemed unlikely Lin would play. So, he decided to stick with the same game plan and ignore the rumors from the Spanish camp.

On June 20, the final group stage matches of the Euros kicked off.

In Group A, the main focus was on the clash between France and Switzerland, with both teams fighting for the top spot in the group. Because the results of these matches would determine which teams advanced, the final two games in Group A were played simultaneously.

Under intense pressure, all four teams opted for a more cautious approach, creating few scoring opportunities. By halftime, the score remained 0-0, with neither France nor Switzerland managing to find the net.

Meanwhile, news came in from another match that Albania had taken a 1-0 lead over Romania.

This was good news for both France and Switzerland. If Albania won, both teams would advance regardless of the result of their game.

Switzerland, realizing this, became even more defensive, while France, playing at home, took the initiative to attack. But despite multiple attempts, including one from Pogba that hit the crossbar, they couldn't break through.

After 90 minutes, the match ended in a 0-0 draw, and both teams advanced to the knockout stage. The other match also ended 1-0 in favor of Albania, meaning both Romania and Albania were eliminated.

Group B, however, had a more dramatic turn of events.

England, sitting at the top of the group, intended to play conservatively against Slovakia in their final match. But just 11 minutes into the other match, news came through that Wales' Aaron Ramsey had scored, temporarily putting Wales ahead of England on points.

This news threw England into a panic.

They immediately ramped up their attack. Before they could score, however, more bad news came: Wales had scored again!

Now, England was really worried. If Wales defeated Russia while they were held to a draw by Slovakia, the group's top spot would slip from their grasp.

England began to throw everything forward, with both Rooney and Kane pushing hard to score. All they needed was one goal to regain the top spot in the group.

For the remainder of the game, England bombarded Slovakia's goal, taking 26 shots in total. But, frustratingly, they couldn't find the back of the net.

Meanwhile, Wales' counter-attacks were razor-sharp. In the 67th minute, they scored again, and it was none other than Gareth Bale who found the net.

Thanks to their victory, Wales leapfrogged England to claim the top spot in Group B, leaving England in second place, where they now faced the possibility of a tougher opponent in the next round.

English fans were furious after the match. Despite dominating, they had been overtaken by Wales, their "little brother," and this despite the fact that Wales had been expected to roll over for them. It was a national embarrassment!

Compared to Group A and B, Group C's results were more straightforward.

Germany, with overwhelming dominance, comfortably defeated Northern Ireland in their final match. Northern Ireland could barely get the ball out of their own half and only managed one shot the entire game, let alone a goal.

In the other match, Poland defeated Ukraine to secure their spot in the knockout rounds, although they had to settle for second place behind Germany due to goal difference.

But it was Group D that captured the most attention.

And the reason? Spain's lineup announcement.

Fans were full of curiosity, eager to see whether Lin Quan would actually play.

The answer? Uncertain!

Lin Quan wasn't in the starting lineup, but fans spotted him on the bench.

Compared to the previous matches where he had only appeared in the stands, seeing him on the bench was already a significant improvement!

"Last time, he was in the stands. This time, he's on the bench. Does that mean next time he'll be in the starting lineup?" Some optimistic fans were already counting the days until Lin would be back as a starter.

But the more skeptical fans still had their doubts: "In such an important match, Bosque still didn't start Lin. It must mean his injury is still serious!"

"I think Bosque is just using Lin as a psychological tactic, making it look like Lin could come on at any moment to mess with Croatia's players and coaches!"

Even the fans who were certain Lin was still injured couldn't help but feel a sense of unease seeing him on the bench, let alone how the Croatian players and coaches must have felt.

So, the theory that Bosque was playing mind games wasn't without merit. Lin certainly had that kind of presence.

"Even knowing Lin is injured and can't play, seeing him sitting there still makes people nervous. It has to affect the other team's mentality!"

"Who would've thought that old man Bosque would be such a master of psychology?"

As cameras and fans kept glancing toward Spain's bench, Bosque smiled in satisfaction.

Psychological tactics? Sure, you could call it that.

Lin sitting on the bench was far more intimidating than him sitting in the stands. As long as he was on the sidelines, the opposing team would always be on edge, wondering if he might suddenly come on and change the game.

This constant mental pressure would undoubtedly give Spain a significant advantage.

But there was something Bosque hadn't accounted for—the Spanish players also felt more confident seeing Lin on the bench. It was as if they had a safety net, knowing Lin was there in case things went wrong. It boosted their morale, making them play with more confidence and energy.

From the start of the match, Spain played aggressively, launching an all-out attack against Croatia.

Morata, continuing his good form from the previous game, scored after just 7 minutes. Silva provided a brilliant through ball on the right flank, Fabregas' shot from the right side of the box was saved by the goalkeeper, but Morata was there to follow up and tap it in, making it 1-0!

Spain had taken the lead, and Morata's third goal of the tournament tied him with Bale at the top of the scoring charts.

"Well done!"

Bosque, on the sidelines, was thrilled to see his team break the deadlock so early. He clapped enthusiastically and embraced his coaching staff in celebration.

On the bench, Lin Quan, who had been casually chatting with his teammates, lit up when he saw the goal.

Morata's finish wasn't anything special—any three-year-old could have tapped it in—but his movement before the goal had been incredibly sharp, showing great instincts.

This guy definitely had the potential to be a top-class striker, though he still needed to work on his finishing technique. Sometimes it felt like his final touches lacked finesse, and he could learn a lot from watching how players like Messi and Ronaldo finished their chances.

With the lead secured, Spain played with even more confidence, pressing Croatia hard and creating multiple chances. However, they couldn't capitalize and extend their lead. Instead, just before halftime, Croatia launched a counterattack and equalized through Kalinic, bringing the score to 1-1.

Conceding a late goal did dampen Spain's spirits somewhat, but Bosque didn't blame his players. Instead, he continued to encourage and praise them.

From his vantage point on the sidelines, Bosque could see that Spain had been steadily improving in the three games without Lin. The first match had been chaotic and disorganized, but by the second match, the team had found its rhythm, and their attack had improved significantly.

Now, in the third match, Spain had taken another step forward. The players in the forward positions were working better together, and the team was beginning to function like a well-oiled machine, with everyone in sync.

Bosque was confident that if they kept up the same performance in the second half, they had a good chance of winning this match.

On the other side, Croatia wasn't feeling quite as positive.

Spain's strength was greater than they had expected. Even without Lin, the Spanish players on the pitch were proving difficult to deal with.

And then there was the constant pressure of Lin sitting on the bench, always looming as a potential threat.

"Don't hold back! When you get on the pitch, give it everything you've got. We need to keep pressing forward, just like we did on that final attack in the first half!" Croatia's coach urged his players.

Their first-half goal had shown they were capable of breaking down Spain's defense, but they hadn't been able to capitalize on many opportunities.

Despite being outplayed in terms of possession, passing, and shots, Croatia had posed a greater attacking threat than Spain.

This match was still winnable for them, but only if they didn't lose their nerve.

After listening carefully to their coach's instructions, Croatia came out in the second half looking much sharper.

In the 57th minute, Croatia launched a quick counterattack after a successful defensive play.

Srna raced down the right wing, sending in a cross from the byline, but the ball was too close to the goalkeeper, and De Gea easily cleared it.

A few minutes later, Croatia attacked again. Jedvaj received a pass and volleyed a shot toward the near post, but De Gea reacted swiftly, diving to block the shot.

Croatia took the resulting corner, but Spain cleared the first ball. Pjaca attempted an acrobatic bicycle kick, but while it looked spectacular, the shot sailed just wide.

After surviving Croatia's surge, Spain quickly responded with an attack of their own.

In the 67th minute, Silva linked up with Iniesta in midfield, playing a one-two before driving down the left wing.

Croatia's full-back slid in to clear the ball for a corner. Spain took the corner, and Ramos rose above the defenders to head the ball towards goal, but it clattered off the crossbar.

Ramos' header had given Croatia a scare, and after a reminder from Modric, they started to tightly mark Ramos on set-pieces, making sure he didn't get another free header.

In the 70th minute, Iniesta broke through Croatia's defense and lobbed a pass into the box. Croatia's defender, Vrsaljko, clipped David Silva's heels, and the referee immediately pointed to the spot.

But with Lin Quan not on the pitch to take the penalty, the Spanish players were unsure who should step up.

Finally, captain Sergio Ramos volunteered:

"If no one else wants to do it, I'll take it!"

Ramos took the penalty, but Croatia's goalkeeper, Subasic, made a brilliant save, denying Spain the lead.

Well, that was awkward...

(End of Chapter)

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