Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 526: The Italians Want to Cry!

"Damn it…"

In the coaching area, Bosque was furious as he watched Ramos miss the penalty, practically fuming. If that penalty had gone in, Spain would have regained the lead, making the rest of the match much easier. But who would have expected Ramos to squander such a golden opportunity? Bosque didn't even know what to say.

With the score still tied, Spain made the first substitution. Thiago came on to replace an exhausted and underperforming Fabregas.

Perhaps due to a rough season at Chelsea, Fabregas hadn't been in great form, a noticeable decline from the previous year. This deepened Bosque's frown. Born in 1987, Fabregas was still relatively young compared to the '85 generation. If his form dropped off, Spain would have one less dependable midfielder.

Fans in the stands and watching at home saw Spain preparing to make a substitution, eagerly hoping that the man would be brought on.

But they were disappointed when it was Thiago, not Lin Quan, who entered the game.

Even after Thiago's introduction, Spain's attack continued to struggle. Croatia played with incredible resilience, using aggressive runs and tough tackles to repeatedly break up Spain's advances. At one point, Croatia even launched a dangerous counterattack, though their final shot lacked precision.

As the game passed the 85th-minute mark, there were less than five minutes left of regular time. Even with stoppage time included, there were fewer than 10 minutes remaining.

At this point, in the other match, the score was still 0-2, with Turkey holding a two-goal lead and victory in sight. If the game ended with that scoreline, both Croatia and Spain would advance to the knockout stage.

Once both coaches realized this, they began to signal for their teams to ease off. After all, with qualification secured and this game looking unlikely to result in a win, it made sense to conserve energy for the upcoming knockout rounds.

With this in mind, Bosque made a double substitution, bringing off Morata and Nolito.

However, just as Bosque finished his substitutions, Croatia made a move of their own, bringing on Kovacic to reinforce their attack.

This substitution sent a clear message: Croatia wasn't content with just a draw and a spot in the knockout stage—they wanted to win and claim the top spot in the group!

After Kovacic came on, Croatia's attacking threat increased dramatically. His energy and strong ball retention allowed him to hold up the ball in the final third and deliver precise passes even in tight spaces.

In the 87th minute, Croatia launched a counterattack. Kovacic threaded a crucial through ball to Perisic, who sprinted down the left wing and scored with a tight-angled shot.

The score now stood at 2-1. Croatia had turned the game around and taken the lead!

This result shocked everyone. No one could have predicted that Spain, who had dominated much of the match, would lose to a last-minute goal!

Ramos was fuming, angrily booting the ball that had rolled to his feet.

De Gea, kneeling on the pitch, pounded the grass in frustration, blaming himself for not saving the shot.

Alba raised his hand apologetically, signaling that the goal had been his mistake.

Meanwhile, Perisic and his teammates were going wild, celebrating the fact that they had just beaten the mighty Spain!

This was a feat many of the world's top teams had never accomplished, and now it was Croatia who had pulled it off!

Regardless of how far Croatia would go in the tournament, this victory was something their fans would remember forever.

In the coaching area, Bosque's face was grim. He felt a pang of guilt for having been overconfident. In hindsight, he realized he should never have used up all three substitutions so early. If only he had one more substitution left, he could have brought Lin Quan on to try and rescue the game.

Lin Quan, however, remained calm. It was just a group-stage match—so what if they lost? It wasn't a big deal. Being the group winner was nice, but it wasn't essential. If they wanted to win the tournament, they couldn't be afraid of any opponent.

Besides, Spain had been winning too much lately. Perhaps it was time for a loss to wake his teammates up a bit.

In the end, Spain lost 2-1 to Croatia, finishing second in the group by just one point.

According to the Euros' tournament format, Spain would now face the top team from Group E in the Round of 16.

The top contenders for that spot were Italy and Belgium, with Italy being the more likely opponent based on the current Group E standings.

After the match, more reporters than usual attended the post-match press conference, eager to either interview Bosque or catch him in an awkward moment. Spain losing a competitive match was headline news, and with Lin Quan on the roster but not playing, there were a lot of questions.

Unfortunately for the press, Bosque, in a foul mood after the loss, gave only a few brief answers before abruptly ending the conference. He didn't address any questions about Lin Quan.

The more Bosque dodged their questions, the more curious the reporters became. They wanted to interview Lin Quan directly, but he had already boarded the team bus back to the hotel, leaving no opportunity for questions.

As soon as Lin arrived back at the hotel, his phone rang. It was Kevin De Bruyne.

"Are you playing in the next match?" De Bruyne asked.

"Probably. Why do you ask?" Lin replied.

"Because we might be your next opponents, so I wanted to check in advance," De Bruyne responded confidently.

Lin laughed. "Haha, from what I know, you're three points behind Italy. It won't be easy to overtake them!"

Italy had won their first two matches, so they only needed a draw to secure the top spot in their group. Even if they lost, they could still finish first on goal difference. Belgium, on the other hand, not only needed to win their final game but also needed to score as many goals as possible to boost their goal difference. Otherwise, they'd likely finish second in the group even if they qualified.

It was all because they had botched their opening match. If Belgium had won that game, they'd be sitting comfortably now.

"Don't worry, we'll definitely win our next match!" De Bruyne said, full of confidence. His demeanor was a stark contrast to a week ago when he had seemed down and confused.

Lin remembered how dejected De Bruyne had been on the pitch last time. It seemed Belgium had resolved their internal issues, or else De Bruyne wouldn't be so confident now.

"Alright, then good luck! Just don't lose to Sweden and fail to qualify—now that would be embarrassing!" Lin teased.

"Ha! So, you're secretly hoping we get knocked out, huh? Afraid of facing us in the knockout stage?" De Bruyne joked, as if he'd figured out Lin's hidden thoughts.

Belgium was indeed strong. On paper, their squad was among the top three teams in the tournament.

But despite their talent, the Red Devils had consistently underperformed in recent major tournaments. Fixing their internal problems wasn't as simple as it seemed.

"Not at all," Lin chuckled. "I wish you the best of luck tomorrow—go win that top spot!"

…

After hanging up, De Bruyne turned to his teammates and coaches, who were all looking at him expectantly.

"So? Is Lin going to play?" they asked.

De Bruyne nodded firmly, "Based on what I know about him, he's 100% going to play."

The room fell silent.

Belgium's coach, Marc Wilmots, clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Alright, we're going to need to change our strategy for tomorrow's game."

Over in Group E, Italy was also paying close attention to any news about Lin Quan.

"Although there are widespread rumors that Lin is seriously injured and can't play, he was on Spain's bench in the last match. That has me worried. If he does play in the next game, Spain will be at full strength. And we all know how terrifying a full-strength Spain can be," Italy's coach, Antonio Conte, remarked.

Spain had been Italy's nemesis in recent years. Italy had suffered heavy defeats at their hands in the 2012 Euro final and the 2013 Confederations Cup semifinal. These humiliating losses had left Italy with a deep-seated fear of facing Spain, unsure of how to handle them.

So, the best solution? Avoid Spain altogether!

"What are you trying to say, coach? Whatever it is, we'll follow your lead," the Italian players said, all looking to Conte for guidance.

Conte nodded, "According to the tournament rules, the team that finishes first in Group E will face the team that finishes second in Group D. If we win tomorrow, we're almost guaranteed to face Spain. But if we lose, we could finish second and avoid them."

"So, for the next match, I'm going to field a second-string lineup and try to lose the game."

After Conte finished speaking, not a single player objected. It seemed everyone agreed with the decision.

Usually, a coach would emphasize how to win a match, but this was the first time they had encountered a coach openly discussing how to lose on purpose. It was a surreal moment!

…

The next day, the final round of matches in Group E kicked off.

From the start, something seemed off.

"Strange… Italy seems really confident. They've sent out so many substitutes. Are they not worried about Belgium stealing the top spot in the group?"

Italy had made a staggering eight changes to their starting lineup compared to the previous match. Key players like Chiellini, De Rossi, Pelle, and Candreva were all on the bench. If those changes could be considered normal squad rotation, the fact that Buffon—their star goalkeeper—was also benched seemed downright suspicious.

Buffon was a mainstay for Italy, with no injuries or dip in form. Benching him for rest raised a lot of eyebrows.

Even stranger, despite dominating possession and having superior passing statistics, Italy wasn't creating many chances. By halftime, Italy had only registered one shot, while their opponents had seven.

If you covered the team names, you might have mistaken Italy for Ireland based on their performance.

Unlike the lackluster Italians, Ireland, who were facing a do-or-die situation, played with far more intensity.

Every time they gained possession, they pushed forward aggressively, hoping to break down Italy's defense.

Ireland had just one point going into the match, meaning they had to beat Italy to have any chance of advancing as one of the best third-placed teams. A win would take them to four points and put them in contention to progress. A loss or a draw would send them packing.

Meanwhile, in the other Group E match, Belgium and Sweden were locked in a fierce battle.

Like Ireland, Sweden also had one point, and they needed to win to advance. Similarly, Belgium needed a win to avoid elimination. A loss would mean an early exit for the Red Devils.

Both teams attacked with determination, and the pace of the game was lightning fast. By halftime, there had already been close to 20 shots between the two sides.

De Bruyne was in much better form compared to earlier in the tournament. He was a constant presence in both attack and defense, even making a goal-line clearance to keep Belgium level. Without his heroic effort, Belgium might have fallen behind.

Although the game was intense, neither side could find a breakthrough, leaving players and fans alike growing increasingly tense.

As a result, the tackles got harder, and yellow cards started piling up.

By the 80th minute, both games were still locked at 0-0. Fans from all four nations held their breath, watching their own game while keeping a close eye on the score in the other match.

Then, in the 84th minute, the deadlock was finally broken in the Belgium-Sweden match.

Eden Hazard stepped up and set up Radja Nainggolan, who drilled a shot into the net, giving Belgium a crucial 1-0 lead!

That goal was pivotal. It all but secured Belgium's place in the knockout stage. Unless Sweden could score twice in the few remaining minutes, Belgium's place was safe.

The goal triggered a mix of reactions from Italy and Ireland.

The Italians were overjoyed. Belgium was the only team that could overtake them for the top spot in the group. But with just one goal, Belgium still trailed Italy in goal difference.

Ireland, on the other hand, panicked. Belgium was almost guaranteed to advance, and if Ireland couldn't find a goal soon, they'd be heading home alongside Sweden.

Galvanized, Ireland threw everything into attack.

What happened next was shocking. Italy's "impenetrable" defense crumbled like a house of cards. Brady fired a shot that pierced Italy's backline and flew into the net, making it 1-0 to Ireland!

The Irish went wild, celebrating the priceless goal. It practically guaranteed them a spot in the next round.

But then they saw something strange on the other side of the pitch.

Instead of looking dejected, the Italians raced to retrieve the ball from the back of their net, sprinting to place it back at the center circle and urging the referee to restart the match.

Seeing this, the Irish players were filled with respect for their opponents:

"Wow, Italy really are a world-class team! Even in such dire circumstances, they're still fighting to equalize. Their commitment is truly admirable!"

But the Italians' true thoughts were very different from what the Irish imagined.

They weren't eager to score—they were desperate to concede again!

With Ireland now leading 1-0, Italy's goal difference was tied with Belgium's. The two teams were also level on points, but Italy still held first place thanks to their head-to-head record.

Italy's only hope of slipping to second in the group was either for Belgium to score another goal or for them to concede another.

And so, the Italians were frantically trying to resume the game in the hope of letting Ireland score again.

No wonder they were in such a rush!

But the Irish players completely misunderstood the situation. Seeing Italy so eager, they became fearful and started wasting time, trying to run down the clock to prevent Italy from staging a comeback.

Once play resumed, the Irish stopped attacking altogether and packed their defense.

For Ireland, one goal was enough. There was no need to get greedy.

The whole situation left the Italians on the verge of tears.

"We don't want to finish first! Can someone please just put us out of our misery?"

(End of Chapter)

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