Chapter 651: The Performance of Two Superstars, A World Cup Final Miracle!
Kylian Mbappé charged forward, receiving the ball on the wing like a luxury sports car, rapidly accelerating to his top speed in an incredibly short time.
Due to the recent corner kick, most of Spain's players had moved into the opponent's half. As a result, they were unable to immediately stop Mbappé's high-speed charge down the flank.
At this point, Mbappé had already reached his peak speed, and the gap between him and the retreating Spanish defenders wasn't closing—it was widening.
"Go, Mbappé!"
The French fans in the stands were ecstatic, screaming at the top of their lungs to cheer Mbappé on.
As Mbappé distanced himself further from the defenders, he found himself with a golden one-on-one scoring opportunity—France's best chance to score in the second half!
Mbappé stretched his legs and sprinted with everything he had, leaving all his pursuers in the dust.
Spain's goalkeeper, David de Gea, had already decided to rush out of the goal. Despite not being known for his ability to charge out, De Gea knew he couldn't just wait on the goal line and hope for the best.
Facing the onrushing goalkeeper, Mbappé remained incredibly calm. At first, he looked at the goal, as if he was about to shoot directly.
De Gea was momentarily fooled by the feint, causing a noticeable delay in his movement. Mbappé immediately changed direction with a touch on the ball, attempting to bypass De Gea and shoot into the open net.
De Gea, fighting against his own momentum, desperately lunged to the side, trying to regain control of the ball.
But he didn't expect it—Mbappé's move had been another feint! He shifted direction again, pushing the ball forward in the opposite direction. This time, De Gea had no way to respond.
His body had already committed, and there was no way he could adjust to cover the other side.
However, De Gea wasn't a Premier League Golden Glove winner for nothing. As he fell, he swung his right leg, using the momentum of his body to attempt a bizarre sliding tackle.
He threw his entire body in front of Mbappé, hoping to block the shot in this unconventional way.
But in front of the stunned crowd, Mbappé changed direction for the third time, skillfully evading De Gea's move, and calmly shot into the open net, scoring the goal.
The stadium erupted in deafening cheers, and the atmosphere was set ablaze.
Countless fans were in absolute awe of Mbappé's goal.
"How did he even do that?"
"How was he able to change direction three times in two seconds?"
"Is he even human?"
The scene was so shocking that commentators from all around the world exclaimed things like, "Oh my God!" and "Unbelievable!"
Lin Quan, who had just tracked back to the midfield, couldn't help but admire the goal as well:
"Mbappé's knees must be incredibly strong! Any player with slightly weaker meniscus would have struggled with those sharp changes of direction."
But for Mbappé, this was probably nothing.
In history, at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, during the last minute of the match after 120 minutes of intense play, Mbappé still had the energy to make quick, sharp turns in the penalty area, outmaneuvering Romero and other Argentine defenders, almost pulling off a miracle to help France win the championship!
That moment was even more jaw-dropping!
However, this goal was not good news for Spain.
Lin Quan glanced up at the scoreboard: 2-1. The clock showed 65 minutes.
France had about 30 minutes of attack time left, and they were only one goal behind now.
Scoring one goal in 30 minutes was not a difficult task for France in the second half.
Spain's situation was becoming increasingly dangerous!
"I told you, France is going to turn this around!"
On the Sky Sports commentary panel, Gary Neville was smug.
"I can predict what will happen next: France will ride the momentum from this goal to launch a new wave of fierce attacks. They'll quickly equalize and then take advantage of Spain's fatigue to pull ahead."
Even though France was still a goal behind, Gary Neville was full of confidence.
And it seemed the viewers watching Sky Sports were also inclined to believe his prediction.
"Looks like Spain is in big trouble!"
"Yeah, France in the second half has been too fierce!"
"With players like Mbappé and Griezmann, Spain's defense is going to collapse!"
On the sidelines, Spain's coach Vicente del Bosque couldn't sit still anymore.
He stood by the pitch, frowning deeply, trying to figure out a solution.
That goal would certainly give France a huge morale boost, which meant Spain would face even more difficulties in the next few minutes.
Should he make substitutions early?
The team was still leading, so if he took a more conservative approach and substituted some attacking players for defensive ones, could they hold onto this lead until the final whistle?
Spain's substitutes were already warming up on the sideline.
Since the start of the second half, the Spanish coaching staff had been sending players out for warm-ups every five minutes, ready to be subbed in at any time.
Deschamps seemed to have anticipated what Del Bosque might do, so he stood on the sidelines, shouting instructions to his players:
"Don't celebrate, get ready to attack! Try to equalize as quickly as possible!"
If Spain really decided to park the bus and sub in three defensive players, France would struggle to break them down.
Also, the morale boost from their goal wouldn't last forever—they needed to capitalize on their momentum while Spain hadn't adjusted yet and score another goal.
As long as they could equalize before the end of the match, for France, it would be almost equivalent to securing a victory.
The longer the game dragged on, the more favorable it became for them!
After the restart, France's attack was indeed as fierce as everyone had expected.
Spain's goal was in constant danger, and it seemed like they could concede at any moment.
Meanwhile, Lin Quan had dropped deep into defense, actively contributing on that end of the pitch.
As he defended, he also carefully studied France's attacking tactics.
During the positional play, the most active player for France was Griezmann.
Though he rarely pushed forward for a shot, he orchestrated France's attacks with incredible precision. Wherever there was space, wherever there was an opportunity, the ball would arrive, courtesy of Griezmann's pinpoint passing.
His tendency to stay back also eased the defensive pressure on him, allowing him to manage the ball more calmly.
Realizing who France's true playmaker was, Lin Quan took it upon himself to mark Griezmann closely.
At first, Griezmann wasn't too bothered. He thought Lin Quan was just another offensive player and couldn't be that strong defensively.
If the opponent wanted to make himself a stepping stone, Griezmann wasn't about to refuse the offer.
But soon, Griezmann stopped laughing.
This guy was tough!
Lin Quan's defensive skills and experience weren't top-tier, but his seemingly unremarkable frame was surprisingly strong.
In physical confrontations, Griezmann couldn't gain any advantage—in fact, he was being overpowered.
In yet another challenge, Griezmann finally couldn't withstand Lin Quan's physicality and was pushed off the ball, which was quickly taken by Lin Quan.
Spain launched a counterattack!
Lin Quan wanted to kickstart a fast break, but after a quick glance, he realized there were no teammates up front to pass to.
With no other choice, he had to push forward with the ball himself.
In times of adversity, Lin Quan knew he couldn't just disappear.
Seeing Lin Quan sprinting forward, Kanté, Pogba, and Matuidi all moved in to surround him.
One-on-one, they might struggle to steal the ball from Lin Quan, but with three of them, they were confident.
As they closed in on Lin Quan, they naturally left gaps in the areas they had been covering.
If Lin Quan passed the ball into those open spaces, France's press would fail.
However, France's players were well aware of this, and they took care to cut off Lin Quan's passing lanes.
If Lin Quan dared to pass, they were ready to intercept.
But it seemed they were overthinking it. Lin Quan didn't plan to pass the ball at all. He kept dribbling forward, seemingly intent on breaking through their entire defensive line on his own!
If it were anyone else, the French players might have laughed at such arrogance. But this was Lin Quan, and they couldn't afford any lapses in concentration.
Soon, Griezmann and French defender Varane joined the effort, forming a five-man encirclement around Lin Quan.
The scene was reminiscent of Italy's five-man marking of Iniesta at the European Championship.
Watching from the bench, Iniesta couldn't help but clench his fists, feeling tense for Lin Quan.
No one understood the challenge of facing five defenders better than Iniesta himself.
After all, when he faced such a situation, he hadn't been able to pull off the miraculous one-versus-five dribble, leaving him with regrets. Now he hoped to see Lin Quan accomplish what he couldn't.
As Lin Quan boldly pressed forward, undeterred by the five-man encirclement, the fans both in the stadium and watching on TV erupted:
"Whoa, a one-vs-five! Is King Lin about to pull off a miracle?"
"If he actually pulls this off, it'll go down as one of the most iconic moments in World Cup history!"
"I wouldn't get my hopes up. Five defenders? Even for King Lin, that's almost impossible!"
"Yeah, he doesn't even have a teammate nearby to support him. Going solo into the heart of the defense? It's already impressive he got this far, but going any further seems unlikely!"
"There's still a chance, though. Out of those five defenders, only Kanté and Varane are truly tough to beat. Pogba and Griezmann aren't exactly defensive specialists. If Lin Quan targets them, he might have a shot."
Lin Quan saw the circle of defenders closing in. His feet kept moving, and his mind raced.
Among the five French players, Kanté was the hardest to get past due to his relentless pressing and quick recovery.
But Kanté was also the easiest to handle in this moment, as he was defending from the front without having reached full speed. Lin Quan could potentially beat him with a burst of acceleration.
Most importantly, Kanté was already on a yellow card, making him more cautious.
Having worked it all out, Lin Quan made his choice—he would go right at the hardest player: Kanté!
He nudged the ball to the right, seemingly targeting Pogba as the weaker link.
Pogba quickly positioned himself to block Lin Quan's path.
Kanté, influenced by this move, shifted his weight slightly to the left, but he remained composed and didn't commit with a tackle.
Lin Quan had anticipated this. If Kanté were that easy to fool, he wouldn't be Kanté.
Without missing a beat, Lin Quan shifted the ball again, now aiming to get past Kanté.
This time, Kanté had to act. He stretched his leg out to intercept the ball while turning his body to prepare for a recovery run.
However, Lin Quan pulled off a double feint, sending the ball back toward Pogba.
Kanté was startled and quickly shifted his focus again, stopping his turn and getting ready to tackle.
But Lin Quan wasn't done. He changed direction yet again, aiming once more at Kanté's left side.
Kanté's balance was thrown off completely, and Lin Quan slipped past him just as he fell to the ground.
As he hit the turf, Kanté could only watch in despair as Lin Quan sped away.
"How could anyone defend against that monster?" he thought.
The crowd was stunned. What had they just witnessed?
It didn't look like football—it looked like magic.
Poor Kanté had been twisted into knots by Lin Quan's feints, left on the ground looking completely out of sorts. It was pitiful.
"Lin Quan has broken through the five-man press! Umtiti charges forward—oh no! Umtiti rushed in too recklessly, and Lin Quan has dribbled past him as well.
"What a smooth dribble! Not a single wasted motion. With a blistering marseille roulette, Lin Quan has easily beaten Umtiti. Barcelona's defensive prodigy hasn't lived up to expectations today!"
"Lin Quan is through on goal!"
"Hugo Lloris is rushing out!"
Lloris no longer had to worry about Lin Quan taking a free kick, but Lin Quan's one-on-one finishing was even more terrifying.
As Lloris charged out, the only thought running through his mind was: "Will he dribble past me too?"
Thankfully for Lloris, Lin Quan wasn't that ruthless.
Or perhaps it was because Lloris had left too much space for him. Seizing the opportunity, Lin Quan calmly aimed for the gap between Lloris' legs and took the shot.
The ball found the back of the net, and the score was now 3-1. Spain had extended their lead again. (End of Chapter)