Chapter 630: Spain vs Croatia
The Round of 16 progressed with two matches per day. By July 4th, all eight matches had concluded, and the final eight teams were confirmed.
This year marked another dominant performance by European teams, with six European nations advancing to the quarterfinals, including the defending champions, Spain.
All African teams were eliminated in the group stages, and Asia's sole remaining team, Japan, was narrowly defeated 2-3 by Belgium, a European powerhouse.
This left only six European teams and two Latin American teams remaining in the World Cup. Although Brazil and Colombia were strong contenders from Latin America, experts were not optimistic about their chances, given the overall strength of European teams this year.
Spain, the reigning champions, were one of the favorites, alongside France, England, Belgium, and Croatia, all of whom were playing impressively.
The weakest of the European teams was likely Sweden. However, based on the tournament's structure, Sweden's next opponent was England, meaning the two Latin American teams had no easy matches ahead.
Uruguay had the toughest draw, facing an in-form France in the quarterfinals. Given France's momentum, over 80% of analysts, including soccer pundits and legends, predicted a French victory.
France did not disappoint, winning 2-0 against Uruguay, thanks to a goal and assist from Griezmann, becoming the first team to advance to the semifinals.
Brazil's draw was slightly more favorable, as they faced Belgium. Although Brazil was stronger than Uruguay, and Belgium weaker than France, the match was still tough.
The game began with Brazil launching a fierce attack on Belgium. Neymar, Gabriel Jesus, Coutinho, Paulinho, and Willian repeatedly tested Belgium's defense, dominating the early stages.
In the 8th minute, Thiago Silva's shot hit the post, and Brazil seemed on the verge of scoring. However, in the 12th minute, Belgium scored first, benefiting from an own goal by Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho following a corner. Belgium led 1-0.
The Brazilian fans were stunned. As Brazil regrouped, they intensified their attacks but couldn't convert their chances.
In the 30th minute, Belgium launched a counterattack. Lukaku, often humorously referred to by fans as part of Inter Milan's "one tall, one fast" duo with Lautaro, demonstrated his surprising speed as he sprinted up the middle. Brazil's midfield couldn't stop him, and he passed to De Bruyne on the right.
De Bruyne took a few more steps forward and unleashed a sudden, powerful shot. The strike was both fast and precise, leaving Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson with no time to react. The ball rocketed into the net, making it 2-0 to Belgium.
Worse than the scoreline was the realization that Brazil's defense couldn't handle Belgium's quick counterattacks. This forced Brazil to hold back on their offensive pressure, knowing they couldn't risk leaving gaps in defense.
Although Brazil had many attempts on goal, most were long shots from outside the box that failed to score. In contrast, Belgium's counterattacks, led by De Bruyne's creativity, caused constant danger for Brazil.
In the 75th minute, Neymar's rebound shot was once again saved, and the score remained 2-0. Some Brazilian fans in the stands, especially women, were already crying, feeling that all hope was lost.
With Neymar unable to rescue the team, who could they rely on?
Just when it seemed Brazil's fate was sealed, Coutinho spotted a gap on the left flank and delivered a cross into the box. Beijing Guoan's Augusto headed the ball into the net, bringing Brazil back into the game at 2-1.
This goal reignited Brazil's fighting spirit, and they launched an even more ferocious attack on Belgium. However, despite creating several chances, Coutinho, Augusto, and others wasted opportunities, and Brazil couldn't score again.
In the end, Brazil lost 2-1 and was eliminated from the tournament. The result was devastating for Brazil, and Neymar was particularly unhappy with the referee's controversial decisions. He felt he had been fouled in the box at least three times, and if any of those had resulted in a penalty, the outcome might have been different.
But Neymar's reputation for diving likely worked against him. The referee ignored his falls, hesitant to reward a player with a history of simulation, even though some of the fouls were legitimate.
As the saying goes, "Live by Neymar, die by Neymar."
With Brazil's exit, the World Cup turned into an all-European affair.
Sweden, unsurprisingly, lost 2-0 to England. After their disastrous World Cup campaign last time, where they failed to win a single match, England had rejuvenated themselves. Not only were they playing brilliantly, but the team's spirit was also transformed.
What's more, this England team wasn't even at full strength, and they still had room to grow.
On July 8th, the final quarterfinal match took place at Luzhniki Stadium.
This game was between Spain and Croatia.
The last time these two teams faced each other was during the 2016 European Championship in France, where Croatia had come from behind to beat Spain. However, Lin Quan hadn't played in that match, so the result didn't fully reflect the true strength of both teams.
This time, both sides fielded their strongest line-ups, with no players held back.
Whoever was stronger would be decided by the result of this match.
Spain had finished their Round of 16 match earlier than Croatia, giving them an extra day of rest. This allowed the Spanish team more time to recover and for their coaches to analyze their opponents and devise strategies.
On the other hand, Croatia, facing one of the tournament favorites, had been gathering information about Spain long before. Despite the shorter preparation time, they weren't at a disadvantage.
A full week had passed since both teams' last match, and by now, everyone had recovered and was in peak physical and mental condition.
At 9 PM sharp, with the referee's whistle, the highly anticipated showdown began.
Since the two teams were very familiar with each other, they skipped the usual feeling-out phase and immediately launched into an intense battle.
As the Chinese Central Television (CCTV) commentator was still introducing the starting line-ups, Spain's attack had already reached the edge of Croatia's penalty area.
Lin Quan dribbled past Croatia's defensive midfielder, passed the ball to Iniesta in the middle, and continued his forward run. Iniesta, in turn, passed the ball back to Lin before the opposing defenders could close him down, executing a textbook one-two play.
Lin burst into the penalty area. Croatian defenders Vida and Lovren tried to close him down, but Lin anticipated their movement and, before they could shut him off, controlled the ball and chipped it between them towards the goal.
Croatia's goalkeeper Subašić, who had performed heroically in the penalty shootout against Denmark, continued his excellent form. Although his positioning wasn't ideal, his quick reflexes allowed him to make a diving save, tipping the ball over the crossbar.
Just 13 seconds into the match, Spain had already produced a dangerous shot.
Many spectators in the stadium weren't even settled in yet, and some didn't even catch the full sequence of the attack before it was over.
The fans who did witness the play erupted in applause and cheers.
If the match starts off this exciting, it's bound to be a great game.
With Messi and Ronaldo's teams eliminated, Lin Quan naturally became the only superstar left in this World Cup.
Having won a World Cup, a European Championship, four league titles, and four Champions League trophies, Lin had garnered a massive global fanbase.
Many fans had come to the stadium specifically to watch him play. Some weren't even Spanish supporters, wearing various club jerseys—some from Lin's days at Werder Bremen, but most from his time at Manchester City.
A few fans from Asia wore red jerseys that, at first glance, looked like Spain's kit. Upon closer inspection, however, it became clear they were actually wearing China's national team jerseys.
It was quite a sight!
These fans didn't care about the outcome of the match; they only cared about how well Lin performed.
Seeing Lin execute such a beautiful attacking play with his teammates had them cheering and shouting in excitement. Some fans even pulled out their phones and cameras, snapping away and immediately sharing the photos in fan groups, bragging:
"Guys, front-row seats with the best view—watching every move Lin makes up close. Aren't you all jealous?"
"You're so far away, can you even see what's happening?"
"No close-ups, huh?"
"No slow-motion replays?"
"With all the noise, it must be pretty loud there, right?"
"It's still better watching from home! We're lounging on the couch, munching on snacks, sipping soda, with the air conditioning on. It doesn't get any better!"
"Exactly! And the best part is, we're saving money!"
"Looks like you spent a lot on those seats. With that money, you could've bought something nice—food, clothes, or at least gone out for a good time. By the way, who did you bet on for this game?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm betting on Spain. The 'Lin Rule' says that whenever Lin is playing, betting on his team to win never fails."
Given Lin Quan's incredibly high win rate, both at the club and national levels, fans had come up with a so-called "Lin Rule." It was simple: just bet on Lin's team to win, no questions asked!
"But Croatia is strong, and Modrić is playing too. Spain's midfield might not be as good as theirs."
"Whoever controls the midfield controls the game. Croatia's midfield is solid. I'm betting on them to upset Spain!"
"That may be true, but Lin is playing in midfield today. With him on the field, Spain won't lose control of the midfield."
"If Spain loses to Croatia, then all three of soccer's big stars will be out of the tournament!"
"If that happens, FIFA and the tournament organizers will be crying in the bathroom."
Without top stars, the matches would be less attractive, and this would hurt viewership.
And the number of viewers directly impacts the organizer's profits. The World Cup is one of the few major sporting events that still generates revenue for its organizers.
Other events like the Olympics have long lost their appeal because they're too expensive to host and don't bring in enough money to cover the costs.
Nobody wants to run an event that loses money.
"Man, you guys are the worst!"
The person who had been bragging with their front-row photos was visibly annoyed that his pictures hadn't wowed the group.
What he didn't know was that, despite their words, the group was extremely envious.
If they had the chance to attend a match in person, who would want to stay home? The live atmosphere, the chance to ask their favorite players for autographs and photos—it was a dream come true.
But going to the World Cup wasn't cheap, and most of them didn't have the time or money to make it happen.
Meanwhile, back on the field, the match between Spain and Croatia was intensifying. (End of chapter)