Chapter 633: Did Lin Quan Miss His Penalty? No, He's Getting Revenge!
On the pitch, both teams were playing with all their might, while in the stands, the fans were giving their all in a battle of their own. The Croatian fans started singing their national anthem in unison, only for the Spanish fans on the other side to quickly interrupt them. However, Spain's national anthem doesn't have lyrics, so they couldn't compete by singing it. Instead, they started chanting the names of every player on the Spanish team.
But after shouting the names of all eleven players, the Croatian anthem still wasn't finished. So, the Spanish fans switched tactics and began singing the "Song of Lin."
This song dates back to 2013, when Lin Quan was loaned to Werder Bremen, and the Parrot Army's fans created a German-language song for him. After Lin moved to Manchester City, the City fans made their own English version. Then, as Lin grew to become a key figure for Spain's national team, Spanish fans adapted the song again, creating a Spanish version based on the original German and English versions.
At this moment, the Spanish fans were singing the Spanish version of the "Song of Lin." Compared to the more solemn national anthem, this kind of personal fan chant was lively, catchy, and infectious—almost like a tune that could stick in your head. Even neutral fans who didn't understand Spanish found themselves nodding along, humming the melody.
With even neutral fans joining in, it became clear that the Spanish fans had won this battle of fan power. This was no surprise—Spain, a larger country in Europe, had far more supporters than Croatia, with its population of fewer than 4 million.
As the defending champions, Spanish fans were more enthusiastic than ever about supporting their team. In their previous match against host nation Russia, Spanish fans had almost matched the number of Russian fans in the stadium. For this match, the number of Spanish fans outnumbered Croatian fans several times over. In fact, it seemed like the only way Croatian and neutral fans combined could keep up with the Spanish fan presence.
The energy from the fans had a noticeable impact on the players on the field, as fans are often referred to as the team's "twelfth man." The atmosphere they create can fuel the players, boosting their morale and keeping their adrenaline high, which is especially important in football, a sport that demands extreme physical exertion.
Football involves intense sprints, which are anaerobic exercises that rapidly build up lactic acid in the muscles, leading to fatigue. Although professional athletes have far superior metabolic abilities, the accumulation of lactic acid in their muscles can still make them feel exhausted, affecting their performance.
This is where the crowd's energy can make a difference. The chants and cheers can help the players maintain high energy levels, preventing them from slowing down due to fatigue. This is why teams with strong home-field atmospheres are notoriously difficult to play against. Their stadiums often earn the nickname "fortresses" or "hellish grounds" for visiting teams, such as Borussia Dortmund's Westfalenstadion or Liverpool's Anfield.
At this moment, the overwhelming presence of Spanish fans was gradually turning the Luzhniki Stadium into Spain's de facto home ground.
Fueled by Lin Quan's goal and the roaring support of their fans, the Spanish players were visibly energized. After Lin's goal, they pushed even harder, determined to kill off the game in the first half by scoring another.
Unlike the opening minutes of the match, the players had now fully adapted to the pace of the game after more than 20 minutes of high-intensity play. Their form had reached its peak, and with no need to worry about fatigue so early on, Spain's attacking threat grew even stronger.
Meanwhile, Croatia was struggling. Although their form wasn't bad, the momentum had clearly shifted in Spain's favor. The recent goal, coupled with the hostile atmosphere created by the Spanish fans, left the Croatian players flustered and on edge.
As a result, Croatia found themselves completely overwhelmed and on the defensive, unable to mount any meaningful counterattacks.
"Spain's dominance is still as strong as ever!" remarked Didier Deschamps, the head coach of France, from a quiet corner of the stands. France had already secured a place in the semifinals, and Deschamps was observing Spain closely.
His assistant coach nodded in agreement. "People said this Spanish team wasn't as strong as before, but I don't see any sign of that."
Deschamps chuckled. "You shouldn't take everything 'experts' say at face value. If we believed everything they said, we'd end up in big trouble."
It made sense. If the 'experts' knew everything, there wouldn't be a need for professional scouts or for coaches like Deschamps to personally assess their opponents.
"Though this Spanish team may not have as much individual talent as the one from four years ago, they're performing above expectations, especially with Lin Quan leading and linking up the play," Deschamps continued. "If they win this game, they'll become our biggest challengers."
That's right—Deschamps considered Spain a challenger. He believed his French team, not Spain, were the real favorites for the title. While Spain may have been the defending champions, Deschamps had absolute confidence in his French squad and was certain that they would claim the World Cup this year.
He had reason to believe this. Deschamps was very familiar with the core of Spain's team, having faced them in the 2012-13 World Cup qualifiers. France lost both matches to Spain, with the home defeat being particularly frustrating. At that time, France's team was still young and in transition, nowhere near capable of challenging Spain. But even then, they had come close to winning.
Back then, France was the underdog, while Spain was the mountain they needed to climb.
But now, things had changed. Over the last five or six years, France had developed into a powerful force, hitting their prime. In contrast, Spain was clearly in a post-peak decline.
With this shift in dynamics, defeating Spain no longer seemed like an impossible task.
In Deschamps' mind, all they needed to do was neutralize Spain's number 10—Lin Quan—and then France would have no trouble. And with N'Golo Kanté, the world's best defensive midfielder, on his team, Deschamps was confident they had the tools to do just that.
As he thought about it, Deschamps felt a surge of optimism. He could already picture a thrilling final showdown between France and Spain for the World Cup. All he needed now was for Spain to make it to the final—he didn't want them to be knocked out early and spoil the fun.
…
Neither the players on the field nor the coaches were aware of Deschamps' presence in the stadium, but even if they knew, they likely wouldn't care. After all, Deschamps being there had nothing to do with them. Right now, the players had only one goal in mind: to take down the opposition.
In the 35th minute of the first half, Spain executed a brilliant sequence of quick one-touch passes in the final third. Croatia's defense was stretched thin, scrambling to keep up with Spain's sharp passing. Their defensive line began to show cracks.
Sensing the opportunity, Lin Quan surged forward into the open space. However, instead of taking the ball himself, he left it for Isco just as they crossed paths.
Croatian defenders had been tracking Lin, but suddenly found themselves confused—the ball wasn't with him anymore.
Dazed by Spain's rapid passing, the Croatian players saw Isco preparing to shoot in the space Lin had created, and instinctively rushed to block him.
Initially, Isco had planned to shoot, but when he saw all the Croatian players closing in on him, he realized they had left Lin completely unmarked. So, he quickly passed the ball back to Lin.
"Great pass!" Lin thought to himself. He was about to drive the ball into the box when Croatia's No. 6 center-back, Lovren, came sliding in from behind, taking him out.
Lovren's tackle was fierce, sending Lin flying through the air.
The referee blew his whistle immediately. Isco, David Silva, and other teammates rushed over to check on Lin's condition, while Sergio Busquets and Piqué did what Barcelona players often do—surround the referee to put pressure on him.
The location of Lovren's foul was ambiguous—right on the edge of the penalty box—but Lin had fallen inside the area.
Croatia argued it was a foul outside the box, while Spain insisted it should be a penalty. The debate was intense, and it was up to the referee to decide.
For the first time in the 2018 World Cup, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system was available to help referees make more accurate decisions. In the past, if a referee was in a bad position and couldn't clearly see the foul, they might make mistakes. But now, they could review footage from multiple angles to ensure the right call.
In this case, however, the referee didn't consult VAR, possibly because he wasn't used to using it yet. Instead, he made his decision—pointing to the penalty spot.
The reason for his decision was simple: Lin Quan had a reputation for fair play. Whether in league matches or international games, he never dived. The referee trusted him and didn't believe Lin would fake it to win a penalty.
Croatia's players were outraged. Lovren insisted the foul had occurred outside the box and that it should be a free kick, not a penalty.
But the referee stood by his decision, and the ruling wouldn't be overturned.
As the referee pointed to the spot, a wave of boos and shouts of "cheater!" filled the stadium. Some even accused Lin of diving to win the penalty:
"I thought only Ronaldo and Neymar liked to dive. Looks like we've got a new member in the diving club!"
"Wow, look at that flawless performance! A 720-degree spin in mid-air? That's a perfect 10 in my book!"
"Let's start calling him the 'Diving Prince' from now on!"
On the sidelines, Spanish coach Vicente del Bosque didn't feel any relief from being awarded the penalty. Seeing Lin lying on the ground for so long without getting up made him anxious.
If Lin, the team's absolute core player, were seriously injured because of this tackle, it would be a huge blow for Spain. Losing one penalty kick wasn't a big deal—losing Lin would be catastrophic.
Without him, Spain would fall apart. Even if they won this match, they wouldn't survive the next one, let alone defend their title.
"Where's the medic? Medic, hurry up and check on him!"
Del Bosque, usually calm and composed, was now yelling in panic.
Fortunately, just as the medic was about to rush onto the pitch with the first-aid kit, Lin got up. However, he was clearly not in great shape, limping slightly as he walked.
"Lin, maybe someone else should take this penalty?"
Seeing Lin's condition, Iniesta cautiously suggested.
"No, I'll take it myself," Lin shook his head, his eyes landing on Lovren, who had been shown a yellow card but still looked defiant.
Seeing Lin's gaze, Lovren shot back a disdainful look, as if he wanted nothing to do with someone like Lin.
Lin memorized his face—he planned to "thank" Lovren properly later. If it weren't for Lin's natural resistance to injuries, that tackle could have easily broken his leg!
How dare Lovren still act so smug after making such a dangerous foul!
With this thought, Lin took the ball from his teammate and carefully placed it on the penalty spot.
Once the ball was positioned, Lin took a few steps back and stood with his hands on his hips, staring at the goalkeeper.
Subašić, Croatia's goalkeeper, felt immense pressure under Lin's intense gaze. Despite his heroics in the previous match's penalty shootout, where he saved three penalties, this time he was facing Lin—a player with a 100% penalty conversion rate. No one had ever saved a penalty from Lin Quan.
That record weighed heavily on Subašić, filling him with anxiety. Could he be the one to break Lin's streak and make history?
Lin glanced at Subašić, then shifted his gaze to the Croatian defenders waiting behind the goalkeeper, spotting Lovren among them.
The referee blew the whistle, and Lin began his run-up. Subašić was laser-focused, ready to make his move.
But just as Subašić prepared to dive, he realized Lin seemed to… run past the ball?
Run past it?
Did Lin just mess up his run-up for a penalty?
Subašić's mind froze for a second, but he quickly snapped back into action. This was his chance! He rushed forward, hoping to grab the ball, but Lovren, who was closer, had already slid in for the clearance.
However, Lin was faster than both of them. Just as Lovren went to clear the ball, there was a loud "bang!" followed by a scream.
Lovren clutched his stomach, writhing on the ground in agony, while the ball fell neatly into Subašić's arms.
What just happened?
Subašić held the ball, utterly bewildered.