"Good evening and welcome."
"You're watching live coverage of the U17 World Cup quarterfinal—Spain against Mali."
"I'm Derek Rae, bringing you the action."
As both teams' starting lineups walked onto the pitch, Spanish fans immediately burst into loud cheers.
Leo Lin clapped continuously, lifting his teammates' spirits as both sides took their positions in their respective halves.
Moments later, the match kicked off, with Mali getting the first touch.
"While the game has just started and the tempo hasn't fully picked up yet, let's take a look at the starting lineups for both teams."
"Mali have gone with their favored 4-1-4-1 formation, clearly setting up for a defensive counterattacking approach."
"Goalkeeper: Youssouf."
"Defenders: Kane, Kamaté, Diaby, Konaté."
"Defensive midfielder: Samake."
"Midfielders: Dramé, Doucouré, Traoré, Diako."
"Striker: Mahamane."
"Beyond the midfield iron triangle, striker Mahamane is also someone to watch closely."
"Mahamane has strong individual ability—he's physically powerful, reasonably quick, and very capable in the air."
"As for midfielder Doucouré, he's already caught the attention of multiple Premier League clubs. Reports suggest Crystal Palace are preparing a bid of over thirty million pounds."
"On Spain's side, there have been some adjustments to the starting lineup compared to the previous match against Brazil."
"Goalkeeper: Álvaro."
"Defenders: Miranda, Eric García, Guillamón, Morey."
"Midfielders: Beitia, Alvaro Garcia, Leo Lin."
"Forwards: Sergio Gómez, Ruiz, Ferran Torres!"
"At left-back, Miranda replaces the previous starter. His stronger defensive ability is likely meant to contain Diako's runs."
After kickoff, Bari immediately began to slow the tempo, circulating the ball patiently at a very deliberate pace. Whenever Spain pressed high, Mali responded with an instant long clearance.
Bari had clearly studied Spain's tactical system in depth. The Mali coach believed that changes of tempo were Spain's primary source of danger.
As a result, dragging the game down, relying on physical confrontations and fouls, and breaking the rhythm into fragments was the best way to neutralize Spain.
And from the opening minutes, that was exactly what Mali were doing.
Doucouré led the midfield battle, with the iron triangle operating like a meat grinder, relentlessly hacking away in the center of the pitch.
Two, sometimes even three players closed in on Leo Lin at once, preventing him from controlling the ball and driving forward.
Using his physical advantage, Doucouré also blocked Beitia from supporting Leo Lin.
For a stretch, Mali effectively split Spain's midfield in two, forcing Leo Lin to hold up the attacking midfield alone, completely isolated.
"Mali's midfield approach is working very well. Dramé may look like a left-back on paper, but in practice he's also part of the midfield, teaming up with Doucouré to double-team Leo Lin."
The sheer physicality of Mali's tactics made things extremely uncomfortable for Spain. Constant minor fouls meant the match never found any real flow.
As a result, the first half became disjointed. Even by the 30th minute, there had been no meaningful attacking chances, and Spain couldn't put together a smooth passing sequence.
"Spain currently have 70% possession, but they haven't managed a single shot."
"Spain need to make adjustments and pull themselves out of Mali's quagmire. They can't stay stuck in these pointless physical battles."
"Mali would be happy with a draw, even a penalty shootout, but Spain's original objective was surely to finish the job in normal time."
On the sideline, Denia was discussing tactical changes with his assistant coach, while on the pitch, Leo Lin was carefully observing the situation.
Whenever a match reached a stalemate, observation was Leo Lin's best way of finding a solution.
33rd minute!
"Beitia carries the ball, looking for Leo Lin, but Doucouré closes him down tightly!"
"Samake comes in from the side—Beitia has to release it early!"
"Intercepted! Mali have a counterattack opportunity!"
"Guillamón arrives just in time and clears it long into the attacking half!"
"Kamaté brings it down on his chest and floats it toward the right. Spain's front-line press is intense, giving Mali no room to settle on the ball."
"A long pass straight down the flank, looking for Diako—Miranda is chasing back!"
"One-on-one, Diako tries to power through!"
"Miranda gets his body in front, excellent positioning, and wins it cleanly!"
"Back to the goalkeeper to reset."
"It's the same pattern again. Spain can defend, but Mali can defend too. The two sides cancel each other out."
Right as the match reached its most tense phase, Leo Lin suddenly changed his movement.
A wide, semi-circular run appeared. Through careful observation, Leo Lin had spotted a potential opening!
Doucouré and Dramé had been deliberately splitting the midfield, preventing Beitia from playing forward and cutting off Leo Lin's supply line.
But Leo Lin made a bold call. He moved over to Beitia, whispered a few words, and their off-the-ball movement changed completely.
40th minute!
"Leo Lin is actively dropping deep, while Beitia makes a forward run without the ball."
"The two are constantly switching positions vertically in midfield, disrupting Mali's defensive coverage!"
"Doucouré is forced to follow Leo Lin again and again, pulling him out of his central zone."
Seeing Doucouré take the bait, Leo Lin knew the moment had come.
42nd minute!
Leo Lin drops deep once more and signals to the goalkeeper for the ball.
Álvaro plays a decisive short pass, cutting through Mali's high press and finding Leo Lin perfectly as he checks back.
Leo Lin receives, turns, and Doucouré arrives right in front of him.
This time, Leo Lin doesn't try to force his way through. He points to the left, gives a subtle flick of his left ankle—
—and passes to the right!
Fake left, pass right!
Straight to Beitia!
Beitia doesn't even take a touch, flicking his ankle again to knock the ball sideways!
Leo Lin sprints off the ball, muscles past Doucouré, and receives it again!
A flawless one-two!
Vertical movement combined with a clever one-two finally tears through Mali's defense!
Leo Lin lifts his head. For the first time, Mali's entire defensive line is laid out in front of him, with no midfield protection at all.
Gómez, Ruiz, and Ferran Torres surge into the box, compressing Mali's back line to the limit.
Two options stand before Leo Lin.
Drive forward himself, or slip a through ball to create a chance for his teammates?
There's no clean passing lane. Leo Lin is certain that forcing a through ball here would likely waste this golden counterattacking opportunity.
At that moment, Denia roars from the sideline:
"Lin!!!"
"There's space!!!"
In a split second, Leo Lin chooses to carry the ball himself!
Wind Chaser Kaka flashes brilliantly!
Doucouré tries to recover from behind, but Leo Lin explodes forward with the ball!
Acceleration!
Sprint!
Counterattack!
Derek Rae's voice rises with excitement!
"Leo Lin driving forward!"
"Nothing but open space ahead of him!"
"A long, surging run—Leo Lin wants to create an even better scoring chance for Spain!"
A ship that stays in port will never encounter the storm.
Playing the through ball might have been safer, avoiding the risk of a turnover and a Mali counterattack.
But only by facing the wind and waves can a ship raise the sails of victory.
...
(60 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser