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...
At that instant, the world seemed to stand still!
In Leo Lin's eyes, there was only the ball.
In his mind, only the goal.
At the moment of the strike, Leo Lin adjusted his body with everything he had.
A textbook long-range shooting motion—his swinging ankle met the pass perfectly in midair.
England's defenders threw themselves into desperate blocks. Ocho lunged without hesitation, hurling his body forward yet again!
But this time, Leo Lin unleashed a skidding, low-driven shot!
It hugged the grass, without even a hint of spin!
The power!
The speed!
The ball ripped through the air with a sharp whistling sound, screaming toward the bottom-right corner!
"Whoosh!!!"
Anderson flung himself into a full-stretch dive—but he couldn't even get a fingertip to it!
"GOALLLLL!!!!!"
"GGGGGOOOOAAAALLL!!!"
Casillas thrust his arms into the air once again!
"It's in again!!!!!"
"Lin!!!!"
"Our Lin!!!!"
"Beautiful!!!!"
"What a strike!"
"What a goal!"
"The first half is about to end, and Leo Lin strikes again to extend the lead!"
"It's now 3–1!"
"What more do they have to say now?!"
"Lin is absolutely worth forty million—against players his own age, this is a complete mismatch!"
"Such a composed long-range technique, such overwhelming power!"
"Forget Anderson—even a first-team professional goalkeeper would struggle to save that!"
Derek Rae finally couldn't hold it in anymore.
"F*ck!!!"
"What a goal!!!"
"Leo Lin!"
"A first-half brace! Leo Lin helps Spain extend the lead to 3–1—Spain are two goals clear!!!"
"England had just begun to regain attacking momentum, but after Denia's adjustment, Leo Lin has fully activated his all-around midfield coverage."
"The constant switching between attacking and defensive shapes has once again disrupted England's setup. Spain have been magnificent tonight!"
The second goal looked like a brute-force blast, yet the finish itself was a precise, skidding drive—power perfectly controlled.
Constant variation, leaving the opponent unable to read his patterns.
Leo Lin sprinted toward the touchline and leapt straight into Denia's arms!
Every substitute, staff member, and assistant coach rushed over, everyone locked in tight embraces!
Across the major livestreams:
"This is a truly united team—they deserve this win!"
"Spain inviting Leo Lin was the smartest decision they made this season!"
"Congratulations to Lin for overtaking Foden and going top of the U17 World Cup scoring chart!"
"Live Golden Boy odds: Leo Lin has surged to first place, overtaking Mbappe by two percentage points!"
The remaining minutes of the first half ticked away, and both sides headed back to the dressing rooms.
Greg still hadn't given up. Despite trailing by two goals, he believed England still had a chance.
"Change the approach again!"
"Gallagher, push up!"
"I don't care how you do it—make Lin's life miserable!"
"This is a match!"
"Against an opponent like this, stop playing so clean!"
"Both wingers—especially Foden—link up more with Smith Rowe."
"If there's a chance, shoot! Take more long-range efforts!"
On the other side, Denia continued to stress unity.
"Second half, keep combining wing play with central penetration. Increase vertical runs, play more through balls."
"More vertical runs. More through balls!"
"When attacking, switch to a 4-4-2. The tempo must be fast—your movement must be fast!"
"Everyone gives me everything you've got out there. Run yourselves into the ground!"
"If anyone dares to relax, get arrogant, or think the match is already over, I'll substitute you immediately!"
Denia was focused on the players' mentality. A two-goal lead was dangerous if it led to complacency.
Leo Lin adjusted his captain's armband and took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.
Only forty-five minutes remained until the title. Of course he was excited—but celebrating too early was never a good thing.
...
The second half began.
"Both teams are back on the pitch, and we're underway again."
"This match is unfolding very differently from what England had hoped. Two goals down, they're already in serious trouble."
"They have to fight to the death, or they'll hand the championship straight to Spain."
England began to increase their short passing combinations in tight areas.
Fans had long associated England with a rough, direct style—long balls, aerial duels, limited finesse.
But the emergence of players like Foden and Smith Rowe had brought more subtlety and technical circulation into their play.
55th minute!
Greg made a substitution, sending Palmer on in place of Hudson-Odoi.
"Palmer is coming on, with Foden moving to the left."
"Palmer takes the right flank. The young winger has excellent close control, especially his repeated cut-ins and curling shots—they're always dangerous."
After Palmer's introduction, England's wing play shifted again.
The one suffering most was Morey. He had taken a heavy beating all match, yet Spain's bench had no right-back available to replace him.
65th minute!
"Spain are circulating possession at the back, trying to slow the tempo. The ball goes wide to Morey!"
"England press aggressively. Morey goes long, looking for Leo Lin!"
"Too much power! Gallagher heads it down—Doyle makes a late run and threads the pass!"
"Palmer has space on the wing!"
"He cuts inside, driving toward the middle!"
"He wants the shot!"
"Blocked by Eric García!!!"
"But did that hit his hand?"
"The referee needs to consult the assistant—play has been stopped!"
Leo Lin immediately strode over to the referee.
"His arm was tucked in. He didn't make himself bigger."
Palmer rushed over to argue as well, and tempers flared. Neither side was willing to concede the decision.
The referee and the assistant discussed it for nearly two minutes.
Then the whistle blew—and the referee pointed furiously to the penalty spot!
"England are awarded a penalty—they're still alive!"
"It looks like Palmer will take it himself."
"In the 65th minute, England win a penalty!"
"If this goes in, the gap is down to one—and England's hopes are right back on!"
Spanish fans barely dared to breathe.
Álvaro stood on the goal line, slapping his arms and chest, trying to fire himself up.
Leo Lin positioned himself on the right side of the box, ready to charge back and defend at any moment.
Palmer stood over the ball and took a deep breath.
Hundreds of millions of eyes were fixed on him. The weight was immense.
"Palmer."
"Run-up."
"He shoots!!!"
To the right!
Álvaro reads it perfectly—one hand outstretched!!!
"It's saved!"
"Eric García clears it long!"
As García cleared, the ball smashed into the onrushing White and bounced straight to Smith Rowe in midfield!
Álvaro scrambled desperately to get back up—but Smith Rowe struck instantly!
A lofted shot!
The goalkeeper was helpless!
Spanish fans were on the verge of suffocation!
At the critical moment—
Leo Lin sprinted back at full speed!
As the ball was about to drop into the net, Leo Lin launched himself into the air once more!
Another bicycle kick motion!
But this time, it wasn't a shot—
It was a clearance!
"Bang!!!"
An absolutely unbelievable bicycle-kick goal-line clearance!
...
(60 Chapters Ahead)
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