Portugal had just equalized, but Spain had clearly prepared a kickoff routine of their own.
A beautifully executed quick attacking sequence surged forward. Busquets delivered a precise long pass to Diego Costa.
Diego Costa cushioned it brilliantly with a backward header, intending to set up David Silva for the shot. But Silva mis-hit it, and the ball instead spun perfectly into Leo Lin's path.
Leo Lin stepped in and struck it first time before it even touched the ground.
Like drawing a bow to its full stretch and shooting at the moon.
Pepe still tried to throw himself into the block, committing his body without hesitation.
But the shot was simply too fast, blasting toward goal with unstoppable force.
As a world-class goalkeeper, Patrício had already pushed his reaction to the limit.
His hand had only just begun to rise when the ball smashed into the net like a rocket.
"Boom!!!"
A thunderous impact, followed by an explosion of noise.
Derek Rae's voice rang out with excitement.
"It's in!"
"What a strike!"
"Leo Lin scores a world-class goal right at the start!"
"That is absolutely brilliant. Power, placement, and speed all in one!"
"The goalkeeper is rooted to the spot. Portugal's entire defense caught completely off guard!"
The second half had only just begun. Barely two minutes in, and there were already two more goals.
Fans watching around the world were on their feet, and every commentator had lost control.
"Can you believe this?"
"Leo Lin scores. Spain take the lead again!"
"A lightning-fast turnaround!"
"Portugal had just executed a well-designed restart to level things, but Spain answered immediately with one of their own and reclaimed the lead."
"Both teams came fully prepared, and both have delivered exactly what they planned."
"The live score is now 3–2. Five goals already!"
"This is a goal fest. An absolute goal fest!"
Leo Lin sprinted to the touchline, lifting his shirt to reveal his sculpted abs and sharply defined obliques.
Teammates rushed in behind him, leaping onto him in celebration.
On the sideline, Hierro punched the air. Xavi and Raúl embraced tightly, while David Villa waved toward the Spanish fans.
Across major broadcasts.
"Look at this. This Spain side truly has spirit and identity!"
"Lin. Who would have imagined his first World Cup appearance would be this fearless, this outstanding!"
"Now you see it. The strength of the youngest four-time champion core in history!"
Cristiano Ronaldo ran straight into the goal, grabbed the ball, and carried it quickly back to midfield. He had no intention of giving up.
There was still plenty of time, and he believed Portugal would get more chances.
The game was opening up more and more. Both sides were creating opportunities and finding space.
The commentators, like the fans, did not dare look away for even a second.
56th minute.
"Spain controlling midfield, still dictating possession."
"Leo Lin carries it wide right. Carvajal overlaps and sends it into the box."
"Far post. Diego Costa gets there!"
"He turns, tries to shoot!"
"Pepe gets in first and clears!"
"Too much power. It flies straight out of play."
"Dead ball situation. Portugal make a change. Quaresma comes on for Gonçalo Guedes. The super sub is here."
"In their opening group match against Morocco, it was Quaresma's outside-of-the-foot curler that sealed a 1–0 win and secured all three points."
As Quaresma entered, Spain made a change as well.
"Spain are making a substitution. Asensio replaces Iniesta. This looks like a positional adjustment."
After Asensio came on, Spain's shape shifted as expected.
"David Silva drops deeper into midfield as a central player, while Asensio moves out to the right wing. A clear tactical tweak."
"Asensio has mostly been a rotation player at Real Madrid this season, but he has delivered some very impressive moments."
With both sides adjusting, the match resumed.
Quaresma's presence stretched the play wider, while Cristiano Ronaldo stayed alone at the tip of the attack.
Busquets remained the orchestrator from deep, while Leo Lin controlled the rhythm of the entire team.
62nd minute.
Quaresma, newly on, was clearly following a specific tactical plan.
Under Spain's pressing, Pepe launched a long ball straight down the middle.
David Silva jumped to challenge but lost the aerial duel to Moutinho.
"Moutinho flicks it on with his head to Ronaldo, who shields it with his back to goal."
"Ronaldo protects the ball and uses the outside of his foot to slip it through to Quaresma behind him."
"Chance!"
"Quaresma cuts inside!"
"He hits it first time. Outside of the foot again!"
Quaresma had initially hovered behind Ronaldo, then suddenly drifted wide, drawing Alba and fooling Busquets.
The moment Ronaldo controlled the ball, Quaresma darted back inside, shaking off Alba and slipping in behind Busquets to find space.
Ronaldo followed up with an outside-of-the-foot pass, and Quaresma met it in stride and struck it cleanly.
That trademark outside-of-the-foot curler.
The ball carved a crescent through the air, bending past every Spanish defender and beyond De Gea's reach, before flying into the top-left corner.
"It's him again!"
"I said it before. Quaresma. The super sub!"
"Portugal's most magical weapon strikes again. Quaresma delivers off the bench once more!"
"3–3!!!"
"We are level again. Back to square one!"
Cristiano Ronaldo and the entire Portugal team rushed toward Quaresma in celebration.
His sharp, repeated diagonal movements created just enough space, and the finish that followed was ice-cold. A superb display.
Sergio Ramos clapped his hands, urging calm, but Quaresma's strike had clearly caught Spain off guard.
After the restart, Quaresma's constant overlapping and folding runs made life extremely difficult for Spain's defense.
Alba was repeatedly dragged out of position to track him.
Busquets was showing his age. It did not affect his control or passing, but it became obvious whenever he had to cover ground.
And that was exactly what Quaresma was targeting.
72nd minute.
"Portugal are playing more and more long balls now, all aimed in behind the defense."
"Moutinho drops deep. Lovely close control as he dribbles forward."
"Leo Lin comes in from the side and bumps him off balance, but Moutinho still manages to release it to Carvalho before going down!"
"Through ball!"
"Quaresma receives it, switches it left. Bruno has a chance!"
"One-on-one with Carvajal. He takes him on directly!"
"High ball to the far post!"
"Alba heads it clear, but not far enough!"
"Bernardo with an opportunity!"
"Shot!"