Leo Lin dropped back, adjusted his angle, and set his sights on goal.
Marciniak made sure the goalkeeper was ready, then blew the whistle.
"Beep!!!"
Leo Lin took a deep breath and began his run-up.
His candle-like gaze locked onto the space above the wall. He had to produce a dipping shot if he wanted any chance of scoring.
"Thud!"
The contact sounded dull. Leo Lin's heart sank. He knew he had not struck it cleanly.
The ball's trajectory followed exactly what he feared. It flew straight toward the middle of the wall, without enough lift.
But England's wall made a fatal mistake.
There was a narrow gap between Ashley Young and Kane. Leo Lin's mis-hit free kick slipped perfectly through that gap.
Pickford never expected such an error from his own wall.
He could only watch helplessly as the less-than-perfect free kick crashed into the net.
"Swish!"
Harry Kane clutched his head in disbelief.
Ashley Young looked devastated.
On the sideline, Southgate shook his head in frustration.
Leo Lin sprinted forward, pumping his fists toward the Spain fans.
"It's in!" Derek Rae said, his voice trembling.
"Spain have equalized in an instant. It's 1-1. We are back level!"
"Leo Lin scores his ninth goal of this World Cup!"
"The quality of that free kick was not high, but England's wall made a costly mistake!"
Gerrard shook his head helplessly. He had known it.
Even if the strike was not what he expected, he just knew it would go in.
When he saw that look in Leo Lin's eyes, that absolute confidence, he understood.
For any player who wants to dominate on their own, the first requirement is belief.
Unconditional confidence.
Leo Lin gathered his teammates together, reminding them to stay focused. Once play resumed, the match slipped back into a tense stalemate.
But with their Diamond system, combined with immediate pressing and rapid counterattacks, England were actually creating more chances and held a slight edge.
"To be honest, this is the first time in this World Cup that Spain have not controlled the game."
"England's youth storm is playing brilliantly. Southgate came well prepared."
Leo Lin was under immense pressure. He could feel it clearly.
From his midfield position, he was struggling to find one-on-one opportunities, and it was equally difficult to thread forward passes.
Southgate's plan to contain him was working.
Even though Spain had equalized, they were still in trouble.
36th minute!
On the sideline, Zubizarreta suddenly stood up and shouted.
"Lin!"
Leo Lin turned his head.
Zubizarreta did not speak. He simply made a gesture, moving both hands diagonally upward at a 45-degree angle, like flying a kite.
Others could not understand it, but Leo Lin could.
This was a signal they had practiced in training.
Zubizarreta was telling him to change from straight forward runs to diagonal runs at a 45-degree angle, and adjust his passing accordingly.
Busquets and Thiago also picked up the signal. They began rotating positions, taking turns pushing forward to draw England's midfield, creating space for Leo Lin's diagonal runs.
De Gea controlled the ball at the back.
Leo Lin dropped to receive under Busquets' cover, quickly played it to Diego, then surged forward diagonally to the right.
Carvajal pushed up at the same time, dragging Henderson away and taking position ahead on the right.
Thiago's long pass found its target.
Leo Lin had just brought the ball under control when Harry Maguire charged in like a battleship, crashing into him and sending him to the ground.
He did not dare give Leo Lin even a second to adjust. He knew that in a one-on-one, he had no chance.
"Maguire commits the foul. Yellow card!"
"Another booking. Spain win a free kick on the right side of the attacking third!"
"But the angle is tight. A direct shot is not the best option."
Leo Lin had no intention of shooting.
Spain's aerial threats had already moved into the box. Sergio Ramos and Piqué were waiting.
Leo Lin raised one hand and glanced toward Sergio Ramos at the far post. Ramos immediately understood.
Sharing a room had built their chemistry. A single look was enough.
"Bang!"
Leo Lin did not use a standard delivery. Instead, he wrapped his outside foot around the ball, producing a curling cross that bent around the defenders toward the far post.
Sergio Ramos gritted his teeth and leapt, throwing his entire body into the jump, overpowering Stones and smashing a header toward goal!
Leo Lin locked his eyes on him as the ball flew into the net.
Sergio Ramos sprinted to the sideline and dropped into a passionate knee slide.
"Oh! Hahaha!"
"Sergio Ramos!"
"That trademark aerial header!"
"Two to one!!!"
"Leo Lin with a stunning outside-of-the-foot assist. Sergio Ramos heads it home!"
"He's unstoppable!"
"One goal and one assist. He has created both goals as Spain take the lead!"
"You cannot learn that kind of outside-foot curl on the pitch. No one teaches you that. It comes from your talent, your imagination, your creativity!"
"That header from Sergio Ramos reminds me of the countless times he has stepped up for Real Madrid!"
"He fully extended in the air, generating incredible power and angle. Pickford could only watch!"
"The first half is not even over, and we already have three goals!"
"All the Spain players join Sergio Ramos in sliding celebrations!"
"Before this, Spain had not found a way to deal with the Diamond system."
"But football is like life. And life is like football!"
"You will never have everything go your way!"
"But no matter the difficulty, when you are on the verge of breaking, ask yourself one question."
"Do you still have passion?"
"If you do!"
"Then you will never be defeated!"
"Like the bright moon in the night sky. Unshaken!"
...
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