"You're watching the Euro qualifiers, Norway against Spain. Both sides have fielded quite a few young players for this match!"
"Here is Norway's starting lineup."
"Goalkeeper: Jarstein."
"Defenders: Aleesami, Ajer, Nordtveit, Elabdellaoui."
"Midfielders: Johansen, Selnaes, Henriksen, Ødegaard."
"Forwards: Joshua King, Sørloth."
"The player who needs the most attention is definitely center forward Sørloth. Fans call him an outstanding young striker with a cannon of a header."
"He has excellent jumping ability, and with his powerful aerial style, he can make opposing defenders lose control of the air every time!"
"Spain's starting lineup has also changed quite a lot compared with their previous main lineup."
"Goalkeeper: De Gea."
"Defenders: Alba, Iñigo Martínez, Sergio Ramos, Jesús Navas."
"Midfielders: Rodri, Parejo, Leo Lin."
"Forwards: Asensio, Morata, Gayà."
Captain Sergio Ramos led the team out, and a few minutes later, the match began.
"Norway kick off. They've set up in a 4-4-2 Formation, and their attacking style is very distinctive. They've moved Ødegaard, who originally plays in midfield, out to wide midfield specifically to use his crossing ability and create heading chances for Sørloth and Joshua King!"
The reason Norway had chosen a 4-4-2 Formation, one that could fully use the wings, was to help their two tall forwards, especially Sørloth up front, get attacking chances.
After the match began, Sergio Ramos was responsible for marking Sørloth. Early on, Spain did not have too many problems defensively, but because the lineup had only just been put together, the players did not have enough chemistry, and they had not spent much time training tactically together. Before long, Norway were the first to create an attacking chance.
19th minute.
"Ødegaard has stayed on the right since the opening whistle. Long ball from the back, still looking for Ødegaard."
"Diagonal long pass!"
"Sørloth!!!"
"Under Sergio Ramos's pressure, he can't get enough power on it. Joshua King follows up with another shot!"
Sørloth did not get enough power on the first header, but he still managed to keep the ball in the box, leaving Sergio Ramos unable to cover everything at once.
Iñigo Martínez blocked Joshua King head-on, using his stomach to stop Joshua King's first shot.
Rodri hurried over to protect the second ball.
"Rodri shields the ball and turns, but he's dragged down by a Norway player. The referee blows for a foul!"
"Norway's style of play is very distinctive. When they attack, their two wide midfielders don't push too far forward. They don't change the shape into a 4-2-4. They stay in a 4-4-2 Formation, and whenever the wide midfielders get a chance, they send high balls in, looking specifically for Sørloth."
"And when they defend, they foul as early as they can, stopping Spain from launching a counterattack."
"Although the word counterattack had nothing to do with Spain for a very long time, since the World Cup began, Leo Lin's arrival has given Spain a whole new way of playing. Now, counterattacks have actually become one of their stronger tactical weapons!"
However, from the start of the match, Leo Lin had found things a little tricky, because Diego Costa had not been called up to the national team due to his recent form not being good enough.
And although Morata had been performing quite well for his club, ever since this match began, both of his feet seemed to have turned into weak feet. He still had not managed to get a shooting chance.
As a result, Spain allowed Norway to create more and more chances, especially from Set pieces. Every time Sørloth went up for a header, the Spanish fans could not help but worry.
"I get scared as soon as I see the ball flying toward Sørloth!"
"This kind of tall center forward really is popular in football. Give Sørloth another couple of years, and he has a great chance of developing into a top-class target man!"
"After changing the lineup, it feels like Spain's threat has been shrinking."
Leo Lin kept being forced to drop back into the penalty area, especially for Set pieces.
In the 26th minute, Joshua King's long-range shot struck Iñigo Martínez and bounced out over the byline. Norway won another corner, and Ødegaard stepped up, raising his hand to signal.
Leo Lin dropped back to Sørloth's side. As Ødegaard took the corner, Leo Lin immediately jumped, and the Gullit skill burst into light.
"Bang!"
"Headed clearance!"
"Sørloth still looks a little raw in front of Leo Lin!"
"Since the match began, Leo Lin hasn't contributed much in attack, but he has repeatedly produced eye-catching defensive moments. In fact, this also reflects Spain's lack of cutting edge up front. When the attacking firepower isn't strong enough, the midfield and defense have to bear more pressure!"
Rodri had already recovered from his early nerves. After all, this was his first major national team match and his first start, so it was natural for Rodri to be a little nervous.
But as Leo Lin continued to perform well, Rodri seemed to rediscover the feeling he had at Liverpool.
Because at Liverpool, he and Leo Lin were midfield partners.
As Norway created more and more attacking chances, Leo Lin did not feel pressured. He simply kept doing his job while waiting for an opportunity.
Norway had Ødegaard, Sørloth, and Joshua King, but their overall strength was not actually that strong. They often struggled to reach the main stage of the World Cup or the European Championship, and were frequently eliminated in the qualifiers.
The main reason Norway could not break into major tournaments was that their midfield and defense were indeed somewhat weak.
32nd minute.
Ødegaard sent in another long pass from the wing, but this time it was blocked by Asensio, who had tracked back. The ball hit Asensio and bounced toward the middle.
Leo Lin and Rodri ran toward the dropping point almost at the same time. Rodri was about to stop, but when he saw Leo Lin's gesture, he gradually slowed his pace while still moving forward.
Leo Lin sprinted to the ball, but instead of controlling it, he pushed it first time back to Rodri in front of him. Then he turned, exploded forward, and accelerated.
Morata also realized that Rodri wanted to play a give-and-go, so he started his run at the same time as Leo Lin.
That gave Rodri another passing option. He could pass to Morata, or he could pass to Leo Lin.
Morata had originally been closer to goal than Leo Lin, but after just two steps, Leo Lin left the accelerating Morata behind. Then Morata could only watch as Leo Lin received Rodri's pass and broke through one-on-one.
"Leo Lin is through!"
"Shoot!"
"It's in!!!"
"What a goal! What a combination! A Liverpool connection!"
"Spain lead Norway by one goal!"
"Before the match, I saw some people discussing whether Leo Lin deserved the number 10 shirt. Though honestly, I don't even know why any fan would ask that."
"But judging by what just happened, I think a lot of people have the question backward!"
"It's not about whether Leo Lin deserves Spain's number 10 shirt. It's that only Spain's number 10 shirt deserves Leo Lin!"